NSF INCLUDES Planning Grant: Planning for an Inclusive Makerspace Alliance for Rural Students with Disabilities

这项NSF包括计划拨款由NSF纳入全国工程和科学领域未被充分代表的发现者的学习社区(NSF Includes)资助，这是一项综合性的全国性倡议，旨在通过关注多样性、包容性和扩大对STEM的参与来加强美国在发现和创新方面的领导地位。这笔规划赠款的目标是为一个包容性的Makerspace联盟制定一个共同的愿景，为STEM教育界提供必要的知识、支持和资源，通过无障碍的STEM重点Makerspace有效地让残疾学生参与STEM学习。缺乏现成的、基于证据的包容性STEM课程和技术，使残疾学生能够利用农村教育机会，这是利用无障碍制造空间的主要障碍，特别是在农村地区。不幸的是，有希望的做法往往没有得到很好的记录或广泛实施，因为K-12 STEM教师经常在竖井中实施丰富的STEM MakerSpace经验，而不知道全国各地的相关研究和实践。这项规划工作将通过将可获得的STEM教育放在不同农村地区的创造空间做法的背景下，解决这一日益扩大的参与度挑战。它将建立一个合作伙伴网络，致力于为农村残疾学生提供障碍和机会的制造空间的方方面面，从设计思维和课程到STEM职业道路。通过参与和支持NSF包括国家网络，这项规划赠款工作将利用不同的合作伙伴关系和现有基础设施，扩大到一个全国联盟，倡导通过MakerSpace将残疾个人纳入STEM教育和职业生涯。在16个月的时间里，缅因州法明顿大学及其合作伙伴将把工作重点放在发展和实现共同愿景上，NSF之一包括协作基础设施的设计元素。这一共同愿景将得到一系列催化活动的支持，这些活动包括：(1)调查缅因州K-12学校的STEM制造空间、相关的支持性技术和无障碍措施；(2)进行实地考察，以调查STEM课程实施的优势和障碍，以及对制造空间的影响；(3)评估共同需求，并协作确定下一步行动；(4)建立无障碍农村STEM制造空间全国联盟；(5)通过通用设计和共同住宿提供与包容有关的技术建议；以及(6)开发、试点和测试可公开、可搜索、以及与无障碍STEM制造空间有关的以农村为重点的课程资源的无障碍虚拟资源库。为使这项工作扎根，将为伙伴组织举行一次包容性的Makerspace首脑会议，以促进共同理解和集体影响。此外，还将通过知识、数据和资源共享、联网和参与在线社区的方式，有意与国家科学基金会建立联系，包括国家网络。如果成功，这项计划拨款有可能为未来的国家联盟奠定坚实的基础，该联盟以包容性STEM为中心，为所有学生，特别是农村残疾学生创造空间。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。

This NSF INCLUDES planning grant is funded by NSF Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (NSF INCLUDES), a comprehensive national initiative to enhance U.S. leadership in discoveries and innovations by focusing on diversity, inclusion and broadening participation in STEM at scale. The goal of this planning grant is to develop a shared vision for an Inclusive Makerspace Alliance that equips and empowers the STEM education community with the knowledge, support and resources necessary to effectively engage students with disabilities in STEM learning through accessible STEM focused makerspaces. The shortage of readily available, evidence-based inclusive STEM curriculum and technologies that capitalize on rural educational opportunities for students with disabilities is a major obstacle for utilizing accessible makerspaces, especially in rural areas. Unfortunately, promising practices are often not well documented, or broadly implemented, as K-12 STEM teachers often implement STEM-rich makerspace experiences in silos, unaware of relevant research and practices around the country. This planning effort will address this broadening participation challenge by centering accessible STEM education within the context of makerspace practices in diverse rural localities. It will build a network of partners committed to all aspects of makerspaces, from design-thinking and curricula to STEM career pathways, that present barriers and opportunities to rural students with disabilities. By engaging with and supporting the NSF INCLUDES National Network, this planning grant effort will leverage diverse partnerships and existing infrastructure to scale up to a national alliance advocating for the meaningful inclusion of individuals with disabilities in STEM education and careers through makerspaces.Over a sixteen-month period, the University of Maine Farmington and its partners will focus its work on the development and actualization of a shared vision, one of the NSF INCLUDES design elements for collaborative infrastructure. The shared vision will be supported by a range of catalytic activities including: (1) surveying K-12 schools in the State of Maine on their STEM makerspaces, relevant supportive technologies, and accessibilities measures, (2) conducting site visits to investigate strengths for, and barriers to, STEM curriculum implementation, and impact in makerspaces, (3) assessing common needs and working collaboratively to determine next steps, (4) establishing a National Consortium for accessible rural STEM makerspaces, (5) providing technical advice related to inclusion through universal design and common accommodations, and (6) developing, piloting, and testing the feasibility of a publicly available, searchable, and accessible virtual repository of rural-focused curricular resources related to accessible STEM makerspaces. To ground this work, an Inclusive Makerspace Summit will be held for partner organizations to promote shared understanding and collective impact. In addition, intentional connections will be made to the NSF INCLUDES National Network through knowledge, data, and resource sharing, networking, and participation in the online community. If successful, this planning grant has the potential to lay a strong foundation for a future national alliance centered on inclusive STEM makerspaces for all students, especially rural students with disabilities.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.