MATE ROV Competitions: Providing Pathways to the Ocean STEM Workforce

该项目将利用海洋先进技术教育（MATE）中心非常成功的远程操作车辆（REACH）竞赛网络来接触，参与和支持中学的参与。他们代表了教育途径中的一个关键点，学生，特别是来自代表性不足的群体的学生，最有可能对数学和科学失去兴趣。它将提供职业信息和指导工具，使学生能够从中学到高中过渡到大学并进入工作场所。它将强调家长参与学生教育的重要性，积极主动地与家长接触、沟通和参与项目活动。它还将扩大MATE中心的网络基础设施，以创建一个学习社区，促进资源的获取，并鼓励所有年级的沟通和协作。该项目还将评估这些活动的影响，并将这些结果贡献给STEM教育的知识库，特别是因为它适用于传统上代表性不足的群体。 总体项目目标是利用MATE STEM竞赛作为一个参与平台，为初中和高中学生在海洋STEM劳动力中的职业生涯做好准备。具体而言，该项目的目标是：1）提高初中和高中学生对STEM和STEM职业的兴趣; 2）为教师提供支持STEM职业信息和学习经验的资源; 3）增加对行业导师和STEM教学资源的访问。这种访问将使各级学生和教育工作者能够以遥控潜水器为载体，无论是象征性的还是字面上的，建立和提高他们的STEM知识和技能。 在3年的时间里，该项目将为240名服务于代表性不足群体的中学教师提供28小时的专业发展，其中包括每位教师一次“带回家”的ROV;为其中60名教师提供额外的56小时，总计84小时;为其中10名教师提供额外的56小时，总计140小时;为2，400名中学生提供至少20小时的指导和动手STEM学习体验。 此外，该项目还将制作4个中学课程模块;在MATE现有的美国12个地区竞赛中开设初级竞赛班;修改和改进MATE现有的职业工具，为初中和高中观众制作在线职业课程和补充网站;向目标初中观众以及参加比赛的其他初中和高中传播职业信息和指导工具。 该项目还将开发一个网络学习中心，使用网络技术和社交媒体工具来吸引和增加访问和共享信息，资源和想法的用户数量。

This project will use the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center's highly successful remotely operated vehicle (ROV) competition network to reach, engage, and support the participation of middle schools. They represent a critical point in the educational pathway where students, particularly from underrepresented groups, are most likely to lose interest in math and science. It will provide career information and guidance tools that enable students to make the transition from middle school through high school to college and into the workplace. It will underscore the importance of parental involvement in students' education by proactively reaching out to, communicating with, and engaging parents in project activities. It will also expand the MATE Center's cyberinfrastructure to create a learning community that promotes access to resources and encourages communication and collaboration across all grade levels. The project will also evaluate the impact of these activities and contribute those findings to the knowledge base about STEM education, particularly as it applies to traditionally underrepresented groups. The overarching project goal is to use the MATE ROV competition as an engaging platform to prepare middle and high school students for careers in the ocean STEM workforce. Specifically, the project goals are to 1) increase middle and high school students' interest in STEM and STEM careers; 2) provide teachers with resources that support the delivery of STEM career information and learning experiences; and 3) increase access to industry mentors and STEM instructional resources. This access will allow students and educators at all levels to build upon and advance their STEM knowledge and skills using ROVs as the vehicle, both figuratively and literally. Over the course of 3 years, the project will provide 240 middle school teachers who serve underrepresented groups with 28 hours of professional development, to include one 'take-home' ROV per teacher; provide 60 of those teachers with an additional 56 hours, for a total of 84 hours; provide 10 of those teachers with an additional 56 hours, for a total of 140 hours; provide 2,400 middle school students with a minimum of 20 hours of instruction and hands-on STEM learning experiences. In addition, the project will produce 4 middle school curriculum modules; implement a beginner level ('SCOUT') competition class at all 12 of MATE's existing regional contests within the U.S.; modify and improve MATE's existing career tools to produce an online careers course and complementary website for middle and high school audiences; disseminate the career information and guidance tools to the target middle school audience as well as to the other middle schools and high schools that participate in the competition. The project will also develop a cyberlearning center that uses web technologies and social media tools to engage and increase the number of users accessing and sharing information, resources, and ideas.