Carroll was recently awarded a $298,880 grant from the National Science Foundation - Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) fund.
The Carroll University Critical Digital Pedagogy Project for Inquiry-Based Online STEM Education will identify and integrate critical digital pedagogy methods that prepare pre-service teachers to teach inquiry-based STEM education effectively in online learning environments.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, both K-12 and higher education underwent a dramatic shift to primarily online instruction. With the realization that multiple modes of instruction are possible, pre-service teacher programs must prepare students to teach in online environments. The long-term goal is to develop a model that prepares pre-service teachers to facilitate the learning of STEM concepts and processes in online learning environments that are equitable and inclusive of all learners.
The IUSE Engaged Student Learning Level 1 project seeks to combine inquiry-based approaches to learning with critical digital pedagogy. It supports Carroll faculty members in transforming their teaching to facilitate inquiry-based STEM education in online learning environments. In turn, this is expected to improve undergraduate STEM teaching and learning for pre-service teachers at Carroll, as education faculty will integrate critical digital pedagogy methods into their K-12 STEM methods courses.
This project’s first objective is to identify best practices for incorporating critical digital pedagogy into inquiry-based, online STEM education for pre-service teachers, and begin integrating these new instructional techniques into methods courses. A second objective is to increase STEM and education faculty members’ efficacy around the incorporation of critical digital pedagogy into methods courses for pre-service teachers. The third objective is to use new instructional techniques to improve pre-service teachers’ sense of efficacy for effectively teaching inquiry-based STEM education in online learning environments.
In addition, this project emphasizes examination of equity and access issues in tandem with instructional changes to ensure all students can access these learning opportunities in both K-12 and higher education settings. The project investigators are collaborating with the Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative, within the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to conduct both formative and summative assessments of the project. The results will be published in peer-reviewed publications, presented at national conferences, and distributed widely through an online professional development micro-credential.
Please join Carroll to congratulate Kim White and her team for their success in getting this important project funded. Learn more about the project here.
Disclaimer. The grantee is responsible for assuring that every publication of material (including web pages) based on or developed under an NSF award, except scientific articles or papers appearing in scientific, technical or professional journals, contains a disclaimer that specifies that the opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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