Making in The Colonias: Motivating STEM Participation through a Making as Micro-Manufacturing Model

作为在正式和非正式环境中加强创客背景下学习的整体战略的一部分，学生和教师创新技术体验（ITEST）和推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划合作支持创新模式，以促进STEM学习和创新的新方法。采用一种新颖的设计和开发方法，这个探索性研究（EAGER）的早期概念补助金将测试在高中学生的多年团队学徒经历的背景下，将制造概念与真实的世界微型制造工程原理相结合的可行性。学徒模式特别新颖，因为目前的研究和经验主要发生在课后和暑期课程中，最多可容纳25名青年。拟议中的学徒制将需要一小群德克萨斯州高中生做出两年的承诺，这将提供一个机会来纵向研究这项工作的可行性和影响。该群体将学习批判性思考，解决问题，并在高中的定制创客空间中作为一个制作生产团队（MPT）一起工作，构建基于工程的科学工具包，以便在当地小学实施。 学生不仅将提高他们的内容知识，同时发展设计和开发技能，但学生还将获得津贴，这将解决两个非常实际的需求，为目标的高需求人口-就业和劳动力发展。很少，如果有的话，努力目前服务于目标人群，通过在供应链管理和微型制造框架内，通过将学生设计的产品整合到小学课堂中来扩展制作体验。 因此，该项目将有助于基本上未探索的领域的研究和发展。六名来自德克萨斯州-墨西哥边境（colonias）沿着高度贫困、服务不足的德克萨斯州社区的高中生将被选为制作制作团队（MPT）。在第1年和第2年，学生将定期在学年和夏季与德克萨斯A M大学本科生，研究生和项目团队会面，学习制造和制造的关键方面（即，创意，原型，设计，采购，人员和生产）通过动手制作活动和直接指导。与此同时，我们亦会进行一项研究，探讨：（a）在服务不足的社区推行该模式的可行性;（B）以问题为本的学习模式训练学生学习该模式的成效;以及（c）STEM知识和自我概念。将从多个来源收集数据。学术自我描述问卷的改编版本将管理给学生，以评估他们的STEM技术知识和技能，以及他们的自我概念与STEM领域。将与学生进行远程和面对面的访谈，以跟踪主要因变量的演变，STEM学习和自我概念，随着时间的推移。计划主持人和合作伙伴将接受采访，以检查在给定的背景下，为目标学生的制作经验的可行性。最后，学生的日记反思，产品，和他们的工作会议的视频记录也将被检查。时间序列定量测试和深入的定性方法将用于分析数据。

As part of an overall strategy to enhance learning within maker contexts in formal and informal environments, the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) and Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) programs partnered to support innovative models in Making poised to catalyze new approaches in STEM learning and innovation. Employing a novel design and development approach, this Early Concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) will test the feasibility of integrating Making concepts with real world micro-manufacturing engineering principles within the context of intense, multi-year team apprenticeship experiences for high school students. The apprenticeship model is particularly novel, as current Making research and experiences predominately take place in afterschool and summer programs for up to 25 youth. The proposed apprenticeships will require a two year commitment by a small cohort of Texas high school students, which will provide an opportunity to examine the feasibility and impact of the effort longitudinally. The cohort will learn to think critically, solve problems, and work together as a Making Production Team (MPT) in a customized makerspace in their high school, constructing engineering-based science kits for implementation in a local elementary school. Not only will the students enhance their content knowledge while developing design and development skills but the students will also receive stipends which will address two very practical needs for the targeted high need population - employment and workforce development. Few, if any, efforts currently serve the targeted population through the contextualization of Making within a supply chain management and micro-manufacturing framework that extends the Making experience by integrating the student designed products into elementary classrooms. As such, this project will contribute to essentially unexplored areas of Making research and development. Six high school students from high poverty, underserved Texas communities along the Texas-Mexico border (colonias) will be selected for the Making Production Team (MPT). In Years 1 and 2, the students will meet regularly during the academic school year and over the summer with Texas A & M University undergraduates, graduate students, and the project team to learn key aspects of Making and manufacturing (i.e., ideation, prototyping, design, acquisition, personnel, and production) through hands-on making activities and direct instruction. Concurrently, a research study will be conducted to explore: (a) the actualization of the model in an underserved community, (b) the effectiveness of problem-based learning to train students in the model, and (c) STEM knowledge and self-concept. Data will be collected from multiple sources. An adapted version of the Academic Self-Description Questionnaire will be administered to the students to assess their STEM technical knowledge and skills as well as their self-concept in relation to STEM domains. Remote and in person interviews will be conducted with the students to track the evolution of the primary dependent variables, STEM learning and self-concept, over time. Program facilitators and partners will be interviewed to examine the feasibility of the making experience within the given context and for the targeted students. Finally, the students' diary reflections, products, and video recordings of their work sessions will also be examined. Time-series quantitative tests and in-depth qualitative methods will be used to analyze the data.