X – What is STEM PBL

The STEM PBL Project

The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) has been awarded a three-year $900,000 grant for a new three-year project to improve science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education to help America develop homegrown sustainable technologies. The project, titled The Problem Based-Learning (PBL) for Sustainable Technology: Increasing the STEM Pipeline, will be funded by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program.

For the latest information about the project, please visit the project's website at www.stempbl.org

Project Overview:
Many colleges have begun offering continuing education and courses on sustainability in building, transportation, energy and economic policy. STEM PBL Principal Investigator Fenna Hanes of NEBHE said: “This project will develop two professional development courses for pre-service and in-service teachers. It will also meet the need for STEM instructional materials by developing six problem-based multimedia ‘Challenges’ in sustainable technology areas such as alternative energy, biotechnology, environmental protection, lighting, nanotechnology and sensors for use in college and high school classrooms.” Co-principal investigators are: Professors Michele Dischino from Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, CT, Judith Donnelly from Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, CT, and Nicholas Massa from Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, MA.

PBL is a learning-centered rather than instructor-centered approach, in which the problem situation drives the learning. Key issues limiting the use of PBL in STEM education include an overall lack of instructional resources and lack of opportunities for teachers and faculty to learn how to effectively incorporate PBL in their existing courses. In addition, many teacher education programs do not even cover PBL instructional methods.

The overall goal is increasing the number of U.S. students completing studies in STEM subjects, especially in engineering technician programs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2010 the number of jobs in STEM-related occupations will grow at three times the rate of all other occupations. However, the U.S. lacks homegrown talent to fill these occupations and must rely on foreign workers. One reason for declining U.S. enrollment in engineering technician programs is that naturally problem-solving students are turned off by traditional education methods: dry classroom lectures followed by cook-book laboratory experiences that provide little engagement or interaction. The STEM PBL Project will develop a series of multimedia industry-based Challenges designed to stimulate problem-based learning in the classroom to help lower the dropout rate from engineering technology programs.

Project Details:
The STEM PBL project includes an intensive professional development opportunity for educators. Participants are eligible for CEUs and graduate college credit after successful completion of the distance-learning course.

Experience has shown that education Alliances between secondary and postsecondary institutions develop strong support networks and career paths for students. The project encourages all applicants to apply in collaboration with a partner education institution. High school applicants should find a community/four-year college with which to partner and community/four-year college applicants should seek out a high school partner.

Eligibility

• Both high school and college educators in STEM disciplines.
• Teachers/faculty from schools and colleges that serve students underserved in STEM disciplines are encourage to apply.

Learning Goals

• What problem-based learning is.
• How to introduce students to PBL.
• How to guide students to become self-directed, motivated and work well in teams.
• How to engage students in technical topics.
• How to implement the STEM PBL multi-media Challenges regardless of students' level of content knowledge.

Program Commitments

• Participate in the Introduction to STEM PBL two-day professional development on-site workshop in summer 2010.
• Participate in a 15-week professional development web-based distance-learning course, divided into three 5-week sessions during academic year 2010-2011.
• Field-test and report outcomes for two or more Challenges between fall 2010 and spring 2012. Stipends are provided.
• Participate in a Capstone Showcase workshop during academic year 2011-2112.