STEM Courses Overview

STEM classrooms are often overlooked in the area of inclusive education. According to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, “Women, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minority groups—blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, and American Indians or Alaska Natives—are underrepresented in science and engineering (S&E).” Furthermore, a 2010 study conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA found in a national sample of 2004 college freshman that 33% of White students completed their bachelor’s degree in STEM within five years compared to 22% of Latino students and 18% of Black students. Yet, while there needs to be a focus on underrepresented groups in STEM, inclusive pedagogy encapsulates all students in the classroom. This journal article outlines the critical need for STEM professors to learn about and implement inclusive teaching practices in their STEM classroom, stating that inclusive pedagogy, “should not solely focus on deficits of the disenfranchised, but also on opportunities for students to learn and grow from the diverse authentic experiences of their peers.” Providing students opportunities to develop relationships in your STEM course can cultivate a sense of community which can lead to positive academic outcomes.

Although representation and graduation rates continue to be a challenge for underrepresented groups in STEM, there are techniques that can be added to any STEM classroom to improve the experience of all students and increase the inclusivity of the course. Introducing the class to a diverse body of experts in the field who are women or people of color can go far to improve the experience of the course. You will also find a section devoted to STEM Education on the Recommended Readings page.

On this page, you will find resource and activity guides that will assist you in learning more about inclusion in STEM and provide you with activities that actively promote inclusion in your STEM classroom. At the bottom of the page, you will find links to organizations that are working to improve inclusivity in the STEM field.

How to use these Resources

The following resources have been curated specifically for STEM courses. The Resource Guides provide materials, readings, and strategies to further one’s knowledge and practice regarding inclusivity in STEM courses. The Activity Guides provide in-class activities that can be used to build inclusivity in the classroom. These resource and activity guides are but a few of the many you can find on this website. If you are interested in additional resource and activity guides, you can find our resource guide catalogue on the Planning Page and our activity guide catalogue on the Activities Page.

Within each resource and activity guide, you will find:

• An Overview, providing further context about the guide and its relation to inclusive classrooms
• The goals associated with the resource or activity
• For activity guides, a description of their application in a STEM course
• Two files containing a PDF and Docx version of the guide
• An associated video, where applicable, to provide additional insights into the topic

Resource Guides to Deepen Understanding of Inclusivity in STEM Courses

Activity Guides that Promote Inclusivity in STEM Courses

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