Understanding the Role of Informal STEM Educators in Creating Maker-based and Community-Centered Technology and Computer Science Learning Hubs for Urban Youth

作为加强非正式环境中学习的总体战略的一部分，推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）项目资助了用于各种环境的创新研究、方法和资源。“制造”支持兴趣驱动的技能发展和学习，被认为有潜力吸引服务不足的青年参与STEM。创客空间是允许参与者使用工具（如3d打印机、计算机辅助设计和数字制造技术）创建物品的社区空间。创客空间和与制作相关的项目往往无法进入，负担不起，或者根本无法获得服务不足的年轻人。Digital Harbor将与匹兹堡的两个娱乐中心和巴尔的摩的两个娱乐中心合作，研究、完善和实施一种基于公平的制作方法，吸引12-16岁的青少年参与制作。该项目将使校外教育工作者做好准备，与得不到充分服务的青年合作开发具有文化敏感性的课程，使他们参与创客技术和计算机科学体验。该项目将(1)设计一个专业发展计划，为当地教育工作者提供准备和支持，使他们能够协同设计和提供本地化的、基于创客的STEM课程；(2)研究这些项目对教育者和青少年的自我效能感、创造力和STEM态度的影响；(3)开发并评估在线本地化工具包，该工具包将为全国各地创客空间的教育工作者使用基于公平的方法创建本地化内容做好准备。该项目将产生4个新的创客站点（两个在巴尔的摩，两个在匹兹堡），直接影响4个站点（10名教育工作者和240名青年）。该项目将产生一些资源，这些资源将支持其他社区站点的发展和教育计划。这些资源将包括本地化工具包、案例研究、最佳实践和研究。本地化工具包有潜力加强OST创客项目的基础设施和能力建设，以及其他使用类似教学法和设计原则的非正规和正规教育项目。该项目将采用混合方法研究在巴尔的摩和匹兹堡建立四个创客站点所涉及的挑战和过程，OST教育工作者专业发展计划的方法和有效性，以及参与项目对参与青年和教育工作者自我效能感、创造力和态度的影响。本研究将采用多种工具和数据收集来源来开发定量数据，包括青少年出勤日志、小学高年级和初中/高中学生对STEM的态度调查、回顾性技术自我效能调查和前后调查。除了项目文件审查外，研究者还将通过教育者访谈、教育者焦点小组和青少年焦点小组收集定性数据。项目研究和资源将通过同行评审和从业者期刊、公共活动和专业会议上的文章到达学习科学家和OST教育者的关键受众。这些受众也将通过项目网站获得，该网站将共享项目资源。该项目将通过传播合作伙伴，包括国家娱乐和公园协会、科学技术中心协会和全州校外网络，直接传播到全国各地的OST站点。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。

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program funds innovative research, approaches, and resources for use in a variety of settings.Making, which supports interest-driven skill-development and learning, has been recognized as having the potential to engage underserved youth in STEM. Makerspaces are community spaces that allow participants to create items using tools, such as 3-D printers, computer-aided design, and digital fabrication technologies. Makerspaces and making-related programs are often inaccessible, unaffordable, or simply not available to underserved youth. Digital Harbor will partner with recreation centers, two in Pittsburgh and two in Baltimore, to research, refine and implement an equity-based approach to making that will engage underserved youth aged 12-16 in making. The project will prepare out-of-school time (OST) educators to collaboratively develop culturally sensitive curricula with underserved youth to engage them in maker-based technology and computer science experiences. The project will (1) design a professional development program that will prepare and support local educators to collaboratively design and deliver localized, maker-based, STEM curricula; (2) research the impact of these programs on both educators’ and youth’s self-efficacy, creativity, and attitudes towards STEM; and (3) develop and evaluate an online Localization Toolkit that will prepare educators in makerspaces across the nation in using an equity-based approach to create localized content. The project will result in four new maker sites (two in Baltimore and two in Pittsburgh directly impact 4 sites (10 educators and 240 youth). The project will result several resources that will support the development and educational programs of other community sites. The resources will include the Localization Toolkit, Case Studies, Best Practices, and Research Study. The Localization Toolkit has the potential to strengthen infrastructure and capacity building in OST maker-based programs, as well as other informal and formal education programs using similar pedagogies and design principles. The project will use a mixed-methods approach in researching the challenges and processes involved in establishing the four maker sites in Baltimore and Pittsburgh, the approaches and effectiveness of the professional development program on OST educators, and the impacts of the project of participation on the self-efficacy, creativity, and attitudes on participating youth and educators. The research study will apply several instruments and data collection sources to develop quantitative data, including youth attendance logs, the Upper Elementary and Middle/High School Student Attitudes toward STEM survey, a retrospective technology self-efficacy survey and pre-post surveys. In addition to project document review, the researchers will collect qualitative data through educator interviews, educator focus groups, and youth focus groups. Project research and resources will reach key audiences of learning scientists and OST educators through articles in peer-reviewed and practitioner journals, public events and professional conferences. These audiences will also be reached through the project website, which will share project resources. The project will reach OST sites across the country directly through dissemination partners, including the National Recreation and Parks Association, Association of Science and Technology Centers, and statewide out-of-school networks.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.