Video

Science, Technology and Engineering Mini-business Incubator (STEM-Inc)

Description

STEM-Inc is a 3-year NSF ITEST project designed as an after-school program targeting 7th and 8th graders from Junior High schools, especially those from traditionally underrepresented groups. This project creates a mini technology business ‘incubator’ in an afterschool program for 7th and 8th grade students. It is a collaboration involving California State University Fullerton (CSUF)’s Colleges of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS), Business and Economics, and Education; and the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD). Its goal is to make junior-high students and their parents aware of STEM career paths in addition to engage and attract the students to STEM fields and careers. To this end, the project focuses on getting the students involved in exciting real-world projects that involve ECS, business concepts and Entrepreneurship practices. Junior-high school students participating in STEM-Inc work in groups to complete their project and each group is led by a student peer leader. In addition, all student participants are supervised and mentored by CSUF College Mentors and AUHSD teachers. As a design and development project, research questions frame formative data collection and analysis to address aspects of the design that are succeeding and others that require revision. Summative measures focus on what teachers and students learn, as well as attitudes toward science and engineering and self-efficacy.

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