The University of Washington, the Exploratorium, the Education Development Center, Inverness Research, and the University of Colorado - Boulder have come together to form a Research+Practice (R+P) Collaboratory. The Collaboratory seeks to address and reframe the gap between research and practice in K-12 STEM education. This gap persists despite decades of work by many leading organizations, associations, and individuals. Attempts to close the gap have generally focused on creating resources and mechanisms that first explain or illustrate "what research says" and then invite educators to access and integrate findings into practice. Recently, however, attention has turned to the ways in which the medical sciences are addressing the gap between research and clinical practice through the developing field of "translational research." In medicine, the strategy has been to shift the focus from adoption to adaptation of research into practice. Implicit in the notion of adaptation is a bi-directional process of cultural exchange in which both researchers and practitioners come to understand how the knowledge products of each field can strengthen the professional activities in the other. Along these lines, the R+P Collaboratory is working with leading professional associations and STEM improvement efforts to leverage their existing knowledge and experience and to build sustainable strategies for closing the gap. Activities include:
Collecting, creating and synthesizing translational research resources to expand STEM educators' and educational leaders' access and awareness to current relevant research.
Supporting multiple opportunities for cross-sector (research and practice; education and social sciences; formal and informal) meetings to foster critical engagement and cultural exchange.
Testing, documenting and innovating new resources and mechanisms at Adaptation Sites and disseminating both products and results through the R+P Resource Center.
The R+P Collaboratory is developing an online 'Go-To' Resource Center website that houses the resources collected, created, and curated by the Collaboratory. The Resource Center also has significant 'Take-Out' features, with all materials meta-tagged so that they can be automatically uploaded, reformatted, and integrated into the existing communication and professional development mechanisms (e.g., newsletters, digests, conferences, and websites) of a dozen leading professional associations within a Professional Association Partner Network.
In light of new and emerging standards in the STEM disciplines, the Collaboratory is focusing its work on four salient and timely bodies of research: (a) STEM Practices, (b) Formative Assessment, (c) Cyberlearning, and (d) Learning as a Cross-Setting Phenomenon. Special emphasis is being placed on research and practice that focuses on the learning of children and youth from communities historically underrepresented in STEM fields.
The work of the R+P Collaboratory includes research and evaluation of its own efforts through studies aimed at answering the following questions:
How are Collaboratory resources and engagement activities accessed, experienced and leveraged by participants?
What resources, mechanisms and learning contexts support cultural exchange among STEM education researchers and practitioners?
What new kinds of practices result when research-based evidence is adapted into evidence-based practices, and how does it change learning opportunities for K-12 aged children?
How can effective strategies, mechanisms and resources of the Collaboratory be scaled and adapted to new contexts?
The Center for Integrated Quantum Materials pursues research and education in quantum science and technology. With our research and industry partners, the Museum of Science, Boston collaborates to produce public engagement resources, museum programs, special events and media. We also provide professional development in professional science communication for the Center's students, post-docs, and interns; and coaching in public engagement. The Museum also sponsors The Quantum Matters(TM) Science Communication Competition (www.mos.org/quantum-matters-competition) and NanoDays with a Quantum Leap. In association with CIQM and IBM Q, the Museum hosted the first U.S. museum exhibit on quantum computing.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Robert WesterveltCarol Lynn AlpertRay AshooriTina Brower-Thomas
This project will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) by engaging in hands-on field experience, laboratory/project-based entrepreneurship tasks and mentorship experiences. This ITEST project aims to research the STEM career interests of late elementary and middle-school students and, based on the results of that research, build an informal education program to involve families and community partners to enhance their science knowledge, attitudes, experiences, and resources. There is an emphasis on underrepresented and low income students and their families.
The project will research and test a new model to promote the development of positive attitudes toward STEM and to increase interest in STEM careers. Phase 1 of the project will include exploratory research examining science capital and habitus for a representative sample of youth at three age ranges: 8-9, 9-10 and 11-12 years. The project will measure the access that youth have to adults who engage in STEM careers and STEM leisure activities. In phase II the project will test a model with a control group and a treatment group to enhance science capital and habitus for youth.
In collaboration with a wide variety of non-profit organizations (Project SYNCERE, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Chicago Freedom School, Chicago Botanic Garden, Friends of the Chicago River, Institute for Latino Progress), the University of Chicago-Illinois seeks to prepare 30 new science teaching fellows (TFs) while building the capacity of 10 master teaching fellows (MTFs) to be leaders in urban science education. The project will address the professional development of all participants through a three-pronged mechanism which emphasizes (a) content-specific information that focuses on Next Generation Science Standards, (b) culturally relevant practices, and (c) teacher inquiry/research. The work will be performed in partnership with the Chicago Public Schools.
