Resources included in these libraries were submitted by ITEST projects or STELAR and are relevant to the work of the NSF ITEST Program. PDFs and/or URLs to the original resource are included in the resource description whenever possible. In some cases, full text publications are located behind publishers’ paywalls and a fee or membership to the third party site may be required for access. Permission for use must be requested through the publisher or author listed in each entry.
Bridging Barriers: Using Technology to Attract, Retain, and Mentor the Engineering Workforce of Tomorrow
PublicationToday’s technology-based global economy places a high premium on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. Educators committed to increasing the interest and achievement of females in engineering struggle to find appropriate resources. The Gender and Science Digital Library (GSDL) from Education Development Center, Inc., (EDC) is a unique on-line collection of exemplary resources aimed at encouraging girls and women to pursue science and engineering education and careers. Participants will receive an on-line tour of the GSDL and a hands-on look at exemplary
Space Aliens? Women, ICTs, and Gender-Equitable Electronic Resources
PublicationThis paper explores some of the critical issues surrounding gender and technology, examines what they mean for teaching and learning online, and then describes two projects at the Gender and Diversities Institute at EDC. The first project is research on online learning and its links to gender equity. The second project builds on this base to create a gender and science digital library. Both reflect the work of the Gender and Diversities Institute as it tries to determine how best to create web-based resources and materials that value gender and diversity and support the learning needs of
Building a Foundation for Tomorrow: Skill Standards for Information Technology
PublicationBuilding a Foundation for Tomorrow: Skill Standards for Information Technology, is a cooperative effort of the NorthWest Center for Emerging Technologies, the Regional Advanced Technology Education Consortium, the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the Washington Software and Digital Media Alliance (WSDMA), and the Society for Information Management (SIM).The goal of this Advanced Technology Education project was to identify voluntary skill standards that reflect industry expectations in information technology career clusters and which can be used to:Improve the
Encouraging Girls in Math and Science
PublicationDeveloped by a panel of experts, this practice guide brings together evidence and expertise to provide educators with specific and coherent evidence-based recommendations on how to encourage girls in the fields of math and science. The objective is to provide teachers with specific recommendations that can be carried out in the classroom without requiring systemic change. Other school personnel having direct contact with students, such as coaches, counselors, and principals may also find the guide useful. The guide offers five recommendations and indicates the quality of the evidence that
Contrasting Perceptions of STEM Content and Careers
PublicationAnalysis of baseline attitudinal data gathered from a National Science Foundation Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers project uncovered large contrasts between the perceptions of practicing professionals and students toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and careers (Tyler-Wood, Knezek, & Christensen, 2010). These findings have been reconfirmed in a second year analysis based on new data and are reported in this paper. The pattern of findings suggests that university teacher preparation candidates hold attitudes similar to middle
Increasing Student Interest and Attitudes in STEM: Professional Development and Activities to Engage and Inspire Learners
PublicationThe iQUEST (investigations for Quality Understanding and Engagement for Students and Teachers) project is designed to promote student interest and attitudes toward careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The project targets seventh- and eighth-grade science classrooms that serve high percentages of Hispanic students. The project design, student summer camp program, and professional development model have led to successful increases in student performance. The iQUEST student summer camp findings show that underserved populations of both female and male students
Prime the Pipeline Project (P3): Putting Knowledge to Work
PublicationWith funding from NSF, the Prime the Pipeline Project (P3) is responding to the need to strengthen the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pipeline from high school to college by developing and evaluating the scientific village strategy and the culture it creates. The scientific village, a community of high school students, teachers as learners, undergraduate students as mentors, and university scientists as leaders, collaborate to solve challenging long-term problems/projects that develop villagers’ expertise with STEM concepts/skills and give them a taste of the work of
Editorial: Innovative Professional Development for STEM Workforce Development
PublicationIntroduction to a special issue of CITE wherein three ITEST projects are highlighted. The three projects in this issue share characteristics: programs that interweave formal and informal learning environments, incorporation of practices that allow participants to engage with STEM content in a hands-on manner, and a dedication to improving research on project impacts. This editorial describes these characteristics in depth.This article is part of a special issue of Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE).
STEM
PublicationA 2011 report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows that 65 percent of Bachelor’s degrees in STEM (science, engineering, technology and mathematics) occupations earn more than Master’s degrees in non-STEM occupations. Similarly, 47 percent of Bachelor’s degrees in STEM occupations earn more than PhDs in non-STEM occupations. Furthermore, people with only STEM certificates can earn more than people with non-STEM degrees; for instance certificate holders in engineering earn more than Associate’s degree-holders in business and more than Bachelor’s degree
Building a Framework for Researching Teacher Change in ITEST Projects
PublicationThis review looks to literature on teacher change in science and technology education. We address the following question: How do science and technology teacher professional development programs define and describe changes in teaching beliefs and practices that lead to the effective implementation of sophisticated science and technology into formal classroom teaching?