157    

4.5.3.2 Pre-College Education Precollege Leadership Team Dr. Gail Jones, Precollege Education Director, Department of STEM Education, NCSU Dr. Annmarie Ward, Precollege Education Coordinator, Center for Science and the Schools, PSU Mr. Matt Johnson, Research Associate, Center for Science and the Schools, PSU Ms. Leah Bug, Assistant Director, Center for Science and the Schools, PSU Dr. Carolyn Vallas, Precollege Coordinator, Center for Diversity in Engineering, UVA Dr. Stephanie Strange, Precollege Coordinator, Office of Student Access and Success, FIU Graduate Students Elysa Corin, NCSU Gina Childers, NCSU Rebecca Hite, NCSU Katherine Chessnut, NCSU Mariana Perez, NCSU Precollege Education Partnerships, Goals, and Plans The goals of the ASSIST Precollege Program are to: 1) create meaningful and long-term partnerships with area schools; 2) increase the diversity of precollege engineering students who are interested in engineering careers; 3) provide teachers with professional development experiences (workshops and summer research experiences) to enhance teachers’ STEM knowledge and to enable them to develop and incorporate classroom STEM activities; 4) engage middle and high school teachers, graduate students, and faculty in building pre-college and public outreach skills; and 5) provide K-12 students experiences with STEM via ASSIST engineering and research. The Precollege Program is committed to assisting teachers in integrating STEM (with an emphasis on nanotechnology and ASSIST-related content) into the curriculum. One of our goals is to tie the lessons that ASSIST teachers create to the Big Ideas of Science identified by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS, 1993) and the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges in Engineering (NAE, 2013) The Precollege Program engages faculty and students (graduate and undergraduate as well as STEM education graduate students) in providing ongoing outreach to partnering schools. Support of the Strategic Plan The Precollege Education Program provides teachers and precollege students with research experiences, curricular modules, activities and demonstrations related to the ASSIST vision and informed by ASSIST research in nano-enabled, wearable, self-powered health and environmental monitoring platforms. The activities of the pre-college program are based in the three guiding principles of our vision:

1. Dissemination of ASSIST research to K-12 students and teachers. 2. Engagement of ASSIST faculty in translating their research to the pre-college

audience,

158    

3. Development of a framework for graduate student engagement that focuses on balancing demand on graduate students’ time while maximizing impact in pre-college target population.

Barriers and Methodologies Used to Address Barriers There are a number of challenges in providing precollege outreach to partnering schools. Public schools must meet considerable challenges to raise achievement, attract and retain high quality teachers, which teach a very full curriculum coupled with high stakes accountability. Schools also have limited time available during the day for authentic STEM based enrichment. The ASSIST outreach program works closely with schools to ensure activities are aligned with the schools’ goals. A variety of outreach activities are offered throughout the year (days, evenings, weekends and summers) to maximize ASSIST student engagement with partnering schools. ASSIST faculty and students are working with the teachers in the schools to design outreach that enhances their current instructional programs and objectives. Collaborations International collaborations in nanotechnology education research have been created with the Laboratoire Sciences Techniques Education Formation, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan, France; The Department of Science Teaching, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, The Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, and The Department of Educational Psychology, University of Graz. Two studies have resulted from these collaborations: 1) a study of students’ perceptions of the role of communicating risks, benefits and ethics of nanotechnology (Gardner & Jones 2014), and 2) a study of the challenges of educating the next generation about nanotechnology (Gardner, Jones, Albe, Blonder, Laherto, & Paechter, under review). Achievements (2014-2015) Significant effort has been made in collaboration with Center faculty to create several outreach demos that specifically showcase ASSIST research. Four activities will be available for dissemination by May 2015; two in the area of energy harvesting, and two related to wearable health sensors. These activities are listed here:

• Thermoelectric energy harvesting activity developed by Dr. Daryoosh Vashaee

• Side by side piezo- and thermo-electric energy harvesting demonstration developed by a senior design team under the mentorship of the Center’s ILO.

