Wheelock is proud to present STEP—the STEM Teacher Enhancement Project—a dynamic set of eight online professional development courses focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education for teachers of elementary-age students.

With all eight of Wheelock's STEP courses offered exclusively online, working teachers can improve their math and science content knowledge and teaching skills on a flexible schedule that fits their busy lives!

In today's educational and professional worlds, STEM content knowledge and skills are vital to every student's success. It is the STEM learners of today who will spur the innovations of tomorrow in healthcare and medicine, environmental science, education, and other fields that, among other benefits, will stimulate new economic growth, counter negative effects of climate change and pollution, and improve our overall quality of life.

While there is an urgent need for teachers at all grade levels to be proficient in STEM education, most improvement efforts to date have focused on the middle school, secondary, and post-secondary levels. Wheelock's STEP courses are especially designed for teachers of elementary school students in grades 1-6.

Designed by Wheelock faculty and expert consultants, these courses advance effective methods for teaching math and science, as well as mathematical and scientific knowledge. They are also aligned with Common Core Standards.

Professional Development Courses for 21st Century Educators

Wheelock's online courses are designed to help you—the current elementary teacher—take the next step in your career by offering coursework that is:

• Graduate-level (3 credits per course), academically rigorous, and contained within eight weeks of instruction.
• A balance of content knowledge, teaching theory, and practical applications and classroom skills.
• Mindful of the increasing diversity of today's students.
• Offered on a flexible schedule. During the eight-week course cycle, you can complete weekly assignments at the learning pace that works best for you.

Student Learning Objectives

By taking STEP math courses, students will master knowledge and understanding of concepts important for teaching elementary school mathematics in the following areas: numbers and operations; patterns, functions, and algebra; geometry and measurement; and data, statistics, and probability.

By taking STEP science courses, students will master knowledge and understanding of concepts important for teaching elementary school science in the following areas: physical science (forces and motion of objects as well as earth in space, ancient ideas of motion, Newtonian mechanics, and gravity) and life sciences (characteristics of living things, including the various structures and functions of plants and animals, and adaptations to the environment).

Course Offerings

Wheelock's STEM education offerings include four math courses and four sciences courses; each course is eight weeks long.

• Science Courses. Within the science courses, Teaching and Learning Elementary Science is a prerequisite for both Teaching and Learning Physical Science and for Inquiry into Life Science. The last course in the sequence, Science Inquiry in Action, must be preceded by Teaching and Learning Elementary Science and one of the other two courses.
• Math Courses. Within the math courses, each course is a standalone course; none are prerequisites for others.

Click here for a full course list and course descriptions.

Course Schedule

Two courses are currently available for registration and both courses start on June 25. 

• EDU 624 Numbers and Operations
• EDU 634 Teaching and Learning Elementary Science

Click here for full course descriptions.

How to Register

Non-Matriculated students, those who are not enrolled in a degree program, have two options to register for Wheelock's online STEM education courses. They may click here to use our online registration system or they may download the Online Course Registration Form and fax the completed form to 617-879-2099 or by mailing it to: Office of Graduate Admissions, Wheelock College, 200 The Riverway, Boston MA 02215. Payment must be made at the time of registration. Students interested in being formally admitted into one of Wheelock's online degree programs should visit the Online Degree Programs web page.