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With the ongoing transition to the knowledge-based, mobile economy, cities in the United States recognize the importance of a STEM-literate workforce. In the depopulated, legacy industrial areas in the Midwest, cities fight to attract and retain an educated workforce – particularly workers with STEM skills. STEM-related jobs, which generally have higher wages and growth are important to stabilizing and rebuilding their communities in the Digital Age. Yet, these areas also tend to have higher percentages of those underrepresented in STEM, including low socio-economic status (LSES) and underrepresented minorities (URM). Engagement and retention in STEM disciplines is of national importance, but for these regions it is critical to competing in the knowledge economy and revitalizing these cities. The Center for Civic Innovation at the University of Notre Dame (UND) piloted a program leveraging what we know about STEM engagement, project-based learning (PBL), academic community engagement, and asset-based community development with federal support (NSF IUSE Exploration and Design Tier for Engaged Student Learning & Institution and Community Transformation). Through examination and refinement, researchers developed the Community-Engaged Educational Ecosystem Model (C-EEEM, pronounced ‘seam’). The C-EEEM pilot contributed to our understanding of how to build learning environments that support 1) improvements in student motivation and retention in STEM; 2) changes in place attachment for participants; and 3) community impacts from project implementation. Through support of an NSF IUSE Development and Implementation Tier grant, the C-EEEM is now in its second year for replication in two cities, Youngstown, Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky
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Board 368: Replicating the Community-Engaged Educational Ecosystem–Differences in Outcomes Across Students
In the second year of a replication in two new cities, this paper examines two years of data on the Community-Engaged Educational Ecosystem model (C-EEEM) in three regions in different Midwestern states. Cities in the deindustrialized Midwest often have higher percentages of those underrepresented in STEM, including low socio-economic status (LSES) and underrepresented minorities (URM); this makes it difficult for them to develop and retain STEM skills in the workforce, critical to rebuilding their communities in the Digital Age.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2152282
- PAR ID:
- 10544629
- Publisher / Repository:
- 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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