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)计划旨在促进对非正式环境中科学、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。这包括为扩大获得和参与STEM学习经验提供多种途径，推进对非正式环境中STEM学习的创新研究和评估，以及加深参与者对更深层次学习的理解。为了与这些目标保持一致，华盛顿大学将设计并试点一项创新的领导力发展计划，即下一代扩大参与ISE专业学习计划，以培养职业生涯中期专业人员的领导能力，这些专业人员主要来自STEM中代表性不足的群体，他们的工作重点是扩大对非正式STEM教育(ISE)的参与。与大多数现有的ISE领导模式不同，此路径项目将采用自下而上的迭代设计方法，以吸引计划参与者并获得新的见解。形成的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，以最好地支持更多元化的下一代ISE领导者。这项试点研究是及时的，也是有意义的。目前，关于扩大参与和中层专业领导力发展之间的交集的文献非常缺乏。同样，在目前的AISL投资组合中，几乎没有可比的车型。因此，这一试点的结果将解决AISL投资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、实施和测试该模式的关键方面，以确定其短期和长期成功的潜力。通过竞争性申请流程，将招募20名主要在扩大STEM背景下参与的ISE职业中期专业人员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4天的讲习班，(B)四个在线网络研讨会，(C)在参与者的家庭机构开展的试点项目，以及(D)在全国会议上对项目的海报演示。一小群教师导师--来自ISE扩大参与努力的研究和实践的领导者--将作为参与者导师，在项目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战略(例如，招聘、指导、社交网络)的有效性、参与者的兴趣、需求和专业成长，以及对扩大STEM参与的影响。评估将以通过访谈、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为依据。Garibay集团将进行形成性和总结性外部评价。

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.