Pioneering STEM in undergraduate education: A course for pre-service teachers

Although there have been numerous initiatives to promote and recruit students into postsecondary studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, traditional programs of studies for both K to 12 school and teacher education programs still lack an integrative approach to these disciplines. Addressing this concern, the Werklund School of Education of the University of Calgary started to offer a course in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education for the undergraduate Bachelor of Education program. In this paper we discuss possibilities and constraints in implementing a STEM Education course in a pre-service teacher education program. We draw from narratives of four instructors, including the coordinator of the course, and an administrator who was actively involved in creation and approval of the course. We analyze the situation in which this course was conceived, including both national and provincial policy and discuss the philosophy of the STEM Education course. In addition, we also address some challenges experienced by administrators, instructors and students during the creation and implementation of the course.