Resource Center: STEM Learning and Research (STELAR) Center - Supporting Research and Development of STEM and ICT Careers

STEM学习与研究(STELAR)中心作为学生和教师创新技术体验(ITEST)计划的资源中心，将支持现有和未来的ITEST社区成员设计和研究创新，以点燃对未来科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)和信息通信技术(ICT)职业的兴趣，并为未来的科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)和信息通信技术(ICT)职业做准备。Stelar将与其他国家组织合作，建立一个由教育研究人员和实践者组成的社区，他们的共同努力将推动国家走向一支多元化的、具有技术素养的劳动力队伍，准备在未来的STEM/ICT职业生涯中脱颖而出。通过一系列旨在促进合作和有效传播的活动，Stelar将支持ITEST受赠者在以变革为重点的STEM教育倡议中促进知识和实践。Stelar的高度针对性的传播计划将跨越从研究到实践的周期，并将提高正式和非正式STEM教育专业人员、行业和政策利益相关者以及STEM教育研究人员对ITEST项目组合的认识和使用。利用以社会学习理论和实践社区的理论构建为基础的方法，Stelar中心将通过推进创新和变革性的教育方法，为未来STEM/ICT劳动力培养代表不足和服务不足的青年，支持ITEST计划的目标。为了在现有和未来的ITEST获奖者中建设能力，Stelar将召集专家知识生成小组，主办区域和国家峰会，并促进致力于STEM教育转型的其他组织之间的合作。为了向现有和未来的ITEST获奖者提供技术支持，Stelar将推出一项提案制定课程，并通过非正式的在线聚会和网络研讨会支持国家和地方的实践社区。为了传播与ITEST计划相关的成果和材料，Stelar将实施一项战略沟通计划，以提高人们的认识，并增加对重要的、独特的ITEST资源和调查结果的利用。这一沟通计划将面向正式和非正式的STEM教育从业者、行业和政策利益攸关方、STEM教育研究社区、潜在的ITEST绩效指标以及公众。为了扩大参与，Stelar将吸引目前在ITEST投资组合中任职人数不足的个人和机构。Stelar的合作伙伴和顾问将确保与STEM从业者和利益相关者的国家社区进行富有成效的协同合作。对Stelar的外部评估将促进对评估资源中心的适当和严格方法的理解，特别是能力评估工具的独特应用，关于Stelar实现的学习价值的价值创造故事，以及评估资源中心影响的网络分析。该项目由ITEST项目资助，该项目支持对实践、项目要素、背景和流程的理解，有助于提高学生对STEM和ICT职业的知识和兴趣。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The STEM Learning and Research (STELAR) Center, as the resource center for the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) Program, will support current and prospective ITEST community members in the design and research of innovations that ignite interest in and prepare PreK-12 youth for future Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Information Communication Technology (ICT) careers. STELAR will partner with other national organizations to build a community of educational researchers and practitioners whose collective efforts move the nation toward a diverse and technologically literate workforce that is prepared to excel in STEM/ICT careers of the future. Through a series of activities designed to promote collaboration and effective dissemination, STELAR will support ITEST grantees as they advance knowledge and practice in transformation-focused STEM education initiatives. STELAR's highly targeted dissemination plan will bridge the research-to-practice cycle, and it will increase awareness and use of findings from the ITEST program portfolio among formal and informal STEM education professionals, industry and policy stakeholders, and STEM education researchers. Using approaches grounded in social learning theory and the theoretical construct of communities of practice, the STELAR Center will support the goals of the ITEST program by advancing innovative and transformative educational approaches that prepare underrepresented and underserved youth for the STEM/ICT workforce of the future. To build capacity among current and prospective ITEST awardees, STELAR will convene expert knowledge generation groups, host regional and national summits, and foster collaboration among other organizations dedicated to the transformation of STEM education. To provide technical support for current and prospective ITEST awardees, STELAR will launch a proposal development course and sustain national and local communities of practice through informal online gatherings and webinars. To disseminate results and materials related to the ITEST program, STELAR will implement a strategic communications plan to raise awareness and increase use of major, unique ITEST resources and findings. This communications plan will target formal and informal STEM education practitioners, industry and policy stakeholders, the STEM education research community, potential ITEST PIs, and the public. To broaden participation, STELAR will engage individuals and institutions currently underrepresented in the ITEST portfolio. STELAR’s partners and advisors will ensure productive, synergistic collaborations with national communities of STEM practitioners and stakeholders. The external evaluation of STELAR will advance understanding of appropriate and rigorous methods for evaluating resource centers, particularly the unique application of capacity assessment tools, value-creation stories regarding the value of the learning enabled by STELAR, and network analysis assessing the impact of resource centers. This project is funded by the ITEST program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in STEM and ICT careers.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.