A select group of faculty, graduate students and staff from across the university participated in a workshop on Oct. 27 to promote experiential learning in coursework in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines.
“Building Civic and Community Engagement into STEM Coursework” was organized by the UGA Office of Service-Learning and led by representatives of the Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities Center for Innovation-South at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. A National Science Foundation-funded initiative, SENCER was established in 2001 to help enhance the learning of science by teaching key science and math concepts through complex problems that are important to society.
Workshop presenters—Edward Katz, associate provost and dean of university programs; Susan Reiser, associate dean of natural sciences and lecturer in computer science and new media; and Keith Krumpe, dean of natural sciences and professor of chemistry—shared how universities and colleges across the country, including UNC-Asheville, integrate real-world, community issues into STEM-related courses. At the working lunch following the workshop, UGA campus leaders in STEM fields shared current STEM education practices at UGA and focused on lessons learned, effective practice and ideas for implementing similar work at UGA.
