LBST 515 - The Science of Science Teaching & Learning: STEM Education Research

What is taught in the natural sciences, and why? What should be taught? What best supports science learning, and how can we make it more equitable and inclusive? STEM Education Research takes a scientific approach to answering questions like these, integrating knowledge of the natural sciences with methods widely used in the natural and social sciences. In this course, we will examine how discipline-specific knowledge about science education is generated, and what implications this knowledge has for improving STEM learning and student outcomes. In this course we will critically evaluate the evidence about STEM teaching and learning, assessing scholarly claims by considering their methodological and analytical strengths and limitations. Through this, we will discuss well-established evidence-supported practices for science teaching and learning, context-specific factors that can cause these practices to fail to support learning, and systemic and societal barriers that complicate STEM course reforms.

Unit(s): 0.5
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Notes: Graduate course. Offered fall 2026.
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Identify interactions and influences among various disciplines, fields, theories, analytical strategies, and source materials.
Deploy skills, methods, and knowledge developed in coursework.
Demonstrate close, analytical interpretations of source materials in one’s writing.
Conduct complex research, synthesize it, and argue persuasively in support of a claim based on evidence.
Analyze the value and significance of one’s own academic and creative work, and situate it within the context of similar works.
Express oneself articulately in oral discussion and in presentational modes when appropriate, and express oneself articulately in writing.