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ClarifyingYourProject:SupportingInterns’UnderstandingofMentoredSTEMProjects
InstituteforScientistandEngineerEducatorsReport
JeromeM.Shaw
EducationDepartment,UniversityofCalifornia,SantaCruz
February2017
ThisworkwassupportedbygrantstotheInstituteforScientistandEngineerEducators(PI:LisaHunter)fromtheNationalScienceFoundation(AST#1347767),AirForceOfficeofScientificResearch(FA95501510427),andHawaiiCommunityFoundation.ThefindingsandopinionsexpressedinthisreportarethoseoftheauthoranddonotnecessarilyreflectthepositionsorpoliciesoftheNationalScienceFoundation,AirForceOfficeofScientificResearch,orHawaiiCommunityFoundation.Tocitefromthisreport,pleaseusethefollowingasyourAPAreference:Shaw,J.M.(2017).Clarifyingyourproject:Supportinginterns’understandingofmentoredSTEMprojects.SantaCruz,CA:UniversityofCalifornia,SantaCruz,InstituteforScientistandEngineerEducators.
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Abstract
ThisreportfocusesontheAkamaiInternshipProgram’sClarifyingYourProjectscaffold,whichisdesignedtosupportinterns’understandingoftheirmentoredSTEMproject.ThereportpresentsananalysisofresponsesonClarifyingYourProject(CYP)worksheetsfromagroupofteninternsandmentors(fiveeach)fromthesummer2015cohort.FindingsincludetheidentificationoffourchallengesassociatedwiththeCYPworksheets:internattribution,purposeclarification,userinterpretation,andcomprehensivescientificexplanation.AvarietyofconsiderationsaresharedforAkamaistafftodiscussincludingtextandformatchangestotheCYPworksheetaswellasthecreationofstaffanduserguides.
Introduction
TheAkamaiWorkforceInitiativeisdedicatedtobuildingHawaii’sscientificandtechnicalworkforceinsuchamannerthatthisworkforcereflectsthediversepopulationofthestate(https://akamaihawaii.org/about/).Aspartofitseffortstoachievethismission,theInitiativeoperatestheAkamaiInternshipProgramwhichplacesscience,technology,engineeringandmathematics(STEM)undergraduatesinpositionsatobservatoriesandSTEMindustriesontheBigIslandandMaui.Akamaiinternscompleteamentoredprojectforsevenweeksduringthesummer.Aspartofthisprogram,Akamaistaffandinstructorsprovideavarietyofsupportstohelpinternscompletea“productive”project,namely,onethatmakesavaluedcontributiontothehostinstitutionwhileatthesametimeengagestheinterninapositivelearningexperience.Thisreportexploresthenatureandvalueofonesuchsupport–theClarifyingYourProject(CYP)scaffold.Heretheterm“scaffold”referstoa“cognitive[temporarysupportingstructure]topromotecomplexthinking,design,andlearning”(Bransford,Brown,Cocking,1999,p.214;Berland&McNeill,p.771).TheCYPscaffoldincludesawriter(i.e.,internormentor)completingadocumentcalledtheCYPworksheetalongwithadiscussionbetweenthewriterandanAkamaistaffmemberaboutthewriter’sresponsesontheCYPworksheet.Thiswrite/discusscycletypicallyhappenstwiceduringthespanoftheeight-weekAkamaiinternship.SubsequentsectionsofthisreportchronicletheoriginoftheCYPscaffold,describeitsusewithinAkamai,discusschallengeswithitsuse,andpresentconsiderationsforfutureuse.ThepenultimatesectionisbasedonananalysisofCYPworksheetresponsesfromasubsetofinternsandmentorsduringthe2015Akamaiinternship.Asthephrase“considerationforfutureuse”implies,theoverallintentofthisreportistoserveasacatalystfordiscussionamongAkamaistaff,nottopresentaspecificsetofrecommendationsforimplementation.
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Enteringintowritingthisreport,thegeneralconsensusamongAkamaistaffwasthattheCYPscaffoldisausefultoolforassessinginterns’understandingoftheirprojects.Italsoisusefulforinternswithrespecttogatheringinformationabouttheirprojectsandhighlightingtheircontributiontooragencywithcarryingoutandcompletingtheproject.However,theCYPshouldnotbeusedasatemplateforinternstopreparepresentationsabouttheirprojects.Whenreadingthisreport,twoframesareimportanttokeepinmind.First,increatingandusingtheCYPscaffold,theoverallgoalforAkamaistaffistohaveinternsmoredeeplyunderstandtheirprojectsasaprecursortobeingabletocogentlyexplaintheirprojects(e.g.,toatechnicalaudienceduringanend-of-programsymposium).Second,anoverarchingconcernishowdoAkamaistaffusesupportssuchastheCYPscaffoldinwaysthatenhancethegoalof“understanding”withoutgettingboggeddowninterminologyorformatting?
TheAkamaiContextTheAkamaiWorkforceInitiativeisoneofseveralprogramsoverseenbytheInstituteforScientistandEngineerEducatorsorISEE.ISEE’smissionistoadvancehighlyproductivescience,technology,engineeringandmathematics(STEM)professionalswhocontributetomakingtheSTEMworkforcemorediverseandinclusive.ISEEisstructuredaroundthreemajorthemes,eachofwhichisdescribedbrieflybelow(furtherdetailsathttp://isee.ucsc.edu/programs/pdp/themes.htmlandhttp://isee.ucsc.edu/about/publications/index.html).
v InquiryISEEhasdevelopedaframeworkthatincludessixelementsitconsidersessentialtoinquiry,namely,(1)cognitiveSTEMpractices,(2)foundationalSTEMcontent,(3)intertwinedcontentandpractice,(4)mirroringauthenticresearchanddesign,(5)ownershipoflearning,and(6)explainingusingevidence(Metevier,Hunter,Seagroves,Kluger-Bell,Quan,&Barnes,2015).
v Equity&InclusionISEEhasdevelopedfourresearch-informed“focusareas”inEquityandInclusionthatprovidepractice-orientedlensesforviewingthedesignandimplementationofSTEMlearningenvironments:(1)multiplewaystoparticipate,(2)learners’goals,interests,andvalues,(3)beliefsandbiasesaboutlearning,achievement,andteaching,and(4)developinganidentityasaSTEMperson(Seagroves,Hunter,Metevier,Barnes,&Quan,2015).
v AssessmentISEEhasdevelopedresearch-informed“focusareas”in
assessmentthatmovebeyondtraditionalteststoassessmentforlearningandforevaluatingthelearningoutcomesthataremostimportant:(1)assessmentasadriverofiterativedesignandteaching,(2)makinglearners’thinkingvisible,and(3)assessingcontentunderstandingthroughlearners’
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explanations(Hunter,Kluger-Bell,Seagroves,Metevier,Barnes,Norton,&Quan,2015).
Intheirownways,allISEEprogramsoperationalizetheabovethemes.ForAkamai,theyhavebeentranslatedintoconcretestrategies,designprinciples,andbehaviorswithintheInitiative’stwomainefforts:theAkamaiInternshipProgramandtheISEE/AkamaiMentorProgram.TheformerplacesSTEMundergraduatesinworkforcepositionswhilethelatterworkswiththementors(STEMprofessionals)whosuperviseAkamaiinterns.Eachprogramhasmultiplecomponents.Forexample,theinternshipprogramincludesamulti-dayPREPcoursepriortoanintern’splacementatajobsiteandthementorprogramincludesaday-and-a-halfworkshopfocusedondesigningaproductiveprojectseveralweekspriortothestartoftheinternship(http://isee.ucsc.edu/programs/mentor/index.html).BoththeInternshipprogramandtheMentorprogramemphasizetheInquirythemeintermsofcognitiveSTEMpractices,mirroringauthenticresearchanddesign,andownershipoflearning.ThefocusfortheEquity&InclusionthemeisondevelopinganidentityasaSTEMperson,whileforAssessmentitisonmakinglearner’sthinkingvisible.TheCYPscaffoldrelatestoallofthesefocusareas:whilemakingtheirthinking(i.e.,understanding)aboutaprojectvisibleinwriting,usersarecalledupontoidentifyoffocalSTEMpractice.Documentingtheirengagementwithanauthenticworkplacetaskisintendedtohelpdevelopanintern’sidentityasaSTEMperson.Finally,Akamaistaffencourageinternstodothisdocumentationinawaythatshowsthechoicesandchallengestheyfacedwhilecompletingtheproject.InISEEterms,thesearekeyingredientsforestablishinglearnerownership(Metevieretal.2015,page8).
