ITEST Projects

This three-year ITEST Strategies project, GeniConnect, focuses on middle school student engagement in genetics and biotechnology using game-based learning (Geniverse)

The overall objective of this project will be testing a model of community engagement in STEM learning through the design and implementation of a high school level career and technical education (CTE) bioscience course. The problem, the spread of infectious disease, specifically influenza, was chosen for the local community (Coconino County, AZ) after consultation with community partners. The project emanates from efforts in education designed to develop the next generation of STEM innovators who can productively participate in our increasingly global society.

This project will explore how a modeling-based curricular approach advances 4th and 5th grade students' understanding of science as a way of knowing.

The LinCT (Linking Educators, Youth, and Learners in Computational Thinking) project at the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) will engage female teachers-in-training and youth from underrepresented demographics in immersive technology experiences and STEM education. LinCT will guide teachers to develop their understanding and use of technology in the classroom, as well as prepare youth for a future where technology plays a key role in a wide range of professional opportunities.

This project will develop and study Engineering Experiences, in an out-of-school-time (OST) setting that combines project-based learning in STEM with engineering experiences and ongoing mentoring to prepare students for success in high school STEM courses and the future STEM workforce.

This project will develop a suite of digital tools designed to support positive messaging around skill-based education and careers and to improve mentors' communication with middle school-aged youth mentees. Maintaining U.S. economic advantage requires attracting talent to high-growth, high-demand skill-based, STEM-related careers that are traditionally attained through Career and Technical Education (CTE). Replacing old negative perceptions with new, more accurate messages about CTE and then reaching youth with these messages before high school is essential. Career-focused mentoring is a vehicle for delivering these messages and supporting youth exploration of CTE as a possible path for their own lives.

The Arizona State University Center for Games and Impact will collaborate with VME (Vme Media), E-Line Media, and HACU (Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities) to develop a project designed to engage Hispanic middle-school students in learning about STEM careers. The project will initially

Educational Pathways Into College and Career is a multi-faceted summer program designed to equip students from low-performing schools, low-income families and ethnic/racial groups underrepresented in STEM fields with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to succeed in STEM majors and pursue STEM-related careers.

The project will be a partnership between a non-profit organization and a university in order to engage youth in data science projects as they produce interactive media for local and national audiences.

This collaborative project between the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), Georgia Technical Institute, and Georgia State University will develop and test a model curriculum for grades 3-6 that aligns with ISTE's standards and computational thinking goals.