Crafting Disruptions to Normativity in a Higher Education STEM Course

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:45 pm - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: STEM & Queerness in Education: Disrupting Normativity, Curriculum, and Reimagination

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the impact of taking a queer approach in the design of an interdisciplinary undergraduate STEM course. Drawing on student reflection data from the second and last week of class, this study surfaces themes around student’s lived experiences with normativity in STEM before foregrounding the ways in which the course departed from normative STEM practices in meaningful ways. Findings highlight the importance of learning in cross-disciplinary contexts for improved group work in which students’ ideas are well-represented and their strengths and unique expertise seen as valuable. Furthermore, findings underscore the value in bringing one’s identity to the table and pivoting to work in STEM from a place of joy, with design implications for more equitable learning opportunities.

Author

• Nickolina Yankova, University of Southern California