TheClarifyingYourProjectScaffold:ABriefHistoryAswithotherAkamaiprogramsupports,theCYPscaffoldcameaboutinresponsetoanidentifiedneed.Formanyyears,Akamaistaffrecognizedinterns’andmentors’recurringstrugglewithunderstandingandarticulatingtheessentialfeaturesofanintern’sproject.Thislackofcomprehensionand/orcommunicationwasmostevidentaroundthetwotimeswheninternsgivepresentationsontheirprojects:mid-waythroughthesummerinternshipinJulyandtheend-of-programsymposiainAugust.Akamaistaffcoachinternsthroughpractice-runsofbothpresentationspriortotheirformaldeliverytoatechnicalaudience(e.g.,jobsitecolleaguesforthemid-pointtalkandprogram-widementorsandindustryrepresentativesatthesymposia).Whileeffectiveingivingfeedbacktointerns,Akamaistafflackedaformalframeworkorschema–i.e.,“organizedconceptualstructurethatguide[s]howproblemsarerepresentedandunderstood,”(Bransford,Brown,&Cocking,1999,p.33)–toserveasasharedframeofreferencefortheconversations.TheyinitiallyturnedtoanexistingresourceintheK-12scienceeducationresearchliterature.
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KnownasClaim-Evidence-ReasoningorCERframework,thisframeworkhelpsguideeducatorsandlearnersincraftingevidence-basedscientificexplanations(McNeill2011;McNeill&Krajcik2007;McNeill&Krajcik2008;McNeill,Lizotte,Krajcik,&Marx2006;Zembal-Saul,McNeill,&Hershberger,2013).Akamai’sversionoftheCERhasaddedcomponentssuchascontextandfocalsciencepractice(seeISEEInquirythemeelementnumber1;Metevieretal.,2015)andisreferredtoasthe“ExplanationArticulationFramework.”Akamai’sExplanationArticulationFrameworkwasaneffectivesupportforscience-orientedprojects,i.e.,thoseinwhichaninternisostensiblytaskedwithansweringascientificquestion.However,overtimetherehasbeenatrendofinternprojectsbeingincreasinglyengineering-focused,i.e.,theinternistaskedwithsolvingaproblem.Findingalackofanappropriatesupportintheliterature,Akamaistaffdevelopedtheirownengineering-focusedframeworkbasedonthestyleandformatoftheCER.Firstknownasthe“EngineeringSolutionFramework”(circa2010),itwaslaterrenamedasthe“SolutionArticulationFramework”(Arnberg,2014).Tohelpsupportinternsandmentorsdevelopdeeperunderstandingoftheirprojects,AkamaistafftranslatedboththeExplanationArticulationFrameworkandtheSolutionArticulationFrameworkintoClarifyingYourProjectworksheets(seeAppendicesAandB).Bothversionsarelivingdocuments,subjecttoongoingrevisionasdeemednecessarybyAkamaistaff.AnatomyofaCYPWorksheetAscanbeseeninAppendicesAandB,eachtypeofCYPworksheethasthesectionslistedbelowinorderofappearance.EngineeringCYPHEADING:intern,site,mentor,project(i.e.,titleofproject)SOULTIONARTICULATIONFRAMEWORKComponents:Context,Need,Requirements,Constraints,Solution,Justification,FocalEngineeringPracticeScienceCYPHEADING:intern,site,mentor,project(i.e.,titleofproject)EXPLANATIONARTICULATIONFRAMEWORKComponents:Context,Question,Claim,Evidence,Reasoning,FocalSciencePracticeEachframeworkcomponentisaccompaniedbyclarifyingtext/promptstohelpusersunderstandthebrieftitles.Forexample,theclarifyingtextforContextisasfollows:
Backgroundinformationnecessarytounderstandtheneed.(Giveothersasenseofwhereyourprojectfitsinwiththehostinstitution’sbig
picture.)Whydoesthehostorganizationvaluethisproject?Whatcontributiondoesitmake?
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Writersmaycompleteahardorsoftcopy(e.g.,fillablepdf)versionofaCYPworksheet.Bothversionsprovidespaceforwritinginresponses(notethatacondensedversion,i.e.,withoutspaceforresponses,isshownintheAppendices).Onaverage,afullycompletedCYPworksheetisaboutthreepagesinlength.CYPScaffoldUseintheAkamaiInternshipProgramTheAkamaiInternshipProgrammodelbeginswithapreliminary1-weekPREPcourseforinternspriortotheircompletingamentoredprojectover7weeksataSTEMjobsite.Theinternshipcomponentendswithregionallybasedsymposiumduringwhichinternsgivesuccinct,ten-minutepresentationsontheirprojects.ThereisanongoingCommunicationCoursethatspanstheentire8weeksincludingthePREPcourseandmentoredproject.Aftercompletingthosecomponents,AkamaiprovidesongoingCareerDevelopmentsuchasoccasionalworkshops,assistancewithconferencepresentationsandnetworking.TheseelementsaregraphicallyportrayedinFigure1.
Figure1.AkamaiInternshipProgramModelDuringthePREPcourse,Akamaistaffworkwithinternsonskillsandbehaviorsthatpreparethemtobesuccessfulduringtheinternship(e.g.,problem-solvingasateam,strategiesforcommunicatingwithmentors).Akamaistaffmeetface-to-faceseparatelywitheachinternherorhismentorattheirjobsitemid-waythroughtheinternship(e.g.,week3of7).Thismid-pointcheck-inincludesgauginginterns’progressonandunderstandingoftheirproject.Thelatterhasaveryconcreteapplicationinthemid-pointpresentationinternspracticeinfrontofAkamaistaffasaprecursortogivingthesametalkattheirjobsite.Akamaistaffalsomeetwithregionallybasedgroupsofinternson“coachingdays”immediatelypriortoaregion’ssymposiumdate.Again,thestaffprovidefeedbackondraftverbalpresentationswhichprovideinsightsastohowwellaninternunderstandsherorhisproject.
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AkamaistaffhavehadbothinternsandmentorscompleteCYPworksheetsatvariousstagesintheprogram.Giventhefactthatcertaininformationisnotknownuntiltheendofaproject(e.g.,afinalsolutionoranswertoaquestion),useoftheCYPscaffoldhasevolvedtothefollowingphasedprocess:
I. Basedonapreliminaryprojectdescriptionprovidedythementor,internscompletetheHeadingandContextandQuestion(science)orContextandNeed(engineering)sectionsduringthepre-internshipPREPcourse.Akamaistaffhelpinternsunderstandthevarioussectionsandprovideverbalfeedbackonthewrittenresponses.
II. AfterexperiencingthefirstfewweeksoftheactualinternshipandaspartoftheongoingCommunicationCourse,internsrevisitandreviseasneededtheinformationprovidedinPhaseI,andaddEvidence–anticipatedoractual(science)orRequirementsandConstraints(engineering).ThisphaseoftheCYPscaffoldisdesignedtohelpinternspreparefortheirmid-pointpresentations.Akamaistaffagainprovideverbalfeedbackontheresponsesaswellasinterns’practicepresentations.
