Nanotechnology Experiences for Students and Teachers (NEST)

该项目将推进学生和教师创新技术体验（ITEST）计划的努力，以更好地理解和促进通过向高中教师和学生介绍纳米技术领域来提高学生在科学，技术，工程或数学（STEM）领域追求职业生涯的动机和能力的做法。 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暑期项目，再加上学年的指导，支持和研究机会。 纳米技术教学模块将开发和测试，与实施，研究和完善的纳米技术为重点的计划，为中学生，沿着教师的专业发展计划的目的。 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口的学生，该项目旨在增加学生和教师对纳米技术内容的了解，增加教师对相关教学内容的了解，增加学生和教师的科研知识和技能，培养学生在纳米技术相关领域的职业准备，并促进提高教师的自我效能，因为它涉及到纳米技术概念的教学。 一个混合方法的研究方法将被用来研究教师和学生参与者之间的结果，与测试前和测试后的数据正在收集与夏季会议和学年模块的每一个实施。 将采用准实验设计比较治疗组和对照组的结果。 内容评估和兴趣调查将被用来衡量学生和教师的知识和兴趣的程序的影响，和一系列的观察，访谈和调查将被用来指导从治疗和比较组的结果中检测到的模式的解释。

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.