Overview and History of the Center

The Center for Science Education at the University of South Carolina Columbia, was established in November 1984 by action of the Commission on Higher Education for the stated purpose of working to improve the quality of science education. The center is charged with developing and implementing specific programs to assist in improving undergraduate and graduate programs. The center is also charged with assisting individual teachers, schools, school districts, and consortia of districts through the development of materials that provide effective K-12 science teaching, in-service workshops and curriculum development.

The center is administratively housed in the College of Science and Mathematics. Center personnel work cooperatively with faculty in the College of Education in K-12 teacher preparation and enhancement programs. In these programs, center personnel are primarily involved with course and program development emphasizing content knowledge, whereas College of Education faculty primarily emphasize pedagogy.

Center personnel also cooperate with other faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences and faculty in the College of Liberal Arts. Within the area of undergraduate program development, the two components of the center's mission are:

1.      to assist the College of Arts & Sciences and its individual academic departments in developing effective academic programs for prospective middle- and high-school teachers of science and mathematics; and

2.      to assist personnel in the College of Liberal Arts in the development of effective courses in science and mathematics for all students, including prospective middle-school, elementary, and early childhood teachers.

With regard to the graduate programs, three components of the center's mission are:

1.      to develop and implement graduate-level, content-oriented courses in science and mathematics designed specifically for teachers;

2.      to assist the academic departments within the College of Arts & Sciences in the development and implementation of master's degree programs for prospective and practicing teachers of science and mathematics; and

3.      to assist academic departments within the College of Arts & Sciences in developing content-oriented research tracks within existing doctoral programs.

For further information about the center or any of its programs, contact:

Dr. Robert Feller, Director
Center for Science Education
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
803-777-6920