NSF SUPPORTEDAFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS

Dr. Sylvia James & Dr. Monya RuffinAugust 2011

“IN AN ECONOMY DRIVEN BY IMAGINATION, CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION, AND A SOCIETY FACING COMPLEX BUSINESS,

POLITICAL, SCIENTIFIC, TECHNOLOGICAL, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES, THE INGENUITY, AGILITY AND

SKILLS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE CRUCIAL TO THE UNITED STATES”

(KEN KAY, PRESIDENT, PARTNERSHIP FOR 21ST CENTURY SKILLS)

21ST CENTURY SKILLS

INTRODUCTION

NSF Strategic Outcome Goals 2011-2015

Transform the FrontiersInnovate for SocietyPerform as a Model Organization

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

DIVISION OF RESEARCH ON LEARNING IN FORMAL AND INFORMAL SETTINGS (DRL)

R&D to improve effectiveness of STEM learning for people of all ages

Advance cutting-edge knowledge and practice in formal and informal settings

Support innovative research, development & evaluation of learning and teaching across all STEM disciplines

Supports innovation in anywhere, anytime, lifelong learning through investments in research, development, infrastructure, and capacity-building for STEM learning outside formal school settings.

ISE Audiences• Public Audiences

• Professional Audiences

ISE Program Solicitation #: NSF11-546

ISE PROGRAM OVERVIEW

EXAMPLES OF ISE DELIVERABLESPermanent and

traveling exhibitsFilm, radio, and TVCyber-enabled

learning, emerging technologies, and educational games

Citizen science projects

Youth and Community projects

Research and development in the fieldProfessional developmentConsortia and collaborationsVirtual networks

Research (<$1.5 M) Pathways (<$250 K) Full-Scale Development (<$3 M) Broad Implementation (<$3 M) Connecting Researchers to Public

Audiences ($150 K)`````````````````````````Rapids (<$200 K) EAGERs (<$300 K) Workshops / conferences (Varies)

PROJECT TYPES

NOT FUNDED BY ISECapital or operating

expenses Major or office

equipment Vehicles Undergraduate

tuition Paid advertising Admission fees

Operating expenses for school field trips/camps/ competitions Projects that focus primarily on health or medicine Publications and curricula as the primary deliverable

1. Ubiquity2. Equity3. Compelling

Experiences4. Flexible

Assessment5. Abundance of

Educators6. Nimbleness

1. How to bridge for continuity

2. How to capitalize on potential

3. How to support broad learning

4. How to demonstrate learning

5. How to support PD for all

6. How to get coherence of effort

SIX STRENGTHS & CHALLENGES

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As of 12.10

ACTIVE ISE AWARDS BY FORMAT

PROJECT IMPACTS ARE OFTEN MEASURED AS “MOTIVATIONAL VARIABLES”

ISE Impact Categories

Awareness, knowledge, or understanding Engagement or interest Attitude Behavior Skills Other

(Friedman, 2008; Renninger, 2008)

Westat OPMS Pilot Study August 2009

Percent of ISE budget

Budget: $64 MYouth/Community: 21.0%

Period under review

2005-2007

Sample Active awards

Technology Most projects include websites and/or cyberlearning component

Outcomes/Impacts/Measures

1-4 Impacts identified 100% have formative and summative with complex designs

Youth & Community Outcomes

Knowledge or comprehension – 75.0%Engagement or Interest – 75.0%Behavior – 25.0%New skills – 25.0%Attitude – 37.5%

YOUTH & COMMUNITY PORTFOLIO DIVERSITY

Include multiple delivery platformsComplex designs with multiple entry

pointsOffer opportunities for long-term

interactionTarget diverse audiences Include strong partnershipsTake place in community settings – local,

regional, national Labor intensiveOften include professional development

and training

CHARACTERISTICS OF ISE YOUTH AND COMMUNITY PROJECTS

EXAMPLES OF ISE YOUTH & COMMUNITY PROJECTS

THE CRYPTOCLUB: CRYPTOGRAPHY AND MATHEMATICS AFTERSCHOOL AND ONLINE

(PI: Janet Besieger; 08-40313; University of Chicago)

   is a five -year project designed to introduce middle

school students across the country to cryptography and mathematics.

Project partners include the Young Peoples Project (YPP), the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, and

Eduweb. Project deliverables include online activities, online

cryptography adventure games, interactive offline games, a leader's manual, and leadership training workshops for afterschool leaders.

(PI: Jon Chase; 07-39874; Washington University)

This comprehensive five-year project is designed to engage underserved students in grades 11 and 12 in field-based exploration of the environment.

The four deliverables are as follows: a field program at the Shaw Nature Reserve (SNR), an environmental biology research program, a research communication strategy, and a one-week training experience for science educators to promote dissemination of the program model.

