Innovating STEM Education


Book Description

In recent years, there has been a focus on promoting the uptake of STEM subjects in schools. This has been driven by the need to ensure that young people gain the knowledge and skills essential to help them participate in a society in which mathematics, science and technology are increasingly important. Nevertheless, reform efforts, including curriculum development, have treated the STEM subjects mostly in isolation. Recognizing that efforts for education within each individual STEM discipline would encourage a wide range of conservations about different important aspects of teaching and learning, this conference considered the potential benefits and challenges for the integration of various STEM's characteristics into education. In order to prepare students to address the problems of our society, it is necessary to provide them with opportunities to understand these problems through rich, engaging and powerful experiences that integrate the disciplines of STEM. This volume contains selected papers presented at the Hellenic Conferences "Innovating STEM education -HiSTEM 2016 and 2018" organized by the Postgraduate Program "Interdisciplinary Approach on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Education -STEM Education" (stemeducation.upatras.gr). The first eleven papers were presented at the HiSTEM 2016 Conference and the last six papers at the HiSTEM 2018 Conference. These papers were selected after a peer review process from the conferences' submitted papers. The conferences provided a platform for dissemination of best practices in teaching and learning STEM in Greece and also inspired and empowered STEM educators to improve teaching quality, to increase engagement in STEM education and career pathways, to connect students with real life industry relevancy and to drive creativity, inquiry-based learning, problem-solving and project-based learning.




Innovating STEM Education: Increased Engagement and Best Practices


Book Description

In recent years, there has been a focus on promoting the uptake of STEM subjects in schools. This has been driven by the need to ensure that young people gain the knowledge and skills essential to help them participate in a society in which mathematics, science and technology are increasingly important. Nevertheless, reform efforts, including curriculum development, have treated the STEM subjects mostly in isolation. Recognizing that efforts for education within each individual STEM discipline would encourage a wide range of conservations about different important aspects of teaching and learning, this conference considered the potential benefits and challenges for the integration of various STEM’s characteristics into education. In order to prepare students to address the problems of our society, it is necessary to provide them with opportunities to understand these problems through rich, engaging and powerful experiences that integrate the disciplines of STEM. This volume contains selected papers presented at the Hellenic Conferences “Innovating STEM education – HiSTEM 2016 and 2018” organized by the Postgraduate Program “Interdisciplinary Approach on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Education – STEM Education” (stemeducation.upatras.gr). The first eleven papers were presented at the HiSTEM 2016 Conference and the last six papers at the HiSTEM 2018 Conference. These papers were selected after a peer review process from the conferences’ submitted papers. The conferences provided a platform for dissemination of best practices in teaching and learning STEM in Greece and also inspired and empowered STEM educators to improve teaching quality, to increase engagement in STEM education and career pathways, to connect students with real life industry relevancy and to drive creativity, inquiry-based learning, problem-solving and project-based learning.




STEM Education for the 21st Century


Book Description

This book chronicles the revolution in STEM teaching and learning that has arisen from a convergence of educational research, emerging technologies, and innovative ways of structuring both the physical space and classroom activities in STEM higher education. Beginning with a historical overview of US higher education and an overview of diversity in STEM in the US, the book sets a context in which our present-day innovation in science and technology urgently needs to provide more diversity and inclusion within STEM fields. Research-validated pedagogies using active learning and new types of research-based curriculum is transforming how physics, biology and other fields are taught in leading universities, and the book gives profiles of leading innovators in science education and examples of exciting new research-based courses taking root in US institutions. The book includes interviews with leading scientists and educators, case studies of new courses and new institutions, and descriptions of site visits where new trends in 21st STEM education are being developed. The book also takes the reader into innovative learning environments in engineering where students are empowered by emerging technologies to develop new creative capacity in their STEM education, through new centers for design thinking and liberal arts-based engineering. Equally innovative are new conceptual frameworks for course design and learning, and the book explores the concepts of Scientific Teaching, Backward Course Design, Threshold Concepts and Learning Taxonomies in a systematic way with examples from diverse scientific fields. Finally, the book takes the reader inside the leading centers for online education, including Udacity, Coursera and EdX, interviews the leaders and founders of MOOC technology, and gives a sense of how online education is evolving and what this means for STEM education. This book provides a broad and deep exploration into the historical context of science education and into some of the cutting-edge innovations that are reshaping how leading universities teach science and engineering. The emergence of exponentially advancing technologies such as synthetic biology, artificial intelligence and materials sciences has been described as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the book explores how these technologies will shape our future will bring a transformation of STEM curriculum that can help students solve many the most urgent problems facing our world and society.




Handbook of Research on Innovative Pedagogies and Best Practices in Teacher Education


Book Description

Educators and those who prepare teachers are facing increased scrutiny on their practice that include pressures to demonstrate their effectiveness, meet the needs of changing demographics and students, and adapt to ever-changing learning environments. Thus, there is a need for innovative pedagogies and adoption of best practices to effectively serve the needs of digital learners. The Handbook of Research on Innovative Pedagogies and Best Practices in Teacher Education is an essential research book that takes an in-depth look at the methods by which educators are prepared to address shifting demographics and technologies in the classroom and provides strategies for focusing their curricula on diverse learning types. It takes a look at the use of innovative pedagogies and effective learning spaces in teacher education programs and the decisions behind them to enhance more inquiry learning, STEM initiatives, and prove more kinds of exploratory learning for students. Covering topics such as higher education, virtual reality, and inclusive education, this book is ideally designed for teachers, administrators, academicians, instructors, and researchers.




