Transforming Graduate Training in STEM Education

Abstract

The need for improved instruction in college science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses is a prominent national policy issue (Brewer and Smith 2011, Olson and Riordan 2012). To address this need, instruction in many college STEM courses is being revolutionized through the adoption of student-centered evidence-based teaching practices. There is a growing body of literature on how to employ these techniques and on the benefits of using empirically validated teaching practices in college classrooms (Handelsman et al. 2004, Allen and Tanner 2005, Haak2011). The majority of efforts in STEM education transformation are directed at faculty, while graduate student training in these practices has not kept pace. Pre-service faculty (i.e. graduate students) should receive training in pedagogy from the beginning of their education (Bouwma-Gearhart et al. 2007), just as K–12 science teachers receive professional development in both the pre-service and in-service stages of their careers. Offering graduate students more training in pedagogy and meaningful opportunities for practice throughout their graduate careers will benefit not only graduate students as they enter the workforce, but also the undergraduates and faculty at their institutions.