INNSTEM Challenge - Inspiring the Next generation of Navy S&T workforce with Emerging Maritime Challenges
Abstract
The proposed effort represents an innovative solution to cultivate adiverse, world-class STEM workforce and maintain the U.S. Navy and MarineCorps??? technical superiority. The project addresses DoN STEM workforcepipeline issues by utilizing pedagogical techniques that focus on themotivations and life goals of millennials and generation Z. Curriculum unitswill be developed that highlight the positive impacts of DoN STEM careersand leverage student???s desires to ???make the world a better place??? toencourage them to pursue careers in STEM in general and DoN STEM careers inparticular. Research has shown that having a positive societal impact isincreasingly important to young adults, especially among young women andAfrican American students. Engaging students by focusing on the significantchallenges that science and technology can eventually solve capturesstudents??? imagination and motivates them to study science and math with apurpose. Each curriculum unit???s content will focus on a STEM challenge facedby the DoN. This emphasis will simultaneously motivate the students to gainthe technical skills needed to address the challenge and expose them to thepotential societal impact of a career in the DoN STEM workforce. Thecurriculum units will target specific learning objectives identified witheducators at partner high schools and address curriculum standards alignedwith the Next Generation Science Standards; this will ease adoption inexisting courses. To further enhance adoption and impact, disseminationpaths already broadly supported such as the "Science in Motion" programwhich provides free and low-cost STEM education resources to Alabama schoolsand Project Lead the Way (PLTW) will be utilized. By leveraging existinginfrastructure, the cost of adoption by poorer schools will be minimal,enhancing the impact of the project and supporting continued efforts afterfunding ends. As part of the effort a ???Naval Career Ambassador??? (NCA)program will be developed that uses Auburn alumni with Naval or Marineexperience to enhance the modules??? effectiveness. This program will useinterviews, in person visits, and virtual interactions to engage students.Active learning activities will increase student engagement in STEM, enhancestudent???s technical capacity, and stimulate an interest in pursuing DoN STEMcareers. In particular the project will provide youth in Alabama schoolspathways to STEM workforce opportunities in uniformed or civilian DoN STEMcareers. Many of these students are from impoverished backgrounds and groupshistorically underrepresented in STEM. For many of these students, thecurriculum units developed in this effort will be their first, and perhapsonly, exposure to DoN STEM career opportunities. By targeting students atthe ninth through 12th grade and focusing on the ???Inspire??? and ???Engage???portions of the Naval STEM strategy, the project will enhance educationefforts at a critical point in these students STEM education. As studentsadvance through high school, they begin to form more concrete ideas of theirfuture career path and complete necessary pre-requisite courses. Positiveexperiences will increase the number of students that consider a career inthe DoN STEM workforce. The diversity of the future workforce will beenhanced by targeting diverse rural school districts particularly those inthe ???Black Belt??? region of the Alabama. Overall project impact andmodule-specific measures will be adapted from previous efforts or developedas needed. This data will be utilized to improve module content and maximizethe project???s significance. The project???s activities will cultivate adiverse, world-class STEM workforce interested in DoN STEM careers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 04, 2018
- Source ID
- N000141812842
Entities
People
- Edward W Davis
Organizations
- Auburn University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy