An Overview of NSF's ITEST Program
PublicationsThe attached document provides a snapshot of NSF's ITEST Program from 2003-2014.
The attached document provides a snapshot of NSF's ITEST Program from 2003-2014.
The 2002 User Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation was developed to provide managers working with the National Science Foundation (NSF) with a basic guide for the evaluation of NSF’s educational programs. It is aimed at people who need to learn more about both what evaluation can do and how to do an evaluation, rather than those who already have a solid base of experience in the field. It builds on firmly established principles, blending technical knowledge and common sense to meet the special needs of NSF and its stakeholders.The Handbook discusses quantitative and qualitative evaluation
The Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development describes the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s and the U.S. Department of Education (ED)’s shared understandings of the roles of various types or “genres” of research in generating evidence about strategies and interventions for increasing student learning. These research types range from studies that generate the most fundamental understandings related to education and learning (for example, about brain activity), to research that examines associations between variables, iteratively designs and tests components of a strategy or
This document includes six checklists created by the Evaluation Resource Center for Advanced Technological Education (EvaluATE). These checklists may be used by researchers and evaluators to check for adherence to the National Science Foundation's Common Guidelines.
This document created by the Center for Research in Cyberlearning (CIRCL) synthesizes the field of learning sciences and how it intersects with cyberlearning.
ITEST Data Brief Volume 2, Issue 1, January 2015The ITEST program specifically targets its work toward engaging the participation of youth who have been traditionally underrepresented in post-secondary STEM education and the STEM workforce, including, but not limited to, “… women, underrepresented minorities (African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders) and persons with disabilities” (2014 NSF ITEST solicitation). How do projects do this?A 2012 DataBrief describing the work of ITEST projects found that many ITEST projects do
ITEST LRC Idea Brief Volume 5, March 2007Increasingly, educators are leveraging games and computer simulations to create dynamic learning experiences. Among the numerous ITEST projects engaged in this work are Girl Game Company, in which girls design and program their own games, and Global Challenge, whereteams of youth learn about systems and scientific concepts through games and simulations.
In community centers, labs, and classrooms, young people from around the country are diving into STEM learning experiences. They’re devoting some of their valuable out-of school hours to experiment and make discoveries, at the same time building skills in science, math, engineering, and technology. Why? What do they get out of it? What motivates them to participate, and what would inspire them to further pursue STEM learning and careers?What program elements most effectively support STEM workforce development?What partnerships work best? How should staff be prepared? And how can programs be
ARC was asked by NSF to conduct a pilot project to review the research methodologies employed by a sample of projects funded by the REESE (Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering) program. ARC convened an expert panel in consultation with NSF to develop standards and a rubric for rating the rigor of REESE projects’ methodologies, with the ultimate goal of reporting on the methodologies employed in the REESE program overall.Panelists concurred that the guidelines provided in the American Educational Research Association’s (2006) Standards for Reporting on Empirical
The Girl Game Company, an ITEST program, was featured among 38 best practice programs in the 2010 edition of the Bayer Corporation's Planting the Seeds for a Diverse US STEM Pipeline: A Compendium of Best Practice K-12 STEM Education Programs.