Recent graduates, career changers, and in-service Master Teachers will be provided with (a) a broad range of science concentrations including biology, chemistry, earth and space science, environmental science, and physics, (b) a unique urban perspective on science education that emphasizes diverse learning assets and equity, and (c) professional development opportunities within a community of faculty, teacher-leaders, and non-profit organizations. TFs will be prepared for licensure while earning a Master's in Instructional Leadership: Science Education, learning to teach and examine their practice as it relates to teaching, and learning within specific communities. MTFs will learn to conduct practitioner research and lead teacher inquiry groups examining essential and enduring challenges in STEM teacher practice and student learning. Formative and summative evaluation will focus on analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data related to degree and licensure attainment, the various teaching practice activities (lesson plans, participant surveys, etc.), and progress in meeting the overarching project goals. In doing so, the project will advance knowledge and understanding of the role played by community-based partnerships of university faculty, school teacher-leaders, and local non-profit entities in enhancing teacher education and development, and the circumstances that promote their success. The results of this work will be presented at national meetings of the American Educational Research Association and the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Maria VarelasChandra JamesCarole MitchenerAixa AlfonsoDaniel Morales-Doyle
This project will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) by engaging in hands-on field experience, laboratory/project-based entrepreneurship tasks and mentorship experiences.
Twin Cities Public Television project on Gender Equitable Teaching Practices in Career and Technical Education Pathways for High School Girls is designed to help career and technical education educators and guidance counselors recruit and retain more high school girls from diverse backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) pathways, specifically in technology and engineering. The project's goals are: 1) To increase the number of high school girls, including ethnic minorities, recruited and retained in traditionally male -STEM pathways; 2) To enhance the teaching and coaching practices of Career and Technical Education educators, counselors and role models with gender equitable and culturally responsive strategies; 3) To research the impacts of strategies and role model experiences on girls' interest in STEM careers; 4) To evaluate the effectiveness of training in these strategies for educators, counselors and role models; and 5) To develop training that can easily be scaled up to reach a much larger audience. The research hypothesis is that girls will develop more positive STEM identities and interests when their educators employ research-based, gender-equitable and culturally responsive teaching practices enhanced with female STEM role models. Instructional modules and media-based online resources for Minnesota high school Career and Technical Education programs will be developed in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and piloted in districts with strong community college and industry partnerships. Twin Cities Public Television will partner with STEM and gender equity researchers from St. Catherine University in St. Paul, the National Girls Collaborative, the University of Colorado-Boulder (CU-Boulder), the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.
The project will examine girls' personal experiences with equitable strategies embedded into classroom STEM content and complementary mentoring experiences, both live and video-based. It will explore how these experiences contribute to girls' STEM-related identity construction against gender-based stereotypes. It will also determine the extent girls' exposure to female STEM role models impact their Career and Technical Education studies and STEM career aspirations. The study will employ and examine short-form autobiographical videos created and shared by participating girls to gain insight into their STEM classroom and role model experiences. Empowering girls to respond to the ways their Career and Technical Education educators and guidance counselors guide them toward technology and engineering careers will provide a valuable perspective on educational practice and advance the STEM education field.
This project will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) by bringing together youth (grades 2-5), their families, librarians, and professional engineers in an informal environment centered on engaging youth with age-appropriate, technology-rich STEM learning experiences fundamental to the engineering design process. The overarching aim is to better understand how youth's learning preferences or dispositions relate to their STEM learning experiences. It also seeks to build community members' capacity to inspire and educate youth about STEM careers. The project team includes the Space Science Institute's (SSI) National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL), the University of Virginia (UVA) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). This team builds on the scope and reach of a prior NSF-funded project called the STAR Library Education Network (STAR_Net). As an extension of this prior work, Project BUILD will collaborate with 6 public libraries (3 urban and 3 rural) and their local ASCE Branches. Two libraries have been selected to serve as pilots: High Plains Public Library in Colorado and the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Florida. All partner libraries will develop a plan for recruiting participants from groups currently underrepresented in STEM professions. Project BUILD's specific aims are to 1) Engage underserved audiences, 2) Build the capacity of participating librarians and ASCE volunteers, 3) Increase interest and engagement in STEM activities for youth in grades 2-5 and their families, and 4) Conduct a comprehensive education research project. Program components include the following: 1) Community Dialogue Events, 2) a Professional Development Program for partner librarians and ASCE volunteers, and 3) Development of a Technology-rich Programming Kit and Circulating STEM Kit program. Two research questions will be addressed: 1) What common factors might identify youth who engage in project activities and what factors might differentiate between youth who continue with program engagement and those who do not? and 2) What programmatic factors (i.e. design and composition of program activities, library recruitment, librarian engagement, professional engineer engagement, etc.) might influence youth's initial and continued engagement in project activities as well as youth's reported future career interests? An external evaluation will investigate the quality of the project's process as well as its impact and effectiveness. Benefits to the participating libraries' communities, library and engineering professionals, and the education community will be achieved through 1) Community Dialogue events; 2) Library and Librarian Outreach; 3) ASCE Outreach; and 4) Publication of Research and Evaluation results.
