Background: Based on the literature review, shared characteristics of integrated STEM (I-STEM) curriculum includes an engaging and motivating context, student participation in engineering design activities, opportunity to redesign, engaging in mathematics or science content, having student-centred pedagogies, and teamwork and communication. These…

According to extensive research, problem-based learning (PBL) in STEM education improves student learning outcomes and supports them in gaining practical skills necessary for upward future careers. Despite current efforts to promote PBL-STEM activities in education, their uptake in life science remains low. Several types of research involving…

The article describes a multi-phase, in-class simulation that employs problem-based learning to teach operations and process-improvement concepts as part of an undergraduate or graduate business course. The simulation is derived from a corporate Lean Six Sigma training activity and has been modified to introduce, demonstrate, and apply a wide…

In our current period of escalating climate change, we urgently need to better understand the modern climate and climate drivers in understudied regions of the world. This article provides a succinct and current literature review of one such region: the Maya Lowlands. The region has a long history of study on human--climatic interaction but little…

This case study aimed to investigate teachers' reflections on the transfer of makerspace activities into classrooms. Primary and secondary STEM teachers participated in a Continuous Professional Development programme about makerspaces. Data were collected in the form of written reflections and semi-structured interviews after the teachers…

We develop a single-class period learning game for the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) improvement cycle. The experiential activity walks teams through the PDSA problem-solving process as they create paper American footballs and improve their performance using each step of the cycle. The game is one of the first to focus on PDSA. Key benefits include…

This article analyzes the implementation of problem-based learning (PBL) in music teacher education. A qualitative action-research took place at the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia (IF), in Northeast Brazil, including Music Education students and selected staff. The pedagogical intervention was carried out by in-class…

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between interpersonal competence and classroom cooperation activities. This study selected and evaluated sixteen university students in problem-based learning (PBL) course. The students answered the same questionnaire before and after the cooperative learning of PBL, and the changes in their…

Choosing appropriate instructional methodologies when designing a course is challenging. The variety of options available magnify this difficulty. For good reasons, educators may be reluctant to implement new instructional methodologies, even when they are interested in doing so. We propose a potential solution based on the findings of a recent…

Problem-based learning encourages students to deepen their understanding of a concept by working through a real-world example of course content. Case studies represent a form of problem-based learning that engages students in realistic scenarios to achieve a deeper understanding of concepts. Case studies have been shown to facilitate the learning…

A more motivating way of introducing students to probability theory is through real-world problems. Since heuristics play an important role in our probabilistic judgement, knowing how to avoid incorrect probabilistic reasoning, which leads to several biases, could help students to develop more critical thinking skills. In this paper, we present a…

This study explored the gaming principles that fitted well in the theory of learning in good computer games and attempted to incorporate those principles into mathematics education. A qualitative dominant mixed methods approach was employed, in which qualitative interviews [eight students, six teachers and eight parents] and quantitative surveys…

An instructional coach argues that STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) programming combined with problem-based learning can offer rich academic experiences--and not just in science classrooms. He outlines relevant problem-based lesson ideas, and discusses ways school leaders can better support instructional practices…

We report on five-year professional development collaboration with a group of middle-school mathematics teachers during which their views of what constitutes a productive classroom statistical activity changed. The teachers' statistics instruction was initially typical in the US context and focused on producing calculations and following…

Computer science (CS) and computational thinking (a problem-solving process used by computer scientists) teach students design, logical reasoning, and problem solving--skills that are valuable in life and in any career. Computational thinking (CT) concepts such as decomposition teach students how to break down and tackle a large complex problem.…