Perceptions of the STEM Teaching Culture at an HBCU

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) provide a vital institutional context for investigating the impact of faculty development on improving undergraduate education, particularly in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, for underrepresented minority (URM) groups. Many studies have linked faculty development to improvements in undergraduate education. However, there has been very limited research focused on the development of faculty at HBCUs. This research project explores the question, ``How do HBCU faculty teaching productivity and perceptions of support for teaching evolve through active, peripheral, or non-participation in communities of practice?'' Using qualitative research methods, a sample of guiding questions are used to investigate the teaching environment, engagement in teaching innovation, the nature of collaboration, and participation in communities of practice. Accordingly, this presentation will disseminate faculty development and structures of support through communities of practice on an HBCU campus. We seek to explore intersectionality as a lens for investigating faculty perceptions of the STEM teaching culture within the HBCU context.