Illustrated icons of graphs, neurons, and molecules.

These icons represent the themes covered in the STEM Concept Videos, such as problem solving, representations, and derivatives and integrals.

MIT takes new approach with STEM concept videos
Real-life examples are relevant to MIT students and students around the world.
Lori Breslow | Teaching and Learning Laboratory

MIT’s Teaching and Learning Laboratory (TLL) has created 47 STEM Concept Videos to help students connect the concepts they learn in introductory STEM courses to concrete, real-world problems. Students can watch the videos to prepare for class or review a concept for an exam. Instructors can use them to supplement classroom instruction, using snippets or the entire video, most of which are under 15 minutes.  Throughout the videos, viewers are prompted to pause to actively engage with the material — to predict the result of demonstrations, engage in a discussion of concepts, or perform activities tied to the video’s intended learning outcomes.

Some examples of questions that the videos pose include:

  • Why is the concept of divergence useful to researchers designing helmets to protect soldiers from the shockwaves of explosions?
  • What is the connection between martial arts and torque?
  • How can the concept of latent heat be used to design more energy-efficient buildings?

Read the full MIT News article, and check out these videos in MIT OpenCourseWare. Each video is accompanied by a handy Instructor Guide and links to related OCW courses that further illustrate or apply each concept.