III. Aftercompletingtheinternshipandaspartofpreparingtheirsymposiumpresentations,internsrevisitandrevisepreviouslywrittenresponsesandcompletetheentireworksheet.Oncoachingdays,AkamaistaffmayrefertoresponsesontheCYPworksheetdirectlyorindirectly(e.g.,howthatinformationisportrayedinthepresentation’sslides).
Inadditiontothethinkingdonebywriterscompletingtheworksheets,theconversationsbetweenAkamaistaffandthewritergreatlycontributetothenegotiationofmeaninganddeepenedunderstandingfortheinvolvedparties.
Anecdotally,staff,interns,andmentorsallfeelthatthereisvalueintheCYPscaffold.Thatsaid,AkamaistafffeeltheneedforimprovementtopreventunintendedunproductivetrendssuchasinternuseoftheCYPworksheetasatemplateforsymposiumpresentations.Thisreportaimstoshedlightonproductiveareasinwhichtomakefruitfulimprovements.
MethodologyInthesummerof2015,theauthorconductedastudywithasmallcohortofAkamaiinternsandtheirmentors(fivepairs).Aspartofthisstudy,eachintern-mentorpaircompletedaCYPworksheettwice;firstattheinternship’smidpointinJuly,andagainjustpriortotheend-of-programsymposiainAugust.ThesetenCYPworksheetsconstitutethemainsourceofdataforthisreport.Aspartofthedatacollection,theauthoralsointerviewedeachinternandmentorindividuallytwice–oncewhenthemidpointCYPworksheetwascompletedand
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againwhentheend-of-programCYPworksheetwascompleted.DirectreferencetocompletedCYPworksheets(e.g.,seekingclarificationofwrittenresponses)wasmadeduringtheinterviews.Theseinterviewswererecordedandtheaudiofilestranscribed.Thesetranscriptionsservedasasecondarydatasourceforthisreport.TheCYPworksheetswerereviewedaspairsinsequence,i.e.,reviewinganinternandher/hismentor’smidpointCYPworksheettogether,thenreviewingtheirend-of-programCYPworksheetstogether,proceedingpair-by-pairinalphabeticalorderoftheintern’slastname.Thisreviewresultedinacomprehensivedocumentcontainingboththeuneditedsourcedata(i.e.,unalteredinternandmentorCYPworksheetresponses)andtheauthor’sinitialobservations(e.g.,patterns,questions,reactions)(Shaw,2016).Annotationsweremadeinthesummaryreviewdocumentincludinganyreferencesmadetothetranscriptdata.Thesummaryreviewdocumentthenwasexaminedinaprocessof“contentanalysis,”definedas“anyqualitativedatareductionandsense-makingeffortthattakesavolumeofqualitativematerialandattemptstoidentifycoreconsistenciesandmeanings,”(Patton,2002,p.453).Theguidingqueryforthisanalysiswas,“WhatdothesedatatellusabouthowAkamaistaffcanbettersupportinternsandmentorswhenusingtheCYP?”DataSetAsstatedabove,theprimarydatasetforthisreportconsistsofatotaloftenCYPworksheetscompletedtwiceeachbyfiveAkamaiinternsandtheirfivementorsduringthesummerof2015.Intermsoftype,bytheirchoice,oneintern-mentorpaircompletedtheScienceCYPworksheetandtheotherfourpairscompletedtheEngineeringCYPworksheet.Fouroftheintern-mentorpairswerebasedontheBigIslandwhiletheremainingpairwasbasedonMaui.Twointern-mentorpairswerebasedatthesameinstitutionontheBigIslandbuttheindividualsdidnothavemuchinteraction.Inboththisreportandthesummaryreviewdocument,theCYPworksheetdataarereferredtowiththecodingschemeshowninTable1.Table1.CodingSchemefor2015ClarifyingYourProjectData
CODE DESCRIPTIONI1 InternforfirstIntern/MentorpairI2 InternforsecondIntern/MentorpairI3 InternforthirdIntern/MentorpairI4 InternforfourthIntern/MentorpairI5 InternforfifthIntern/MentorpairM1 MentorforfirstIntern/MentorpairM2 MentorforsecondIntern/Mentorpair
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M3 MentorforthirdIntern/MentorpairM4 MentorforfourthIntern/MentorpairM5 MentorforfifthIntern/MentorpairMP Mid-PointClarifyingYourProjectworksheetEP End-of-ProgramClarifyingYourProjectworksheetSamplereference:I4EP27Translation:Intern#4’sEnd-of-ProgramClarifyingYourProjectworksheet,page27intheReviewof2015ClarifyingYourProjectDatasourcedocument(Shaw,2016).Giventhenatureofthedata,thisreportaddressestheCYPworksheetcomponentoftheoverallCYPscaffold.Thisfocusisinnowayintendedtodiminishtheimportanceofthewriter-staffdiscussionaspectofthescaffold.
CYP:ChallengesAnalysisofthesummaryreviewdocument(Shaw,2016)yieldedseveralpointsofinterestregardingtheguidingquestion,“WhatdothesedatatellusabouthowAkamaistaffcanbettersupportinternsandmentorswhenusingtheCYP?”Inthisreport,thesepointsofinterestarereferredtoas“challenges.”Unlessnotedotherwise,allsampleresponsesaretakenverbatimfromsourcedocuments,suchasanintern’sormentor’scompletedCYPworksheet.Duetospaceandtimelimitations,onlythosedeemedmostsalientbytheauthorarepresentedhere(seelistinTable2below).Readersmayreviewthesummarydocumentthemselvestogainasenseofotherpointsofinterestthatarose.Table2.SummaryofClarifyingYourProjectChallengesChallenge Description1.InternAttribution Lackofexplicitindicationofwhatthe
interndid/contributedtotheproject.2.PurposeClarification Ambiguousprojectfocus–whatexactly
isitintendedtoaccomplish?3.UserInterpretation Responseprovidesinformationother
thanthatintendedbythedevelopers.4.ComprehensiveScientificExplanation Lackofanyorall:directclaimstatement,
empiricalevidence,reasoningthatexplicitlyconnectstheevidencetotheclaimusingscientificprinciples.
Asaprecursortodiscussingthechallenges,considerthefollowinganalogy.IntheAkamaiprogram,thefinalsymposiumpresentationisakintoanewspaperarticle.Areporter(intern)needstopresenttheWho,What,When,Where,How,andWhyina
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succinctyetcompellingmanner.Areporterhasaspacelimitation(e.g.,twocolumnsofanewspaperpage)whileaninternhasatimelimitation(10minutes).ThepurposeoftheCYPworksheetistohelpaninternunderstandtheWWWWHWofherorhisproject.Craftingtheactualpresentationisarelatedyetdistincttaskwithitsownsetofsupports(e.g.,pre-symposiumCoachingDays).Challenge#1:InternAttributionThischallengereferstoalackofindicationorspecificationofthetypeofactionbeingdonebytheintern.CYPworksheetsmaycontainseveralstatementsdescribingaprojectwithoutanyindicationofwhattheintern’sroleisorwhatsortofactivitytheinternactuallyundertook.ThelackofthisinformationiscriticallyimportantasoneofISEE’sgoalsistohelpinternsdevelopidentityasapersoninSTEM,andhavinganinternbeclearaboutherorhisroleoragencyintheprojecthelpsdevelopsuchidentity(http://isee.ucsc.edu/programs/pdp/equity-inclusion.html).Thischallengewasmostevidentinprojecttitles.Giventhattitlesaretypicallythefirstslideinanintern’ssymposiumpresentation,itisimportantthattheinformationontheslidegiveasenseofthe“What”ofaproject–whatactionorsortofactivitywasdone.Whilepresenting,theinterncanverballyascribeattribution/agency/ownership–bystating“IdidX.”Nevertheless,forthosenotpresentatthesymposiumorforanyonereviewingthepresentation’sslidesatalaterdate,thetitleshouldconveysomeofthe“How”alongwiththe“What.”Herearetitlesthatsolelypresentthe“What.”
