Together with three research lecturers from the STEM Research Center (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) of Syiah Kuala University (Unsyiah), a lecturer from the Department of Mathematics, FMIPA Unsyiah, Dr. Rini Oktavia, conducted an academic visit to Rutgers University, New Jersey, United States, from 14–28 September 2019. This visit by the Unsyiah STEM Research Center team was part of the Partnership for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Grant program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS) under USAID Prime Award Number AID-OAA-A-11-00012.
The main purpose of this visit was to fulfill an invitation from the research partner at Rutgers University, Prof. Dr. Eugenia Etkina, in order to strengthen research collaboration between the Unsyiah STEM Research Center and Prof. Etkina. Prof. Etkina is a leading education expert who developed a physics learning approach known as the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) and integrates physics and mathematics through the PUM (Physics Union Mathematics) project. In 2014, Prof. Etkina received the prestigious Robert A. Millikan Award from the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) for her contributions to the development of ISLE in physics education. The ISLE curriculum has been adopted by many world-class universities, including Princeton University and the University of Toronto.
Dr. Rini Oktavia, who also serves as the Secretary of the Department of Mathematics, is a researcher in mathematics education and an advocate of integrated STEM education. Mathematics enables physical, chemical, and other scientific phenomena to be explained through simplified models. Prof. Etkina shares this view, emphasizing that science learning requires a strong understanding of mathematics. Dr. Rini Oktavia received full support from Prof. Etkina to continue research collaboration in developing physics and mathematics instruction that emphasizes inquiry-based learning and reflects how mathematicians and scientists actually make discoveries.
Dr. Oktavia and Prof. Etkina agree on the importance of encouraging students to understand how theories are developed. By understanding how mathematical and physical concepts evolve, students can acquire learning skills similar to those of scientists and mathematicians. Both scholars also emphasize that one crucial aspect of STEM education is fostering collaboration and communication skills among students. This shared vision between Dr. Oktavia and Prof. Etkina promises a strong and sustainable research collaboration that is expected to benefit Syiah Kuala University and Rutgers University in general, and particularly the Unsyiah STEM Research Center and the Department of Mathematics, FMIPA Unsyiah.
During the visit to the Graduate School of Education (GSE) of Rutgers University, the four researchers conducted classroom observations and interviews with Prof. Etkina herself, as well as with undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students who were learning using the ISLE approach. They also interviewed lecturers who implement ISLE, including Dr. Carolyn Sealfon from the University of Toronto, Canada. In addition, the Unsyiah STEM Research Center team visited the Science and Mathematics Learning Center (SMLC) to observe various simple mathematics, science, and engineering experiments displayed in an open space accessible to all visitors.
The Unsyiah STEM Research Center aspires to establish a STEM Center, one of whose services is educating the community about STEM through the provision of simple experimental facilities such as those observed at SMLC.