The Center for the Advancement of STEM Teaching and Learning Excellence (CASTLE) received the Drexel University President's Award for Diversity and Inclusive Community for Faculty and Professional Staff on Monday, November 5th. This award recognizes and honors significant contributions that promote awareness
of and respect for diversity, create opportunities for intercultural engagement, and build upon Drexel's founding principle of inclusion.

 Early bird course registration - exclusively for participants from CIRTL member institutions - runs today through September 3rd

On May 16, 2018 CASTLE hosted a Summit in coordination with Institutional Advancement. The Summit brought together thought leaders from industry, foundations and education who share CASTLE’s mission.

The mission of Drexel’s Center for the Advancement of STEM Teaching and Learning Excellence (CASTLE) could not be accomplished without the support of our affiliated faculty members, professional staff and students. Please join us in recognizing their commitment to furthering CASTLE’s mission and their excellence in teaching that exemplifies Drexel University.

Congratulations to CASTLE’s two Co-Directors, Dr. Jason Silverman and Dr. Jennifer Stanford. Silverman received a promotion from Associate Professor to Professor and Stanford received tenure status and a promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor. The Board of Trustees granted these approvals  in May. This is a well-earned accomplishment and CASTLE is honored to celebrate their success in their academic careers.

DragonsTeach Master Teacher Marlene Hilkowitz and Nicole Naranjo, a DragonsTeach Student, presented at the 12th Annual UTeach Conference at the University of Texas at Austin. Their session was titled, “Implementing Thinking Strategies to Shift from Teacher to Student Centered Classrooms in Apprentice Teaching.”

On Saturday, April 28, 2018, seven CASTLE Ambassadors volunteered at the Philadelphia Science Festival to teach hands-on STEM lessons to the community. These undergraduate STEM majors delivered lessons dedicated to demonstrating and understanding the concept of sound. 

On Friday, April 20, 2018 the DragonsTeach Student Organization (DTSO) hosted an Earth Day Fair for 3rd-5th grade students at Greenfield Elementary School. Eight undergraduate STEM majors organized STEM activities such as “cloud in a jar” and “oil spill clean-up” to help younger students understand different environmental processes. Greenfield students were also able to discover their carbon footprint and contribute to a large banner with a pledge to care for the environment.

The CASTLE seminar series is focused on continuous improvements in STEM education teaching and learning. Dr. Adam Fontecchio, Director of CASTLE, invites speakers from a variety of institutions to lead conversations on local, regional and national trends in the transformation of STEM education. The seminar is open to all who are interested in STEM education.

STEM education leaders, Adam Fontecchio, PhD, Professor of Computer and Electrical Engineering, and Director of Drexel University’s (CASTLE), and Jennifer Stanford, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biology, Co-director of CASTLE joined David Delaine, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering Education, Ohio State University, to lead a panel presentation at the 2018 National SxSWEdu Conference on March 5, 2018.

“Multisite longitudinal educational studies are challenging because each institution has a unique educational structure, experiential opportunities, and data systems,” adds William Mongan, Teaching Professor and Associate Department Head for Undergraduate Affairs with the Department of Computer Science. “By collaborating on these challenges, we enable the study of educational effectiveness through experiential learning spanning the disciplines across several institutions. That study will identify best practices and inform effective development of our curricula.”

CASTLE Instructor of the Week aims to identify top notch STEM instructors around Drexel and recognize them for their hard work. The nomination form can be found on Facebook @CASTLEatDrexel.

CASTLE Instructor of the Week aims to identify top notch STEM instructors around Drexel and recognize them for their hard work. The nomination form can be found on Facebook @CASTLEatDrexel.

CASTLE Instructor of the Week aims to identify top notch STEM instructors around Drexel and recognize them for their hard work. The nomination form can be found on Facebook @CASTLEatDrexel.

CASTLE Instructor of the Week aims to identify top notch STEM instructors around Drexel and recognize them for their hard work. The nomination form can be found on Facebook @CASTLEatDrexel.

CASTLE’s Director, Dr. Adam Fontecchio, and CASTLE’s Co-Director, Dr. Jennifer Stanford, have been invited to give a talk at the SXSW.EDU conference on March 5, 2018.  Along with their colleague Dr. David Delaine from The Ohio State University, they will be presenting a talk entitled “Modernizing Learning Using Experiential Education.” 

N. John DiNardo, Professor of Physics and Special Advisor to the Provost will be joining CASTLE as a Professor in Residence for a one-year sabbatical. Dr. DiNardo will be contributing to several CASTLE Initiatives including DARE-ExCEL, CIRTL, PROFESS, the Lockheed Martin Leadership Program and a research study which tracks experiential learning outcomes across three CAA campuses.
 

CASTLE Instructor of the Week aims to identify top notch STEM instructors around Drexel and recognize them for their hard work. The nomination form can be found on Facebook @CASTLEatDrexel.

Experiential Practices in Education Research and Teaching in STEM (ExPERTS) is a new fellowship program supported by the  Chappell-Culpeper  Family Foundation, Colonial School District, Roxborough High School and CASTLE. ExPERTS  introduces vertical mentoring into the model of the previously-funded National Science Foundation  STEM GK-12  program at Drexel.