Building learning communities among English learners in STEM majors: Case studies of undergraduates in Chinese universities

STEM education provides an interdisciplinary learning method in which rigorous academic concepts are combined with practical applications. STEM education is widely encouraged in K12 education in the U.S. In China, only elementary schools from the first- and second-tier cities are promoting it. Learning Community (LC) building, which emphasizes co-teaching and interactive learning, is also interdisciplinary and embraced by all sectors of education in the U.S. It is not a new concept in China but practice still lacks behind. This paper reports extensive efforts to introduce and implement strategies for both STEM education and learning community building in China. We believe that the coupling of STEM with LC could help cultivate Chinese students' critical thinking skills and thus improve their learning outcomes. This study reports two learning initiatives carried out respectively with young English learners and with undergraduates in China. Young learners' experience is STEM based online and offline teaching and learning, while undergraduates' experience is a transnational blended learning community via the Internet, by learning STEM-related topics. Both initiatives generated desirable results. This study illustrates how to build connection between STEM education and LC building and also suggests wider adoption of this innovative pedagogy. Copyright © 2019 IEEE.