CAREER: Broadening Perspectives of Science, Technology, and Culture Through Community-Driven Design of Place-Based Storytelling Experiences

Utah State University, Logan UT

Investigators

Abstract

As new technologies continue to dominate the world, access to and participation in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and computing has become a critical focus of education research, practice, and policy. This issue is exceptionally relevant for American Indians, who remain underrepresented as only 0.2% of the STEM workforce, even though they make up 2% of the U.S. population. In response to this need, this Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) project takes a community-driven design approach, a collaborative design process in which Indigenous partners maintain sovereignty as designers, to collaboratively create place-based storytelling experiences, stories told in historical and cultural places through location-based media. The place-based storytelling experiences will be digital installations at culturally, politically, and historically significant sites in the local community where the public can engage with Indigenous science. Partners will include Tribal Nations such as the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation (NWBSN), Utah's Title VI Program, and other Tribal educators throughout Utah. Initially, the principal investigator and the NWBSN will investigate: (a) what are effective strategies and processes to conduct community-driven design with Indigenous partners?; (b) how does designing place-based storytelling experiences develop tribal members? design, technical, and computational skills?; (c) how does designing these experiences impact tribal members? scientific, technological, and cultural identities? The goals are to establish a process of community-driven design, build infrastructure to support this process, and understand how this methodological approach can result in culturally-appropriate ways to engage with science through technology. The principal investigator will work with NWBSN to complete intergenerational design cycles (a design cycle is made up of multiple design iterations). Each design cycle will result in one place-based storytelling experience. Across partners, the goal is to include roughly 15 youth (ages 6-18), 10 Elders/Knowledge Holders, and 10 other community members (i.e. members ages 18-50, likely parents) in each design cycle (35 tribal members total). Some designers are likely to participate in multiple design cycles. In Year 4, new community partners will be engaged to allow for iterative refinement and further development of the community-driven processes developed with the first partner. Over the life of the award the PI with partners aim to include at least 50 youth ages 6-18 across design cycles and at least 100 Tribal Elders, Knowledge Holders, and community members (as designers, storytellers, or to provide cultural artifacts or design feedback). This CAREER award is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments. This includes providing multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.