An Integrated STEM Introduction to Increase Interdisciplinary Thinking and Research Preparation In "An integrated STEM introduction to increase interdisciplinary thinking and research preparation," authors Barbara Kramer and Timothy Walston assess two first-year courses and the impact these classes had on students.

Abstract

An integrative introduction to the sciences and an introduction to scientific writing can provide a strong foundation for broadly trained STEM majors to explore the interconnectedness of STEM disciplines and prepare them for scientific research. These goals have been accomplished through a sequence of two first-year courses, STEM 101: Integrative STEM Freshman Seminar and STEM 105: Inquiry Seminar. In STEM 101, students define the STEM disciplines, see the interconnectedness of the disciplines, learn scientific ethics, and develop team-building skills as they complete a group project that explores the nature and process of science. In STEM 105, students learn about and then engage in a variety of forms of scientific communication as they develop and present an independent research proposal.