• EKG sensing demonstration developed by Dr. Alper Bozkurt • Body-circuit interfaces (such as EKG electrodes) activity using conductive play dough

developed by Drs. Michael Dickey and Orlin Velev

Congressman Price with ASSIST faculty and students at the APP Competition

FIU Engineers on Wheels

159    

During the past year the Center has successfully designed and implemented numerous professional development opportunities, Research Experiences for Teachers (RETs), Young Scholars Program, and outreach to school partners and to the community. Overall, the Precollege Program reached 9,244 individuals that included 2586 (28%) minorities. The program involved ASSIST faculty (161) and ASSIST students (236) in providing talks, tours, career information, and assistance to teachers and schools. Highlights from these different types of events are described below. ASSIST implemented an $8,000 NCSU Seed Grant whose purpose was to develop engineering kits that can extend the Precollege Program to counties throughout NC with the assistance of 4H and retired engineers. The Center partnered with Marbles Children’s Museum to implement a

special grant (STEM Play Corp) to educate middle school students in nanotechnology and then supported them in working in the museum to share their knowledge with other youth). The STEM Play Corp youth and their families toured ASSIST labs, surveyed current ASSIST research and learned about engineering careers from graduate students and faculty. The Precollege Program worked with the Office of Congressman Price to offer a special engineering app competition for high school students in the 4th Congressional district of North Carolina. Representatives from the ASSIST Industrial Liaison Board and ASSIST faculty judged the competition and participated in a special ceremony with Congressman Price to recognize the winning teams. ASSIST graduate students at NCSU attended the ASSIST partnering high school's competition for its senior-level engineering design class. The ASSIST representatives listened to the students' formal presentations, questioned the students about their design, and served as judges for the competition. The University of Virginia outreach program sponsored an Engineering Open House for students to meet faculty and learn about ASSIST-related research and associated engineering careers. They also partnered with The Society for Women Engineers to sponsor a day for under-represented high school students to explore engineering careers. UVA also worked with the Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers (SHPE) to sponsor Juntos Podemos. This program hosted Hispanic students from northern Virginia with the goal to encourage these students to attend UVA and complete a degree in engineering, science or mathematics. UVA also sponsored Orange County School District students to the Scholar Identity Institute where they toured ASSIST labs and met with ASSIST students. Florida International University sponsored the Engineering Expo for 1,400 students to visit the FIU Engineering Center where they toured ASSIST research labs and participated in hands on engineering investigations. ASSIST FIU faculty and students collaborated with the Miami Science Museum to share nanoscience and engineering with students at the museum. FIU also sponsored the Engineers on Wheels program taking ASSIST research to students in partnering schools through nano-projects, remote

NanoDays 2015

Students explore ASSIST research

160    

microscopy, 3D printing, and investigations with Arduino circuit board technology. The PSU Precollege Program has offered special professional development to area teachers to introduce them to the work of the ASSIST Center. Teachers were educated about nanoscale phenomena and completed engineering projects. PSU is developing investigations for teachers using GoogleGlass (purchased with ASSIST funds) to perform classroom research in health monitoring; a creative method of leveraging resources from an NSF Expeditions in Computing project, the Visual Cortex on Silicon. Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) The RET program engaged teachers from our partnering schools in conducting research in the ASSIST NERC laboratories. The numbers of RET participants for the past two summers are shown in Table 1. Funding for the program has been from the NSF ASSIST Center, a stipend provided by the NCSU Wake STEM Early College, and support from the NCSU Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. The application process began with a call for applications in January. A committee consisting of school and university faculty reviewed and selected the participating teachers.

University No. RETs 2013 No. RETs 2014 Funding Source

NCSU 4 19

8 ASSIST; 2 Wake County Schools; 14

RET NSF Supplement Grant

UVA 1 2 2 ASSIST PSU 2 2 5 ASSIST FIU 2 2 5 ASSIST

Table 1: RET Teachers The RET program consisted of 5 weeks working at the University. The experience began with a one-week boot camp where the teachers learned about the research of the NERC, safety, laboratory methods, ethical research behavior, and an introduction to nanotechnology and engineering. Each week, the RETs participated in field trips to engineering laboratories and attended professional seminars by ASSIST faculty on each of the Center’s research Thrusts. Teachers met with faculty weekly to work on their curricular investigations related to their NERC research. During this time, teachers examined state and national curricula to integrate