• EfficacyofFlueGasforCellana'sOpenPondN.oceanicaCultivation[I1MP1]• PlateCoilThermalManagement:CarouselCoolingSystem[I2MP6]• MechanizedTelescopeBalancingSystem[M3MP13]• TemperatureControlforMOIRICS[I5MP24]
Hereareexamplesoftitlesthatpresentboththe“What”andthe“How”(“How”wordshavebeenitalicized).
• CarbonDioxideUtilizationEfficiencyinMicroalgaeSystems:Evaluatingtheuseoffluegastogrowmicroalgae[M1MP1]
• DKISTCarouselCoolingSystemDesignValidation[M2MP6]• ImprovingtheCounter-BalanceSystemforKeckIandKeckII[I3MP13]• MOIRCSInstrumentTemperatureControllerUpgrade[M5MP24]
ThischallengemayalsoberelatedtotheFocalScienceorEngineeringPracticesectionattheendoftheCYPworksheet.WhileaninternlikelyengagesinseveralSTEMpracticeswhilecompletingaproject,Akamaistaffaskbothmentors(e.g.,duringtheMentorWorkshop)andinternstoidentifyasinglepracticethatinternswillengagewithmostdirectlyorfrequently,especiallyinamannerthatischallengingtotheintern(e.g.,anunfamiliarskill)andwithwhichtheintern,
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throughrepeatedpracticeandguidance,gainsarelativedegreeofcompetency.Thelackofsuchfocusedactivitymaybedetrimentaltoanintern’sownershipoflearninganddevelopmentofanidentityasaSTEMperson.OntheCYPworksheetsinthedataset,themajorityofinternsandmentors(threeoutofthefivepairs)listedthesamepracticeontheirrespectiveworksheets–“analyzingdata”forpair1,“justifyingsolutions”forpair2,and“prototyping”forpair4.Forpair3,theinternlisted“prototyping”whilethementorlisted“definingrequirements”and“conceptualdesign.”Thementorofpair5wrote“definingproblems”whiletheinternleftthatsectionblank.Thechallengehereismoreonthepartofthereader,i.e.,Akamaistaffmember,attemptingtomakesenseofthisinformationorlackthereof.Dothementorandinterndefinethatdesignatedpracticeinthesameway?Didtheinternleavethesectionblankduetolackofunderstandingorrunningoutoftime?OtherthandesignatingafocalSTEMpractice,theCYPworksheetgivesnoindicationofthehowthewriterunderstandsordefinesthatpractice,northemannerinorextenttowhichtheinternactuallyengagedinthepractice.Havingthewriterprovideinformationalongthoselinescouldhelpthatpersonaswellasthereaderbetterunderstandwhataninternactuallydidandevenpromotesomerealizationonanintern’spartofhisorheragencyandlearning.Challenge#2:PurposeClarificationInreadingthroughtheCYPworksheets,itwasoftendifficulttoidentifythe“Why?”foragivenproject.Withoutreallyknowingthisinformation,itischallengingforaninterntotellorastaffmembertodeciphertherestofthestoryabouttheproject.InCYPworksheetterms,thisinformationwasintendedtobefoundinthe“Need”or“Question”section.BelowisanexampleofaQuestionanditsaccompanyingTitleandClaimthatshowawell-sequencedpath,aclearstoryline.TITLE:CarbonDioxideUtilizationEfficiencyinMicroalgaeSystems:EvaluatingtheuseofrecycledCO2asfluegastogrowmicroalgaeQUESTION:HowdoesthealgaeN.oceanicagrownwithfluegas[i.e.,recycledCO21]compareingrowthperformance,biochemicalcomposition,nutrientuse,andcosttoN.oceanicagrownwithpurecarbondioxide?[I1MP1]CLAIM:Cellana'sfluegassystemmaybeeffectiveinthelargescalecultivationofalgaebecausethefluegassystemproducedalgaethatmeetsgrowthperformanceandqualitystandardsandcostslesstoproducethanalgaegrownusingconventionalmethods.[I1EP3]Hereisanexampleofanintern-mentorpairworkingtoclarifythe“Why.”TextinitalicsshowadditionsmadetoaMid-PointCYPresponseontheEnd-of-ProgramCYP.1Textinbracketsaddedforreadersofthisreport.
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InternCYPText[I2EP8-9]TITLE:PlateCoilThermalManagement:CarouselCoolingSystemNEED:Toensurethattheplatecoildesignwillmeetspecifications,datawillbecollectedfromthetestrig.Thisdatawillthenbeusedtoperformcalculationsthatcanbecomparedtothetheoreticaldata.Dataneedstobegatheredandanalyzedsothatcomparisonscanbedrawnbetweenthedesignspecificationsandtheactualtestdata.Theabovetextindicatestheintern’sattempttoclarifywhathisprojectwasaboutandwhyhewasdoingit.Theresponsebeginsbymakingreferencetotheneed(verifyingthatthecoolingsystemdesignactuallyworksontheactualinstallationsite)andprovidesadditionalproceduraldetails.MentorCYPText[M2EP8-9]TITLE:DKISTCarouselCoolingSystemDesignValidationNEED:TheapplicationoftheplatecoilsfortheDKISTenclosureisinnovative,however,thelackofpreviousexperiencerequirestheneedtoverifyanalysisfindings.AsimplifiedsingleplatecoilCFDthermalanalysishasbeenperformedinordertostudyitsthermalbehaviorandneedstobeexperimentallyverifiedwithseasonaldata.Summerdatasetswillneedtobecollected.Onceallseasonaldatasetsaregathered,thermalanalysisneedtobemadetovalidatetheheatdissipationfromtheplatecoils.Thisresponseshowsthatthementorhasaspecificshorthandforreferringtotheprocesstheinternwastoundertake,namely“validation”ofthecoolingsystem.Itisuncleariftheinterngraspedthathewasengaginginanestablishedtechnicalprocessthathadanamethathecouldusewhendiscussingtheprojectwithothersinthefield.Terminologyaside,bothinternandmentorappeartoshareanunderstandingofthestepsinvolved:gatheringadditionaldata,performingcomparisonanalyses,usingtheresultstodeterminewhetherornotthecoolingsystem’sdesignwillworkinreality.AsseeninthemodifiedNeedresponsessharedabove,thespecificfocusoftheprojectbecameincreasinglycleareroverthespanoftheinternship.TheCYPworksheetmayhaveplayedaroleinthisprocess,atleastintermsofhavingtheinternandmentorexpresstheirunderstandingoftheNeedinwriting.BasedoninformationinothersectionsoftheirCYPworksheets,theNeedforthisprojectcanbedescribedhierarchically.Atthehighestlevel,therewastheneedtoverifythecoolingsystem’sdesign.Theverificationprocessrequiredtwodatasets:onetheoretical(previouslygenerated)andoneempirical(i.e.,seasonal–summerseasondatawerelacking).Thus,oneleveldownwastheneedtocompletethe
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seasonaldataset.Atestrigandprocedureforitsusealreadyexisted.Givencompletedatasets,therewasaneedtodoacomputer-basedcomparisonofthetheoreticaldata(i.e.,theintern’s“designspecifications”)andempirical(i.e.,seasonal)datatoseeiftheactualcoolingsystem(representedbythetestrig)wouldperformaspredictedbythetheoreticalmodel.Thedesiredoutputwaspreviouslyspecifiedbutthecodetorunthecomparisonneededtobewrittenandtheresultsexplained.ThishierarchyofneedsisgraphicallyportrayedinFigure2below.
