Southern Illinois University Edwardsville STEM Center researchers received the Best Paper Award at the 6th International Conference on Computer-Supported Education. The event was held April 1-3 in Barcelona, Spain.
The conference is an annual event dedicated to discussion of new educational environments, best practices and case studies on innovative technology-based learning strategies, and the potential of e-learning. This year’s program included full papers, short papers and posters by educators in higher education and corporations representing 57 countries.
The SIUE paper, entitled “Using a Participatory Design Approach to Create and Sustain an Innovative, Technology-Rich STEM Classroom” examined the design and implementation of a high-technology high-school classroom for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.
The project emphasized the value of including all stakeholders in the design and ongoing assessment of a flexible, student-centered learning space. The paper’s authors are Mary Stephen, research professor, Sharon Locke, STEM Center director and associate professor, and Georgia Bracey, research associate.
The Best Paper Award is conferred to the authors(s) of a full paper presented at the conference, selected based on the best-combined marks of paper reviewing and presentation quality.
“We are honored to be recognized for this research effort, which assessed the opportunities and challenges of implementing technology in the classroom and identified strategies for overcoming hurdles,” said Locke. “Countries around the world are concerned about a shortage of STEM workers. This project provides a potential roadmap for others to follow to promote the development of STEM skills and career interests among younger students.”
According to Mary Stephen, the paper’s lead author, the topic’s international importance played a role in the paper’s selection for the award.
“We approached the problem from an international perspective, so that conference participants could see how our work related to their own experiences with technology in education,” Stephen said. “We did not have enough time to address the many audience questions during the formal presentation time, which points to the broad interest in the topic.”
Photo: SIUE STEM Center Director Sharon Locke.