their new investigations into the existing standards. Graduate students served as mentors for the teachers’ research and assisted with the instruction at the professional development workshops. The RET program at PSU included a series of 4-hour workshops that enabled students and teachers to better understand how their research contributed to the overall ASSIST project, which in turn helped the teachers consider how to implement high-quality units of study in their classrooms. PSU also provided individual training and practice to the ASSIST graduate students in communicating their research to a non-technical audience during the weekly workshops, where

reciprocally the RETs and Young Scholars provided immediate feedback about their

RETs and Young Scholars Design Sensors

161    

presentations. The RETs at FIU conducted research on pressure sensors; at PSU the RETs investigated production and deposition of manganese doped KNN solution, simulating resonating cantilevered energy harvesting, at UVA the research focused on solar energy harvesting and solar energy collection, and at NCSU the RETs designed sensors to address a One Health Issue at the interface of human and animal health. During the academic year, teachers piloted their investigations and were observed by ASSIST faculty and graduate students. The RET teachers presented their research at a NERC RET conference and shared their research at state science conferences and the National Science Teachers Conference Regional meetings. The RET teachers at NCSU have organized a special One Health Design Challenge to design and build a sensor to address a specific health issue. Teachers from different schools are collaborating to foster a regional based competition. Young Scholars There were 9 ASSIST Young Scholars during the reporting year (Year 1- 2 FIU, 2 PSU and 2 NCSU; Year 2- 1 UVA, 2 FIU, 2 PSU and 4 NCSU) that participated in a summer research experience. Orientation sessions were held for students at the beginning of the Young Scholar program. Young Scholars joined the RETs for boot camp, field trips, and NERC seminars. At NCSU, teams of Young Scholars and RETs worked together to design a sensor that would address an animal-human interaction health issue. The teams researched wearable electronics, learned about integrated circuits, fundamentals of circuits, design studies, as well as SolidWorks and 3D printing. Participants were able to create a prototype wearable monitor that harvested heat from their body to create power. Participants also visited and toured labs in several engineering departments related to NERC and ASSIST, such as Mechanical Science and Engineering, Textile Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering. The Young Scholars and RETs presented their research at the NERC Research Conference at the end of the summer. At UVA the young scholars investigated pulse oximeters to measure heart rate and redsigned the pulse oximeter to measure nitric oxide. Young Scholars at FIU researched SEM deposition and etching as well as creating pressure sensors. AT PSU the Young Scholars investigated stressors to cortisol, cortisol and environmental factors, and activity and calorie intake with Google Glass. Outreach ASSIST graduate students offered an amazing array of presentations and workshops for students, parents, and teachers. ASSIST sponsored multiple Family STEM events and Magnet Fair Demonstrations for partnering schools, and ASSIST faculty participated in elementary school science fair judging. NanoDays Faculty and graduate students presented nanotechnology talks, conducted lab tours, and facilitated demonstrations at NanoDays for students and the public. ASSIST researchers opened their laboratories to the middle and high schools students and teachers. Approximately 3,000 people attended NanoDays at NCSU. Research

162    

We examined the effectiveness of our outreach work with the partnering schools with focused and targeted intervention and research. For example, a long-term study of students’ concepts of size and scale was conducted with Carroll Middle School students. The study tracks students’ achievement, self-efficacy, and career interests over multiple years to determine the Precollege Program potential impact on students’ standardized test achievement.

We are in the process of tracking students (see Table 2) participating in the Center’s program that join ASSIST universities or other STEM undergraduate programs. Young Scholars are enrolled in engineering at NCSU, PSU, Lycombing College, Indiana University of PA and Colorado School of Mines) Our evaluation report (below) shows evidence that students’ career goals have been shaped to include an increased interest in STEM careers.

