| NSF Org: |
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 18, 2016 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 18, 2016 |
| Award Number: | 1615158 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Bradley Barker
DRL Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | August 1, 2016 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2021 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $1,199,965.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $1,199,965.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1608 4TH ST STE 201 BERKELEY CA US 94710-1749 (510)643-3891 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1 Centennial Drive Berkeley CA US 94704-5940 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | ITEST-Inov Tech Exp Stu & Teac |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
Careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are predicted to grow at a pace higher than that of non-STEM careers; however, fewer students are meeting the required benchmarks to enter the STEM workforce. The current demand for computer scientists far outweighs the current number of students pursuing computer science (CS) degrees, and those students include very few women and girls, racial and ethnic minorities, and individuals from low-income families. The investigators of this study hypothesize that enabling youth from groups who are underrepresented in STEM with the opportunity to program satellites to collect data for investigations of their own design, in a supportive and collaborative environment, is a powerful motivator of learning and interest in science and computer programming careers. The Nanosatellites and East Bay Rocket Scientists (NEARS) project will develop and study a model that includes 1) engaging youth in designing and conducting locally-relevant scientific investigations that use programmable sensors on earth and on nanosatellites in low-earth orbit; 2) supporting youth leadership skills and contributions to their communities' awareness about locally-relevant issues; and 3) providing youth and their families with opportunities to learn about STEM careers and engage with STEM professionals. Research activities will be carried out in three urban settings-- an alternative career academy school, an after-school program, and summer camps at Lawrence Hall of Science-- that serve high school-aged youth and young adults from underserved communities of the East San Francisco Bay area. A collaborative team of learning scientists at the Lawrence Hall of Science, STEM professionals from ArduSat, and facilitators from the local communities served will work together to design, develop, test, and refine the activities and instructional materials for effective use in different educational contexts. If promising, the activities, instructional materials, and facilitator guides developed through this project would be used in several ongoing programs at the Hall and could be adopted by others seeking to provide similar experiences for youth in their communities.
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 exploring unique opportunities for youth in underserved communities to conduct scientific investigations that feature programming nanosatellites. The Nanosatellites and East Bay Rocket Scientists (NEARS) will develop, implement, and study a model to engage urban youth in grades 9-12 in science and computer programming. The project will develop a progression of inquiry-based student investigations that align with the Next Generation Science Standards and supportive pedagogies that, together, will facilitate youth in participating in STEM and improving their perceptions of and competencies in STEM. The team will iteratively develop, pilot, and refine the activities and materials in each of the three contexts. Ninety students will participate in the research activities over three years. Data sources for research include student work products, video-recorded observations, pre-post surveys, pre-post computational thinking assessments, and case study interviews. Outcome measures include participants' science investigation and discourse practices; STEM fascination, value, and competency beliefs; computer science competencies; career awareness; descriptions of self, particularly with regarding to STEM; and engagement in the project activities. The research seeks to understand how participation in NEARS affects student outcomes; how students, their experiences, and their outcomes vary across the different learning settings and enactments; and what is needed to support project sustainability in each setting. Major outcomes will include 1) educational resources and research that support the effective use of Arduino-controlled nanosatellites in education; 2) understandings of whether and how elements of this contextualized Arduino programming lead to interest in CS; 3) information that will support others in the development of sustainable programming for urban youth; and 4) rich case study descriptions of individuals' pathways to STEM. Research and development products will be shared widely with research, education, and industry communities and include local and national dissemination through social media, partner networks, conference presentations, and research publications.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Nano-satellites and East Bay Rocket Scientists was a five year project to develop and study a technology-based student driven learning experience. This project’s team developed a set of student-led investigations that feature programming an Arduino-based nanosatellite to be used in school- and out-of-school learning experiences. The project explored the educational and developmental impact of this intervention across settings in the East San Francisco Bay Area (i.e. Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, and Richmond). The effort resulted in a modifiable 2-week instructional sequence that can be implemented across settings for a variety of audiences. During the grant period, implementation occurred as part of a science course for adults at a continuation high school, summer camps for middle and high school students, international camps serving high school aged students, after school programs at a high school, and as part of a summer residential university program for high achieving students from targeted California high schools. We found that students who participate in this programming demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in computational thinking and STEM career interests across location and instructor variation. As such, this program is able to continue beyond the grant period as the course can be modified across settings as needed and requires minimal professional development for instructors.
Intellectual Merit
This project included a design-based research approach to develop a learning experience that could be used flexibly across settings and then examined computational thinking and STEM career interest development among participants. Using surveys, individual and group interviews, and observations, we found participants increased in computational thinking and STEM career interest. However, we also saw a wide variety in the learning goals that youth brought to the learning environment even within a particular setting. We have written and presented about the variation in outcomes based on the alignment of youth learning goals and the instructional design. Specifically, we examined this alignment, or lack of alignment, through a lens of equity. This allowed us to interrogate the approach to equity of the learning environment and consider modifications for instructional design across audiences. This work was presented as a paper at AERA and was submitted for review to an academic journal.
Broader Impact
The project recognized that positioning students for success means more than increasing their science achievement; learning environments should also be a space that inspires and fosters a sense of agency among students in their own learning. This effort allowed us to gather evidence as to the effect of engaging students in authentic and exciting science experiments that utilize new, but easily accessible and available, technology. The continued need for STEM workers, particularly in computer science, calls for learning opportunities where students can develop relevant skills and interest in STEM careers. Equally important is designing experiences that can engage individuals through multiple points of entry, and across various learning contexts. This project was able to design a learning environment that can be easily adapted across these learning spaces, and engages a wide range of learners. By adapting the lesson sequence to such a variety of learning spaces, the program had to define and refine the critical elements. Thus, this project contributes to the knowledge base around designing computationally focused learning experiences for youth across a variety of learning settings. The practical value of this work is already evident in how the host institution has integrated the learning program into its regular offerings and used this learning experience to inspire similar offerings for youth.
Last Modified: 10/29/2021
Modified by: Matthew A. Cannady
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