Science iSTEM Microcredential

Key facts

Cost: $1000
Mode: Online
Duration: 12 months
Start date: Semester 1, 2024

Designed using inclusive, evidence-based strategies for STEM education, this course will teach you to create innovative and meaningful learning environments for students.

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Awarded Australian Government funding under the Microcredentials Pilot in Higher Education, ACU has developed this microcredential in line with the Australian Skills Classification priorities, to meet industry needs and encourage lifelong learning.


Dr Sarah Digan

Lecturer (Science Education), ACU


What you will learn

To successfully complete this microcredential, you must undertake both units.

Unit 1: Science iSTEM

In this unit, you will become confident in applying pedagogical approaches to your STEM classroom that foster scientific knowledge, design thinking and evidence-informed practices in relation to real-world contexts.

Explore a range of effective pedagogical approaches to science in STEM education that foster scientific knowledge and practices and the use of digital resources.

Understand how the application of computational and systems thinking can assist in solving real-world problems.

Investigate socio-scientific issues and their influences, and develop your capacity to evaluate the veracity of scientific claims and findings.

Unit 2: Leading the S in STEM

Develop and implement STEM teaching and learning activities and establish strategies for professional learning that are tailored to the school context. This unit will equip you with the leadership skills needed to build a STEM-informed culture in your school.

Gain a deeper understanding of research-informed approaches to teaching and learning that support the central role of science in STEM education.

Built a toolkit of evidence-based pedagogical approaches to teaching science concepts, procedures and proficiencies.

Develop the knowledge and skills required to provide effective leadership of science taught within the context of STEM education.

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Learning outcomes and assessment

This is a highly flexible course, providing you with a robust foundation of evidence-informed knowledge and skills to better enhance student outcomes.

To successfully complete each unit, you will need to pass a series of multiple-choice assessments and written assignments.

Digital certification

Following the successful completion of this microcredential, you will receive a digitally coded certification badge that can be shared on your professional profiles, including LinkedIn. This badge is proof of your award and can be used to gain credit in relevant courses when pursuing further study.

Pathways to further study

This microcredential has been designed to provide you with a pathway into the Graduate Certificate in Education or the Master of Education at ACU.

Industry endorsement

Science iSTEM has received endorsement from the Professional Teachers’ Council NSW industry body.

Course development and teaching team

Professor of Mathematics Education

Professor Vince Geiger is a professor of mathematics education within ACU’s Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education (ILSTE). He is the leader of the STEM Education: Design and Growth Across the Disciplines program, an interdisciplinary research space focused on the enabling and transformative role of mathematics within the STEM disciplines and other areas of human endeavour.

View Professor Vince Geiger's profile

Senior Lecturer (Science)

Dr Sindu George teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in science education, STEM education and inclusive education. Prior to her time at ACU, she worked as a lecturer at Monash University. Dr George has facilitated professional development programs nationally and internationally to improve student engagement in STEM learning.

View Dr Sindu George's profile

Lecturer (Science Education)

Dr Sarah Digan specialises in STEM education with a focus on enhancing critical-thinking skills when addressing misinformation in the digital age. Advancing evidence-based research through two funded research projects, she is particularly interested in developing data literacy and evidentiary practices in young learners to prepare them for a STEM-empowered workforce.

View Dr Sarah Digan's profile

Lecturer (Science and Mathematics)

An expert in psychometric testing in physics and mathematics education, Dr Wade Naylor has taught senior physics, junior science, ICT and mathematics in high schools, and has also taught in universities at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He has been involved with successful government tenders in relation to STEM and has more than 40 academic publications.

View Dr Wade Naylor's profile

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