University Number of Young Scholars

College or University Entered

Number that Entered

Engineering or STEM Field

2013 2014

NCSU 2 4 4 Still in High School; 2 (Engineering)

PSU 2 2 2 Still in High

School; 2 University

2 (Engineering)

FIU 2 2 4 3 (2

Engineering; 1 Medical)

UVA 0 1 1 Still in High School

Table 2: Tracking Young Scholars Plans for Year 4 and Beyond As of this writing, the center is conducting a search for a new pre-college director, as our current director will be pursuing other professional opportunities at the end of the 2015 spring semester. Moving forward into year four, we will continue to build on the great work of the past three years, while placing particular emphasis on three guiding principles of the pre-college vision:

1. Dissemination of ASSIST research to K-12 students and teachers 2. Engagement of ASSIST faculty in translating their research to the pre-college

audience, 3. Development of a framework for graduate student engagement that focuses on

balancing demand on graduate students’ time while maximizing impact in pre-college target population.

Middle School Student Tests Sensor on Dog Model

163    

We expect that the new pre-college director will bring new expertise and innovative ideas for implementing programs and activities within the framework of these guiding principles. Some general goals for the upcoming years will include: creating opportunities for the RETs from each partnering university to network and disseminate their lessons and modules; creating a team of teacher-leaders who may provide workshops, organize engineering education events (such as the one health design challenge) and partner with ASSIST in outreach events; Creating a framework for graduate students to benefit from their precollege work (incentives, credit, enhanced skills); and designing new outreach investigations based on ASSIST research that can be used in short-term and long-term outreach events. Expected milestones and deliverables for the project:

• Implement the RET and Young Scholar Programs • Lesson plan/modules developed by the RETs • Provide targeted outreach to each partnering school • Provide career education to partnering schools and the public

Response to the SWOT Analysis The Year 2 site visit team identified the following weaknesses in their SWOT analysis: “The large amount of pre-college activities may include generic STEM activities that do not support the mission of ASSIST. They should be examined to ensure that only those that disseminate Center research are undertaken by the Center.”

The Center education team is examining the pre-college activities to ensure that those activities supported by ASSIST are closely aligned with Center research. Specifically, this year several Center faculty and students have been working on a set of new outreach activities that showcase ASSIST research. These demos will be available for dissemination by May 2015 and address topics including: thermoelectric and piezoelectric energy harvesting, wearable health sensors (EKG), as well as body-circuit interfaces. Many of the already-existing teaching and outreach materials are closely associated with Center research and include investigations with size and scale, engineered materials, circuits and sensors, surface area to volume in nanomaterials, and nano ethics. We have also obtained a SEED grant to create new kit materials that can engage students in engineering through investigations with energy and circuits. Our RETs have developed lesson plans related to ASSIST research as an outgrowth of their summer research. The teachers have designed and implemented a new Sensor Design Competition across different schools to engage students in creating a sensor to address a health issue (one school chose Ebola as the health issue). We have worked to make explicit the links between activities that ASSIST faculty do with students and teachers and ASSIST research. • Some meetings and outreach involving students appear inordinately ad hoc and overly

time-consuming to students who must balance them with research and progress toward graduation.

164    

Effective use of students’ time is always a concern and we are continually trying to improve in this area. The center is aware that ASSIST students are required to participate in many more activities than their non-ERC counterparts. We are continually working to create a compelling value proposition for the students, which is commensurate with the added effort. Our SLC has been instrumental in gathering data on student’s concerns via the SWOT analysis as well as an informal discussion session at this year’s IAB meeting. Our assessment coordinator has also instituted a biannual student satisfaction survey to further understand this issue. To directly address this issue from the pre-college education lens, have made the ten required outreach hours per semester as flexible as possible. Hours can roll over from semester-to-semester in order to ease the burden on students. In addition, students can engage in pre-college through a variety of avenues. A student does not necessarily have to travel to a school, but may choose to develop an activity or demonstration based on their research instead. Finally, we are leveraging online communication in order to minimize the number of pre-college meetings required of the graduate students. Any meetings they do attend count toward their outreach hours. Publications

• Gardner, G., Jones, M. G., Albe, V., Blonder, R., Laherto, A., & Paechter, M. (in press). Undergraduate students’ perceptions of the public communication of an emergent technology: An international comparative study.

