Addressing the Midwest Community's STEM Education Needs Together.

Wittenberg University, Springfield OH

Investigators

Abstract

The project aims to serve the national need of preparing high-quality and effective STEM teachers by training the next generation of STEM practitioners and scholars. The project responds to both regional and national shortages of qualified STEM teachers and the declining number of college students interested in pursuing a career as a STEM educator. More efforts are needed to demonstrate the benefits of a teaching career, incentivize students to pursue STEM education, and develop supports that ensure the long-term success of new teachers. This project will implement recruitment strategies tailored to four student populations: 1) area high school students who may develop an early interest in serving as a STEM teacher; 2) transfer students from Clark State College; 3) first-year Wittenberg University students who have not decided on a career or vocation; and 4) Wittenberg University STEM majors. This project at Wittenberg University includes partnerships with Springfield City School District (SCSD), the Global Impact STEM Academy, and Clark State College (CSC). The project goals are to (1) recruit and graduate 50 undergraduates pursuing teacher licensure in biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics over the five-year period; (2) retain 90% of all original undergraduates recruited into the program; (3) place 100% of graduates in high-need school districts and support 100% of these graduates through meeting their service obligation; and (4) improve STEM teacher candidates’ sense of preparedness by providing opportunities to engage as STEM educators through the Learning Assistants program. The project team will also undertake a study of the effectiveness of the Learning Assistants (LA) program, in which students receive training to support instruction in college-level STEM classrooms. The team will compare academic outcomes (i.e., grades and DFW rates) in courses that utilize an LA with their prior iterations that did not have an LA and survey students in classes with an LA. The expectation is that LAs might lead to a higher degree of satisfaction with the course and self-efficacy in understanding content. The resulting research will be disseminated to the STEM and education communities. This Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the effectiveness and retention of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts. 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.