Minor in STEM Education

A new Minor in STEM Education for NIE and NTU students in the BA and BSc programmes to expand their academic portfolio so that they gain exposure to the narratives of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), understand how STEM may be incorporated into formal and informal curriculum, and develop a better understanding of STEM careers.

The Minor Degree in STEM Education will: 

  1. provide you with foundational understandings about the importance of STEM from the macro perspectives so that you understand why STEM should be taught and learned;
  2. develop critical consciousness about gender inclusive practices in STEM fields by equipping you with the language and skills to unpack discriminatory practices in artefacts and structures;
  3. equip you with STEM content knowledge and skills related to important theme such as sustainability so that you acquire deeper and multiplistic understandings of the problems and solutions;
  4. imbue understandings about problem-, solution- and user-centric approaches to STEM curriculum so that such approaches may be adopted to create meaningful STEM lessons for learners across ages and contexts; and
  5. inform you about the current and future trends in STEM education research so that you may identify areas of interest worthy of pursuit in postgraduate degrees.

Course Outlines

AGE 18R Foundations to STEM Education

No of AUs: 3
Contact Hours: 39
Every January semester

Course Aims

This course offers a macro perspective to STEM education and policies. In this course, you will be introduced to the narratives about STEM education. From the course readings, you will appreciate the genesis of STEM education and the evolution of STEM education as an emerging construct in countries around the world. Connections to important policy documents from the United Nations, OCED, and McKinsey reports will be drawn. This course serves as a foundation to a better appreciation of the proliferation and emphasis on STEM education around the world. This course will interest students who want a better understanding of studying STEM disciplines.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

  1. By the end of this course, you should be able to: 
  2. present a synthesis of the goals and purposes of STEM education; 
  3. compare the different definitions of STEM education; 
  4. critique macro-narratives of STEM education; 
  5. describe the current state of STEM education in at least three economies around the world, including Singapore; and 
  6. discuss the relationship between STEM education to political, economic, and education goals. 

Course Content

  1. Introduction to STEM education  
  2. Diverse understandings of STEM and STEM education  
  3. Policy documents on STEM education  
  4. Connections between STEM education and economic transformations  
  5. STEM education around the world  

 

AGE18S Emerging Technologies in STEM and STEM Education

No of AUs: 3
Contact Hours: 39
Every January semester>

Course Aims

STEM curriculum should ideally provide learning contexts for students to acquire cross-disciplinary knowledge in authentic and applied contexts. STEM inventions and innovations are constantly emerging and evolving and hence, having current knowledge of emerging technologies in STEM fields will be useful in STEM curriculum design, teaching and assessment.  In this course, you will acquire basic knowledge about emerging technologies in STEM fields and apply them to the design of integrated STEM curriculum in informal learning contexts such as hackathons and makerspaces.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

  1. apply STEM inquiry cognitive processes including design thinking, computational thinking, engineering design, scientific inquiry and mathematical thinking; 
  2. perform various STEM tasks such as coding on coding platforms, 3D printing machines, Halocodes, etc.; and 
  3. plan a STEM hackathon and makerspace. 

Course Content

  1. STEM inquiry thinking processes (e.g., engineering thinking, design thinking, computational thinking, etc.) 
  2. Digital coding for design, digital devices, 3D printing, etc.  
  3. Plan a STEM hackathon 
  4. Conceptualise a plan for STEM makerspaces

 

AGE18Q Gender Issues in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

No of AUs: 3 
Contact Hours: 39
Every July semester (UG Online)

Course Aims

This course aims to introduce the topic of gender issues in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) domains. These domains have gained increasing attention locally and internationally as it concerns the development of a quality workforce, the social status of women, and the construction of knowledge. Through this course, participants will become more critically aware of the issues confronting women in these domains, and identify ways to address them. 

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) 

By the end of this course, you (as a student) would be able to:

  1. analyse artefacts that illuminate gender disparities in science, engineering, and technology domains 
  2. discuss how social factors and forces shape the construction of scientific knowledge 
  3. identify elements in everyday life that are dialectically connected to gender identity 

Course Content

This course examines how gender shapes STEM practices and technological development, and how STEM shapes notions of gender. In this course, students will learn about the three feminist waves and its impact on science education. Students will then examine the current field of STEM and learn how men and women see themselves as practicing scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians, and how gender disparities affect the production of STEM. They will analyze how social factors and forces shape the way STEM facts are derived, and how notions of gender become infused into the construction of these truths. Finally, they will examine the constructed reality and environment we live in, and its impact on gender identity.

 

AGE18N The Integrated Nature of STEM Implications for STEM Curriculum Design, Implementation and Evaluation

No of AUs: 3 
Contact Hours: 39 
Every August semester

Course Aims

The aim of this course is to provide you (as an undergraduate) with an integrated STEM learning experience by exposing you to activities that require you to model after real STEM professionals in problem-solving and problem-finding. This course will allow you to apply STEM-related knowledge and engage in STEM-related practices to find and solve real world problems. Through this process, you will gain experience and insights into how STEM professionals work, learn to apply their STEM knowledge, appreciate the educative and practical value of what you learn in your STEM-related content courses, and be inspired to pursue a STEM-related higher degree and/or career upon graduation. 

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

By the end of this course, you (as a student) would be able to:

  1. briefly describe the history of STEM and STEM policies around the world 
  2. describe the nature of STEM professional work in the workforce 
  3. describe and differentiate the different types of integration of STEM disciplines 
  4. design, implement and evaluate STEM-related tasks that are integrated and address the conceptual, epistemic, and social goals of education 

Course Content 

  1. History of STEM and global STEM policies 
  2. The nature of STEM professional work in the workforce 
  3. Types of integration in STEM 
  4. The conceptual, epistemic and social goals of STEM education 
  5. Designing an integrated STEM curriculum 
  6. Implementing an integrated STEM curriculum 
  7. Evaluating an integrated STEM curriculum 

 

AGE18T Research Perspectives in STEM Education

No of AUs: 3 
Contact Hours: 39
Every August semester

Course Aims

This course introduces you to the diverse theoretical paradigm of education research in STEM education. In this course, you will learn about theories in teaching/learning, sociology, and cultural studies. You will apply selected theories and/or constructs from these fields of work to discuss issues in STEM education. This is an introductory course that will be of interest to students who are interested in postgraduate studies. They will be able apply a theoretical lens to dialogue about diverse topics in STEM education.  

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) 

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

  1. describe and discuss briefly the different paradigms of education research;  
  2. discuss at least three theoretical perspectives in STEM education research; and  
  3. design a small study in STEM education research. 

Course Content

  1. Research paradigms in education research 
  2. Education theories that can be applied to STEM education research contexts 
  3. Research designs and methods

    4.