• Jones, M. G. (in press). Precollege Nanotechnology Education: A Different Kind of Thinking. Nanotechnology Review.

• Legon, M., & Jones, M. G. (in press). Science Meets Engineering: Applying the Design Process to Monitor Leatherback Turtle Hatchlings. Science Scope.

• Gardner, G.E., & Jones, M.G. (2014). Exploring pre-service teachers' perceptions of the risks of emergent technologies: Implications for teaching and learning. Journal of Nano Education, 6, 39-49.

Awards and Recognitions (2014-2015) Gail Jones, NCSU 2015 Association for Science Teacher Education, Outstanding Science Teacher Educator of the

Year Award 2014 Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor Award 2014 Outstanding Extension Award 2014 Academy of Outstanding Faculty Engaged in Extension 2014 Alumni Association Outstanding Extension and Outreach Award

165    

Pre-College Program Assessment Evaluator: Meghan Manfra, PhD Overview An activities-based logic model (W.K. Kellogg Foundation, 2001) was used to clarify the ASSIST pre-college education program’s goals, objectives, activities, and outcomes. The three main goals of the pre-college program are to:

1. Stimulate student interest in engineering careers 2. Increase the diversity of domestic students studying engineering at the college level 3. Form intensive, long-term partnerships with middle and high schools committed to

including engineering concepts and experiences in the classroom. By using a logic model we ensure that the program has a cohesive focus from the planning through evaluation stages. Formative assessment data of the ASSIST pre-college education program has been collected on an on-going basis since 2012. Summative data has been collected at the end of each year. Evaluation and data collection tools include:

• Outreach Program Database (includes brief description of events including topic, agendas, # of people in attendance, and diversity of participants at the 4 participating campuses) - ongoing

• Evaluations of ASSIST activities by partnering school administrators and teachers - biannually

• Pre-post questionnaires of K-12 student interest in STEM majors/careers (MISO survey) – biannually

• Pre-post questionnaires of teacher attitudes regarding STEM content (MISO survey) - biannually

• RET pre/post evaluation and interview (see http://www.retnetwork.org/evaluation.php) - biannually

• Graduate student facilitator self-reports following visits/events -- ongoing • Participant evaluations of public outreach events – on-going

The assessment program builds on the VaNTH ERC framework highlighting the importance of developing a K-12 education program that is learner centered, knowledge centered, and assessment centered (see http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf00137/nsf00137f.htm). This means that the materials designed and developed for K-12 students by the ASSIST pre-college program will improve the experience of individual learners and monitor the progress they make toward their learning goals. The table below outlines the formative and summative assessment plan for the pre-college education programs. Major Findings Conclusions from the 2015 assessment and evaluation of the ASSIST precollege program include:

1. Stakeholders are highly supportive of the precollege program and its outreach activities. They feel the program is meeting its major goals.

2. School partners are overwhelmingly pleased with the work of the ASSIST pre-college program.

166    

3. The program is making a difference in teachers' and students' confidence and interest in engineering and STEM.

4. There is an array of opportunities for graduate student involvement to engage in outreach (both in scope and direction of events).

Current Activities K-12 Outreach The pre-college faculty members from the four partnering institutions (NCSU, FIU, UVA, and Penn State) have provided over 494 hours of educational outreach to a large variety of K-12 audiences. These activities have included large-scale fairs, family nights, orientation sessions, and intimate hands-on activities in individual classrooms. The content has focused on health monitoring, nanotechnology and engineering career education and sessions have highlighted ASSIST research activities. Pre-college outreach events have included elementary aged students, middle and high school students, parents, teachers, principals, and undergraduate and graduate university students. Based on records of attendance submitted by the outreach coordinators, the ASSIST pre-college program has worked with 9,222 children and adults on educational activities related to nanotechnology. These participants represented a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds. A survey was sent to major stakeholders in the pre-college program, including university faculty, school principals, graduate students, middle and high school students, community partners, and middle and high school teachers to evaluate the outreach efforts of the pre-college program. Responses were overwhelmingly positive. Using a five point Likert scale respondents were asked to rate the effectiveness of the program (see Table 1).

