Joseph Krajcik believes that Michigan State University is committed to giving students the education they need to prepare them to be citizens in our highly technological and scientific world.
MSU's commitment to preparing students adequately was one of the primary reasons Krajcik accepted the position as director of the Collaborative Research in Educational Assessment and Teaching Environments for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — called CREATE for STEM.
The institute is a collaboration between the College of Natural Science and the College of Education, and its goal is to improve the teaching and learning in mathematics and science from kindergarten to higher education. The program was formerly known as Institute for Research on Mathematics and Science Education, or IRMSE.
"From a global perspective, having top-notch students who know mathematics, science and engineering is simply critical," Krajcik said , who is also a professor of science education in MSU's Department of Teacher Education.
After first two years, many students drop out of science, technology, engineering and mathematics degree programs. Krajcik wants to find new ways to retain students in these programs and help them to be successful.
Krajcik said there are three main focuses of CREATE for STEM: Innovation, investigation and information.
"The institute is all about innovating, investigating those innovations and then informing the broader world, both the public and as well as the scholarly community, about what we learn," Krajcik said.
He said that the institute hopes to host a conference in May for faculty members on campus and educators from surrounding school districts. The conference will allow people to share ideas, learn about each others' work and build collaborations in STEM education.
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