STEM education researchers are drawing on cognitive sciences to better understand student learning
Associate Professor of Educational Psychology Roxana Moreno, College of Education, was one of 11 presenters at a special event recently highlighting Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) research projects at the National Science Foundation. Moreno presented her research titled, "PECASE: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice in Teacher Education: Guided Interactive Virtual Environments (GIVEs) for Case-Based Learning."
Photo: Roxana Moreno
PECASE is a Presidential Early Career Award for Engineers and Scientists. For more information on Moreno’s research visit: PECASE: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice in Teacher Education.
STEM education researchers are increasingly drawing on the cognitive sciences for a more detailed understanding of how students learn, and researchers are investigating topics as diverse as the neural basis for learning mathematics, and how virtual environments support scientific inquiry.
Advancements in education research are prompting NSF to ask the following questions: Where is the cutting edge in education research? How can we best support it? What are its implications down the road for teaching and learning?
Among NSF's programs supporting basic research into how students learn STEM, and what approaches are most effective in teaching them, is a program called, Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering (REESE). Eleven researchers funded through REESE participated in the event at NSF headquarters where they presented information about their ongoing work.