Post-graduate STEM education presents unique opportunities and challenges in shaping professionals who can address complex scientific, technological, and societal issues. This 4-part, self-paced online course is designed to equip educators with innovative teaching strategies and pedagogies that inspire transformative learning, deepen engagement, and foster meaningful connections between theoretical knowledge and professional practice. By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the role of storytelling, reflective and metacognitive strategies, and critical thinking in STEM education and beyond
- Identify elements of storytelling, reflective and metacognitive strategies, and critical thinking
- Use storytelling as a tool to enhance metacognitive awareness, foster curiosity, and challenge assumptions
- Develop activities that promote self-reflection, analytical thinking, and problem solving skills in learning
Audience & registration
This course is designed first and foremost for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in STEM/SBE disciplines, but generally relevant to anyone interested in using reflective and metacognitive strategies to promote student learning. Course access is limited to participants at CIRTL member institutions, or alumni of CIRTL programs. When registering, you will be asked to confirm your current institution and your alumni status in order to confirm your eligibility for this course. Registration coming by Fall 2025.
Accessibility & course content
If you have access needs, please let us know what they are; contact CIRTL’s help desk (support@cirtl.net) to let us know how we can help you have a successful experience. Course content includes written text, videos, and additional optional readings. Student work includes interacting on discussion boards and completing a knowledge check to show what you’ve learned.
About CIRTL Programming
CIRTL Network programming is designed to develop future faculty committed to implementing and advancing evidence-based teaching practices to create undergraduate educational experiences that are accessible to all learners. Participants can explore our programming in any order, and to whatever extent supports your own teaching development needs and interests. To help participants understand what they can expect across all our programming, all CIRTL programming aligns with four broad learning goals; within those goals, programming might provide participants with an introductory, intermediate, or advanced learning experience.
This course supports the following CIRTL learning goals at an introductory level:
- Goal 1: Develop evidence-based teaching knowledge. See more Goal 1 programming.
- Goal 3: Cultivate teaching skills through reflective improvement. See more Goal 3 programming.