Preparing STEM teachers for K-12 classrooms: Graduate certificate evaluation and innovation

The Schools of Education and Engineering and Computing Sciences at New York Institute of Technology collaborated to create a graduate certificate for K-12 STEM education described on NYIT´s website http://www.nyit.edu/academics/stem/. The basic tenets of the 18-credit certificate program were Common Core State Standards for science, mathematics and technology [9], technology integration into instruction according to Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework [7], and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) content knowledge. The pedagogy focused on hands-on, inquiry-based, and project-based learning to meet the goal of preparing K-12 students for pursuing STEM-related college majors and careers. This presentation will provide an overview of the NYIT STEM curriculum, the results based on the program evaluation, and future plans to revise and implement the program with new cohorts of graduate students.