Awarding Career Educators in STEM: Leveraging Simulation Technology, Institutional Mission, and Field Experiences to Address Critical Teacher Shortages

该项目旨在满足国家培养高素质STEM教师的需求。该项目的具体目标是吸引生物学和数学专业的本科生进入STEM教学职业。它将奖励这些有前途的未来教师奖学金，并教育他们成为高素质的教师。通过外展和服务项目，加强大学、未来教师和当地学校之间的联系。数字技术的创新使用将使学生能够在虚拟课堂中练习课堂教学技能。教师和校友的指导将为未来的教师在开始教学生涯之前和之后提供支持。因此，该项目将有助于解决佛罗里达州中部高需求学区普通科学和数学教师短缺的问题。圣里奥大学的这个项目包括与Hernando县学校和Pasco县学校的合作，这两个学校都是高需求学区。该项目旨在为18名主修生物学或数学的本科生提供准备和支持，让他们同时完成教育学辅修课程，并获得中学教师资格证书，成为高素质的STEM教师。该项目的招聘工作以在当地学校提供服务为特色。为了加深兴趣和促进技能发展，被选中获得奖学金的学生将参与多种监督外展和教学机会。通过混合现实课堂模拟器增强的微教学体验将为学生提供一个磨练课堂技能的实验室。毕业后，学生将在申请资金以获得新的STEM教学职位所需的教室用品时得到指导。该项目还旨在产生关于教师自我效能感的发展以及自我效能感与坚持的关系的知识。本项目由Robert Noyce教师奖学金项目（Noyce）资助。Noyce计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人士成为有效的K-12 STEM教师，并支持经验丰富的模范K-12 STEM教师成为高需求学区的STEM硕士教师。它还支持对高需求学区K-12 STEM教师的持久性、留任性和有效性的研究。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national need of preparing high-quality STEM teachers. The specific goal of this project is to attract undergraduate students majoring in biology and mathematics into STEM teaching careers. It will award these promising future teachers with scholarships and educate them to become highly competent teachers. Connections between the University, future teachers, and local schools will be strengthened via outreach and service projects. Innovative use of digital technology will allow students to practice their classroom teaching skills in a virtual classroom. Mentoring by faculty and alumni will provide the future teachers with support before and after they start their teaching careers. Thus, the project will help to address shortages of general sciences and mathematics teachers in high-need school districts in central Florida.This project at Saint Leo University includes partnerships with Hernando County Schools and Pasco County Schools, both of which are high need school districts. The project seeks to prepare and support 18 undergraduates majoring in biology or mathematics to also complete a minor in education and achieve secondary teacher certification to become highly qualified STEM teachers. The project's recruiting efforts feature service in local schools. To deepen interest and foster skill development, students who are selected for scholarships will engage in multiple supervised outreach and teaching opportunities. Microteaching experiences enhanced by a mixed-reality classroom simulator will provide a laboratory for students to hone their classroom skills. Upon graduation, students will be mentored as they apply for funds to obtain classroom supplies for their new STEM teaching position. The project also aims to generate knowledge regarding the development of teacher self-efficacy and the relationship between self-efficacy and persistence. This Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 STEM teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.