STARWARD STEM: TRANSDISCIPLINARY PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN THE FINAL FRONTIER
Abstract
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have long represented catalyst disciplines for U.S. modernization, discovery, and technological innovation. America’s continued global competitiveness in the 21st century demands a well-prepared and diverse STEM workforce. This vision can only be achieved by strengthening the foundational driver of future STEM talent: equitable access to high-quality STEM education opportunities for youth. STARward STEM will facilitate transformative STEM enrichment through transdisciplinary project-based learning (PBL). PBL is a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world, hands-on projects that require the application of knowledge across disciplines. An evidence-based approach, the Federal STEM Strategic Plan specifically cites PBL as a high-impact technique to foster STEM enrichment for students and communities. The scope of annual program impact includes more than 4,622 K–12 school students and 303 educators in the Cumberland County School district of North Carolina. STARward STEM will directly support a feeder pattern of 10 schools (one high school, two middle schools, seven elementary schools) whose student population is 72% economically disadvantaged and 81.5% racially underrepresented in STEM. Program objectives include: 1. Improve teacher efficacy through the structured implementation of STEM PBL. 2. Increase student engagement in meaningful STEM learning experiences. 3. Expand STEM participation for student populations typically underrepresented in STEM. 4. Increase youth interest in STEM career pathways and DoD STEM opportunities. 5. Build capacity of Cumberland County Schools to sustain STEM PBL implementation through regional partnerships to support STEM learning for students and teachers. STARward STEM will focus on Space, a capability and resiliency modernization priority of DoD Research and Engineering. The program culminates by sending students’ actual projects to the International Space Station for experimentation aboard a commercial rocket launch. The experiment is then returned to the students for additional data analyses. The program will be phased in over 3 years, where the first year will include planning, co-design, curriculum alignment, and PBL implementation with teachers. One of the features that differentiates RTI’s PBL support is the use of integrated instructional coaching. This method of development provides one of the strongest known effect links between educator practice and student achievement. The second and third years will focus on deep PBL implementation with a jobembedded approach to minimize loss of instructional time. Student experiment launches will be conducted in years 2 and 3. An implementation and outcome research study will be conducted each program year. Research questions are aligned to the following outcomes: Increased district capacity to support implementation of STEM PBL, increased teacher STEM content knowledge, increased teacher self-efficacy in STEM PBL, increased quality of teachers’ STEM lessons, improved student attitudes toward STEM, increased student awareness of STEM postsecondary and career opportunities, and improved student interest in STEM career pathways. Intended impacts include, (1) Sustained support in the district for high-quality STEM PBL; (2) Increased number of teachers consistently implementing STEM PBL throughout district; (3) Increase in students pursuing advanced STEM courses in high school; (4) Increased number of students choosing STEM pathways in postsecondary life; (5) Increased number of students entering STEM careers; and (6) Increased interest in DoD STEM careers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 09, 2021
- Source ID
- HQ00342010045
Entities
People
- Laurie Baker
Organizations
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- RTI International
- Washington Headquarters Services