Students are introduced to basic ecological concepts, including aquatic biodiversity assessments, species interactions, mark and recapture population studies, population viability exercises, and predator/prey relationships.

MAKING NATURAL CONNECTIONS: AN AUTHENTIC FIELD RESEARCH COLLABORATION

(06-10720, Bonnie Sawyer, Hopa Mountain) Results of the pre-post surveys indicate a

positive shift in thinking about science, along w/ a broader view of science and sharing new knowledge among each other. Students in grades 7-9 gained an appreciation of science.

“The lessons being learned through the NSFCs are contributing to the ISE field and articulating ways in which scientific data and traditional knowledge can build collective knowledge bases.”

ITEST PROGRAM

ITEST BACKGROUND

Funded by H-1B visa revenues Focus on any STEM area Targets K-12 students, teachers, and

parents in relationship to needs of the US workforce

STEM workforce includes technologists, scientists, engineers, and mathematicians; also ICT-intensive fields (e.g., computational biology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology)

ITEST Program Solicitation #: NSF 11-525

To produce research findings that build knowledge about approaches, models, and interventions with K-12-aged children and teachers to increase the nation’s capacity and innovation in the STEM workforce of the future.

To develop, implement, study and evaluate strategies that encourage K-12 students to develop interest in and to be prepared for careers in the STEM workforce of the future.

To equip teachers with the resources to ensure that their students consider choosing and are prepared to enter the STEM workforce of the future.

ITEST PROGRAM GOALS

MORE THAN 161 ITEST PROJECTS ACROSS 39 STATES

ITEST PORTFOLIO

Computer Science includes: programming; web development; multimedia – audio, video and animation; computer hardware; general skills and mathematics

Computer Science – Gaming & Simulations (use and creation of gaming and simulations in formal & informal education)

Bioscience includes Bioinformatics, biotechnology, DNA analysis/sequencing, and biomedicine

Engineering includes Aerospace, design, robotics and nanotechnology

Environmental Science includes GIS/GPS, remote sensing technology, climate modeling, and ecological research and analysis

FOUR PROJECT TYPES

Strategies –develop, implement and study theory and practice-based models

Scale-Up-expand and study successful models in school and non-school settings

Research– produce empirical findings and research tools

Conferences and Workshops – define the ITEST research agenda and better understand how to assess impacts of ITEST innovations

EXAMPLES OF ITEST YOUTH PROJECTS

(PI: Steven Bean, 09-29676, ETR Associates)

Formerly Animando a Estudiantes Con Technologia (AET)“Encouraging Students in the Field of Information Technology

The PI seeks to test a model of parent engagement and leadership (PEAL) in combination with an out-of-school youth IT education program targeting Latino/a students in middle and high school.

Fosters the development of IT fluency and awareness of IT careers

WATSONVILLE TECHNOLOGÍA-EDUCACIÓN COMUNIDAD“ENCOURAGING STUDENTS IN THE FIELD OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY”

PI: Preeti Gupta, 09-29206, New York Hall of Science

Virtual Hall of Science (VHOS) serves as a STEM learning environment for middle and high school students.

Students use ICT skills to design interactive virtual exhibits, develop digital communication skills, and learn about usability.

Participating youth learn interactive computing design, mentoring skills, increased awareness of STEM and ICT careers, teamwork, and leadership skills. Students form teams, create interactive science exhibits, study interactive design, and use a variety of Web 2.0 tools for collaboration purposes.

VIRTUAL HALL OF SCIENCE

APPLYING FOR NSF GRANTS

NSF MERIT REVIEW CRITERIA & RATING SYSTEMIntellectual Merit How important is the proposed activity to

advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields?

Broader Impacts How well does the activity advance discovery and

understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning? How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)?

Ratings: E, VG, G, F, P

Solicitations NSF website

(www.nsf.gov)

Submissions FastLane

o Be aware of quirks Grants.gov Electronic

SOLICITATIONS & SUBMISSIONS

HELPFUL WEBSITES ISE Guidelines, NSF 11-546:

http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?WT.z_pims_id=5361&ods_key=nsf11546

Website:  http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5361&org=DRL&from=home

Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) http://caise.insci.org/

ITEST Guidelines, NSF 11-525 http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09506/nsf09506.htm

ITEST Homepage http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?

pims_id=5467&org=DRL&from=home ITEST Learning Resource Center website

http://www2.edc.org/itestlrc/ NSF Awards Database

<http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/

Dr. Sylvia JamesLifelong Learning Cluster Coordinator

(703) 292-5333 sjames@nsf.gov

Dr. Monya Ruffin Program Officer

(703) 292-7322 mruffin@nsf.gov

CONTACT INFORMATION

QUESTIONS