NSF Supported Afterschool Programs

1. NSF SupportedAfterschool Programs Dr. Sylvia James & Dr. Monya Ruffin August 2011

2. 21st Century Skills “In an economy driven by imagination, creativity and innovation, and a society facing complex business, political, scientific, technological, health and environmental challenges, the ingenuity, agility and skills of the American people are crucial to the United States” (Ken Kay, President, Partnership for 21st Century Skills)

3. Introduction NSF Strategic Outcome Goals 2011-2015 • Transform the Frontiers • Innovate for Society • Perform as a Model Organization

4. Organizational structure

5. Division of research on learning in formal and informal settings (DRL) • R&D to improve effectiveness of STEM learning for people of all ages • Advance cutting-edge knowledge and practice in formal and informal settings • Support innovative research, development & evaluation of learning and teachingacross all STEM disciplines

6. Supports innovation in anywhere, anytime, lifelong learning through investments in research, development, infrastructure, and capacity-building for STEM learning outside formal school settings. Ise program overview • ISE Audiences • Public Audiences • Professional Audiences • ISE Program Solicitation #: NSF11-546

7. Examples of ise deliverables • Permanent and traveling exhibits • Film, radio, and TV • Cyber-enabled learning, emerging technologies, and educational games • Citizen science projects • Youth and Community projects • Research and development in the field • Professional development • Consortia and collaborations • Virtual networks

8. Project types • Research (<$1.5 M) • Pathways (<$250 K) • Full-Scale Development (<$3 M) • Broad Implementation (<$3 M) • Connecting Researchers to Public Audiences ($150 K) ````````````````````````` • Rapids (<$200 K) • EAGERs (<$300 K) • Workshops / conferences (Varies)

9. Not funded by ise • Capital or operating expenses • Major or office equipment • Vehicles • Undergraduate tuition • Paid advertising • Admission fees • Operating expenses for school field trips/camps/ competitions • Projects that focus primarily on health or medicine • Publications and curricula as the primary deliverable

10. Six strengths & challenges • How to bridge for continuity • How to capitalize on potential • How to support broad learning • How to demonstrate learning • How to support PD for all • How to get coherence of effort • Ubiquity • Equity • Compelling Experiences • Flexible Assessment • Abundance of Educators • Nimbleness

11. Active ise awards by format As of 12.10

12. Project impacts are often measured as “motivational variables” ISE Impact Categories • Awareness, knowledge, or understanding • Engagement or interest • Attitude • Behavior • Skills • Other (Friedman, 2008; Renninger, 2008)

14. Youth & Community Portfolio diversity

15. Characteristics of ISE Youth and Community Projects • Include multiple delivery platforms • Complex designs with multiple entry points • Offer opportunities for long-term interaction • Target diverse audiences • Include strong partnerships • Take place in community settings – local, regional, national • Labor intensive • Often include professional development and training

16. Examples of ISE youth & community projects

17. The Cryptoclub: Cryptography and Mathematics Afterschool and Online (PI: Janet Besieger; 08-40313; University of Chicago) • is a five -year project designed to introduce middle school students across the country to cryptography and mathematics. • Project partners include the Young Peoples Project (YPP), the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, and Eduweb. • Project deliverables include online activities, online cryptography adventure games, interactive offline games, a leader's manual, and leadership training workshops for afterschool leaders.

18. Making Natural Connections: An Authentic Field Research Collaboration (PI: Jon Chase; 07-39874; Washington University) • This comprehensive five-year project is designed to engage underserved students in grades 11 and 12 in field-based exploration of the environment. • The four deliverables are as follows: a field program at the Shaw Nature Reserve (SNR), an environmental biology research program, a research communication strategy, and a one-week training experience for science educators to promote dissemination of the program model. • Students are introduced to basic ecological concepts, including aquatic biodiversity assessments, species interactions, mark and recapture population studies, population viability exercises, and predator/prey relationships.

