Working Across Boundaries through promoting collaboration and interdisciplinarity in future STEM education scholars

This project will serve the national interest by preparing a cohort of three postdoctoral fellows to engage in innovative research in STEM education that emphasizes collaboration and interdisciplinarity. There is an urgent need to grow interdisciplinary work in STEM education, as this field increasingly requires interdisciplinary approaches to address complex STEM education questions that cut across and impact multiple disciplines. While significant growth has occurred within individual disciplines in STEM education and Discipline Based Education Research, there has been minimal interdisciplinary work carried out. This project will support a cohort of postdoctoral scholars through research, professional development, and mentoring activities to become well-rounded scholars that engage in intentional interdisciplinary education research. The work of these scholars will improve the quality of STEM education in different disciplines and education levels, benefiting STEM students across disciplines and potentially strengthening the connections between disciplines. The project activities draw from multiple professional development frameworks and include opportunities that enhance postdoctoral fellows’ research knowledge and skills, academic and professional development, and professional socialization. The program will support these emerging STEM education scholars to become independent researchers and bring unique expertise and reconceptualizations of interdisciplinary considerations to STEM education. The scholars will be supported through individualized professional development plans that will include novel, independent research, a collaborative inquiry, and optional experiences such as teaching and/or auditing courses. Scholars will also receive multidisciplinary mentoring from an intentionally chosen collection of mentors, each of whom takes on distinct roles in supporting each scholar. The postdoctoral scholars will advance knowledge in their future field and in existing nationally prominent research projects. Also, they will advance our understanding of postdoctoral research support systems, particularly across disciplinary boundaries, through a collaborative inquiry project. They will also access a series of professional development programs to improve their research knowledge, develop their academic and professional skills, and build their professional network. Cohort activities will include opportunities to develop key professional skills through experiential learning and facilitated discussions and develop a strong professional network of mentors and colleagues. This project is funded by the STEM Education Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (STEM Ed PRF) program that aims to enhance the research knowledge, skills, and practices of recent doctorates in STEM, STEM education, education, and related disciplines to advance their preparation to engage in fundamental and applied research that advances knowledge within the field. The project is also supported by the Directorate for STEM Education Core Research Program (ECR) and the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program (IUSE). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.