Elizabeth Ring-Whalen

Elizabeth Ring-Whalen is a Lecturer in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where she directs the Secondary Science Education program. She holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in STEM Education from the University of Minnesota, an MA in Curriculum and Instruction from St. Mary's University, and a BA in Biology from Augustana University. Her extensive K-12 teaching experience includes elementary, middle, and secondary science instruction in varied settings: a small Inupiat village in northern Alaska, a large highly diverse urban school in Nebraska, and a rural school in a small farming community in central Minnesota. Prior to joining the University of Minnesota, Dr. Ring-Whalen taught in the education department at St. Catherine University and served as Director of the STEM Center there.

Dr. Ring-Whalen's research focuses on the nature of STEM in PreK-12 classrooms, teachers' conceptions of integrated STEM and how these beliefs shape their practices and student achievement, as well as teachers' attitudes and beliefs about cultural diversity and teaching culturally diverse students. Her work encompasses designing and teaching undergraduate and graduate-level coursework to foster effective science teaching practices and culturally relevant pedagogy, mentoring pre-service science teachers, collaborating with in-service science teachers to develop and implement integrated STEM curricula, leading professional development on STEM integration, and partnering with school administrators and teachers to establish STEM programming. Key publications include Roehrig, G.H., Dare, E.A., Ellis, J.A., & Ring-Whalen, E.A. (2021). Beyond the basics: A detailed conceptual framework of integrated STEM. Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research, 3(11); Dare, E.A., Ring-Whalen, E.A., Roehrig, G.H. (2019). Creating a continuum of STEM models: Exploring how K-12 science teachers conceptualize STEM education. International Journal of Science Education, 41(12), 1701-1720; Roehrig, G.H., Dare, E.A., Ring-Whalen, E.A., Wieselmann, J.R. (2021). Understanding coherence and integration in integrated STEM curriculum. International Journal of STEM Education, 8(2), 1-21; Roehrig, G.H., Rouleau, M.D., Dare, E.A., & Ring-Whalen, E.A. (2022). Uncovering core dimensions of K-12 integrated STEM. Research in Integrated STEM Education, 1, 1-25; and Dare, E.A., Ellis, J.A., Rouleau, M.D., Roehrig, G.H., & Ring-Whalen, E.A. (2022). Current practices in K-12 integrated STEM education: A comparison across science content areas and grade-levels. Proceedings of the 2022 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition. She was Principal Investigator on an NSF-funded project (1812794) for the design and development of a K-12 STEM observation protocol.

Professional Email: eawhalen@umn.edu