Eubanks Joins UA Little Rock as Head of STEM Education Center
Renowned computer science educator Jami Eubanks has been appointed as the new assistant director of the STEM Education Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. This role marks a significant milestone in Eubanks’ career, as they will now be responsible for overseeing and implementing initiatives aimed at enhancing STEM education on campus.
With a focus on increasing student engagement and retention in undergraduate STEM education, the university has received a nearly million grant from the National Science Foundation to support Eubanks’ work. The grant will facilitate a peer mentoring program, providing opportunities for hundreds of students to participate. Special attention will be given to historically underserved populations, first-generation students, and Pell Grant recipients, who often face significant barriers in their STEM courses.
The five-year grant will support innovative approaches such as the expansion of the Mobile Institute on Scientific Teaching and the Learning Assistant Program. These programs have demonstrated significant success in improving student outcomes, with students in active learning classrooms being 1.5 times more likely to pass courses compared to traditional lectures.
Faculty members will also be recruited to participate in the grant-funded workshops, with a stipend of 0 for each participant. This collaborative effort between the STEM Education Center, the School of Education, and the Office of the Provost will ensure a comprehensive approach to addressing equity gaps in STEM education.
To complement the peer mentoring program, the grant also provides a stipend of 5 for 605 students to participate as learning assistants, supporting over 9,000 classmates during the course of the project. This initiative is expected to support approximately 250 learning assistants per year by the project’s end.
As the assistant director of the STEM Education Center, Jami Eubanks is poised to make a significant impact on the educational landscape of UA Little Rock, ensuring greater accessibility and success for students from all backgrounds in STEM fields.
