CREATE for STEM Institute

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CREATE for STEM Institute at MSU

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K-16 STEM education innovation and research.

Established: 2011

http://create4stem.msu.edu

Vision and Goals

CREATE for STEM is a Michigan State University sponsored research Institute with a broad mandate for Collaborative Research in Education, Assessment and Teaching Environments for the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The Institute is a joint endeavor of the College of Natural Science and the College of Education at the University, in coordination with the Office of the Provost.

Our goals are to improve teaching and learning in the STEM disciplines for students from grades K-16 through research and development efforts. We bring together STEM faculty and faculty from the College of Education, and serve as a springboard and a hub for innovation, research, and intellectual collaboration, and help bring to fruition ideas and projects that will make a difference in the teaching and learning of STEM for all learners regardless of their cultures or experiences.

Center/Program Structure

CREATE for STEM is a research institute that functions as an independent unit jointly administered by the Colleges of Education and Natural Science.

It functions as the research and collaboration hub to bring together educational researchers and teacher educators with scientists and DBER researchers to innovate and inform K-16 STEM education through research. CREATE forms a network of both internal and external collaborators, and is faculty run.

Currently we're at approximately 25 FTE and growing, not including people employed by affiliated groups in Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Biology and Engineering. Positions include tenure-stream faculty, research faculty, research associates, academic specialists, post-docs, graduate students, administrative staff and undergraduate research fellows.

Description of Programming

The Institute currently sponsors and promotes work in undergraduate science education, with primary funding from AAU and HHMI focused on research and innovation addressing the STEM Gateway courses in particular. We partner with the MSU STEM Alliance faculty to more broadly encourage undergraduate STEM education innovation.

At the K-12 level, CREATE for STEM is a leader in curriculum and assessment development as part of the Next Generation Science Standards. Key projects include a Lucas Foundation funded effort to integrate mathematics, ELA, and science instruction for grades 3-5 ; several middle school projects ranging from energy instruction to developing student understanding of scientific modeling to iEngineering work looking at student identity development; and high school projects in intermolecular forces and genomics.

Successes and Impacts

Elements Contributing to Success

CREATE is provided significant core funding that reflects a deep, ongoing commitment of both the College of Education and the College of Natural Science to research-based educational initiatives in the STEM disciplines, along with good partnerships with the College of Engineering and Lyman-Briggs residential college for the sciences. Designated endowment funds have provided seed grant opportunities that have helped pilot innovations that have led to external funding.

CREATE faculty and the Institute itself have extensive collaborations with K-12 schools and teachers and researchers at partner universities and organizations.

Supplemental Materials