ECE 7602: Equity in STEM Teaching and Learning

3 Credit Hours
Prerequisite: ECE 7601
The course provides students with experiences for integrating equity and multicultural educational strategies with the Engineering Design Process, experiential learning opportunities, and project-based STEM activities. Students engage in interactive discussions around current literature in educational research, critically examine STEM instructional practice, and consider assessment data to make decisions about appropriate equitable science instruction. Field placement in a P-12 learning environment is required for this course, which is typically fulfilled through a candidate’s full-time teaching position. Other arrangements are permitted but not provided. This placement is the responsibility of the candidate.

Course Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

Demonstrate the ability to defining STEM education through student led, team- based learning, and work effectively within a STEM focused multidisciplinary professional learning community.
Develop and co-plan authentic STEM based experiences and interdisciplinary student-led lessons including project-based learning, problem-based learning, and place-based education using project management techniques.
Demonstrate the ability to develop STEM integration activities for P-12 students with an emphasize on innovation and creativity through the Engineering Design Process (EDP) and Evidence Based Reasoning (EBR).
Demonstrate proficient use and development of observation and research protocols for conducting research on reform-based teaching and learning for effective assessment of students using interdisciplinary STEM performance tasks, experiential learning and portfolio assessments and create rubrics for these assessments.
Engage in informal and investigative research/experiential learning with relevant research questions through a field-based experience that includes observation of classrooms, collaborative planning and interview of teachers in an integrated STEM education environment that is evidenced by reflective documentation.