EAGER: MAKER: Promoting "Culturally Relevant Making" and Utilitarian Scientific Literacy to Increase Student Retention in Technology Rich Disciplines Brian Lawrence (PI), Lycurgus

文化相关的经验证明是非常宝贵的招聘和保留本科生从代表性不足的群体在STEM学科，同样，可以鼓励和为学生提供必要的技能，科学和工程超越大学。尽管如此，在“制作”这一新兴领域，无论是正式的还是非正式的，都不存在制定文化相关方案的最佳做法。“这个项目旨在通过创造一种MakerSpace文化来满足这一需求，这种文化赋予了学生在STEM中取得成功所必需的文化相关的实用科学素养技能。这一目标将通过创建一个在线模块（“创意、设计和制作素养”）来实现，该模块在文化上与代表性不足的STEM人群相关，并通过互联网广泛提供给任何人（例如个人、高中、高等教育机构等）使用。有兴趣参与迅速扩大的创客运动。本模块将通过创意，创造力，设计思维，创新和创业精神等重要元素向本科生介绍MakerSpace文化和技术。这种方法预计将导致对制造的内在价值（而不是“修修补补”）的赞赏，有助于更好地为代表性不足的学生在科学和工程职业生涯做好准备。预计，通过提高学生的学习通过制作，在招聘和保留在干学生人数不足的随之而来的增加将作为确保国家的科学和技术劳动力的未来多样性和准备的关键一步。

Culturally-relevant experiences prove invaluable to the recruitment and retention of undergraduates from underrepresented groups in STEM disciplines, and likewise, can encourage and provide students with the requisite skills for science and engineering beyond college. Despite this, best practices do not exist for the development of culturally-relevant programing, be it formal or informal, in the emergent field of "Making." This project is designed to meet this need through the creation of a MakerSpace culture that confers culturally-relevant utilitarian scientific literacy skills necessary for student success in STEM. This goal will be achieved, in part, by creating an online module ("Literacy in Ideation, Design, and Making") that is culturally relevant to underrepresented STEM populations and widely available through the Internet for use by anyone (e.g. individual, high school, institution of higher education etc.) interested in engaging in the rapidly expanding Maker Movement. This module will introduce undergraduates to MakerSpace Culture and Technology through important elements of Making such as Ideation, Creativity, Design Thinking, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The approach is expected to lead to an appreciation for the intrinsic value of Making (as opposed to "tinkering") that helps better prepare underrepresented students for a career in science and engineering. It is expected that by improving student learning through Making, the attendant increase in recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in STEM will serve as a key step toward ensuring the future diversity and preparedness of the nation's science and technology workforce.