Figure2.HierarchyofNeedsinCoolingSystemValidationProjectChallenge#3:UserInterpretationTherewereseveralinstancesinwhichthewriter’sresponsedeviatedfromthatintendedbytheCYPscaffold’sdevelopers.Asdiscussedbelow,thischallengewasmostevidentinthefollowingsectionsoftheCYPworksheet:Context,Requirements,andSolution.ContextAsstatedintheclarifyingtextforthissection,theContextshouldprovide“backgroundinformationnecessarytounderstandtheneed”(SeeAppendixB).Belowisanexampleofanon-targetContextresponse.ItisprecededbythecorrespondingNeedstatementtofacilitatereadercomprehension.NeedThegoalofthisprojectistogeneratetwotofourmechanizedtelescopebalancingsystemconceptdesigns,evaluatethefeasibilityofeachapproachandtorecommendtheoptimalsystemdesignconceptforfurtherstudy.Themainhazardsofthecurrentsystemthataretobeaddressedaretheriskofdroppingheavyweightsfromthe
VerifyCoolingSystemDesign
CompleteSeasonalDataSet
WriteCodetoRun
Comparison
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Nasmythdecktothedomefloorfarbelow,riskofbodilyinjuryandlengthoftimeneededtoproperlybalancethetelescope.[M3MP13-14]ContextTheKecktelescopesaremassivestructures,weighingmorethan300tonseach,butthemotorsthatrotateitupanddown,pointingitbetweenthehorizonandstraightupatzenith,arerelativelysmall.Thisisonlypossibleifthetelescopeissufficientlybalancedaroundthepivotaxis.Theoriginalmethodofbalancingthetelescope,whichwasdesignedovertwenty-fiveyearsago,isstillbeingusedtodayandconsistsofmanuallyremovingorboltingheavysteelplatesontothetelescope.Thisisnotonlyahazardousoperationforthepersonnel,butitisalsorathercrude,sometimesrequiringtimeconsumingiterativeadjustmentstomeetthebalancingrequirements.[M3MP13]OtherwritersprovidedinformationlessrelevanttounderstandingtheNeed,suchasstepsorprocedurestofollowinaddressingtheNeed.NeedSubaruMOIRCSfocusingprogramsareoutdated,difficulttomaintain,andnotalwaysaccuratewhenfindingbest-fitcurves.[I4MP19]ContextOneoftheSubaruTelescope'sscientificinstruments,MOIRCS,usesavarietyofcumbersomeandhard-to-maintaincomputerprogramstoestablishthe"bestfocus"telescopeconfigurationfortheinstrument.Thefirstgoalofthisprojectistore-writethefocusingprogramsinthePythoncomputerlanguagesoastomakethemmoremodernandeasiertomaintain.Thesecondgoalistodevelopagraphicaluserinterface(GUI)forthefocusingoperationandintegratetheGUIintotheSubaruObservationControlSystem.[M4MP19]Astheaboveexamplesshow,somewritersassociatedgoalstatementswitheithertheContextortheNeed.Dependingonhowitiswritten,agoalstatementmayberelevantforeithersection.RequirementsEngineeringrequirementsareacomplextopic.Therearemultipledefinitionsoftheterm“requirements,”withdistinctionscommonlymadebetweenfunctionalandnon-functionalrequirements.Non-functionalrequirementsthemselveshavebeendividedintoeightsubcategories(Robertson&Robertson,2012).PreviousISEE-sponsoredresearchhasidentifiedinternstruggleswitharticulatingaproject’srequirements,suchasidentifyingconstraintsasrequirements,identifyingnon-functionalrequirementsasfunctionalrequirements,andnotstatingfunctionalrequirementsinaverifiablemanner(Arnberg,2014).Toaddresstheseissues,in2015Akamaistaffcreatedahandoutonengineeringrequirementsthatwassharedwithinternsinthatsummer’sPREPcourse(seeAppendixC).BasedonArnberg’sfindingsandinsightsfrommentorworkshop
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discussions,thisdocumentuses“generic”languagetodescriberequirements(i.e.,mainrequirements–whatasolutionmustdooraccomplish,andotherrequirements–actions/characteristicsasolutionmayormaynotneedtoaddresstheproblem)andprovidesexamplesofdifferentrequirementstatements.AsrecommendedbyArnberg,thehandoutmakesthedistinctionbetween“verifiable”and“non-verifiable”requirements,thedifferencebeingwhetherornotyoutelliftherequirementhasbeenmet.Examplesoftheformerarerequirementstatementswithmeasurabletargetvaluesandunits.TheseinsightsarereflectedintheengineeringCYPworksheet.Forexample,theRequirementssectionsimplyusestheword“requirements”withnomodifier,andtheclarifyingtextrefersto“targetvaluesandunits.”Nevertheless,thefollowingdiscrepancieswereevidentinbothinternandmentorresponsestothissection.VagueRequirementsThepresenceofambiguousadverbssuchas“clearly”or“effectively”isacommonindicatorofthisissue.Itmustbewrittenasconciselyandclearlyaspossible,makingtheprogramseasiertomaintain.[I4MP19]EffectivelykeepthetemperatureofMOIRCSat77degreesKelvin.[I5MP24]Requirementsstatementsalsomaylackmeasurabletargetswithunitswhenothersources(e.g.,adifferentCYPworksheetorinterviewtranscript)showthisinformationtohavebeenavailable.Thenewsystemmustaccuratelybalancethetelescopealongthezandyaxes.[I3MP14]AbilitytobalanceaboutthetelescopeaboutitsYandZaxessothatthedrivemotorcurrentsnecessarytomovethetelescopearelessthan5amps.[M3MP14]InclusionofProceduralInformationwithRequirementsSomewritersplacedhow-toaswellaswhat-must-doinformationinthissection.Theexperimentaldatacollectedusinganexistingtestrigshallbecombinedwithpreviousseasonaldataandusedtodetermine,analyzeandcomparetheaccuracyofdesignmodelsusedfortheDKISTcarouselcoolingsystem.DatacollectedshouldverifyiftheplatecoilssatisfytherequirementsspecifiedintheCarouselCoolingSystemAnalysisReport.[M2MP7]InclusionofConstraintsasRequirementsConstraints,i.e.,limitsontasksandresourcesusedtoreachasolution(suchasavailablestaff,money,andequipment),oftenwerewrittenintheRequirementssection.
