Fostering community belonging through STEAM education: Board game design in a university art appreciation course

Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education integrates diverse disciplines through a transdisciplinary approach, emphasizing design thinking and inquiry-based learning to develop technical skills and social connection. This study explores a STEAM-focused project implemented in an Art Appreciation course for non-art majors at a university in Nacogdoches, Texas, where 27 students designed board games to strengthen their sense of belonging to the university and local community. Using the principles of design thinking—empathy, ideation, prototyping, and testing—students combined technological skills and collaborative practices to create engaging and meaningful outcomes that reflected their understanding of community identity. The study addresses two key research questions: (1) How do students design board games using the framework of design thinking to express community identity and belonging? (2) How do their reflections and creative processes contribute to fostering a sense of belonging to the university and community? Drawing on Strayhorn’s framework of academic belonging, findings demonstrate that the integration of creative production with community storytelling strengthened students’ connections to place, peers, and institution. Through inquiry-based learning, students developed both technical proficiency and deeper community engagement, while their board games served as cultural artifacts that encoded shared experiences and values. This research advances our understanding of how STEAM education can simultaneously promote technical innovation and strengthen community belonging. It contributes to the broader understanding of STEAM’s role in general education curricula, suggesting new approaches for combining practical skill development with meaningful community connection. In addition, it offers implications for curriculum design and pedagogical practices in higher education, particularly in fostering student engagement through creative, community-centered projects.