Initiatives

Dr. Marco Molinaro

STEM Speaker, March 3, 2016: "Using Data to Inform, Drive and Scale STEM Instructional Reform"

Marco Molinaro, Ph.D., is the Assistant Vice Provost for Educational Effectiveness at UC Davis where he oversees the Center for Educational Effectiveness which includes learning and teaching support, instructional research and development and educational analytics. Dr. Molinaro has over 20 years of educational experience creating and leading applications of technology for instruction, scientific visualization and simulation, tools for evidence-based instructional actions, curriculum development and evaluation, and science exhibits for students from elementary school through graduate school and for the general public.

Currently, Dr. Molinaro is leading the UC Davis university-wide effort to improve undergraduate student success through the Center for Educational Effectiveness (an expansion of the former iAMSTEM Hub merged with the prior Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.) As part of the effort, the Center is working with faculty and staff across the university to: 1) improve and evolve the introductory undergraduate curriculum, 2) understand and measure change with new analytics tools and approaches that guide instructional improvement and, 3) develop actionable student success models.

Dr. Molinaro is also the founder of the Tools for Evidence-based actions community, a group of researchers and administrators from over 35 universities dedicated to sharing tools and methodologies that encourage evidence-based instructional actions. His projects have been funded though the NSF, NIH and various private foundations such as Gates, Intel and the Helmsley Trust.