Brascia presents at national conference

Kara Brascia, director of the Service-Learning Program in the Center for Teaching and Learning, presented at the National Campus Compact Conference in Chicago on March 17, 2026. Her session, "STEM CARES: A Faculty-Friendly Framework for Community-Engaged STEM Courses," introduced a scalable approach to integrating STEM outreach into existing STEM courses.

The STEM CARES framework addresses a common challenge among instructors who value community engagement but may lack outreach expertise or time to redesign their courses. It provides a structured sequence of student learning activities, along with an accompanying instructor guide that includes step-by-step guidance, templates, plug-in assignments and brief instructional videos to support implementation.

Through this approach, the framework strengthens students' science communication skills while expanding access to service-learning opportunities and deepening connections to community impact. Students design and deliver age-appropriate STEM outreach experiences for youth using the 5E instructional model.

Brascia noted that the framework's structured outreach activities can support NSF CAREER education plans and broader impacts. Faculty interested in exploring how STEM CARES could align with their courses or proposals are encouraged to reach out to [email protected].

Co-presenting with Brascia was Melissa Rowland-Goldsmith, professor of molecular biology at Chapman University, who spent her sabbatical collaborating with Brascia to develop the framework and expand her knowledge of service-learning.

The framework also reflects contributions from collaborators across Boise State, including Steve Villachica (Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning), Matt Wigglesworth (STEM Education), Ashley Bosa (Geosciences), Ru Wood (Film), and student graphic designer Timothy Acosta, who developed the framework's visual representation.

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