User-Generated Content as a Sandbox for STEM Education

• In Event: Beyond Boundary Objects and Immutable Mobiles - New Ways of Thinking about the Movement of Knowledge I: Theoretical Perspectives of Knowledge

Abstract

Meaningful STEM education is not simply memorizing and applying facts. It requires understanding the processes of scientific inquiry and the conversations and controversies surrounding those facts, an STS-oriented approach that aligns well with both science education standards and STEM learners’ actual practice. We discuss the initial results of a series of studies of STEM learners’ evaluation and use of alternative knowledge sources to supplement traditional, syllabus-based works in formal STEM education. A 2013 study of 28 million course papers submitted to the Turnitin plagiarism detection site reported that social networking, online Q&A and other user-generated content sites were cited in 23% of the papers written by students in higher education institutions. While instructors and librarians actively steer students away from these non-authoritative sources, there is an argument to be made that their interactive, formative and multi-vocal nature mirror the non-linear, contested messiness of science itself. They provide a forum for STEM learners to interact, question and evaluate propositions among peers, in much the same way scientific knowledge claims are constructed and debated. Understanding how students perceive, evaluate and integrate alternative resources into their coursework provides a needed counterpoint to traditionally authoritative STEM learning resources, demonstrates the need for updated and merged science education and information literacy standards, and may help increase student engagement and persistence in STEM fields.

Author

• Rich Gazan, University of Hawaii