scholarly journals STEM OUTREACH FOR INDIGENOUS YOUTH – LESSONS LEARNED IN OVER A DECADE OF PROGRAMMING

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyndia Stacey ◽  
Cheryl Maksymyk ◽  
Martin Scherer ◽  
Mary Wells
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Styles ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Outreach Program ◽  
Indigenous Youth ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Indigenous Worldviews ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Engineering Outreach ◽  
Community Relationships

With over a decade of conducting outreach programs for Indigenous youth, the Waterloo Engineering Outreach (WEO) office has gained insight and understanding through a reflective and analytical lens. We outline mistakes and lessons that we’ve learned over the years so others can benefit from our work. This includes the importance of community relationships, delivery and leadership styles, and balancing Western and Indigenous worldviews. The goal of sharing our practices is threefold: provide resources to any group planning to start their own outreach program, offer insight to Western educators to better support Indigenous youth pursuing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and highlight the necessity of cultural inclusivity and a communal approach in STEM education.

scholarly journals A New Zealand National Outreach Program – Inspiring Young Girls in Humanitarian Engineering

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Goodyer ◽  
Ishani B. Soysa
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Outreach Program ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Young Girls ◽  
The Social ◽  
Humanitarian Engineering

The representation of women in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and professions fall far short of their representation in other various disciplines. Finding ways to increase underrepresented populations in STEM fields continues to be a major initiative in education. Outreach programs that demonstrate the social benefits of engineering are an effective way to engage students’ interest and enhance their understanding of the theory and practice of science and engineering. This paper describes the design of an outreach program that provided a learning experience on the nature of engineering (via community service activities) to school girls aged 10 to 13 years in New Zealand. The objective of the program was to raise aspirations of young girls to pursue a career in engineering, by demonstrating the social benefits of engineering and thus develop enthusiasm for STEM subjects applied in the context of humanitarian engineering. The strategies for improving similar outreach programs and the lessons learned are also discussed.

Science Saturdays: A Simple Science Outreach Model to Achieve Broad Impact

2011 ◽  
Vol 1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ainissa G. Ramirez
Keyword(s):  
General Public ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Outreach Program ◽  
Grant Application ◽  
Science Outreach ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Public Science ◽  
The Public ◽  
Grant Applications ◽  
Stem Pipeline

AbstractThe National Science Foundation (NSF) evaluates grant applications based on two criteria: intellectual merit and broader impact. The broader impact criterion (BIC), or the science outreach criterion, is intended to connect science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) research to the general public, and has grown in its relevance for successful grants. A method to increase the competitiveness of a grant application and, in turn, the quality of science outreach programs is to suggest successful science outreach models for connecting scientists to the public. Science Saturdays is a fun science lecture series for the general public that is a simple, scalable, and transferable model. Its main mission is to introduce participants to excellent communicators of science and to shatter stereotypes about those who do science. It aims to inspire and motivate children as they traverse the STEM pipeline by emphasizing that science is fun. This paper discusses the elements needed to create this outreach program and the lessons learned from its development.

scholarly journals Do Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Experimentation Outreach Programs Affect Attitudes towards Mathematics and Science? A Quasi-Experiment in Primary Education

Mathematics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 1490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Fernández-Cézar ◽  
Dunia Garrido ◽  
Natalia Solano-Pinto
Keyword(s):  
School Environment ◽  
School Science ◽  
Outreach Program ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Program Effect ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Attitude Towards Mathematics ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
And Mathematics

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) outreach programs have been widely studied in recent years considering their possible influence on future STEM career election aiming to counteract the observed decline in enrollment at university. Nonetheless, the presumed effect is not clear due to a lack of comparison with control groups. In order to fill this gap, a quasi-experimental design was adopted to analyze the effect of a STEM experimentation outreach program on 5th and 6th graders. The sample was composed by 453 students, (274 experimental group and 179 control group). The Auzmendi Scale of Attitude towards Mathematics Modified (ASMAm), and the attitude towards school science (ASSci), were used as instruments, and were administered before and after the intervention. The analysis was run with sex, type of school (state and state-funded schools), school environment (rural/urban), and teacher as potential factors. The results show that there is a program effect on the attitude towards mathematics, but not on the attitude towards school science. Regarding the factors, the program effect is associated neither with sex nor with rural/urban schools. However, the program had a more positive effect on the ASSci than on the ASMAm in the state schools, and is mediated by the teacher.

scholarly journals UNDERSTANDING MENTOR NEEDS IN ONLINE ENGINEERING OUTREACH

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Dornian ◽  
Dr. Mohammad Moshirpour ◽  
Dr. Laleh Behjat
Keyword(s):  
Outreach Program ◽  
Mentor Training ◽  
Program Outcomes ◽  
Outreach Programs ◽  
Virtual Engineering ◽  
University Programs ◽  
Engineering Outreach ◽  
Training Modules

Mentoring in engineering outreach is being adopted more and more by university programs that aim toincrease diversity in their school. It is fair to say that mentoring can be a useful tool to do this, but not always.Mentor training can help improve program outcomes (attendance, engagement, retention). In this study, we look at one case of a virtual engineering outreach program, find the challenges, and make recommendations for mentor training modules that could address challenges.  In doing so, we believe that this sets a foundation for building training for many mentor-based virtual outreach programs in engineering.

