Ohio-PKAL Regional Network (OH-PKAL)

Announcing the Ohio PKAL STEM Education Award 2022

The Ohio PKAL STEM Educator Award recognizes excellence and innovation in the field of STEM education at the college level. One Ohio STEM educator is selected annually to receive a $500 award. The recipient will be honored at the 2022 Annual Ohio PKAL Conference, hosted by the College of Wooster, June 4, 2022. Learn more here.

Vision

Ohio-PKAL’s vision is to create a regional community of practice to promote and enhance learner-centered STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education through evidenced-based best practices, faculty development and community engagement and education.

Mission

Ohio-PKAL’s mission is to become a central conduit for providing information, communication and resources focused on the enhancement of STEM education. Ohio-PKAL desires to be the foremost leader in connecting people within institutions of higher education organizations and the business community around the shared goals of producing highly qualified STEM professionals and improving scientific literacy among all students and graduates of Ohio schools.

Ohio-PKAL will achieve its vision and mission by engaging in the following activities:

  • Organizing a regional conference where faculty can showcase, share, and discuss ideas, concerns and best practices around STEM education;
  • Promoting professional development through shared faculty development resources and networking across Ohio colleges and universities;
  • Forming partnership between constituent groups to identify, secure and share funding and resources for projects to improve STEM education;
  • Forming community partnerships between local agencies and businesses interested in improving undergraduate STEM education;
  • Engaging in the promotion of undergraduate STEM research opportunities;
  • Developing and maintaining a system for the dissemination and sharing of information, resources and best practices for promoting and improving STEM education in Ohio;
  • Engaging in strategic planning to be a voice in policy decisions concerning STEM education in Ohio, and:
  • Serving the community through outreach programming and partnering with local, regional and national organizations to promote the cause of improving education for all Ohio citizens in the STEM disciplines.

Conferences

Ohio Project Kaleidoscope hosted its fifth annual conference, Increasing STEM Student Success in Higher Education, at University of Dayton on May 18, 2019.

Ohio Project Kaleidoscope hosted its fourth annual conference, Promoting Effective Learning in a Diverse STEM Environment, at University of Mount Union on Saturday, May 19, 2018.

The network hosted its third annual conference, Evidence-Based STEM Education: Teaching and Student Success, at University of Findlay on Saturday, May 20, 2017.

The network hosted its second annual conference, Evidence-Based Practices in Undergraduate STEM Education, at Capital University on Saturday, May 21, 2016.

The network hosted its first annual conference, Increasing STEM Student Success in Higher Education, at Otterbein University on Saturday, May 16, 2015.

Contact

For additional information, please contact [email protected]

Program Goals

To significantly increase the number of highly trained graduates in STEM disciplines as well as improve scientific literacy among all graduates of Ohio colleges and universities.