A look within: STEM faculty emphasizing deep approaches to learning

Abstract

Disciplinary culture plays a significant role in the extent faculty emphasize and students' engage in deep approaches to learning. This study narrowly focuses on STEM faculty and the variation in their emphasis on two components of deep learning--reflective and integrative learning and higher-order learning. Specifically, patterns in faculty promoting deep approaches to learning in mathematics, biology, mechanical engineering, computer science, physics, and psychology are examined. The effect of gender in these fields is also considered.