16
Mustusethedatacollectiontoolsprovided.[I2MP7]Ultimately,thelackofclearrequirementsstatementshindersunderstandingofhowtosolveaproblemaswellashowtodefendone’sproposedsolutiontoaproblem.ThelatteriscalledforintheJustificationsectionoftheengineeringCYPworksheet.SolutionAkamaistaffintendedresponsestothissectiontoprovideadescriptionofthesolution,proposedoractual,tothepreviouslyspecifiedneedorproblem.Forexample…ThefocusingprogramswererewritteninPythonusingPythonlibrariessuchasAstroPy,NumPy,MatPlotLib,andSewPy.Usinganexisting(moregeneral)plugin(FocusFit)asaguideline,thefocusingprogramswerereworkedintothepluginformatandaddedtothelistoffitsviewplugins.[I4EP22]Incontrast,astheexamplesbelowshow,somewritersrespondedwithdescriptionsoftheprocedure,i.e.,stepstakentodetermineasolution.Inordertoseeiftheplatecoilisperformingtostandard,testswillbeperformedwiththetestridanddatawillbecollectedfromthosetests.ThisdatawasinputintoaMatLABcodethatIwrote.Thecodeisdesignedtotakethecollecteddataandperformallrequiredcalculations.Itwilloutputtheresultsandletmeknowwherecertainissuesoccur.ThedataisrecordedonanexcelsheetthatcanbeimportedtotheMatLABscript.Thisautomatestheprocessandallowsallfuturetestingandanalysistobedoneefficiently.[I2EP29]Setupschedulefordatacollection.Setupplatecoilonsummitandleftthechillerchargedtoreducesetuptime.[M2EP29]Theconflationofproceduralinformationwithsolutiondescriptionmaybetheresultofdifferentinterpretationsofthesection’sclarifyingtext,“Awaytoaddresstheneed.”Itisreasonableforawritertointerpret“way”as“how,”i.e.,procedure.Insum,userinterpretationchallengesmaypointtoconfusingtextontheCYPworksheetsthemselves.TheunderlyingissuemayberelatedmoretograpplingwithCYPterminologyandformatting(e.g.,gettingthedesiredinformationinthe“right”CYPsection)ratherthanactualcomprehensionofwhataprojectisabout.Challenge#4:ComprehensiveScientificExplanationAsmentionedearlier,theScienceversionoftheCYPisbasedonthewell-researchedclaim-evidence-reasoningframeworkintheK-12scienceeducationliterature(see,forexample,McNeill2011).Toprovideacontextforthediscussionofthischallenge,considerthisexampleofanelementaryschoolexperimentinvestigatingplantgrowth(Zembal-Saul,McNeill,Hershberger,2013,p.30)showninFigure3below.
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QUESTION Dobushbeanplantsgrowbetterinsunlight?CLAIM Bushbeanplantsgrowbetterinsunlight.
EVIDENCE Theplantindirectsunlightgrew16cm,andtheplantwithlesssunlightgrew11cm.Theplantindirectsunlighthad6leaves,andtheplantwithlesssunlightonlyhad3leaves.Finally,theplantindirectsunlightwasadarkgreen,andtheplantwithlesssunlightwaspalegreen.
REASONING Height,numberofleaves,andcolorareallimportantindicatorsofaplant’shealth.Sincetheplantindirectlightwastaller,hadmoreleaves,andwasdarkgreen,thatmeansitwasabletogrowbetter.
Figure3.ElementaryLevelClaim-Evidence-ReasoningExampleNotehowtheClaimisasimple,directanswertotheQuestion.Notetheinclusionofquantitativeempiricaldata(e.g.,grew11cm)intheEvidence.AlsonotehowtheReasoningexplainshowtheevidencecategories(height,numberofleaves,andcolor)relatetotheclaim.Usingthescientificprinciplethatgreaterheight,moreleaves,anddarkercolorindicatebettergrowth,sincetheplantgrownindirectsunlighthadthoseattributesincomparisontotheplantgrownwithlesssunlight,itislogicaltoconcludethattheplantgrownindirectsunlight“grewbetter.”ConsiderthesamecomponentsfromtheoneinternwhocompletedaScienceCYPworksheet.QUESTION IsCellana'sfluegassystemeffectiveinthelargescalecultivationof
algae?CLAIM Cellana'sfluegassystemmaybeeffectiveinthelargescale
cultivationofalgaebecausethefluegassystemproducedalgaethatmeetsgrowthperformanceandqualitystandardsandcostslesstoproducethanalgaegrownusingconventionalmethods.
EVIDENCE Earlyresultsshowthatalgaegrownwithfluegasdidnotsignificantlydifferfromcontrolalgaeinbiomassproductivity,growthrate,pH,andnutrientuse.Fluegasgrownalgaeusedlesspurecarbondioxidethanthecontrolalgae,andconsequentlycostless.
REASONING AlgaegrownatCellanamustmeetquality,andgrowthperformancestandards.Growthrate,biomassproductivity,pH,nutrientuse,andbiochemicalcompositionareallmeasuresofqualityandgrowthperformance.
Figure4.InternScienceCYP[I1EP3]NotehowtheClaimisanextended,asopposedtosimple,answertotheQuestion.ThisislikelyduetothescaffoldingtextfortheCYPworksheet’sClaimcomponentwhichstatesthefollowing:
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Astatementorconclusionthatanswersthequestion.(TheanswerisXbecause…)
NotehowtheEvidencelacksreferencetoquantitativeempiricaldatawhichwerereadilyavailable.Aswiththeplantgrowthexample,theintern’sReasoningdoesmentionevidencecategories(growthrate,biomassproductivity,pH,nutrientuseandbiochemicalcomposition)butdoesnotconnectactualevidenceinthosecategoriesinsupportoftheClaim.Amorecompletereasoningstatementcouldhaveincludedthefollowing:
SincethemicroalgaegrownwithCO2fromthefluegassystemhadagrowthrate,biomassproductivity,pH,nutrientuseandbiochemicalcompositioncomparabletomicroalgaegrownwithpurchasedCO2,thatmeansfluegasCO2maybeeffectiveinthelarge-scaleproductionofalgae.
NowconsiderthesamecomponentsfromtheonementorwhocompletedaScienceCYPworksheet.QUESTION UsingfluegasasasourceofCO2willaffectthegrowthand
compositionofalgaesimilarlytothatofusingpureCO2.CLAIM ThefluegasaffectsthegrowthofalgaesimilarlytopureCO2because
thegrowthratesarethesamebetweencontrolandexperimentalponds.
EVIDENCE DataonCO2usage.Dataongrowthrate.REASONING Datafromthisprojectarecurrentlybasedononeroundof
experimentsandmay,ormaynot,presentapossibletrend.However,databasedonfirstrounddoappeartoindicateapotentialpositiveeffectofusingfluegas.
Figure5.MentorScienceCYP[M1EP3-4]ThefirstthingtonoteisthatthementorstatedtheQuestionasadeclarativehypothesisstatement.Thisisnotnecessarilyachallengeasitisanacceptablewayofdescribinganexperimentinthescientificcommunity.Givensuchahypothesis,itisunderstoodthattheexperimentisdesignedtoproveordisprovethatstatement.Giventhisquestion-as-hypothesisscenario,thefirsthalf(uptotheword“because”)ofthementor’sClaimstatementisalsoscientificallyacceptable.However,aswiththeintern’sresponse,italsogoesbeyondasimple“answer”tothehypothesiscontinuingonwitharationale(from“because”totheendofthesentence).Again,thisislikelyduetothescaffoldingtextencouragingtheinclusionofa“because”clause.
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NotealsohowthementormakescrypticreferencetheactualempiricalquantitativeEvidence.Thus,bothinternandmentorfailedtoincludeactualempiricalquantitativedataintheirCYPworksheetresponses.WithrespecttoReasoning,ratherthenmentioningevidencecategories,thementorreferstotheneedformultipletrailstobeabletomakeastrongerclaim.Thementor’sstatementsubstantiatestheintern’squalifiedclaimof“maybeeffective”(I1EP3,emphasisadded).Thus,internandmentorReasoningstatementsshowcomplementarywaysofapplyingscientificprinciplestosupportaclaim.Acomprehensivereasoningstatementwouldrefertoboththeintern’sgrowth-indicatorprincipleandthementor’smultiple-replicationprinciple.Insum,thechallengewithscientificexplanationsinherentintheScienceCYPworksheetwasmanifestedinthreeways:(1)extendedversusconciseClaimstatements,and(2)lackofinclusionofempiricalquantitativeEvidence,and(3)incompleteReasoningstatements(e.g.,notdirectlyconnectingtheevidence–orevidencecategories–backtotheclaim,ornotreferringtootherscientificprinciplesthatdirectlyrelatetotheclaim).