% Effective MS/HS students

MS/HS teachers

Univ. faculty

Graduate students Principals Comm.

partners Effectiveness in stimulating interest in engineering careers

100% 100% 100% 95% 100% 100%

Effectives for engaging a diverse group of students interested in studying engineering

100% 92% 100% 90% 100% 100%

Effectiveness in forming long-term partnerships with middle and high schools to include engineering concepts and experiences in classrooms

100% 100% 100% 95% 100% 100%

N = 59 Table 1: Effectives of Pre-College Outreach Program

In addition, open ended questions collected respondent’s impressions of the program as well as suggestions for improvement.

167    

Perceived strengths/areas for improvement University faculty pointed out the goal of integrating ASSIST into the work of the schools seemed particularly strong. They valued the manner in which the program linked the RET and REU programs and felt the lab tours and summer experiences were very effective. Suggestions were to increase the number of teacher participants to 3 or more so that there was more of a cohort-feel. Similarly, the graduate students seemed to value the opportunities to engage in outreach in local schools. One student wrote: “I really like how the precollege program networks with local schools and how, through this connection, we graduate students are invited to visit the schools and assist with their events. It's a great way to get involved in the local community and share our enthusiasm for and interest in engineering.” Suggestions included using social media to publicize the ASSIST Center’s outreach and to pair students and teachers with a university-based researcher. Teacher respondents were overwhelmingly positive about their experiences working with ASSIST. According to a teacher surveyed: “The partnership I have gained with NC State has been extremely beneficial for myself and my students. Being able to work with professors and students in the ASSIST program has helped me develop new lessons, we have taken field trips to NC State to work the students and learn more about the program, and my students are solving real world problems and incorporating wearable devices into our curriculum. Plus, having members of the ASSIST program come to our school and work with students was really wonderful.” Suggestions from teachers included: seeking more funding to include more teachers and allowing teachers to repeat RET programs year after year. School principals and administrators who responded to the survey appreciated the partnerships with ASSIST and the manner in which it was responsive to the needs of their schools and consistent throughout the year. According to a principal that responded to the survey: “[It] improved upon the quality of STEM lessons, access to technology and instructors that they [teachers] would not have had. Our Science standardized proficiency test scores increased by almost 30%.” MISO Surveys ASSIST pre-college has partnered with the NSF funded Maximizing the Impact of STEM Outreach (MISO) project at NCSU. This project has developed a series of evaluation tools. We plan to use two of these tools: the “Student Efficacy and Attitudes toward STEM” (S-STEM) survey and the “Teacher Efficacy and Attitudes toward STEM” (T-STEM) Survey. To date these surveys have been deployed at 3 of our partnering schools: Southeast Raleigh HS, Carroll Middle School, and Centennial Middle School (all in Raleigh, NC). All three schools are identified as STEM schools (they have explicit curriculum foci on STEM education). Item Pre-survey

mean* Post-survey mean**

I would consider a career in science. 4.30 4.57 I know I can do well in science. 4.30 4.57 I believe I can be successful in a career in engineering. 4.20 4.70

168    

Your Future: Engineering Career 3.30 3.71 *N= 10 (pre), 7 (post); 5 point scale ** N=10 (pre), 7 (post), 4 point scale

Table 2: MISO Survey: ASSIST Cohort 2014 Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Program Teacher participants in the RET program were surveyed before and after the program to gain an understanding of their experiences. A sample of teachers was also interviewed at the end of the program. When asked: “As a professional development program for teachers, how would you rate the RET program in which you participated?” most teacher participants responded very favorably, with 87% rating it “very good” or “excellent.” # Answer Response Percent 1 Poor 1 4% 2 Fair 0 0% 3 Good 2 9% 4 Very good 6 26% 5 Excellent 14 61%

Table 3: Satisfaction with RET Program When asked about the relationship between participation in the RET program and student achievement, a teacher replied: “Yes, this experience will have an impact on student learning because I was exposed to many hands-on ideas that I can incorporate into my curriculum in order to improve understanding of certain topics as well as being provided different curriculum protocols that I can implement.” (ASSIST RET Participant, July 2014) According to a teacher interviewed:

