Improving Secondary STEM Teacher Preparation for High-need Schools Through Diverse Teaching Experiences, Including Simulated Virtual Reality Classrooms

该项目旨在通过增加印第安纳州高需求学校高效STEM中学教师的数量，为国家利益服务。印第安纳州缺少数学和所有科学学科的中学教师。该项目旨在通过培养生物、化学和数学本科专业的学生成为高需求学校的中学数学或科学教师，帮助满足这一需求。这些未来的教师将受益于帮助他们为教学做准备的多种经验。例如，该项目将使用创新的虚拟现实模拟，让未来的教师接触到多样化的教学环境，以及真实课堂中存在的学术和行为复杂性。新冠肺炎公共卫生危机给需要课堂（现场）经验的高等教育机构和教师教育项目带来了巨大挑战。虚拟现实模拟培训的进步有可能满足这一需求，并在此过程中改变美国教师的准备方式。这种有针对性的准备旨在提高未来教师在开始亲自实地体验之前的自我效能感。一旦未来的教师完成了教师准备计划，该项目将提供持续的支持，以便新教师继续成为专业社区的一部分，并在高需求学校担任STEM教师。玛丽安大学的这个项目包括与印第安纳州三个教育机构的合作：迪凯特乡镇学校、印第安纳波利斯公立学校。和佩里乡学校。该项目将在五年内为22名攻读中学教学和数学或科学（生物或化学）双学位的本科生提供奖学金和学术支持。该项目的另一个目标是通过各种高质量的临床体验（如教学轮次、实践课程、虚拟模拟、服务学习、临床教学、干预和评估）来提高这些未来教师的准备水平。它还打算提供一套专业支持，以增加在高需求学校任教的毕业生人数。该项目的智力价值在于研究模拟虚拟现实环境对未来和在职教师数学和科学的自我效能和保留的影响。除了增加准备在城市高需求中学任教的STEM教育工作者的数量外，该项目还将推进虚拟现实模拟在教师培训中的应用，这有可能加强和改善STEM教育工作者和美国所有教育工作者的培训。该项目将使用教师效能感量表和访谈，研究模拟虚拟现实环境与其他类型的实地体验对参与未来教师自我效能感的影响。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教师成为高需求学区的STEM大师教师。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 interest by increasing the number of highly effective secondary STEM teachers in Indiana’s high-need schools. Indiana has shortages of secondary teachers in mathematics and all science disciplines. The project aims to help fill this need by preparing biology, chemistry, and mathematics undergraduate majors to become secondary mathematics or science teachers in high-need schools. These prospective teachers will benefit from multiple experiences that help prepare them for teaching. For example, the project will use innovative, virtual reality simulations to expose future teachers to diverse teaching and learning environments, as well as to academic and behavioral complexities that exist in real classrooms. The COVID-19 public health crisis has imposed enormous challenges on institutes of higher education and teacher education programs that require classroom (field) experience. Advancements in virtual reality simulation training have the potential to meet this need, and in the process change how teachers are prepared in the United States. This targeted preparation is intended to increase prospective teachers’ self-efficacy before they begin in-person field experiences. Once the prospective teachers complete the teacher preparation program, the project will provide ongoing support so that the new teachers continue to be part of a professional community and are retained as STEM teachers in high-need schools.This project at Marian University includes partnerships with three Indiana education agencies: Decatur Township Schools, Indianapolis Public Schools. and Perry Township Schools. Over five years, the project will provide scholarship and academic support for twenty-two undergraduates pursuing a dual degree in secondary teaching and mathematics or science (biology or chemistry). Additional objectives of the project are to improve the preparation of these future teachers through a variety of high-quality clinical experiences, (e.g., instructional rounds, practice sessions, virtual simulations, service learning, clinical teaching, and intervention and assessments). It also intends to provide a suite of professional supports to increase the number of graduates who remain teaching in high-need schools. The intellectual merit of the project lies in examining the impact of simulated virtual reality environments on the self-efficacy and retention of math and science for prospective and practicing teachers. In addition to increasing the number of STEM educators prepared to teach in urban, high-need secondary schools, the project will advance the use of virtual reality simulations for teacher preparation, which has the potential to enhance and improve training of STEM educators and all educators across the United States. The project will examine the impact of simulated virtual reality environments versus other types of field experiences on the self-efficacy of participating prospective teachers, using the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale and interviews. 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 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.