This project, a collaboration of faculty at Pratt Institute and Oregon State University, will explore how people with low to no affinity for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) can be introduced to STEM ideas in ways that are appropriate for their cultural identity and designed to achieve reasonable outcomes that allow for continued STEM engagement. This project will study a new model, as a small scale exemplar of how science learning can be integrated into cultural events that attract audiences who do not identify themselves as interested in science or broader concepts associated with STEM. The model integrates science with art, music and play, producing live events, games, hands-on workshops, and interactive theater productions that are intended to inspire wonder and excitement. The basic principles are: to create unique opportunities for audiences to experience science in unorthodox ways, to connect with audiences at these events, and to help scientists engage a public they do not normally reach.
The goal of this project is to formally study and improve upon the practices that have been explored to date by carefully examining the implementation at two annual FIGMENT arts festivals in New York City and to determine outcomes based on three theoretical frameworks: the six strands of science engagement proposed by the National Research Council, the concept of follow-up activity, and subsequent reinforcing experiences. Initial evaluation results indicate the model is effective in advancing informal STEM learning and providing valuable public engagement with science training and experience for scientists. Participating scientists succeed in creating interest and attentiveness in audiences that do not normally engage in science, thereby opening the door for subsequent experiences. The research will be a quasi-experimental approach to test the degree to which encounters with model's learning experiences create a higher probability to actively seek subsequent science experiences. Project deliverables include a how-to guide for professionals on expanding STEM audiences targeted at cultural institutions who want to incorporate science content into their activities, and for other institutions who want to integrate their activities into cultural settings. The how-to guide will be based on the body of research and evaluations developed that will illuminate the principles behind the model.
This work is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments.
This project will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase student motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) by designing, implementing, and testing an afterschool internship program that will engage older youth in work-based learning experiences in in STEM fields. The new model program will link the resources and learning approaches of the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program to career academies where youth from populations underrepresented in STEM fields will gain direct experiences in data collection and analysis through student-led investigations in the geosciences and environmental studies. Two key outcomes of this project will be: (a) Development of a replicable model of an afterschool STEM internship program for informal STEM learning environments and schools across the nation, and (b) Development of a set of measurement tools and approaches that can assess and promote understanding regarding how youth think and feel about science and their possible future roles in science careers. Participating youth will master scientific practices and become immersed in science culture through opportunities to develop research projects, interact with scientists, and collaborate with fellow student-researchers. In the process, they will develop collaboration and communication skills, and gain an increased sense of identity and agency in science fields. They will also learn new strategies to attain their career goals.
