skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


  • NSF Public Access
  • Search Results
  • The Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science: Engaging Marginalized Students in STEM Fields through Data Acquisition and Computational Thinking
Title: The Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science: Engaging Marginalized Students in STEM Fields through Data Acquisition and Computational Thinking
In an increasingly data driven world, the need for a qualified STEM workforce is essential. Increasing the diversity of this workforce increases the social and economic possibilities for the individual as well as national economic status and global prominence in innovation and technology. The Curriculum and Community Enterprise for Restoration Science has created a nexus between STEM education and possible college and career pathways in data science through ecological experiences in the classroom and in the field. Focusing on data collection and interpretation, New York City students from underserved communities are exposed to the local marine environment and efforts to restore aquatic species as well as the water quality in New York Harbor. The use of an innovative and motivating curriculum for both students and teachers bolstered confidence in acquired skills and content. By introducing students to these heretofore untapped STEM areas of interest, the BOP CCERS + STEM C Project has created opportunities in college and career options for underrepresented populations and the possibility of growing a more diverse STEM workforce.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1839656
PAR ID:
10346898
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of Curriculum and Teaching
Volume:
10
Issue:
4
ISSN:
1927-2677
Page Range / eLocation ID:
82
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ; ; (, Journal of Curriculum and Teaching)
    The Billion Oyster Project and Curriculum and Community Enterprise for the Restoration of New York Harbor with New York City Public Schools (BOP-CCERS) program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) supported initiative and collaboration led by Pace University. One of Pace University’s NSF projects is STEM+C (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics plus Computing) designed to work with teachers and students in New York City public schools. This article presents results of a study conducted on the STEM Summer Institute at Pace University in Summer 2022. The purpose was to engage both teachers and students in harbor restoration and experiential learning in New York City including learning about vital ecology projects related to New York’s harbor such as oyster restoration, which is critical to cleaning pollutants in the New York Harbor. Findings revealed that students indicated improved oyster knowledge and restoration skills, scientific skills, collecting and analyzing data, and knowledge about STEM careers. Participating teachers indicated a positive impact on their knowledge of content and harbor restoration, pedagogical knowledge used to engage students in hands-on scientific learning, and methods of engaging and motivating their own students. Moreover, teachers indicated a positive outcome for exposing their students to STEM career options. 
    more » « less
  2. ; (, Journal of Curriculum and Teaching)
    Underrepresented and marginalized students have challenges when connecting their personal identities to STEM identities. This has a direct impact on the post-secondary educational and career choices of these students. Some factors which contribute to the disenfranchisement of marginalized students include inequity in academic preparation, students’ lack of self-efficacy and self-identity in STEM, students’ lack of connection to the STEM curriculum and students’ lack of role models and mentors. Although the opportunities in the STEM workforce are abundant and lucrative, students who identify as students of color, female and/or English language learners are poorly represented in the STEM professions. Through the CCERS STEM + C Program, students are asked to expand their STEM identity through near-peer mentoring, encounters with STEM experts and individual STEM Research projects that are focused on the environmental restoration of New York Harbor, its watershed and the native oyster population. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; ; (, Journal of Curriculum and Teaching)
    The Billion Oyster Project and Curriculum and Community Enterprise for the Restoration of New York Harbor withNew York City Public Schools (BOP-CCERS) seeks to integrate harbor restoration activities with science teachers inorder to provide their students with experiential learning through environmental impact in New York City with thevision that public school students in New York City can benefit from environmental science and experiential learningwork through authentic research, data collection, and experimentation. The purpose is to engage science teachers withexperiential learning opportunities in the New York Harbor that helps them create engaging lessons for their ownstudents. It was found that teachers responded most positively to workshops that included hands-on activities,specifically the oyster restoration station trainings, classroom oyster tank setups and activities with scientists. Teachersreported that the BOP-CCERS program prepared them to support student learning of the program content and scientificresearch activities. Students who engage in real-world science are more likely to see the relevance of science and seethemselves working toward a career pathway in STEM. 
    more » « less
  4. ; ; ; (, Journal of computing sciences in colleges)
    This paper shares the analysis of our quantitative findings regarding the impact of a virtual informal collaborative experiential learning activity on diverse students' computational thinking, critical thinking, and self-efficacy in STEM activities. Designed as part of an ongoing National Science Foundation sponsored project to provide underrepresented minority (URM) students from underserved economic backgrounds with real-world career preparation and technical education across disciplines through collaborative project activities using cutting-edge technologies, the Hackathon for Social Good was implemented during the COVID-19 shutdowns in a New York City community college in lower Manhattan. Students worked in teams to innovate practical solutions to global problems with mentor support from both academia and the tech industry. This intervention drew 36 students from Computer Science, Business, and Sociology classes, who worked with volunteers and alumni during a full-day event in the Fall of 2021, using AI and data science to design culturally sensitive data-driven solutions for real-world problems. The tracks covered the following topics: Zero Hunger, Clean Water, and Sanitation, Green Consumption, Racial Justice, Quality Education, Good Health, and Well Being. The two main objectives of this project are as follows: (1) Design a remote interdisciplinary one-day experiential collaborative learning environment to engage URM teams of students from a community college in applying computational thinking to develop solutions for social good. (2) Conduct research on our intervention to study its effect on students' self-efficacy, as well as their knowledge of, and comfort with, computational thinking, critical thinking, problem-solving, and STEM. The evidence gathered from qualitative and quantitative data indicates that using these mechanisms to infuse CT into student learning across disciplines has several positive outcomes. Students reported increased leadership skills, comfort with teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking. A quantitative study specifically showed a positive impact on student confidence in their ability to do CT and improved their sense of efficacy in impacting the world outside of the hackathon. 
    more » « less
  5. ; (, ASEE Conferences)
    Over the last decade, the emergence of technician education has taken center stage at secondary and post-secondary educational institutions through the proliferation of industry needs and employer-partner engagement. Through employer-partner engagement, Southern University at Shreveport, Louisiana (SUSLA), a community college unit within the Southern University and A&M College System, conducted a systematic review, assessment, and revision of its curricula that addressed the needs of industry. SUSLA’s comprehensive assessment, guided by employer-partner input, community college and 4-year university collaborations, and published workforce data, identified a pressing need to develop an Engineering Technology program. To that end, SUSLA developed a 2+2+2 Matriculation Model within the Engineering Technology associate of applied science degree program designed as a gateway to enable early education, persistence to post-secondary credentials of value, and high-quality career outcomes. Programs with similar demographics may be able to use this as a model which aims to do four things: 1) facilitate the early engagement of students decreasing the number of academically underprepared learners entering college, 2) expand postsecondary educational opportunities to improve outcomes fostering economic opportunity 3) increase the enrollment, persistence and graduation of early education and underserved populations in STEM and, 4) facilitate a reduction in time to degree. SUSLA’s 2+2+2 Matriculation Model provides high school students with the opportunity to earn dual-enrollment post-secondary credentials through its certificate of technical offerings in Engineering and Engineering Technology. Additionally, the model facilitates an increase in the participation rate of students in STEM and provides more academic opportunities and career exploration through collaborative industry-academic networks. Furthermore, the model produces workforce-ready technicians which accelerates academic and technical skill attainment and, thereby addresses a) the shortage in moderate to middle-skill jobs that require some college, but less than a bachelor’s degree; and b) the ongoing need for highly skilled STEM graduates to maintain the nation’s competitiveness in productivity and innovation. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email