Conceptualizing STEM Education: From Discipline to (the) Learning Science(s)

Abstract: Many different stakeholders– ranging practicing scientists to educators to policymakers– have sought to conceptualize what STEM education means and how effective educational practices can support STEM learning. In this talk, three common models for representing STEM education are presented and discussed. Disciplinary-based educational research draws on perspectives from within STEM disciplines and asks how effective educational strategies can support outcomes important to the field. The science of broadening participation seeks to ensure access to STEM learning for all students and that pathways to STEM careers are widely available. Finally, the learning sciences have often drawn on insights from an array of diverse disciplines to demonstrate how effective instructional practices and evidence-based models of student learning can shape outcomes that matter across STEM fields (& beyond).

Presenter Bio: Justin Dimmel is associate dean for academics and student engagement in the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development, where he also serves as an associate professor of mathematics education and instructional technology in the School of Learning and Teaching. Dr. Dimmel has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in teacher education. He is the founder and director of the Immersive Mathematics in Rendered Environments (IMRE) Lab, which designs virtual and augmented reality math and science learning environments, and investigates how VR and AR technologies can transform STEM education. In addition, he led a team that developed the SunRule, an interactive sculpture that harnesses the rays of the sun to help users explore multiplication and division. The project was chosen for UMaine’s MIRTA accelerator, a program designed to advance research along the path to commercialization, turning lab innovations into real-world products and services with public benefit. In 2022, Dimmel received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the organization’s most prestigious award for early career faculty.