Computing and Engineering Research Experiences for Teachers of STEM (CERTS) Program

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides funding for a three year standard award to support a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science Site program at Stanford University, entitled, "Computing and Engineering Research Experiences for Teachers of STEM (CERTS) Program", under the direction of Dr. Sheri D. Sheppard. The proposed new CERTS Program enhances and extends the earlier Stanford Engineering Research Experiences for Teachers (SERET) Program and creates enduring partnerships between San Francisco area STEM teachers in grades 6-12 and Stanford faculty and graduate students. CERTS will expose 39 teachers, and through them, their students, to engineering and computing disciplines and the ways science and math curricula relate to and support basic engineering and computing concepts. The goal of CERTS is to increase the interest and proficiency in STEM among middle and high school students by providing: 1) 8-week authentic summer research experiences for STEM teachers in Stanford engineering and computer science labs and centers under the direct supervision of faculty or graduate student mentors: 2) Exposure to a diversity of engineering and computer science disciplines and applications through weekly faculty talks, seminars and lab training sessions at Stanford; 3) Curriculum development assistance through one-on-one coaching, workshops and seminars delivered weekly during the summer and periodically during the academic year: 4) Dissemination of new lessons and teaching materials via various community websites and teacher attendance at a prestigious national conference; and 5) Assessment of the program's effectiveness through surveys, and an extensive external evaluaton that includes surveys, interviews, and observational case studies of the effects of CERTS in teachers' classrooms. These collaborations address the national need to identify and nurture the next generation of high-achieving STEM innovators, especially in the disciplines of engineering and computing that drive U.S. innovation and global competitiveness. CERTS will create a revitalized and re-tooled teaching "infrastructure" that stimulates, inspires and invigorates educators to effectively guide their students toward computing and engineering-related post-secondary study and careers.