CYP:ConsiderationsforImprovementThissectionpresentstopicsforAkamaistafftoconsiderastheydeliberaterevisionstotheCYPscaffold.Whilesometimeswrittenindeclarativestatementsforeaseofexpression(e.g.,ChangeXtexttosayY…),theseconsiderationsareofferedascatalystsfordiscussion,notspecificactionitems.Takenaltogether,theabove-describedchallengessuggesttwobroadcoursesofaction:(a)revisionstotheCYPworksheetsthemselves,and(b)ideasabouthowtousetheCYP.ChangestotheCYPworksheetsPresentedbelowarepotentialchangestoboththelanguageandformattingoftheCYPworksheets.Theybeginwithreferencingchangestothetwotypesofworksheetsseparately(i.e.,sciencethenengineering),andclosewithconsiderationsthataffectbothworksheetsasawhole.ChangestothetextontheScienceCYP
1. CLAIM:Deletescaffoldingtext“TheanswerisXbecause…”Itinappropriatelyencouragesthewritertoincludereasoninglanguagewhenadirectstatementoftheclaim(i.e.,answertothequestion)issufficient.
2. REASONING:Provideclarifyingtextabout“ScientificPrinciples.”HowdoesAkamaidefinethatphrase,whataresomeexamples?
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ChangestothetextontheEngineeringCYP3. SOLUTION:Comeupwithalternativescaffoldingtexttoreplace“Awayto
meettheneed”thatavoidsconfusionwithrequestingproceduralinformation.
ChangestothetextonbothCYPs
4. WORKSHEETTITLE:Changethenameoftheworksheetsto“UnderstandingYourProject”(UYP)toemphasizetheintendedfocusoncomprehensionandnotpresentation.
5. PROJECT:Revisetoread“TitleofProject”andaddingclarifyingtextthatcuesthewritertoincludea“How”verbinthetitle.
6. CONTEXT:Deletethissectionentirely.Theintendedinformationmaynaturallysurfaceintheothersections.Thus,removingthissectionmayremovesomeredundancyalongwithconfusionoverwhatgoeswhere.Contextinformationalsomaybemorerelevanttopresentingratherthanunderstandingaproject,sobettertobeaddressedwhenassistinginternswithactualpresentations(e.g.,duringpre-symposiumCoachingDays).
7. FOCALSTEMPRACTICE:Enhancethissectiontoincludethewriterprovidingadescriptionoftheidentifiedpracticeandhowtheinternengagedwiththepractice.
ReformattingtheCYPDiscrepanciesinwhatinformationwriter’splacewherearelikelyduetolackofunderstandingofCYPterminologyaswellastheactualarrangementoftextontheworksheets.Thetextualchangeslistedabovepartiallyaddresstheformerissue.Amorecompletesolutionmaybetoreformatthedocumentsinawaythatbreaksupthecurrentlinearprogressionthroughthesectionsandreflectstherelationshipsbetweensections.Forexample,imagineagraphicinwhichtheNeedislocatedinsideacirclethatisconnectedbyanarrowtoanothercirclecontainingtheSolution.Underneaththeconnectingarrowisatwo-columntableinwhichindividualRequirementsarelistedontheleftandinformationonhowtheywereorwerenotmet(i.e.,Justification)islistedside-by-sideontheright(seeFigure6below).SuchanarrangementgraphicallyconveysthedirectconnectionbetweenNeedandSolution,andhowaSolutionmustbebasedonmeetingRequirements.AmoreradicalreformattingactionistoconsidercreatingasingleUnderstandingYourProjectworksheetthatsolicitstheessenceofwhatisneededforawriterorAkamaistaffmembertocomprehendaproject,whetherornotitisconsideredscienceorengineering.FittinginternprojectsintooneframeworkortheotherisanongoingdebateamongAkamaistaff.Havingasingleframeworkforallprojectscouldrenderthisdebatemute.Returningtothetwoframessharedintheintroductiontothisreport,thefocusoftheCYPscaffoldshouldbeonunderstandingaproject,notgettingdistractedorconfusedbyterminologyorformatting.HavinguserschoosebetweenascienceorengineeringCYPworksheetmaybeanunproductivementalexercisethatdrawstheirattentionawayfrommoreessentialpursuitssuchascomingupwithafundamentaldescriptionofaproject’spurpose
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andhowitwasaddressed.CreatingauniversallyapplicableCYPorUYPmaynotberealisticallyachievable.However,theideaisworthconsidering.
Figure6.SolutionArticulationFrameworkGraphicIdeasforfutureuseoftheCYPScaffoldRegardlessoflanguageorformat,AkamaistaffshouldconsiderwaystomakeISEEThemefocusareassuchasdevelopmentofidentityasaSTEMpersonmoreexplicitforthewriter,bethatpersonaninternormentor.Anexamplewouldbetocoachinternstoinclude“How”verbsinthetitlefortheirprojectsothatitiscleartotheinternaswellasareaderoraudiencememberwhatSTEM-relatedactiontheinternengagedin(e.g.,validation,upgrade,optimization).Anotheruse-orientedconsiderationistoplacegreateremphasisontheFocalSTEMPracticesectionoftheCYPworksheets.Currently,Akamaistaffspendrelativelylittletimediscussingthisresponsewithinternsandmentors.Thisisunderstandablegiventhatgainingclarificationonhigherpriorityitems(suchasrequirementsandjustificationforengineeringorevidenceandreasoningforscience)consumemostoftheavailabletime.However,connectingthefocalSTEMpracticetodiscussionsoftheseitemscanhelppromoteinternownershipoflearningaswellasdevelopmentofidentityasaSTEMperson.Toeffectivelyimplementtheaboveandotherconsiderationsthatariseorarenotmentionedhere,AkamaistaffshouldconsidercreatingsupportingdocumentationfortheCYPscaffold.Suchdocumentscouldbeoftwodifferentkinds:oneforstaffandtheotherforusers(i.e.,thosewhofilloutaCYPworksheet).
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CYPStaffGuide.ThissupportingdocumentcouldtaketheformofastaffguidesuchasthoseusedbyAkamaistaffforInitiativepresentationssuchassessionsforthePREPcourseorMentorWorkshop.ThisguidecouldlayoutatypicalsessionforworkingwithinternsoncompletingaCYPandincludeadiscussionofthenuancesassociatedwithsuchataskaswellasspecificpromptstouseduringsuchasession.CYPUserGuide.Thissupportingdocumentforinternsormentorscouldtaketheformof“CliffNotes”(i.e.,concisestatementsthatgettotheessenceofatopicorissue).TheUserGuidecouldmirrorsomeoftheinformationintheStaffGuidebutwithoutbackgroundinformation.Forexample,inrelationtotheInternAttributionchallenge,theUserGuidewouldcontainexamplesoftitlesthatdoanddonotshowinternattributionwhiletheStaffGuidewouldthesameinformationenhancedwithexcerptsfromthe“DevelopinganidentityasapersoninSTEM”sectionoftheISEEEquity&InclusionThemedocument(Seagrovesetal.,2015)alongwithdiscussionorcoachingprompts.AfinalconsiderationWhateverbecomesoftheCYPandrelateddocuments,theauthorstronglyencouragesAkamaistafftohavetheseitemsavailableinsoft-copyandreadilyaccessibleontheInternet.ForthepasttwoyearsAkamaistaffhaveexperimentedwithprovidingtheCYPsasfillablepdf’sforinternsandmentorstouse.Whilethisapproachwasnotwithoutit’sownchallenges(e.g.,determiningtheproper“coding”forthefillabletextboxes),itwasanoverallimprovementintermsofeaseofuseaswellascollectionandarchivingofresponses.Anextstepmightbeaweb-basedGoogleFormwhichmaybeeveneasierforuserstocompleteandmorereadilyaccessedbystaff.InclosingitisworthrepeatingthatAkamaistaffhaveanadmirablehistoryofprovidingavarietyofsupportstoprogramparticipants.Oftentimes,thesestrategiesarepassedoninformallyamongexistingstaff,withlittledocumentationoflessonslearnedornuancestotheireffectiveuse.ThisreportrepresentsanattempttobridgethatgapaswellasprovideaformalfoundationonwhichtofurtherimprovetheCYPscaffold.
