Introducing societal issues in an upper level STEM course increases student engagement and knowledge transfer

The ability of students to transfer their knowledge and understanding learned from one context to a novel context is the ultimate goal of education. Creating assignments that engage students through something they care about can help create the environment where deep learning can occur. Introducing social justice issues in the STEM classroom is a powerful motivator for many of our current generation of students. Here we describe a three-step framework for incorporating reproductive rights into an upper level developmental biology course. In the framework, students first gain science content knowledge, then apply their knowledge by writing a section of a textbook chapter, and finally create an exhibit to teach a general audience about the science of human reproduction and early development through debunking myths about these concepts. Over the term, student engagement with science content increased when classroom material was connected with current issues. Engagement was sustained through the term, likely due to social learning that occurred in the weekly blog assignments. The increase in engagement also correlated with better interdisciplinary thinking by the end of the term. As the students cared about the topic of reproductive rights, they were motivated to persist through challenging project work and improve their writing and science communication skills. Connecting biology with high engagement topics outside the discipline can lead to deeper learning. This approach can be applied broadly to other societal issues within STEM courses and with varied assignments.