Nanotechnology Experiences for Students and Teachers (NEST)

该项目将推动学生和教师创新技术体验（ITEST）计划的努力，通过向高中教师和学生介绍纳米技术领域，更好地理解和促进提高学生在科学、技术、工程或数学（STEM）领域追求职业的动机和能力的实践。该项目将开发和研究一个项目的成果，该项目包括一个集中的为期两周的夏季项目，以及学年的指导、支持和研究机会。将开发和测试纳米技术教学模块，目的是为中学生实施、研究和改进以纳米技术为重点的计划，同时为教师提供专业发展计划。该项目旨在提高学生对新兴劳动力机会的认识和兴趣，特别是来自低收入和代表性不足人群的学生。该项目旨在提高学生和教师的纳米技术内容知识，提高教师的相关教学内容知识，提高学生和教师的科研知识和技能，促进学生在纳米技术相关领域的职业准备，并提高教师在纳米技术概念教学方面的自我效能感。将采用混合方法研究方法来研究教师和学生参与者的结果，并收集与夏季课程和学年模块的每次实施相关的测试前和测试后数据。准实验设计将用于比较治疗组和对照组的结果。内容评估和兴趣调查将用于衡量项目对学生和教师知识和兴趣的影响，并将使用一系列观察、访谈和调查来指导对治疗组和对照组结果中发现的模式的解释。

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 introducing high school teachers and students to the field of nanotechnology. The project will develop and study the outcomes of a program that includes a concentrated two-week summer program coupled with academic year mentoring, support, and research opportunities. Nanotechnology teaching modules will be developed and tested, with the aim of implementing, researching, and refining a nanotechnology-focused program for secondary students, along with a professional development program for teachers. The project is intended to generate student awareness and interest in emerging workforce opportunities, particularly among students from low-income and underrepresented populations.The project aims to increase nanotechnology content knowledge among students and teachers, increase associated pedagogical content knowledge among teachers, increase scientific research knowledge and skills among students and teachers, foster career readiness in nanotechnology-related fields among students, and foster increased teacher self-efficacy as it relates to teaching nanotechnology concepts. A mixed-methods research approach will be used to study outcomes among teacher and student participants, with pre-test and post-test data being collected in association with each implementation of summer sessions and academic-year modules. A quasi-experimental design will be used to compare results from treatment and comparison groups. Content assessments and interest surveys will be used to measure program impacts on student and teacher knowledge and interests, and a series of observations, interviews, and surveys will be used to guide interpretation of patterns detected in results from the treatment and comparison groups.