#361: Enhancing K-12 Teachers’ Confidence and Competence in STEM Integration Using Blended Learning in Professional Development

STEM-integrated learning in K-12 education is essential for students to build career readiness. However, building confidence and competence in STEM teachers to enact new, cross-disciplinary curriculum is difficult, and the best way to design high-quality professional development (PD) programs for teaching STEM integration is unclear. This study introduces a blended learning PD model that added a new online course to a traditional onsite research experience to scaffold teachers’ comprehension of mechanobiology knowledge and practices of pedagogy. Piloting the model with seven K-12 teachers, we examined how this blended format scaffolded in-person and online collaborative learning. Findings show the online course enhanced teachers’ grasp of complex research concepts and competence in teaching STEM-integrated topics. This study highlights the potential of an online course to promote confidence and competence in teachers conducting cutting-edge, interdisciplinary STEM research.