A Model Program to Engage Students in Authentic, Technology-Infused Coastal Research and Monitoring: Building Student Data Literacy and Career Competency through Partnership

该项目将引入和研究一种创新模式，利用真实的社区相关研究来加深学生的STEM知识和技能，同时在缅因州沿海学区和社区之间建立强大的社区联系。该项目将涉及教师和管理人员、STEM和STEM教育教师、商业领袖和其他社区成员，共同开展研究实践合作。该伙伴关系将支持初高中学生进行真实的科学研究体验，包括沿海监测和调查当地海水性质的变化。这些研究的数据将为社区政策决定和战略规划提供信息。通过建议的工作，教师和学生将扩大他们对当地就业机会的认识和理解，这些就业机会需要STEM知识和经验，包括计算，计算思维和技术。各种各样的商业和非营利合作伙伴将以有意义的方式参与STEM课程和职业能力发展，例如指导，工作见习和实习，为学生利用技术，计算，协作和沟通为STEM职业做好准备。该项目将聘请来自多个学区的20名教师，他们将成为未来教师的同伴向导，利用这一模式在社区和学校之间建立更牢固的联系。该项目将影响至少2500名来自经济困难的缅因州农村社区的学生，其中许多人将是家中第一个上大学的人。通过暑期合作学院和学年工作会议，合作伙伴将开发和传播使用海洋科学实例和数据的模块，用于包括但不限于科学、社会研究、数学和统计学等课程。该模式和经验教训将被转移到其他伙伴关系中，旨在扩大农村社区对STEM的参与，并通过使用技术和计算进行与社区相关的研究，更深入地吸引学生。项目研究将产生一个以证据为基础的专业学习模式，并为教师提供课程支持，以指导技术注入的多学科学生研究。调查前和调查后的数据将从参与教师的学生中收集，以了解社区相关性、海洋科学重点和研究参与如何影响学生的学习、参与以及对STEM和STEM职业的态度。学生数据将按性别分类，并在可能的情况下按种族和族裔群体分类，以更好地了解如何使STEM教育具有包容性、令人兴奋和对所有人都有价值。从项目研究和评估中获得的模型和知识将传播给STEM和STEM教育研究界，以及本地和全国的从业者和其他利益相关者。该项目由“面向学生和教师的创新技术体验”（ITEST）项目资助，该项目支持有助于提高学生对科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）以及信息和通信技术（ICT）职业的知识和兴趣的实践、项目要素、背景和过程的理解。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。

The project will introduce and investigate an innovative model for using authentic community-relevant research to deepen students' STEM knowledge and skills, while building strong community connections between Maine's coastal school districts and their communities. The project will involve teachers and administrators, STEM and STEM education faculty, and business leaders and other community members in a research practice partnership. The partnership will support middle school and high school students in authentic science research experiences, including coastal monitoring and investigations of local changes in ocean water properties. Data from these studies will inform community policy decisions and strategic planning. Through the proposed work, teachers and their students will expand their awareness and understanding of local career opportunities where STEM knowledge and experience, including computing, computational thinking, and technology, are required. A diverse group of business and non-profit partners will be involved in STEM classes and career competency development in meaningful ways, such as mentoring, job shadowing, and internships, preparing students for STEM careers using technology, computing, collaboration, and communication. The project will engage 20 teachers from multiple school districts, who will become peer guides for future teachers to build stronger connections between communities and their schools using this model. The project will impact at least 2500 students from economically-challenged, rural Maine communities, many of whom will be the first in their family to attend college. Through collaborative summer institutes and school-year work sessions, partners will develop and disseminate modules that use marine sciences examples and data for use in courses including, but not limited to, science, social studies, mathematics, and statistics. The model and lessons learned will be transferable to other partnerships that aim to broaden participation in STEM in rural communities and more deeply engage students through community-relevant research using technology and computing. Project research will generate an evidence-based model of professional learning and curricular supports for teachers to guide technology-infused, multi-disciplinary student research. Pre- and post-survey data will be collected from the students of participating teachers to see how the community relevance, marine sciences emphasis, and research involvement impact students' learning, engagement, and attitudes toward STEM and STEM careers. Student data will be disaggregated by gender and, where possible, by racial and ethnic groups to better understand how to make STEM education inclusive, exciting, and valuable for all. The model and knowledge gained from the project’s research and evaluation will be disseminated to the STEM and STEM education research communities, and to practitioners and other stakeholders, both locally and nationally. This project is funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (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.