I feel that the exposure to current research and the interaction with the scientists was very beneficial. As teachers we are somewhat isolated in our classrooms and unaware of the research and development that is occurring in the university setting. I enjoyed being able to ask questions of the professors, graduate students and other faculty. I know that I will be able to take what I have learned back into my classroom. I will be able to use the knowledge I have gained from this experience to introduce my students to the STEM fields and to share my knowledge, pictures, and connections with my students. (ASSIST RET Participant, July 2014)

It appears that participation in the ASSIST RET program had a positive impact on teacher efficacy and professional development (see Table 4 below). Item 2013 2014 It increased my confidence in myself as a teacher 3.30 3.26 It elevated my enthusiasm for teaching 3.33 3.52 It increased my interest in research and the ways that science, mathematics, or technology can be applied

3.70 3.78

It stimulated me to think about ways I can improve my teaching

3.40 3.61

169    

I believe I will be a more effective teacher 3.40 3.57 It increased my interest and ability in networking with teachers and other professionals

3.20 3.65

It increased my motivation to seek out other experiential professional development activities

3.30 3.61

It increased my commitment to learning and seeking new ideas on my own

3.20 3.50

Table 4: RET Post-survey: Teacher efficacy/personal impact (longitudinal) In terms of suggestions for future RET programs, teachers most frequently noted that time allotted for activities and the intellectual challenge of the program. Open-ended responses were coded and are list below in Table 5. Theme Frequency Example Time crunch 6 I was not fully prepared for the time crunch on getting two

lessons, a poster and a demo completed…Note: This was the only thing I feel could have been handles differently. Everything else about the program was excellent and I will recommend it to other teachers and students!

Intellectual challenge

4 The experience was a stretch mentally because engineering concepts is not my area of study that I am familiar with. However, it offers me the opportunity to grow.

Table 5: Areas to note in future programming Young Scholars Program Participants in the Young Scholars program were surveyed both before and after their program. A sample of participants was also interviewed. In summing up his experience one participant stated: “It's an amazing program and it challenges students.” (ASSIST YS Participant, 2014). Table #6 below illustrates the overall level of satisfaction among participants in the ASSIST Young Scholars program. Survey Item 2014 Mean* How well organized the program was. 3.00 The overall supportiveness of your faculty mentor(s). 3.33 The experience as a whole. 3.56 The social/cultural activities. 3.22 The independence you had in doing your work. 3.33 The overall supportiveness of your graduate student or postdoc mentor(s). 3.44 The amount of involvement you had in selecting or designing your research project(s).

3.11

Our living arrangements (housing, meals). 3.44 The extent to which you felt you were an integral part of a research team. 3.11 *n=9, 4 point scale

Table 6: Young Scholars Post-Assessment 2014: Level of Satisfaction

170    

When asked to rate whether their “interest in the following increased due to program?” student responses suggested that they had become more interested in engineering and STEM careers (see Table 7 below).

Item Mean*

A career in science 4.00 A career in engineering 4.67

A career in research 3.78 A career I industry 3.78

A career in teaching 3.22 Table 7: Young Scholars Post-Assessment 2014: Interest in the following increased due to program?

*N= 9, 5 point scale Student suggestions for improving the Young Scholars program included: • I would make them successful by meeting with the participants one day of the week. • Giving them freedom to choose a related topic that they were interested in or passionate

about and giving them access to the resources they need to be successful • Do the same things here. Expose them to the actual people that are doing what they think

they might be doing such as the engineers or the undergraduate students. • Expose them to as many areas of the field you’re trying to introduce them to as possible, and

give them all the resources they could possibly need to make a good project. • I would make them successful by adding time that the students spend with the mentors. • Assign them to somebody that could help them every day and have them doing things • I would allow the students to formulate their own research questions and then sit down with

them and have them choose which questions they would work on. I would also help them greatly with their final projects.

Conclusions Overall, the ASSIST Pre-College Outreach Program has made considerable progress towards its goals. It appears to have a high functioning program that addresses the needs of its stakeholders. Directors of the program are encouraged to maintain the current trajectory while also using participant feedback to guide future programming.