Within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education, integrating real-world problem scenarios is paramount. Within interdisciplinary education, modeling is an approach to fostering student learning and skill development in a student-centered learning environment. This study focuses on an integrated physics and mathematics course in STEM education based on modeling for first-year engineering students. The main objectives of this study are to analyze students’ models, assess the effectiveness of the pedagogical approach, and evaluate the benefits of integrative education. This study uses a Model-Application Activity as a closure for the quadratic model and extends the models built to a two-dimensional motion situation. The core activity involves a real-world experiment where students attempt to roll a ball down a ramp into a cup. While most groups successfully constructed theoretical models, only a few hit the target, highlighting the complexities of applying theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios. The study also emphasizes the seamless integration of physics and mathematics, enriching the learning experience and making the models more robust and versatile. Despite the promising results, the study identifies a gap between theoretical understanding and practical application, suggesting the need for more hands-on activities in the curriculum. In conclusion, this study underlines the value of integrating physics and mathematics through modeling and a student-centered approach, setting the stage for future research to enhance the effectiveness of STEM education.

El proyecto W-STEM se orienta en reducir la brecha de género existente en la ciencia, específicamente en los campos STEM en América Latina. Durante el International Leadership Summit, celebrado en Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) el 26 de noviembre de 2019 en el marco del proyecto, cuarenta y cuatro personas, incluyendo investigadores y cargos directivos de instituciones de educación superior, participaron en una dinámica World Café para discutir sobre las posibles acciones, políticas y estrategias que podrían desarrollarse en las universidades para reducir la mencionada brecha de género en los estudios STEM. Se realizaron cuatro mesas y este artículo resume las conclusiones más destacadas de las conversaciones mantenidas.

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in Higher Education (HE) helps foster students’ motivation to continue studying and cultivates students’ regard for the role of science and technology in society. The gender gap in STEM HE can reduce through institutional efforts; however, the underrepresentation of women is prevalent. There have been efforts to research and implement strategies to increase the number of people attending STEM fields with a specific action to attract and retain women in these areas. Hence, the purpose of this research work is to carry out and show the results of a Systematic Mapping (SM) related to how HE institutions aim to address the gender gap in STEM education through research and educational innovation. The SM focused on published work from 2011 to 2021 indexed in Web of Science or Scopus. Findings show the state of knowledge for an essential topic: reducing the gender gap through guidance and retention strategies to attain completion. Furthermore, descriptive results give a general overview of the area, relevant trends, and other analytical evidence that provides an in-depth understanding of HE institutions’ needs. We conclude that the retention of women studying STEM HE has become an essential issue worldwide universities have addressed increasingly during the last decade.

Despite ongoing efforts towards gender equity, the gender gap in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) remains significant today. This article explores the motivations and perceptions of women in different professional roles within STEM fields regarding the importance of mentoring in fostering interest and participation in STEM careers, thus contributing to continuing engineering education. Based on qualitative data from 19 semi-structured interviews with women in managerial, research, teaching, and external academic and professional roles, the study delves into their motivations for pursuing STEM careers, their interest in promoting diversity, and the role of mentoring in supporting their professional development. The thematic analysis results are grouped into a hierarchical structure comprising one meta-theme, four primary, and six subthemes. The participants emphasized that their primary motivation for STEM involvement was contributing to society and promoting economic growth. Additionally, they advocated for greater diversity and challenged traditional gender roles in these areas. The participants highlighted the importance of closing the gender gap and recognizing the capabilities and new perspectives that women brought. Although these women faced obstacles such as glass ceilings, having a mentorship opportunity was identified as a critical tool for women’s empowerment and training. The insights contribute to advancing strategies for promoting gender equity and diversity in STEM fields, with implications for researchers, universities, and organizations seeking to support women’s participation and advancement in STEM careers. Further research is recommended to explore the perspectives of women in other roles and the effectiveness of mentoring programs in fostering gender diversity in STEM.

Studies show that students, within the context of mathematics and science, have difficulties understanding the concepts of the derivative as the slope and the concept of the antiderivative as the area under the curve. In this article, we present the Test of Understanding Graphs in Calculus...

Research on conceptual understanding is one of the first steps in designing materials to improve learning. Literature reports that students have difficulties analyzing and describing phenomena in electric circuits. This report contributes to students' conceptual difficulties regarding simple electrical circuits by systematically analyzing an open conceptual test answered by 531 first-year engineering students. We found students' reasoning that has not yet been reported in the literature as misconceptions or difficulties. To deepen our understanding of students' difficulties, we chose five students by convenience to interview. We present evidence that there are two main contributions to the taxonomy in this study: the Series Circuit Misconception, which is when students convey that the current through bulbs is the same because they are in series, using that as a mnemonic ignoring any change in the circuit; and the Inverse Parallel Circuit Misconception, that is when students mention that the resistance of the circuit decreases when disconnecting bulbs in parallel, neither are reported in the literature. The results of this study have implications for physics education research in electric circuits and educational practice in the classroom.