Help To Develop Evaluation Measures For Out Of School Programs

Do you work with STEM out-of-school time programs? If so, we'd love to talk to you!

The University of Minnesota and the Science Museum of Minnesota are conducting research to develop and validate surveys to evaluate teamwork and collaboration skills in middle and high school STEM out-of-school time (OST) programs. Out-of-school-time programs can include camps, youth development programs, explainer programs, clubs, internship programs, and more.

Before we can create surveys to measure these skills, we need to understand how STEM OST programs use teams in their programs. We are inviting STEM OST educators to participate in an interview about how they use teams and what teamwork and collaboration skills are addressed in their program. The interviews will last up to an hour and will take place over the phone. Educators will receive $25 in appreciation for their time. They will also receive copies of the surveys once they are complete so they can assess these skills in their own program.

We are looking for educators from a wide range of STEM OST programs that reach middle and high school youth. If you are interested in participating in an interview, follow this link to fill out an interest form http://smm.C2CInterest.sgizmo.com/s3/. We'll then choose a sample of educators from those that express interest to help ensure we talk to a diversity of STEM OST programs. Please share this link with others who might also be interested in participating.

If you have any questions about the study, please contact Amy Grack Nelson, Senior Evaluation & Research Associate at the Science Museum of Minnesota at 651-221-4575 or agnelson@smm.org.

Thank you in advance for your help!