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The Journal of Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research (DISER) announces a special issue on designing, developing and teaching project-based learning (PBL) to promote disciplinary and interdisciplinary science education. Globally, PBL has gained prominence as a potential instructional perspective to support learners in developing deeper and more usable knowledge as well as promote learner's social and emotional learning. 

CREATE director, Joe Krajcik, has been asked to be the Lead Guest Editor, along with colleagues Rui Wei and Lei Wang, both from Beijing Normal University, China, where Dr. Krajcik is also a Guest Professor.

Authors selected to develop full papers will present their papers at the International Forum for Science Education sponsored by the International Institute on Science Education Research at Beijing Normal University in Winter or Spring 2021. 

DISER promotes scholarship in education within and across science disciplines. DISER publishes original empirical, conceptual and policy studies reflecting the latest developments in science education from disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. DISER bridges the divide and facilitates dialogue between formal and informal, disciplinary and interdisciplinary, K-12 and post-secondary, as well as English-speaking and non-English speaking country science education. 

A group of twelve graduate students and post-docs from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel participated in an exchange program hosted by CREATE for STEM Institute and Michigan State University from October 27-November 3, 2019. They brought a host of research interests with them: secondary science, computer science, and math education research.

This study abroad experience offered an opportunity to foster a rich exchange between MSU and Weizmann students and postdocs for supporting future exchange experiences, potential post-doctoral fellowships, and collaborative research.  The goals of this visit were to introduce the students to a broad range of work and research that is done at MSU in the field of education with a focus on STEM education research and to provide an understanding of the American educational system. 

Weizmann Institute is considered to be one of the top science research institutes in the world (ranked 45 according to the CWUR). Despite the relatively small size of the Department of Science Education has many prestigious researchers that partner with MSU researchers and over the recent years has helped to advance the field.

A week of interactive sessions, workshops, and meetings with faculty and research groups from here in CREATE and with other faculty in the College of Education maximized interaction and exchange of ideas, resulting in a very heartfelt, memorable experience for our visitors - and for us. 

CREATE for STEM was delighted to host a multi-day conference in September 2019 that brought together the Crafting Engagement for Science Environments projects' principal investigators from Finland with the principal investigators here at Michigan State University. 

Dr.'s Joe Krajcik, Lappan-Phillips Endowed Professor of Science Education and CREATE Director, and Dr. Barbara Schmidt, Hannah University Distinguished Professor in the College of Education and Department of Sociology at MSU, welcomed Dr. Jari Lavonen and Dr. Katariina Salmela-Aro, both from the University of Finland, along with several of their colleagues who had contributed to the CESE research. 

CESE has been and continues to be an exciting and fruitful collaboration, focused on student engagement, Project-Based Learning, social and emotional learning, and creating a growth-mindset in traditionally underserved communities. An efficacy study has resulted in very positive data showing that the treatment group, on whom PBL instruction was used, score higher as measured by a three-dimensional science test. These results show the promise of utilizing PBL approaches in aligning science instruction with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). 

CREATE director Joe Krajcik visited Southern Africa for three weeks in July 2019 in order to work with both the University of Pretoria's new Future Africa campus colleagues and culminating with a keynote presentation at the University of Johannesburg. 

Over the three-week winter break at the Southern Africa Association for Research in Math, Science, Technology & Education, Joe led the literature review strand for graduate students and early career educators who were invited to participate in a 3 ½ day workshop with various faculty and campus leaders. He then went on to the University of Pretoria, which was hosting its inaugural Writing Camp for faculty, staff and young career professionals all of whom are working toward being published. Joe worked with sixteen participants in order to provide writing mentorship and editorial guidance.   

To wrap up the three-week tour, The University of Johannesburg hosted a Supervision Enrichment Winter School Programme at which Joe was asked to give a keynote talk on mentorship. His presentation, “Reflections on Being a Good Mentor”, focused on what makes a good mentor, and also looked at the advantages/disadvantages of mentoring. 

For more information about Future Africa, please visit: www.up.ac.za/future-africa