Adaption and implementation of the Housing Outreach Program Collaborative (HOP-C) North for Indigenous youth.

2021 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-108
Author(s):  
Elaine Toombs ◽  
Christopher J. Mushquash ◽  
Jessie Lund ◽  
Victoria A. Pitura ◽  
Kaitlyn Toneguzzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Outreach Program ◽  
Indigenous Youth

scholarly journals Beyond the “STEM Pipeline”: Expertise, Careers, and Lifelong Learning

Minerva ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Skrentny ◽  
Kevin Lewis
Keyword(s):  
African Americans ◽  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
National Survey ◽  
College Graduates ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Forward Movement ◽  
Science And Engineering ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Stem Pipeline

AbstractStudies of education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) commonly use a pipeline metaphor to conceptualize forward movement and persistence. However, the “STEM pipeline” carries implicit assumptions regarding length (i.e. that it “starts” and “stops” at specific stages in one’s education or career), contents (i.e. that some occupational fields are “in” the pipeline while others are not), and perceived purpose (i.e. that “leakage,” or leaving STEM, constitutes failure). Using the National Survey of College Graduates, we empirically measure each of these dimensions. First, we show that a majority of STEM workers report skills training throughout their careers, suggesting no clear demarcation between education and work. Second, we show that using on-the-job expertise requirements (rather than occupational titles) paints a very different portrait of the STEM workforce—and persistence in it (where substantial attrition remains evident, especially among women and African Americans). Third, we show that STEM-educated workers are well-prepared for but dissatisfied with non-STEM jobs, complicating our understanding of leaving. Collectively, these results recommend expanded conceptions of STEM education and careers and contribute to studies of science and engineering workforce transitions and diversity.

scholarly journals Optimistic Fiction as a Tool for Ethical Reflection in STEM

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Strong Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Professional Ethics ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Ethical Reflection ◽  
Field Of Study ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Ethics Guidelines

AbstractGreater emphasis on ethical issues is needed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The fiction for specific purposes (FSP) approach, using optimistic science fiction texts, offers a way to focus on ethical reflection that capitalizes on role models rather than negative examples. This article discusses the benefits of using FSP in STEM education more broadly, and then explains how using optimistic fictions in particular encourages students to think in ethically constructive ways. Using examples of science fiction texts with hopeful perspectives, example discussion questions are given to model how to help keep students focused on the ethical issues in a text. Sample writing prompts to elicit ethical reflection are also provided as models of how to guide students to contemplate and analyze ethical issues that are important in their field of study. The article concludes that the use of optimistic fictions, framed through the lens of professional ethics guidelines and reinforced through ethical reflection, can help students to have beneficial ethical models.

scholarly journals Problematizing teaching and learning mathematics as “given” in STEM education

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeping Li ◽  
Alan H. Schoenfeld
Keyword(s):  
Mathematics Education ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Teaching And Learning Mathematics ◽  
Learning Mathematics ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Scientific Engineering

AbstractMathematics is fundamental for many professions, especially science, technology, and engineering. Yet, mathematics is often perceived as difficult and many students leave disciplines in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as a result, closing doors to scientific, engineering, and technological careers. In this editorial, we argue that how mathematics is traditionally viewed as “given” or “fixed” for students’ expected acquisition alienates many students and needs to be problematized. We propose an alternative approach to changes in mathematics education and show how the alternative also applies to STEM education.

4IR and Right to Education in Nigeria: Synergybetween Legal Instruments and Stem Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 2286-2295
Author(s):  
Mariam Adepeju Abdulraheem-Mustapha
Keyword(s):  
Stem Education ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Right To Education ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Laws And Policies ◽  
The Relationship

Laws and policies have important roles to play in advancing the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) research in Nigeria. STEM education and knowledge brings about development by converging scholars across the world with recent research discoveries. In order for Nigeria to reap the maximum benefits from the 4IR, its legal system must come in line with the principles advanced by the 4IR. It is important to state that the laws which have been enacted before the contemporary era are inadequate and obsolete. Education (STEM education inclusive) which will benefit the most from thenewrevolution would demand new legal instrumentsthat are adequate and effective to cater for the legal and policy demands of the 4IR by bringing forth a more current and inclusive legal protection for all the relevant beneficiaries. Using doctrinal methodology, thispaperexamines4IR and right to education in Nigeria with a view to establishing the relationship between the legal instruments and STEM education with the objective of advancing the agenda of the relevance of all fields of education for the next generation.The paper is divided into six sections and the findings show that, education (STEM education inclusive) is bedeviled with many challenges andthe extant laws are inadequate to solve them.Thus, making the goal of 4IR unachievable in Nigeria. To reach the greatest dexterities in all works of life, the paper concludes by bringing the significance of laws and policies that wouldaccommodate free STEM education in secondary and tertiary school levels in order to answer the call for 4IR. It recommends research collaboration across STEM fields for integrated curriculum and an amendment of the Constitution. It also advocates for gender equality and investing more in STEM education for having a transformative shift in Nigeria for the purpose of achieving 4IR.

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