The Use of Digital Formative Assessment for Integrated Entrepreneurial STEM Education

Abstract

STEM EducationSTEM education provides possibilities for students beyond the siloed science, technologyTechnology, engineeringEngineering, and mathematics subject matter. Integrating the STEM subjects helps students build skills and habits of mind across the disciplines, and offers instances for authentic, realistic problem solvingProblem solving. However, incorporating an entrepreneurial mindsetEntrepreneurial mindset into integrated STEM settings increases learning opportunitiesOpportunities for financial, social, and innovative entrepreneurshipEntrepreneurship, which can establish even more authentic contexts for students. Because these learning opportunitiesOpportunities can be divergent, instructors will need mechanisms to monitor student learning so that they reach their objectives. Instructors will need approaches to gather information on student learning, provide guidance to students to further their learning, and when necessary, adapt their instruction to meet student needs. Digital formative assessmentDigital formative assessment is an approach that instructors can use to monitor the complex learning of integrated Entrepreneurial STEMIntegration (of STEM education and Entrepreneurship, also Entrepreneurial STEM) knowledge and skills due to the ability to offer an interactive environment for communication and analysis of learning. In addition to a discussion of entrepreneurial STEM educationSTEM education and a framework for digital formative assessmentDigital formative assessment, this chapter explains an example of a STEM lesson, integrationIntegration (of STEM education and Entrepreneurship, also Entrepreneurial STEM) of entrepreneurshipEntrepreneurship, and ideas for digital formative assessmentDigital formative assessment.