Teaching in a Time of Crisis: Editorial Perspectives on Adjusting STEM Education to the “New Normal” during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Brancaccio-Taras, Loretta; Mawn, Mary V.; Premo, Josh; Ramachandran, Roshini

doi:10.1128/jmbe.v22i1.2679

Cited by 16 publications

(23 citation statements)

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“…The authors also discuss the perception among STEM academics that teaching their subjects pose unique challenges in an online environment, given the requirement for conducting practicals and laboratory sessions. These findings tie in with work by Pagoto et al (2021), Brancaccio-Taras et al (2021) and Means and Neisler (2020) who posit that a possible problem with shifting to online teaching in the STEM fields has been that many teachers merely switched to delivering lectures online and providing recordings of labs, thereby meeting only the immediate needs of the students. The authors suggest that in the long term, online delivery needs to be carefully designed to ensure the students do not lose out on important learning outcomes and provide some examples of innovative methods used by STEM academics in this aspect.…”

Section: Stem Vs Non-stem Differencessupporting

confidence: 72%

“…This is possibly due to the heavy reliance on lab work and practicals in teaching in these fields. These concerns appear to be universal among STEM academics around the worldas highlighted in Brancaccio-Taras et al (2021), many STEM academics are concerned that students no longer get the hands-on experiences that make them feel like scientists. However, there is increasing evidence of successful initiatives undertaken by scientists to address this challenge, such as increasing the use of research articles and case studies to engage learners, and designing online labs and research experiences for students (Brancaccio-Taras et al, 2021;Owston et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussion Of Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, 2008; Eagan, 2016; Uddin et al. , 2021) as well as on the impact of COVID-19 in the STEM fields (Brancaccio-Taras et al. , 2021; Owston et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While there is a body of evidence documenting the differences in teaching methods and research practices between STEM and non-STEM disciplines (see, e.g. Kara et al, 2021;Lindblom-Ylanne et al, 2006;Nelson Lairdet al, 2008;Eagan, 2016;Uddin et al, 2021) as well as on the impact of COVID-19 in the STEM fields (Brancaccio-Taras et al, 2021;Owston et al, 2020;Seaman et al, 2021), there is less evidence on the differences between disciplines in their responses to the pandemic. Understanding these differences is important for formulating institutional and policy responses to ensure that the learning outcomes of all students, as well as the working conditions and productivity of staff is not compromised.…”

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confidence: 99%

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STEM vs non-STEM differences in university teaching and research during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of Sri Lanka

Silva

Wickramasinghe

2022

IJEM

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PurposeThis study aims to explore the differences between science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM disciplines in terms of the changes to teaching and research practices caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyses survey responses collected between July and November 2020 from 241 academics (excluding library staff) from the five oldest state universities in Sri Lanka. The analysis focuses on the differences between STEM and non-STEM faculty using multiple linear regression to control for demographic characteristics such as age, gender and designation as well as university-specific factors.FindingsThe paper finds significant differences in the teaching practices of STEM and non-STEM academics, both in terms of preparation time for teaching and tools used for online delivery. Significant differences are also observed in research practices, with STEM faculty being significantly more likely to engage in research collaborations, obtain research funding and be involved in more research projects. The authors do not find any evidence of the pandemic having differential impacts on research productivity between the broad disciplines.Originality/valueThis research provides insights into the differences between STEM and non-STEM disciplines in online teaching and research practices adopted since the onset of the pandemic, which are important for formulating appropriate policy responses to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on both students and staff. The contribution is particularly significant for developing countries where the creation of a skilled workforce is a key driver of the development process.

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Section: Stem Vs Non-stem Differencessupporting

confidence: 72%

Section: Discussion Of Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, 2008; Eagan, 2016; Uddin et al. , 2021) as well as on the impact of COVID-19 in the STEM fields (Brancaccio-Taras et al. , 2021; Owston et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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STEM vs non-STEM differences in university teaching and research during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of Sri Lanka

Silva

Wickramasinghe

2022

IJEM

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“…The year 2020 was transformative for education (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). The COVID-19 pandemic was upon us.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Survey of case study users during pandemic shift to remote instruction

Herreid

Prud'homme-Genereux

Wright

et al. 2021

Advances in Physiology Education

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Before COVID-19, the use of case studies to learn science was well established in high school and postsecondary classrooms. Once the pandemic ensued, many faculty continued to use the method as a way to infuse elements of active learning remotely. The results of a survey taken by 600 faculty reveal how they accomplished this feat. Respondents to the survey found that the case method readily transferred to online learning. Most used a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous classrooms. Serious challenges were encountered, primarily due to the difficulty instructors had in keeping track of learner participation. Many obstacles were overcome by creative strategies such as using Google Forms. Some semblance of a normal classroom was achieved by using online conferencing tools and using small groups in synchronous breakout rooms. Cases were commonly broken into chunks and spread over several days. This worked especially well with cases that were already structured this way, including interrupted cases and problem-based learning exercises. Assessment of student performance largely followed the traditional path of exams, projects, and essays, although a third of the faculty attempted to evaluate participation. Classes conducted via an asynchronous approach were largely lecture based, with cases given to learners to complete as homework either individually or as groups. The greatest challenge in this setting was that answers to case questions were often readily available to learners on the internet. This was avoided by faculty modifying questions or creating their own.

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From emergency to sustainable online learning: Changes and disparities in undergraduate course grades and experiences in the context of COVID-19

Alon

Sung

Cho

et al. 2023

Computers & Education

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Teaching in a Time of Crisis: Editorial Perspectives on Adjusting STEM Education to the “New Normal” during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the world, how people interact, and the way business is conducted. Higher education is no exception; as institutions quickly shifted to remote teaching in Spring 2020, many faculty needed to support student learning in ways that were new to them.

Cited by 16 publications

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STEM vs non-STEM differences in university teaching and research during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of Sri Lanka

STEM vs non-STEM differences in university teaching and research during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of Sri Lanka

Survey of case study users during pandemic shift to remote instruction

From emergency to sustainable online learning: Changes and disparities in undergraduate course grades and experiences in the context of COVID-19

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