NSF Awards: 1422436
Evaluation of our NSF Informal STEM project revealed numerous unique challenges that face educators working in the Informal STEM environment. WISE Guys and Gals focused on engineering design thinking and worked with middle-school age youth at Boys and Girls Clubs. We created engineering design challenges that were delivered by learning facilitators at the clubs. However, these learning facilitator who often had limited STEM background knowledge, were rarely trained as an educator, and were often more focused on engaging youth than knowledge building. They also rarely had a great deal of time to learn and prepare before delivering the activities. Our solution was to create written guides accompanied by very brief but easy to create video supports. These video guides used PowerPoint like designs to guide the learning facilitator through the activity design process. They also provided targeted advice to address areas that the evaluation had found most challenged facilitators. The videos were created by the project team with no film or video experience using I-pads and readily accessible video editing software. Our evaluation showed the videos were usable, engaging and provided adequate support to allow club facilitators to successful deliver the activities. Furthermore, the cost effective approach allowed us to develop additional videos to when new needs were identified. Our video will highlight our work and include samples of the videos supports that we created.
Rebecca Roberts
Great video! I was chuckling out loud- you clearly have the skills for making excellent tutorials for the facilitators.
deborah hecht
Deborah Hecht
Evaluator
The WISE Guys and Gals team and I hope that you find this video interesting and informative. We are in the final year of a five year project working with Boys & Girls Clubs and have developed a robust virtual professional development model for non-STEM trained facilitators. We believe this lean video production model could be applied in a number of different settings to lower costs and barriers associated with professional development. We excited to hear your comments and questions about our challenges and successes.
Christine Cunningham
preK-12 Science and Engineering Educator
Engaging video! I appreciate you clearly listing some of the constraints that guided the development of the PD videos. I’m wondering what advice you would give to others who were embarking on a similar path of creating PD videos. Also, you mentioned that one of the things the videos addressed were STEM careers. Could you provide more detail about how you approached that topic (what aspects/features did you choose to highlight)?
Deborah Hecht
Evaluator
Regarding the career videos, each of these 75 minute activities covers a different STEM concept and career. We searched online for the following:
Here is an example of an Optical Engineering video for our Magical Mirrors Kaleidoscope Design courtesy of Edmund Scientific: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0RImybgVnA [youtube.com]
ellen furuya
This is the first time I have chuckled watching an NSF Video Showcase. Fun delivery!
If anyone is interested in seeing a sample activity with the supporting facilitator video and guide check out this link. You will need to scroll down a few frames: https://www.stemgineeringacademy.org/
Sara Lacy
Senior Scientist
Thanks for tackling PD for informal science educators. Could you describe how you evaluated how well the videos supported the providers?
Irina Lyublinskaya
Irina Lyublinskaya
Thank you, your video is fun! I am too very interested how were you able to evaluate whether these video guides were effective. Can you provide your instruments used for evaluation?
Kenneth Huff
Teacher of Science
The students in your program were certainly having fun engaging in learning about design challenges. Are there plans to broaden impact beyond New York, Connecticut, and Virginia? You mentioned that dissemination is in the works. Can you provide more details of your plans? Thank you.
Deborah Hecht
Evaluator
Yes! All the materials for kids and facilitators are delivered online and it is now available ANYWHERE In THE US! Please check it out at https://www.stemgineeringacademy.org/ or for more information contact Ellen.Furuya@Hofstra.edu
We leveraged the learnings from this program and enhanced the offering with:
Sheila Homburger
Thanks for sharing this project! It's so great to see free, user-friendly resources for non-experts.
What are the other strategies you're using to get the word out about this project?
Do you find that access to materials/resources is a barrier for some groups?
Best, Sheila
ellen furuya
The vehicle we are using to broadly disseminate the program is stemgineeringacademy.org . We are in the early phase of launching and would appreciate help in getting the word out. Please contact ellen.furuya@hofstra.edu with any suggestions!
To get the word out we are tapping into free networks like after-school organizations at the state level, posting on relevant organization websites and will be doing presentations and workshops. We have implemented a small subscription fee ($99 or $199 depending on group size) which will enable fee based marketing.
We have not bumped into access concerns at this stage. Most groups have access to computers/tablets and material costs are low and readily available by design. We provide a hotlinked spreadsheet to view/buy materials online or they can pick up locally.
Darla Edwards
This is such a creative video. I loved how you created a solution to address training for facilitators. Virtual PD has so many benefits and provides an opportunity for greater engagement. Our video, "If You Give a Teacher a Network", also highlights the benefits of utilizing a virtual approach for learning to overcome barriers encountered in a rural school district.
Deborah Hecht
Evaluator
We have been evaluating our professional develop approach by collecting feedback (surveys and interviews) from facilitators after they have used the WGG support materials and delivered the WGG activities. We also collect youth data (from within WISEngineering, the WGG computer interface and from youth surveys and interviews following the design challenges.) These data indicate the WGG activities are being delivered as hoped and the videos are perceived as helpful. Facilitators view the videos to both learn about the activities and how to deliver them as well as a refresher if they have previously delivered them.
A Daniel Johnson
Great idea for managing the PD problem. Teachers do not need to be physically separate to need an asynchronous solution; even teachers in the same building can have schedules that do not allow face-to-face training.
You hinted that you had a standard format for the information you included in each of your PD videos. Would you be willing to share your standard content list? We're looking to build some similar videos for graduate TAs, and want to build on what others know works.
Deborah Hecht
Evaluator
Agree! The "anytime anywhere" flexibility is a big benefit of virtual PD.
We structured the video to fit our activities starting with the real world context and associated career, covering the materials and steps of the activity, tips for how to engage kids and finally facilitator tips we call "where the gotchas can getcha". If you would like to view one of our facilitator videos just scroll down to the "Free Activity" section of stemgineeringacademy.org
Meg Bates
Great video! Do you have data on facilitator engagement with the training videos?
Deborah Hecht
Evaluator
Thanks!
We have feedback data from facilitators after using the videos. this information has been particularly helpful for creating additional video supports
Further posting is closed as the showcase has ended.