- Year 2022
- NSF Noyce Award # 2050336
- First Name Corin
- Last Name Slown
- Discipline Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Mathematics
- Co-PI(s)
Dennis Kombe & Joanne Lieberman, CSUMB; Mary Rayappan, Hartnell College; Sara Decelle, Cabrillo College; Jaye Luke, Monterey Peninsula College
- Presenters
Corin Slown, CSU Monterey
Need
(a) The landscape of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education continues to shift in response to pervasive inequities in access to education. In response to the emerging needs of students, we have the opportunity to reimagine what high quality STEM education looks like for all students. (b) Integrating computer science, digital citizenship, and technology with evidence-basedpedagogy will transform student learning experiences, particularly for rural students. With the RISEReady program, we will engage future STEM teachers to think deeply about the science of learning, andsupporting students in remote, hybrid, and face to face learning. (c) We will examine the duration, frequency, and sequencing of learning experiences and practices that map onto the existing needs of rural students.
Goals
What scaffolded recruitment, preparation, and support strategies emphasize students’ prior experience and funds of knowledge? What onset, frequency, and duration of experiences are common among students?
Approach
(a) Using structure for capturing the learning outcomes of students as traverse academic pathways (Cunliff & Hughes, 2011), “Transformative Learning” (TL) (Mezirow, 2000) framework focuses on the learning centered education model created for curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities (Barthell et al., 2010). King and Wimmer (2020) describe the process University of Central Oklahoma utilized in the Student Transformative Learning Record (STLR).
Outcomes
We report the summaries of Student Transformative Learning Record (STLR) based on analysis of student participation for Year One of the RISE Ready grant. (a) We present the results from evaluating the effectof onset, frequency, and duration of experiences in contexts such as computer science and coding; digitalfabrication and design thinking; the integration of math and science as lab assistants; and after schoolSTEM outreach. (b) We identify trends in early teaching and learning experiences including common durations, activities and themes. (c) We share the student interface designed for students to identify, apply for, and reflect on early teaching and learning experiences.
Broader Impacts
The majority of school districts in California’s Central Coast region are classified as rural and serve primarily Hispanic and socioeconomically disadvantaged (SED) students. By meeting the needs of students in high-need rural schools and diversifying the demographics of STEM teachers inCentral California, these highly qualified STEM teachers will serve as STEM leaders for over 20,000 K-12 students per year in their communities. With a projected 8.8% growth in STEM jobs between 2018 and2028 (BLS, 2019), ensuring students have access to quality STEM education in rural communities is critical. Agriculture, manufacturing, and energy jobs require an increasing depth of understanding of STEM. RISE Ready builds early STEM social capital and further deepens institutional and community alliances to improve student achievement and engagement.
