The year is underway for the Virginia K12 STEM Outreach program. The team of teachers, scientists and engineers (S&Es), and William and Mary's STEM Education Alliance will have a busy year with more than 17 schools participating in various activities. The Virginia Demonstration Project (VDP) originated in 2005 and has reached over 38,000 students through in-class programs and summer academies.
The school year, in-class program consists of collaborative teacher and S&E teaching teams who deliver integrated science and mathematics lessons wrapped around a real world problem. The STEM Education Alliance has created an integrated science and mathematics lesson plans, R2: Relevant Robotics, which are linked to both the Virginia SOLs and Common Core Standards. In addition to robotics, this is the second year of evaluating the SeaPerch program being implemented in five different Virginia school divisions. SeaPerch is a hands-on STEM activity that allows students to create an underwater robot while learning to use tools and problem solving skills.
In response to budgetary and man power issues, The STEM Education Alliance has developed a Blended Virtual Mentoring protocol. This was piloted at Post Oak Middle School in Spotsylvania public schools last school year. An S&E participates in both in-class and virtual demonstrations and question and answer sessions with students. A virtual presence in the classroom reduces travel time and increases the S&Es availability for increased student engagement.
Due to the program's eight year span of service within the schools, the STEM Education Alliance has developed a longitudinal focus. High school students who participated in the VDP in-class program during seventh or eighth grade are interviewed during the last several months of their senior year. Based on two years of data, with more than 2800 students participating in the surveys, students report that they were more likely to pursue a career in technology, mathematics, or engineering than students who did not participate in the VDP in-class program. Given the four to five year span between program participation and follow up evaluation, the results are quite significant for long-term impact of the in-class program.
In addition to in-class programs, the Virginia outreach effort includes several summer academies. Summer academies have been ongoing since 2005 and have been held in Dahlgren as well as Quantico Marine base. Summer Academy students engage in challenges related to engineering, robotics, ballistics, rocketry, electronics, biology and chemistry, and environmental science. Stay tuned -- the 2013-14 year promises to be another year of remarkable students, teachers and S&Es engaged in hands-on, minds-on learning!
