Models of Integrated STEM Education

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Published: Apr 29, 2021

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Todd Richard Kelley
Purdue University
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3620-7017
J. Geoff Knowles
Ivy Tech Community College
Jung Han
Purdue University
Andrea Nelson Trice
Sagamore Institute

Abstract

Abstract


Within this decade, programs to improve STEM education are numerous to count with efforts at the federal, state, and local levels. These efforts have helped to identify, develop, and deliver integrated STEM education programs; however, the question of how integrated STEM programs are best implemented in classrooms remains ill-defined. This case study research describes four schools’ approaches to implementing an integrated STEM program. With the collaborations of teacher pairs, each consisting of an engineering technology education and a life sciences teacher, they worked to implement integrated STEM lessons using engineering design and science inquiry practices, biomimicry, and 3D printing to enhance learning STEM content. Three distinct integrated STEM models on implementation emerged from the case study findings.

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 22 No. 1 (2021): Journal of STEM Education: Research and Innovation
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Articles
Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the Institute for STEM Education and Research with first publication rights granted to the journal. By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings.
Author Biographies

Todd Richard Kelley, Purdue University

Associate Professor Engineering/Technology Teacher Education Department of Technology Leadership and Innovation

J. Geoff Knowles, Ivy Tech Community College

J. Geoff Knowles, Ph.D is the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services at Ivy Tech Community College in Lafayette, Indiana, where he has worked for the last ten years. He also teaches in the Mechanical Engineering Technology program at Ivy Tech and is a Co-PI on the NSF ITEST grant “Teachers and Researchers Advancing Integrated Lessons in STEM,” a multi-year grant researching integrated STEM models. He has a background in civil engineering and engineering/technology education, and is an alumnus of Arizona State University and Purdue University. Geoff and his family live in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Jung Han, Purdue University

Jung Han is a Ph.D Candidate in the Technology Leadership and Innovation at Purdue University. Her research interests are in secondary STEM education with a focus on project based learning and engineering design. She has been the lead graduate assistant for the NSF I-Test project called Teachers and Researchers Advancing Integrated Lessons in STEM (TRAILS) with focus on think-aloud protocol analysis.

Andrea Nelson Trice, Sagamore Institute

Andrea Nelson Trice, Ph.D earned her doctorate in Higher and Adult Education from The University of Michigan and worked for several years as a faculty member at Purdue University. Over the past two decades she has gained experience as an evaluator, nonprofit board member, and consultant with clients including: Northwestern University, National Academy of Sciences, and National Science Foundation. Andrea’s forthcoming book, Insider Knowledge: Crucial Majority World Insights for Building Social Enterprises That Last, examines the human complexities of establishing social enterprises in emerging markets. She is a Senior Fellow with the Sagamore Institute and Regis University Affiliate Faculty Member.