Exploring best-practices for highlighting counter-stereotypical scientists in undergraduate STEM courses
Tue, Dec 23
|Interactive Zoom session
Best practices to create more representative and engaged postsecondary STEM classrooms
Time & Location
Dec 23, 2025, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EST
Interactive Zoom session
About the event
Join Robin Costello this Friday, December 5th, for a conversation about "Exploring best-practices for highlighting counter-stereotypical scientists in undergraduate STEM courses."
Educators can feature scientists in their courses in ways that counter the stereotypical representation of scientists. Doing so has been shown to provide numerous benefits to students, including improved science identity, engagement in course material, academic performance, and persistence in science (Schinske et al., 2016; Brandt et al., 2020; Yonas et al., 2020; Aranda et al., 2021; Metzger et al., 2023; Ovid et al., 2023, 2024; Acosta-Parra et al., 2024; Rivera et al., 2024; Costello, Driessen, et al., 2025). However, when not implemented with care and intention, featuring scientists in classroom settings can be ineffective or impact students in inadvertent ways (Costello, Ewell et al., 2025). In this workshop, I will share several studies exploring the benefits and potential costs associated with featuring scientists in STEM courses, and we will discuss…