Improving STEM Teaching, Learning and Sense of Belonging Utilizing Design Thinking and Students-As-Partners Models in Higher Education
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Abstract
This article describes the Learning Partners model at Clark University, a program that combines and enhances research-backed instructional models and pedagogical practices in STEM education. By integrating strategies across frameworks more holistically, the program has supported both students and faculty, leading to demonstrable gains in teaching, learning, and student sense of belonging - especially in STEM courses where students often face disproportionate challenges. This article will highlight the foundational models, explain how to integrate these strategies into an effective program, and to share lived experiences from three STEM disciplines: Calculus, Biology, and 3D Modeling. The integrated model presented here also offers a framework for improving faculty development through a push-in, just-in-time approach, where students have significant input into the problems faculty address. © 2025 IEEE.
Publication Title
2025 15th IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference, ISEC 2025
Publication Date
2025
ISBN
9798331513436
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1109/ISEC64801.2025.11147295
Keywords
STEM, education, Clark University, pedagogy, learning, teaching models, pedagogical practices, higher education
Repository Citation
Murray-Chandler, Lynn; Molnar, Rachel; Nasi, Owen; and Rosas-Ochoa, Iris, "Improving STEM Teaching, Learning and Sense of Belonging Utilizing Design Thinking and Students-As-Partners Models in Higher Education" (2025). Staff & Administration. 2.
https://commons.clarku.edu/staff_admin/2
