James Patrick Riehl

A World View of STEM Higher Education James Patrick Riehl

The path to STEM higher education: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Why do young people chose to study these subjects in colleges or universities? Are other countries producing more talented graduates in these fields than the U. S? Do other countries provide a better environment for student success in STEM subjects than we do? These questions and others are addressed in this book. In this work, James Riehl presents a study of the current situation for the path to successful higher education of young people in STEM subjects in ten countries (China, Japan, Turkey, Finland, India, Poland, Germany, UK, Brazil, and the US). The manuscript contains comparative data in text and graphical form concerning STEM education in these ten countries obtained from many sources including PISA scores and the US National Science Foundation. Information from extensive interviews of academic deans and faculty, government officials and others is also summarized. The author describes educational systems, and other higher education characteristics for each of the ten countries he examined. Throughout the manuscript he gives insights on the current environment and future plans for STEM education from key academic and government leaders in the different countries. All this information is summarized and then used to grade the current state of STEM higher education in the US compared to the other nine countries in five different categories. In the final chapter, he presents summary conclusions concerning the educational reform necessary for the US to remain competitive in industries relying on the availability of STEM graduates.