AccessComputing is a NSF-funded Broadening Participation in Computing alliance with the goal of increasing the participation and success of people with disabilities in computing fields. AccessComputing is in its 10th year of funding. It supports students with disabilities from across the country in reaching critical junctures toward college and careers by providing advice, resources, mentoring opportunities, professional contacts, and funding for tutoring, internships, and computing conferences. For educators and employers, it offers institutes and workshops to build awareness of universal design and accommodation strategies, and to aid in recruiting and supporting students with disabilities through the development of inclusive programs and education on promising practices.
In order to attract and retain underrepresented student groups (USGs) who aspire to major in STEM fields, educators recognize that science and math instruction must improve and also develop students’ non-cognitive and social-emotional skills. Foremost in that effort is Xavier University of Louisiana, a historically black and Catholic university located in the heart of New Orleans. Throughout the past thirty years, Xavier compiled an extraordinary record as a top producer of African Americans who receive bachelor’s degrees in biology, chemistry, and physics. Although Xavier enrolls only
This longitudinal study examined factors that contribute to the persistence of underrepresented racial minority (URM) undergraduates in STEM fields. The primary source of data came from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program’s 2004 The Freshman Survey (TFS) and 2008 College Senior Survey (CSS). The sample included 3,670 students at 217 institutions who indicated on the TFS that they intended to major in a STEM field, 1,634 of whom were underrepresented minority (URM) students. Findings indicate that Black and Latino undergraduates were significantly less likely to persist in STEM
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Mitchell ChangJessica SharknessSylvia HurtadoChristopher Newman
This longitudinal study examined whether premedical students’ educational orientation contributed to their chances of completing a STEM degree. Two different orientations were tested; a narrow one grounded by interests in obtaining status and a more expansive orientation grounded by interests in engaging with a broader set of learning goals and communities. The primary source of data came from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program’s 2004 Freshman Survey (TFS) and 2008 College Senior Survey (CSS). The main analyses included 613 students who reported interest in pursuing a medical
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Mitchell ChangMichael SohKevin EaganSylvia Hurtado
During the first EU-funded project EUSCE/X (European Science Communication Events / Extended), a "White Book" was developed in 2005, containing the experiences of exploring 21 European science engagement events like science festivals. The White Book has 13 chapters ranging from "purpose and philosophy" across "management", "education", "funding" to "European dimension".
Concord Evaluation Group (CEG) conducted an evaluation study to learn about the Future City’s impact on students as well as to discover ways to enhance Future City for future implementation. In addition to exploring the program’s impacts, with this study we also had an opportunity to explore potential differences between students who compete at their Regional competitions only versus students who make it to the National competition. In collaboration with DiscoverE, CEG developed four surveys to collect feedback from students, parents, educators, and engineer mentors. These data collection
National Engineers Week Foundation (EWeek) hired Concord Evaluation Group (CEG) in 2011 to conduct an independent evaluation of the Future City program (http://futurecity.org). Future City has been operating since 1992. According to EWeek, the Future City program is “a national, project-based learning experience where students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade imagine, design, and build cities of the future. Students work as a team with an educator and engineer mentor to plan cities using SimCityTM 4 Deluxe software; research and write solutions to an engineering problem; build tabletop scale models
This article explains the concepts of disruptive innovation and catalytic innovation, a subset of disruptive innovation. Disruptive innovations challenge industry incumbents by offering simpler, good-enough alternatives to an underserved group of customers, whereas catalytic innovations can surpass the status quo by providing good-enough solutions to inadequately addressed social problems.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Clayton ChristensenHeather BaumannRandy RugglesThomas Sadtler
The issue of “scale” is a key challenge for school reform, yet it remains undertheorized in the literature. Definitions of scale have traditionally restricted its scope, focusing on the expanding number of schools reached by a reform. Such definitions mask the complex challenges of reaching out broadly while simultaneously cultivating the depth of change necessary to support and sustain consequential change. This article draws on a review of theoretical and empirical literature on scale, relevant research on reform implementation, and original research to synthesize and articulate a more
In the paper I argue for a certain way of theorizing and studying learning. Learning is seen as situated in social practice, and in the pursuit of most learning persons are seen as moving around in social practice. They are involved in personal trajectories across various social contexts of practice. Even more so, these social contexts and the links between them, which persons learning draw on in their pursuit of learning, are institutionally arranged in various ways, and this affects the opportunities and nature of learning processes. These arguments about the nature of learning, theories of
As interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education grows (Olson & Riordan, 2012), the need for professionals to clearly communicate sophisticated concepts associated with these areas also increases (Fischoff & Scheufele, 2013). This evaluation focuses on a 3 credit university course “Training in Science Education Outreach” which utilizes a novel course structure. The course’s main aim is to teach graduate and undergraduate students how to speak to the public about science, focusing specifically on language science. The structure of the course is non-traditional
This volume explores how technology-supported learning environments can incorporate physical activity and interactive experiences in formal and informal education. It presents cutting-edge research and design work on a new generation of "body-centric" technologies such as wearable body sensors, GPS tracking devices, interactive display surfaces, video game controller devices, and humanlike avatars. Contributors discuss how and why each of these technologies can be used in service of learning within K-12 classrooms and at home, in museums and online. Citing examples of empirical evidence and