Successful K-12 STEM Education


Book Description

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are cultural achievements that reflect our humanity, power our economy, and constitute fundamental aspects of our lives as citizens, consumers, parents, and members of the workforce. Providing all students with access to quality education in the STEM disciplines is important to our nation's competitiveness. However, it is challenging to identify the most successful schools and approaches in the STEM disciplines because success is defined in many ways and can occur in many different types of schools and settings. In addition, it is difficult to determine whether the success of a school's students is caused by actions the school takes or simply related to the population of students in the school. Successful K-12 STEM Education defines a framework for understanding "success" in K-12 STEM education. The book focuses its analysis on the science and mathematics parts of STEM and outlines criteria for identifying effective STEM schools and programs. Because a school's success should be defined by and measured relative to its goals, the book identifies three important goals that share certain elements, including learning STEM content and practices, developing positive dispositions toward STEM, and preparing students to be lifelong learners. A successful STEM program would increase the number of students who ultimately pursue advanced degrees and careers in STEM fields, enhance the STEM-capable workforce, and boost STEM literacy for all students. It is also critical to broaden the participation of women and minorities in STEM fields. Successful K-12 STEM Education examines the vast landscape of K-12 STEM education by considering different school models, highlighting research on effective STEM education practices, and identifying some conditions that promote and limit school- and student-level success in STEM. The book also looks at where further work is needed to develop appropriate data sources. The book will serve as a guide to policy makers; decision makers at the school and district levels; local, state, and federal government agencies; curriculum developers; educators; and parent and education advocacy groups.




Minority Serving Institutions


Book Description

There are over 20 million young people of color in the United States whose representation in STEM education pathways and in the STEM workforce is still far below their numbers in the general population. Their participation could help re-establish the United States' preeminence in STEM innovation and productivity, while also increasing the number of well-educated STEM workers. There are nearly 700 minority-serving institutions (MSIs) that provide pathways to STEM educational success and workforce readiness for millions of students of colorâ€"and do so in a mission-driven and intentional manner. They vary substantially in their origins, missions, student demographics, and levels of institutional selectivity. But in general, their service to the nation provides a gateway to higher education and the workforce, particularly for underrepresented students of color and those from low-income and first-generation to college backgrounds. The challenge for the nation is how to capitalize on the unique strengths and attributes of these institutions and to equip them with the resources, exceptional faculty talent, and vital infrastructure needed to educate and train an increasingly critical portion of current and future generations of scientists, engineers, and health professionals. Minority Serving Institutions examines the nation's MSIs and identifies promising programs and effective strategies that have the highest potential return on investment for the nation by increasing the quantity and quality MSI STEM graduates. This study also provides critical information and perspective about the importance of MSIs to other stakeholders in the nation's system of higher education and the organizations that support them.




Intelligent Educational Robots


Book Description

This book focuses on recent advances in maker education and in human-robot interaction and on the integration of intelligent educational robots (IER) in P-12 education. It covers various topics and trends about the evolution of maker education and the use of IER and artificial intelligence (AI) in P-12 education. This book offers an overview of recent research into the adoption, integration, advancements, and impact of IER and AI in education. It helps researchers, practitioners, professionals, and academicians of various scientific disciplines explore and better comprehend the state of the art of maker education, AI, and IER, their advancements, impact, and future potentials in education.




STEM Integration in K-12 Education


Book Description

STEM Integration in K-12 Education examines current efforts to connect the STEM disciplines in K-12 education. This report identifies and characterizes existing approaches to integrated STEM education, both in formal and after- and out-of-school settings. The report reviews the evidence for the impact of integrated approaches on various student outcomes, and it proposes a set of priority research questions to advance the understanding of integrated STEM education. STEM Integration in K-12 Education proposes a framework to provide a common perspective and vocabulary for researchers, practitioners, and others to identify, discuss, and investigate specific integrated STEM initiatives within the K-12 education system of the United States. STEM Integration in K-12 Education makes recommendations for designers of integrated STEM experiences, assessment developers, and researchers to design and document effective integrated STEM education. This report will help to further their work and improve the chances that some forms of integrated STEM education will make a positive difference in student learning and interest and other valued outcomes.




Handbook of Research on Innovative Digital Practices to Engage Learners


Book Description

Digital integration is the driving force of teaching and learning at all levels of education. As more non-traditional students seek credentialing, certification, and degrees, institutions continue to push the boundaries of innovative practices to meet the needs of diverse students. Programs and faculty have moved from merely using technology and learning management systems to unique and innovative ways to engage learners. The Handbook of Research on Innovative Digital Practices to Engage Learners is an essential scholarly publication that offers theoretical frameworks, delivery models, current guidelines, and digital design techniques for integrating technological advancements in education contexts to enforce student engagement and positive student outcomes. Featuring a wide range of topics such as gamification, wearable technologies, and distance education, this book is ideal for teachers, curriculum developers, instructional designers, principals, deans, administrators, researchers, academicians, education professionals, and students.




Cracking the code


Book Description

This report aims to 'crack the code' by deciphering the factors that hinder and facilitate girls' and women's participation, achievement and continuation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and, in particular, what the education sector can do to promote girls' and women's interest in and engagement with STEM education and ultimately STEM careers.