Social Sciences - Other (89) Interdisciplinary (99) This project is engaging faculty from core STEM departments in course development to participate in developing a new curriculum in science, technology, and society (STS). The goal is increased scientific literacy and better preparation for responsible local and global citizenship, a major goal of the College. This project is an adaptation of a model developed by a consortium of Tulane University and six other institutions under a grant from the Corporation for National Community Service to teach faculty members how to develop and integrate service learning into their courses. The development of faculty expertise in this project begins each year in an eight-week summer faculty development seminar. In this adaptation of the Tulane model, participating faculty members review recent research in science education, discuss effective ways to engage students in learning science, and develop courses for the STS requirement modeled on different approaches.
Although STS studies fall within the social sciences, the courses are inherently interdisciplinary. Courses are being developed collaboratively and co-taught by faculty in different departments. The courses being developed are providing students with a basic understanding of core scientific principles and buttressing this knowledge with insights into the historical context, contemporary social ramifications, and methodological approaches of scientific discovery.
For the project's formative evaluation, assessment tools are being prepared for the faculty service-learning seminar and the STS courses. One of those tools is a version of the "Student Assessment of Learning Gains" (SALG) instrument developed for the national "Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities" (SENCER) project. Eventually, an assessment will be made of the impact of student participation in STS courses and the professional development of STEM faculty on student decisions to major or minor in STEM.
