University Faculty and Graduate Student Services
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STEM education professional development and support is available to Florida State University faculty members, postdoctoral candidates and graduate students. See descriptions below to learn more.
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The College STEM Teaching (CST) graduate certificate program provides training to students interested in college-level teaching in a science, technology, engineering or math-related discipline (e.g., biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, etc.). The CST curriculum is informed by the field of Discipline-Based Educational Research, an approach that emphasizes the unique nature of STEM teaching and learning at the undergraduate level (e.g., NAS, 2025; NRC, 2012; Kober, 2015; Singer & Smith, 2013). DBER has generated evidence-based teaching practices (often termed “active learning” practices) that engage students better in class and support deeper understanding and retention of science and mathematics concepts than traditional lecture or lab approaches. The certificate program provides future college STEM teachers with tools that are transforming college STEM instruction. For more information contact Dr. Ellen Granger
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There is currently a national movement to reform undergraduate STEM education to deepen STEM understanding and increase pursuit of STEM careers among university graduates (FLP, 2018; Kuh, 2008; NAS, 2018; PCAST, 2012). Having an expert lecture to undergraduate students sitting passively in a large auditorium for an hour, three times a week, about the concepts they need to understand is efficient for disseminating information often not effective for students to learn, retain, and be able to apply that content. For students to learn, they need to be actively engaged in the classroom. The FLP is a professional learning program designed for faculty to deepen their understanding of how people learn, develop strategies to support active student learning in university STEM courses, and reflect on their teaching practice. Changing instructional practice requires faculty to rethink their role in teaching and redefine how their courses are designed and taught. Program completers receive recognition as Faculty Learning Program Fellows from the Vice President for Faculty Development. Contact OSTA for more information on how to sign up for this program. The FLP was developed at the University of California-Berkeley Lawrence Hall of Science with the support of funding from the National Science Foundation.
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Sponsored research projects at the university often have broader impact requirements and review criteria. According to the National Science Foundation, principal investigators on NSF projects should view “broader impacts as both the linking of their research to societal impacts and as educational/outreach activities that benefit society” and they should be “reaching out to the general public as a means of raising awareness and increasing appreciation of the role that science plays in the quality of everyday life.” (NSF, 15-008). OSTA provides a support platform for faculty members who want to develop educational and outreach activities as part of their sponsored research project. Such support can be in the design, development, and/or administration of new broader impact activities or in connecting faculty to existing programs to which they could contribute. OSTA faculty are also available to help in the proposal preparation and writing process for such projects. For support or more information, contact Dr. Ellen Granger.
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Discipline-Based Education Research is the field of science education research that studies undergraduate teaching and learning. There is a growing body of such research that supports reform of undergraduate STEM teaching. This course is a study of best instructional practice for post-secondary STEM teaching grounded in recent recommendations from the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences and based on these accumulating DBER findings. For more information about course content and offerings, contact Dr. Ellen Granger.
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OSTA faculty are available for individual consultation with university faculty, staff, and students on STEM education ideas, projects, or programs for all ages. Our faculty have expertise in both formal and informal education activities for preschool through adult learners. Contact Dr. Ellen Granger to schedule an individual appointment.
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