Welcome to our course! In this course we hope to help you discover your voice and your love of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
Girls all over the world are in need of education and a voice in the cutting-edge technologies that drive change. Malala Yousafzai is on the forefront of this educational movement.
In this course, we'll take a look at Malala's story, as well as the experiences of other girls and women in the world of education and STEM. Hopefully learning about them will inspire you to step up and take part in the things you love.
After all, as Malala said, "One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution."
Course Objectives
Students will recognize the need for girls' education, particularly in the STEM fields, by analyzing the current trends in STEM education.
Students will research and identify the significant role of Malala and other great women in the areas of female education and STEM fields.
Students will use reflection and discussion to discover at what level they may or may not relate to Malala’s message about the obstacles girls and women face in the pursuit of education in STEM.
Students will share their own voices and contributions with their learning community by creating and sharing a project of their own design based on what they learned in the course.
How long should this take?
This course is set up to take about 4 weeks, with each module lasting about a week. You will probably spend about 3 hours or so a week, but you can go as fast or as slow as you'd like. If you move through quickly, you might want to go back to some of the discussions and assignments to see what people are saying and to add more of your own thoughts, especially on assignments. We'd love to hear from you!
Projects & Learning Journals
You may choose how much of the course you wish to be a part of and how much you'd like to share. Remember, though, that in order to receive the badges, you must complete all requirements. Remember that the course is what you make of it, so the more participation, the more fun you'll have!
Badges
For this course, you'll have the opportunity to earn badges. These badges will be awarded when you complete the requirements for the module. You may earn four badges in this course. You may add these badges to your social media like Facebook or Linked In, but also to your resume; some colleges/universities are starting to recognize them as part of your application!
Technical Requirements
This course requires you to be able to access video from YouTube and runs best on Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. (FYI, Internet Explorer doesn't work as well.) You may complete some of the assignments/learning journals on a mobile device, but you might not get the full experience.
Need Help?
If you're in need of help, please feel free to post in the I Need Help! forum. You may also want to check this forum from time to time to help your fellow students. Your instructor will try to answer your questions as soon as possible. You may also want to check the Canvas GuidesLinks to an external site. or you may email help@canvas.net to get a little help from the friendly Canvas Network help desk.
Ms. Eileen Mattingly
Many years ago, when I was a young woman finishing my Master’s degree and looking at schools for a doctorate, I consulted the chair of the history department at my university. His response to me was “Well, what does it matter? You are just going to be pushing a baby carriage someday anyway.”
Well, I have pushed a baby carriage or two, for my own children and later for my seven grandchildren. I also pursued graduate work at Johns Hopkins University. I’ve been a teacher for more than 30 years, mainly teaching English and history, from fourth grade to college. I took time off from the classroom to run the World Wise Schools office for the Peace Corps in Washington, D.C., and after that, I helped found an independent school near Annapolis, where I served as its first principal. And now I work as Director of Education for Journeys in Film, writing and editing lesson plans for great films for classroom use.
So education has always been important to me. When I first heard about Malala Yousafzai, I was stunned to learn how much she was willing to risk to promote education for girls. There are still girls all over the world who are held back by poverty, by custom, or by lack of opportunity. If you are signing up for this course, I know education is important to you. Don’t ever let anyone stop you in your desire to get the education you want.
