Innovative Collaborative Research Experience and Technical Education (iCREATE)

该项目将推动学生和教师创新技术体验(ITEST)计划的努力，以更好地了解和促进提高学生在科学、技术、工程或数学(STEM)领域追求职业生涯的动机和能力的实践，方法是产生经验结论和/或研究工具，帮助了解哪些模式和干预措施最有可能提高未来STEM和STEM同源密集型劳动力的能力。该项目的总体目标将是通过设计和实施高中水平的职业和技术教育(CTE)生物科学课程，测试社区参与STEM学习的模式。问题是传染病的传播，特别是流感，是当地社区(亚利桑那州科科尼诺县)在与社区合作伙伴协商后选择的。该项目源于教育方面的努力，旨在培养下一代STEM创新者，他们能够有效地参与我们日益全球化的社会。培养下一代STEM创新者将是困难的，因为亚利桑那州只有62%的高二学生通过了亚利桑那州的数学标准测量工具(AIMS)，只有40%的高二学生通过了科学目标。与此同时，这些数据的分类表明，在这两个领域，服务不足人群的学生和高加索学生之间的成绩差距继续显著扩大。在当地，科科尼诺县和弗拉格斯塔夫市的行业和社区领袖也表达了类似的担忧。例如，弗拉格斯塔夫企业界已经认识到，迫切需要增加受过更好教育的劳动力，并于2012年8月发起了弗拉格斯塔夫STEM联盟，该联盟将弗拉格斯塔夫命名为“美国第一个STEM社区”。虽然弗拉格斯塔夫在各个领域都有众多STEM专业人员，其中许多人已经向当地学生介绍过，但学生与STEM企业和机构之间显然需要建立更有意义和可持续的联系，以提高学生对STEM学习和职业的动机和兴趣。ICreate项目直接在区域一级解决STEM劳动力问题。此外，该项目特别针对STEM劳动力中有色人种学生代表性不足的问题。Caviat提供的课程，包括该项目中的生物科学课程，为科科尼诺县的多样化人口服务。该项目确保弗拉格斯塔夫和北亚利桑那州拥有一支高素质的STEM劳动力队伍，旨在1)提高学生对STEM和相关领域各级(技术人员、科学家、工程师等)的职业机会的认识，2)激励学生寻求通往STEM相关职业的适当教育途径，以及3)提供丰富的技术经验，以发展STEM领域所需的学科知识、实践和非认知技能。此外，该项目的重点是吸引整个地区的美洲原住民学生参与，该项目将扩大STEM相关领域中代表性不足的学生的参与。这将通过注重培养学生能力的有效体验、创新的课程模式、企业和劳动力成员的作用以及让不同的代表性不足的人群参与来实现。ICreate项目的最终目标将是通过实施社区参与STEM学习的新模式，对区域STEM劳动力产生积极影响。为实现这一目标，该项目的设计将达到以下目标：1.测试和完善社区参与STEM学习的模式，使学生参与寻找真正的、以社区为基础的问题的解决方案；2.动员社区合作伙伴设计和实施一门技术丰富的生物科学课程，重点关注传染病及其数据收集挑战；3.提高学生对STEM学习和职业的动机和兴趣；以及4.将可持续发展纳入该项目，以便在社区产生长期影响。这门生物科学课程的设计目的是让学生在利用社区资源的同时，解决对当地社区很重要的真实问题。它将把对相关生物科学专题和流行病学原理的研究与利用计算机和地理空间技术软件设计和实施数据收集系统的技术项目结合起来，以监测流感的传播。项目合作伙伴包括：北亚利桑那大学科学教学中心、北方翻译基因组研究所(TGen-North)、弗拉格斯塔夫STEM城、多个地区医疗保健提供者以及当地职业、工业和技术协会(CAVIAT)，后者是当地提供职业和技术教育课程的机构。

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 producing empirical findings and/or research tools that contribute to knowledge about which models and interventions with K-12 students and teachers are most likely to increase capacity in the STEM and STEM cognate intensive workforce of the future. The overall objective of this project will be testing a model of community engagement in STEM learning through the design and implementation of a high school level career and technical education (CTE) bioscience course. The problem, the spread of infectious disease, specifically influenza, was chosen for the local community (Coconino County, AZ) after consultation with community partners. The project emanates from efforts in education designed to develop the next generation of STEM innovators who can productively participate in our increasingly global society. Developing the next generation of STEM innovators will be difficult as only 62% of Arizona high-school sophomores passed Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards in Mathematics (AIMS) and only 40% of those sophomores passed the Science AIMS. At the same time, the disaggregation of this data shows the achievement gap between students of underserved populations and Caucasian students continues to grow significantly in both areas. Locally, industry and community leaders in Coconino County and the City of Flagstaff have shared similar concerns. For instance, the Flagstaff business community has recognized the compelling need for an increased and better-educated workforce by initiating the Flagstaff STEM Consortium in August 2012, which named Flagstaff "America's 1st STEM Community". While Flagstaff has numerous STEM professionals in all fields, and many have presented to local students, there is a clear need for more meaningful and sustainable connections between students and STEM businesses and agencies in order to increase student motivation and interest in STEM learning and careers. The iCREATE project directly addresses the STEM workforce problem at a regional level. In addition, the project specifically targets the underrepresentation of students of color in the STEM workforce. The courses provided by CAVIAT, including the bioscience courses in this project, serve the diverse population of Coconino County. The project ensures a high-quality STEM workforce for Flagstaff and Northern Arizona, which is designed to 1) increases student awareness of career opportunities in STEM and cognate fields at all levels (technicians, scientists, engineers, etc.), 2) motivates students to pursue appropriate educational pathways to STEM related careers, and 3) provides a technology-rich experience that develops disciplinary knowledge, practices, and non-cognitive skills needed for STEM fields. In addition, with a focus on engaging Native American students across the region, the project will broaden participation of students underrepresented in STEM-related domains. This will occur through a focus on effective experiences that foster student competency, innovative curricular models, the role of business and workforce members, and engaging diverse underrepresented populations. The ultimate goal of the iCREATE project will be to positively impact the regional STEM workforce through the implementation of a new model of community engagement in STEM learning. To accomplish this goal, the project will be designed to meet the following objectives: 1. Test and refine a model of community engagement in STEM learning to engage students in finding solutions to authentic, community-based problems; 2. Engage community partners to design and implement a technology-rich bioscience course focusing on infectious disease and its data collection challenges; 3. Increase student motivation and interest in STEM learning and careers; and 4. Integrate sustainability into the project for a long lasting impact in the community. This bioscience course will be designed to engage students in an authentic problem important to the local community while drawing upon community resources. It will integrate the study of relevant bioscience topics and epidemiological principles with the technological project of designing and implementing a data collection system using computer and geospatial technologies software in order to monitor the transmission of influenza. Project partners include: The Center for Science Teaching and Learning at Northern Arizona University, Translational Genomics Research Institute North (TGen-North), Flagstaff STEM city, multiple regional health care providers and the Coconino Association for Vocations, Industry and Technology (CAVIAT), a local provider of career and technical education courses.