Leading the Next Generation of Informal STEM Education Broadening Participation Efforts: A Professional Development Program for Mid-Career Professionals

作为加强非正式环境中学习的整体努力的一部分，推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划旨在推进非正式环境中科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）学习的设计和开发的新方法和基于证据的理解。这包括提供多种途径，以扩大获得和参与STEM学习经验，推进非正式环境中STEM学习的创新研究和评估，以及发展参与者对深入学习的理解。与这些目标保持一致，华盛顿大学将设计和试点创新的领导力发展计划，NextGen扩大参与ISE专业学习计划，以发展职业中期专业人士的领导能力，主要来自STEM中代表性不足的群体，其工作重点是扩大参与非正式STEM教育（ISE）。与大多数现有的ISE领导力模型不同，该途径项目将采用自下而上的迭代设计方法来吸引项目参与者并获得新的见解。形成性数据和分析将用于更好地了解不断扩大的参与背景，为模型提供信息，并制定必要的战略和资源，以最好地支持更加多元化的下一代ISE领导者。这项试点研究是及时和重要的。目前有一个相当缺乏的文献之间的交叉扩大参与和中级专业领导力的发展。同样，目前AISL的产品组合中也几乎没有类似的型号。因此，这一试点的结果将解决AISL组合和整个外地的关键差距。它有可能显著改变下一代ISE领导者的能力和影响力。在18个月的时间里，这项可行性研究将设计、实施和测试该模型的关键方面，以确定其短期和长期成功的潜力。使用竞争激烈的应用程序，20 ISE职业中期的专业人士，谁的工作主要是在扩大参与STEM环境，将被招募参加下一代扩大参与ISE专业学习计划。为期一年的方案包括四个核心部分：（a）为期四天的讲习班，（B）四次在线研讨会，（c）在参与者所在机构开展试点项目，（d）在全国会议上展示项目海报。一小群教师导师-领导人从研究和实践中ISE扩大参与的努力-将作为参与者导师，并在该计划的设计和实施中发挥不可或缺的作用。评估工作将侧重于记录设计策略的有效性（例如，招聘，指导，社交网络），参与者的兴趣，需求和专业成长以及对扩大STEM参与的影响。评估将参考通过访谈、调查、焦点小组、观察、话语内容分析和参与者交付成果收集的数据。形成性和总结性外部评价将由Garibay集团进行。

As part of its overall effort to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning in informal environments. This includes providing multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences, advancing innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments, and developing understandings of deeper learning by participants. In alignment with these aims, the University of Washington will design and pilot an innovative leadership development program, NextGen Broadening Participation in ISE Professional Learning Program, to develop the leadership capacity of mid-career professionals, primarily from underrepresented groups in STEM, whose work focuses on broadening participation in informal STEM education (ISE). Unlike most existing ISE leadership models, this pathways project will employ a bottom-up, iterative design approach to engage program participants and garner new insights. Formative data and analysis will be used to better understand the broadening participation context, inform the model, and develop strategies and resources necessary to best support a more diversified next generation of ISE leaders. This pilot study is timely and significant. There is currently a substantial dearth of literature on the intersection between broadening participation and mid-level professional leadership development. Likewise, there are few comparable models in the current AISL portfolio. As such, the findings from this pilot will address critical gaps in the AISL portfolio and in the field, at large. It has the potential to markedly transform the capacity and impact of next generation ISE leaders. Over an eighteen-month period, this feasibility study will design, implement and test key aspects of the model to determine its potential for short and long term success. Using a competitive application process, twenty ISE mid-career professionals, who work primarily within broadening participation in STEM contexts, will be recruited to participate in the NextGen Broadening Participation in ISE Professional Learning Program. The year-long program includes four core components: (a) 4-day workshop, (b) four online webinars, (c) pilot projects carried out in participants' home institutions, and (d) poster presentations of projects at a national conference. A small cohort of faculty-mentors -- leaders from both research and practice in ISE broadening participation efforts -- will serve as participant mentors and play an integral role in the design and implementation of the program. Evaluative efforts will focus on documenting the efficacy of the design strategies (ex., recruitment, mentorship, social networking), the interests, needs, and professional growth of participants and the implications for broadening participation in STEM. The evaluation will be informed by data collected via interviews, surveys, focus groups, observations, content analyses of discourse, and participant deliverables. Formative and summative external evaluations will be conducted by the Garibay Group.