19. (06-10720, Bonnie Sawyer, Hopa Mountain) • Results of the pre-post surveys indicate a positive shift in thinking about science, along w/ a broader view of science and sharing new knowledge among each other. Students in grades 7-9 gained an appreciation of science. “The lessons being learned through the NSFCs are contributing to the ISE field and articulating ways in which scientific data and traditional knowledge can build collective knowledge bases.”

20. ITEST Program

21. ITEST Background • Funded by H-1B visa revenues • Focus on any STEM area • Targets K-12 students, teachers, and parents in relationship to needs of the US workforce • STEM workforce includes technologists, scientists, engineers, and mathematicians; also ICT-intensive fields (e.g., computational biology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology) ITEST Program Solicitation #: NSF 11-525

22. ITEST Program Goals • To produce research findings that build knowledge about approaches, models, and interventions with K-12-aged children and teachers to increase the nation’s capacity and innovation in the STEM workforce of the future. • To develop, implement, study and evaluate strategies that encourage K-12 students to develop interest in and to be prepared for careers in the STEM workforce of the future. • To equip teachers with the resources to ensure that their students consider choosing and are prepared to enter the STEM workforce of the future.

23. More than 161 ITEST projects across 39 states

24. ITEST Portfolio Computer Science – Gaming & Simulations(use and creation of gaming and simulations in formal & informal education) Environmental Science includesGIS/GPS, remote sensing technology, climate modeling, and ecological research and analysis Computer Science includes:programming; web development; multimedia – audio, video and animation; computer hardware; general skills and mathematics Bioscience includesBioinformatics, biotechnology, DNA analysis/sequencing, and biomedicine Engineering includesAerospace, design, robotics and nanotechnology

25. Four Project Types • Strategies –develop, implement and study theory and practice-based models • Scale-Up-expand and study successful models in school and non-school settings • Research– produce empirical findings and research tools • Conferences and Workshops – define the ITEST research agenda and better understand how to assess impacts of ITEST innovations

26. Examples of ITEST Youth Projects

27. Watsonville Technología-Educación Comunidad“Encouraging Students in the Field of Information Technology” (PI: Steven Bean, 09-29676, ETR Associates) • Formerly Animando a Estudiantes Con Technologia (AET)“Encouraging Students in the Field of Information Technology • The PI seeks to test a model of parent engagement and leadership (PEAL) in combination with an out-of-school youth IT education program targeting Latino/a students in middle and high school. • Fosters the development of IT fluency and awareness of IT careers

28. virtual hall of science PI: Preeti Gupta, 09-29206, New York Hall of Science • Virtual Hall of Science (VHOS) serves as a STEM learning environment for middle and high school students. • Students use ICT skills to design interactive virtual exhibits, develop digital communication skills, and learn about usability. • Participating youth learn interactive computing design, mentoring skills, increased awareness of STEM and ICT careers, teamwork, and leadership skills. Students form teams, create interactive science exhibits, study interactive design, and use a variety of Web 2.0 tools for collaboration purposes.

29. Applying For nsf grants

30. NSF Merit Review Criteria & Rating System Intellectual Merit • How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields? Broader Impacts • How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? Ratings: E, VG, G, F, P

31. Solicitations & submissions • Solicitations • NSF website (www.nsf.gov) • Submissions • FastLane • Be aware of quirks • Grants.gov • Electronic

32. Helpful Websites • ISE Guidelines, NSF 11-546: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?WT.z_pims_id=5361&ods_key=nsf11546 • Website:http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5361&org=DRL&from=home • Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE)http://caise.insci.org/ • ITEST Guidelines, NSF 11-525 http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09506/nsf09506.htm • ITEST Homepage • http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5467&org=DRL&from=home • ITEST Learning Resource Center website http://www2.edc.org/itestlrc/ • NSF Awards Database <http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/

33. Contact information • Dr. Monya Ruffin Program Officer (703) 292-7322 mruffin@nsf.gov • Dr. Sylvia James Lifelong Learning Cluster Coordinator (703) 292-5333 sjames@nsf.gov

34. Questions