In universities worldwide, there has been a movement away from mono-disciplinary towards multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary education, motivated by the notion that complex societal issues call for more than a single disciplinary perspective. To prepare students for a role in addressing these issues, flexibility within educational programs is…

One hundred years ago, Paul Weiss and Ludwig von Bertalanffy independently proposed that living organisms interact with their environment through systems. In the century that has followed, systems thinking and modeling have grown in tandem with discovery of the vast complexity of the universe at microscopic through astronomic levels. As our…

Amid rapid technological advancements, it is increasingly crucial for educational technology research to move beyond a narrow focus on tools and gadgets, addressing instead the broader social and ethical challenges these technologies bring to education and human performance. Translational research, with roots in the biomedical sciences, is…

The emerging field of social entrepreneurship seeks to address social challenges in environments where traditional public sector institutions are weak or absent. With its explicit focus on solving problems, social entrepreneurship is inherently interdisciplinary. A well-designed undergraduate course in social entrepreneurship can enhance…

There is a mismatch between established practice in Learning Design and the increasingly complex nature of the challenges the world is facing. This article connects Learning Design to complexity science so learners can be better equipped to create a thriving future. Learning Design methods have traditionally leant heavily upon the reduction of…

The instructional rationale behind critical pedagogy is to provide students the opportunity to voice their personal stories and opinions, and to reflect and act upon social concerns relevant to their daily lives. Students can then practice being agents of transformation in their own lives, starting in the classroom. This paper is based on the…

Before Heritage Middle School began working with the Participate Learning team to connect lessons to real-world issues, the teachers and leadership had established a goal to encourage students to become more empathic about issues in their community. Although a handful of students and teachers who participated in the school's gardening club were…

Society largely has accepted a conception of general intelligence that is ill-fitted to the world we live in today. Our standardized tests are based on this conception, as is much of our instruction. The problem is that the kinds of problems we test for and teach to are unlike the complex problems we face in real life. In this article, Robert…

Integration of social-emotional learning (SEL) content and vocabulary within read-alouds of multicultural literature provides powerful learning contexts for enhancing young children's social problem-solving, language development, and comprehension. Multicultural literature allows children to gain greater understanding of themselves and others…

Climate education is increasingly being taught in schools, and groups are looking to pass climate education into law. This article looks at climate justice, a framing of the overarching climate movement, to advocate for an education that inspires action. Drawing from Freire's 'Pedagogy of the Oppressed', it makes a case for problem-posing…

The article describes a prevention science approach to impacting population health. We use activities of the Missouri Prevention Science Institute that address youth mental health concerns with a public health approach to illustrate the approach. In particular, we focus on several lessons that may be relevant for advancing the success of…

This manuscript proposes the use of the "I notice, I wonder" routine in college mathematics classrooms to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Examples are given of prompts that incorporate meaningful conversations about real-world issues affecting our students or about issues of inclusion, access, and representation in…

Preparing students for their future is a clear and concise goal of education. STEM education is no different and is often considered a key way to increase students' 21st century skills or prepare students for a future career (Bybee 2010). We also believe that education should engage students as empathetic problem solvers (as described in Bush and…

This teaching note describes the design and implementation of an undergraduate research team project to conduct a tent census. Previous studies highlight the importance of real-world research as a part of sociology curriculum. Tents, as a visible sign of homelessness, represent one such contemporary social problem. Our undergraduate research team…

The COVID-19 pandemic is a historic global event that has extended to all parts of society and shaken the core of what we know and how we live. During this pandemic, the work of STEM professionals has taken center stage. Through our close observations of how the events of the pandemic have been unfolding across the globe, we propose an…