ReferencesArnberg,N.(2014).Supportingthearticulationofengineeringsolutions:An
operationaldefinitionofengineeringrequirements.Chapter3ofdoctoraldissertation.
Berland,L.K.,&McNeill,K.L.(2010).Alearningprogressionforscientific
argumentation:Understandingstudentworkandesigningsupportiveinstructionalcontexts.ScienceEducation,
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Bransford,J.D.,Brown,A.L.,&Cocking,R.R.(1999).Howpeoplelearn:Mind,brain,experience,andschool.Washington,DC:NationalResearchCouncil.
Hunter,L.,Kluger-Bell,B.,Seagroves,S.,Metevier,A.,Barnes,A.,Norton,A.,&Quan,
T.(2015).Assessingconceptualunderstandingincollege-levelinquirylabs.SantaCruz,CA:InstituteforScientistandEngineerEducators.Availableathttp://isee.ucsc.edu/about/publications/index.html
Metevier,A.,Hunter,L.,Seagroves,S.,Kluger-Bell,B.,Quan,T.,&Barnes,A.(2015).
ISEE’sinquiryframework:Sixelementstoguidethedesign,teaching,andassessmentofinquirylabunits.SantaCruz,CA:InstituteforScientistandEngineerEducators.Availableathttp://isee.ucsc.edu/about/publications/index.html
McNeill,K.L.(2011).Elementarystudents'viewsofexplanation,argumentation,
andevidence,andtheirabilitiestoconstructargumentsovertheschoolyear.JournalofResearchinScienceTeaching,48(7),793-823.
McNeill,K.L.,&Krajcik,J.(2007).Middleschoolstudents’useofappropriateand
inappropriateevidenceinwritingscientificexplanations.Thinkingwithdata,233-265.
McNeill,K.L.,&Krajcik,J.(2008).Scientificexplanations:Characterizingand
evaluatingtheeffectsofteachers'instructionalpracticesonstudentlearning.Journalofresearchinscienceteaching,45(1),53-78.
McNeill,K.L.,Lizotte,D.J.,Krajcik,J.,&Marx,R.W.(2006).Supportingstudents'
constructionofscientificexplanationsbyfadingscaffoldsininstructionalmaterials.TheJournaloftheLearningSciences,15(2),153-191.
Patton,M.Q.(2002).Qualitativeresearchandevaluationmethods(3rded.)
ThousandOakes,CA:SagePublications.Robertson,S.,&Robertson,J.(2012).Masteringtherequirementsprocess:Getting
requirementsright.SanFrancisco:Addison-Wesley.Seagroves,S.,Hunter,L.,Metevier,A.,Barnes,A.,&Quan,T.(2015).ISEE’sequity&
inclusiontheme.SantaCruz,CA:InstituteforScientistandEngineerEducators.Availableathttp://isee.ucsc.edu/about/publications/index.html
Shaw,J.M.(2016).Reviewof2015ClarifyingYourProjectdata.SantaCruz,CA:
InstituteforScientistandEngineerEducators.AvailablefromISEEDirector.Zembal-Saul,C.,McNeill,K.L.,&Hershberger,K.(2013).What’syourevidence?
EngagingK-5studentsinconstructingexplanationsinscience.SanFrancisco:PearsonEducation.
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AppendixA.
ClarifyingYourSCIENCEProjectIntern: Site:
Mentor:
Date:
Project:
EXPLANATIONARTICULATIONFRAMEWORKComponents
CONTEXTBackgroundinformationnecessarytounderstandtheneed.
(Giveothersasenseofwhereyourprojectfitsinwiththehostinstitution’sbigpicture.)
Whydoesthehostorganizationvaluethisproject?Whatcontributiondoesitmake?
QUESTION
Thespecificquestionorhypothesisaboutthephenomenon.
CLAIM
Astatementorconclusionthatanswersthequestion.(TheanswerisXbecause…)
EVIDENCEScientificdatathatsupporttheclaim.Thedataneedtobeappropriateand
sufficient.
REASONING
Howtheevidenceislinkedtotheclaimthroughscientificprinciples.Whythedatacountasevidence.(Maybeachainofreasoning.)
FocalSCIENCEPRACTICE(circleorspecify):GeneratingQuestions AnalyzingDataDevelopingExplanationsPlanningandCarryingOutInvestigations DevelopingTheoriesOther:
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AppendixB.
ClarifyingYourENGINEERINGProjectIntern: Site:
Mentor:
Date:
Project:
SOLUTIONARTICULATIONFRAMEWORKComponents
CONTEXTBackgroundinformationnecessarytounderstandtheneed.
(Giveothersasenseofwhereyourprojectfitsinwiththehostinstitution’sbigpicture.)
Whydoesthehostorganizationvaluethisproject?Whatcontributiondoesitmake?
NEED
Thespecificproblembeingaddressed.
REQUIREMENTS
Whatthesolutionmustdooraccomplish.(Mayhavemeasurabletargetvaluesandunits.)
Ifthesolutiondoesnotdo ,thenit’snotsolvingtheproblematall.
CONSTRAINTS
Limitsontasksandresourcesusedtoreachthesolution.(Examplesincludeavailablestaff,time,money,equipment,materials)
SOLUTIONAwaytoaddresstheneed.
JUSTIFICATIONSupportforthesolutionthataddresseseachrequirement(amongotherthings).
FocalENGINEERINGPRACTICE(circleorspecify):DefiningProblemAnalyzingTradeoffsDefiningRequirementsIdentifyingConstraintsPrototyping JustifyingSolutions Troubleshooting Other
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AppendixC.
ENGINEERINGREQUIREMENTS
Thephrase“engineeringrequirements”hasmanydifferentmeanings.Weprovidetheinformationandexamplesbelowtohelpushaveacommonlanguagewhendiscussingthisimportanttopic.
MAINREQUIREMENTSWhatthesolutionmustdooraccomplish.(Mayhavemeasurabletargetvaluesandunits.)
The solution must get and process 5K bytes of data from the server in real time.
OTHERREQUIREMENT(S)Otheractions/characteristicsthesolutionmayormaynotneedtodoorhaveinordertosolvethefundamentalproblemoraddresstheessentialneed.
Type Description Example
LookandFeel Relatedtothesolution’sappearance
• Theexteriorshouldbepaintedinearthtones
Usability Relatedtothesolution’seaseofuse
• Haveanextremelyintuitiveuserinterface
Performance Howfast,safe,accurate,etc. • Reducecoolingcosts• Protectracksfromseismic
eventsOperational Relatedtothesolution’s
operatingenvironment• Integratedwithexisting
infrastructureMaintainability/
PortabilityRelatedtoexpectedchangesandthetimeneededtomakethem
• Beaccessibleforfuturetroubleshootingandmaintenance
Security Relatedtosecurityandconfidentiality
• Minimizesecurityrisk
Cultural/Political Relatedtoconcerns/issuesthatarisebecauseofthepeopleinvolved
• Respecttraditionalsacredsites
Legal Relatedtoapplicablelaws/industrystandards
•
VERIFIABLEREQUIREMENTS
Whetherornotyoucantelliftherequirementhasbeenmet.
Non-Verifiable Verifiable• Continueoperations • Provideemployeeswithcontinued
accesstocompanyservers• Alignthefilesystems • Alignthefilesystemswitharray
vendorsbestpractices• Filterdataviews • Filterdataviewsintoseparatefolder