Oswego and three other SUNY campuses (Cortland, Oneonta and Plattsburgh) will be featured in the online 2019 STEM for All Video Showcase, running through May 20 and funded by the National Science Foundation.
The presentation, titled “The Common Problem Project,” looks at an innovative new practice of teaching and learning in which cross-disciplinary teams of students from STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields and the humanities work together to solve real-world problems from their communities. The project was funded by the National Science Foundation, the State University of New York, and the Teagle Foundation.
“Our faculty have found that Common Problem Pedagogy has been a great way to engage students by having them apply their knowledge and skills to address real world problems,” said Patricia Clark, interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at SUNY Oswego. “Our students are seeing first-hand the benefits of considering multiple perspectives from a variety of disciplines in solving problems. We hope that the video will encourage faculty on other campuses to explore this approach to teaching.”
Now in its fifth year, the annual showcase will feature over 240 innovative projects aimed at improving STEM learning and teaching, which have been funded by the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies. During the week-long event, researchers, practitioners, policy makers and members of the public are invited to view the short videos, discuss them with the presenters online and vote for favorites.
The theme for this year’s event is “Innovations in STEM Education.” Video presentations address improving K-12 STEM classroom, informal environments, undergraduate and graduate education, teacher professional development and community engagement. Collectively the presentations cover a broad range of topics including science, mathematics, computer science, engineering, cyberlearning, citizen science, maker spaces, broadening participation, research experiences, mentoring, professional development, NGSS and the Common Core.
Last year’s STEM for All Video Showcase is still being accessed, and to date has had over 81,000 unique visitors from 186 countries. The STEM for All Video Showcase is created and hosted by TERC a non-profit, research and development organization, located in Cambridge, Massachusette. TERC partners with six NSF-funded resource centers: MSPnet, CADRE, CAISE, CIRCL, STELAR and CS for All Teachers.