Insignificant numbers of college students declaring STEM majors creates concern for the future of the U.S. economy within the global marketplace. This study highlights the educational development and teaching strategies employed by STEM faculty in teaching first-year students in contextualized life science courses, such as animal, plant, and food sciences. Teaching strategies employed by faculty were reported as largely influenced by the "way they were taught." Faculty members shared they used "lecture" and "laboratory" interchangeably as both educational environment and instructional practice. This study provides evidence for engaging university teaching faculty in a systematic process of professional development in teaching and learning processes.