Training on Designing Integrated STEM Project-Based Lesson Plans for Middle School Science and Biology Teachers Across Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract

By the end of 2019, the spread of the COVID-19 virus had impacted all aspects of life and various sectors, including the field of education. This necessitated the shift to online learning. This change in circumstances required teachers and lecturers to master IT to facilitate the learning process, adapting the methods, strategies, and learning media used during the online period. To ensure effective learning, teachers and lecturers must prepare proper and appropriate lesson plans. Online learning under challenging conditions can be integrated with a STEM approach to engage students. This community service initiative was carried out with the following objectives: 1) to disseminate the correct and appropriate methods for creating STEM-integrated Science/Biology lesson plans to secondary school teachers throughout Central Java, 2) to introduce the structured steps for creating STEM-integrated Science/Biology lesson plans. The method used involved providing training and practical sessions to 100 representative teachers from secondary schools across Central Java via the Zoom platform. The results consisted of draft STEM-based Science/Biology lesson plans; analysis showed that 100 teachers were able to create lesson plans across three error categories: 78 drafts with minor errors (Very Few), 18 with moderate errors (Few), and 4 drafts with major errors (Many). From this, it can be concluded that 96% of the training participants already understand the step-by-step process of creating STEM-based Science/Biology lesson plans. This means that this training can be continued and applied to teachers of other subjects.