In developing and testing the new model of an afterschool program focusing on STEM careers, the project will draw on both existing and emerging knowledge from three areas of inquiry: informal STEM learning, youth development, and work-based learning. The project will bring together theory related to work-based learning and apprenticeship to knowledge about informal STEM learning and youth development, addressing the needs of older youth as they transition to adulthood. The program will also explore the use of measurement tools that address workforce-related student learning goals in addition to social-emotional learning and STEM learning goals, adapting existing tools and developing new tools as needed. The result will be a replicable model for an afterschool, career-focused internship that facilitates STEM learning and identity, employing youth development principles, such as experiential learning, peer collaboration, adult mentoring, and meaningful contributions to the world beyond school. The project will use a mixed-methods approach to investigate four research questions: (1) What aspects of the program are most important for promoting the development of scientific practices, socio-emotional learning, and career skills? (2) How can afterschool informal science learning be designed to address the perceptions and needs of diverse groups, especially those from populations underrepresented in STEM? (3) How do youth make gains in developing facility with STEM practices, key social-emotional outcomes needed in work and civic life, and career development knowledge? And (4) How do we accurately measure development of scientific practices, socio-emotional learning and career skills? The project will develop pretest and posttest self-report measures to gauge program influence on social-emotional outcomes and career-related outcomes, and performance-based assessments and rubrics will be used to assess culminating science projects. Other factors contributing to the success of the new model will be examined through analysis of coach instructional logs, surveys, and questions, as well as participant observations, interviews, and focus groups. Project participants will be youth of ages 14-18 recruited from ten inner-city schools having large populations of students from groups underrepresented in STEM fields. Participants will meet in teams of approximately 14 interns for a total of 2.5 hours per week for 32 weeks. Each team will also meet an additional 4-6 times for weekend or overnight outings associated with their study sites.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Manuel AlonsoCathy RingstaffSvetlana Darche
resourceprojectWebsites, Mobile Apps, and Online Media
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is creating, implementing and evaluating a forum for the NSF INCLUDES broadening participation community of practice and for engaging the NSF INCLUDES awardees and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) researchers across the nation to expand the NSF INCLUDES broadening participation network. The NSF INCLUDES program is a comprehensive national initiative designed to enhance U.S. leadership in STEM discoveries and innovations focused on NSF's commitment to diversity, inclusion, and broadening participation in these fields.
The NSF INCLUDES Open Forum will use the AAAS Trellis networking platform and the organization's experience engaging communities of practice focused on broadening participation, STEM education and STEM research. The project builds on the success of a prior NSF INCLUDES Conference award (HRD-1650509) that was addressing goals to define networking needs of the first round of NSF INCLUDES Design and Development Launch Pilots (DDLP); to develop design specifications for NSF INCLUDES networking, curating of resources, and supporting communities of practice; and to propose tools, techniques, capacities and functionalities for an NSF INCLUDES national network.
The NSF INCLUDES Open Forum project includes advisory board members with expertise in networking platforms and others with broadening participation knowledge and experience. A yearly conference for NSF INCLUDES awardees will offer participants an opportunity to learn about how Trellis platform upgrades, functionality and technology options (e.g., a smartphone application) can be used in new ways to engage a broader community of partners interested in broadening participation in STEM research and education contexts. An external evaluator will assess the activities and outcomes of the NSF INCLUDES Open Forum both during implementation and at project end. The PIs will also communicate the outcomes of the project to broader audiences, both academic and non-academic, and encourage a dialogue within the NSF INCLUDES community about the use of technology for organization and communication within a network.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Shirley MalcomJosh Freeman
resourceprojectProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program assists universities and colleges in diversifying the STEM workforce through their efforts at significantly increasing the numbers of students from historically underrepresented minority populations to successfully complete high quality degree programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The LSAMP Bridge to the Baccalaureate (B2B) funding opportunity provides support for historically underrepresented minority STEM students who begin their instruction at a community college with the intent to transfer into 4-year STEM degree programs in addition to other infrastructure support such as STEM faculty professional development. This project, Educational Network to GAin STEM Graduates and Enhance STEM Education (ENGAGE), broadens participation of underrepresented minority (URM) students and enhances diversity in STEM. Valencia College, on behalf of the Central Florida STEM Alliance (CFSA), seeks to significantly increase the number of URM STEM students transferring from CFSA two-year colleges, Valencia College, Lake-Sumter State College and Polk State College, to STEM baccalaureate degree programs at regional university partners, the Florida Institute of Technology, Florida Polytechnic University, University of Central Florida, University of Florida and University of South Florida.
ENGAGE creates a network between secondary education, community colleges, four-year institutions and graduate programs to offer viable pathways to STEM degree achievement. ENGAGE supports URM students' access and early exposure to STEM disciplines through comprehensive support services with linkages to university LSAMP partners including the Florida-Georgia LSAMP Bridges to the Doctorate program. ENGAGE advances research on effective practices in engaging URM students through the academic, social, and professional integration of STEM that aligns with the LSAMP model. ENGAGE informs the STEM community on institutional practices that impact recruitment, retention, and transfer-readiness strategies specific to URM STEM student success at two-year colleges. Through this LSAMP B2B partnership, ENGAGE seeks to achieve significant gains in the development of a diverse, globally-competitive workforce and create new STEM pathways for URM students leading to an increase of URM graduates with STEM baccalaureate and graduate degrees.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Kathleen PlinskeCory BlackwellReginal WebbEugene Jones