TPC Proof-of-Concept: Digital Libraries go to School

Utah State University, Logan UT

Investigators

Abstract

The primary goal of this project is to help teachers learn to use NSDL resources in ways that meaningfully affect their practice in STEM content areas while increasing their skills as designers of learning activities. The target audience is in-service middle school and high school math and science teachers and student-educators in pre-service math and science courses. The objectives of this three-year project are to: 1) design and implement a teacher development model; 2) design and implement a STEM content development model; 3) contribute teacher-designed learning activities to NSDL; and 4) use evaluation and research to measure impact on teaching. The teacher/content development model will be pilot tested in workshops with small groups of in-service teachers in Utah and New York in urban and rural districts. Participants will receive follow-on support from project experts and peers. At the same time, teacher-created content will be reviewed according to a rubric developed by an external Review Committee and contributed to NSDL. The workshop curriculum will be adapted for use in pre-service teacher education classes at SUNY Cortland and USU. Pre-service participants will receive support from in-service teacher communities and project experts. Workshop materials will be adapted for delivery in alternate formats. Evaluations of the impact on teaching and STEM content knowledge will be conducted throughout the project by project staff and an external evaluator. The institutions involved include Utah State University, the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) Core Integration at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, and the State University of New York at Cortland.