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Abstract BackgroundDesigned in 2012 with a first implementation in 2013, NE STEM 4U is a professional development program for post-secondary students/undergraduates, and serves as a source of outreach, content knowledge generation, and STEM literacy for youth in grades kindergarten through 8th grade (ages 5–14). The model empowers post-secondary students as facilitators of inquiry-based learning within the context of an out-of-school time program. This study investigated the potential for replicating or ‘franchising’ this model by evaluating on the following: (1) Is the model replicable? And, if so, (2) what core elements are necessary for program fidelity? And (3) is there a dependency on a particular setting/participant type (e.g., a more rural or urban setting)? ResultsStrategic expansion of the program to different institutional types (i.e., Research 1, Research II, and a predominantly undergraduate institution), different geographical locations (i.e., rural and urban), and with various school district partners (i.e., large and small) determined that program fidelity and replicability required 4 core elements or criteria: (i) intentional programming, (ii) staff quality, (iii) effective partnerships, and (iv) program evaluation and continuous improvement. Importantly, we examined emergent themes by each site, as well as in combination (n = 16 focus group participants,n = 12 reflection surveys). These data indicated thatFlexibility(21.22%), Student Engagement (i.e., Youth)(19.53%), Classroom Management (i.e., also pertaining to youth)(19.31%), and Communication(15.71%) were the themes most referenced by the post-secondary student mentors in the NE STEM 4U program, regardless of site. Finally, the YPQA results demonstrate general replication of program quality in a “franchise” location. ConclusionsThese results highlight the core elements of the NE STEM 4U program for consideration of expansion (through strategic replication or ‘franchising’) as a possible international model. The findings and voices highlight the program’s trajectory toward success into environments that expand professional development for post-secondary students, and for delivering STEM opportunities for youth. 

Experiences during post-secondary education can accentuate the ongoing, ever-changing process of developing 21st-century skills for undergraduate students. These 21st-century skills, including critical thinking (CT), are important for students to develop for competitive job placement after graduation. The future workforce requires diverse knowledge, skills, and dispositions to navigate complex and ever-changing jobs, especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Purpose: This project aimed to qualitatively investigate previously determined quantitative attributes of CT to gain a deeper understanding of how these attributes manifest themselves in undergraduate STEM scholars’ problem-solving and decision-making. Sample: Twelve program undergraduate student participants from a STEM professional development program partook in completing materials for this study. Methods: We used a phenomenology approach to explore the nuances of CT attributes from the responses of our program participants. We explored how the eight CT attributes (induction, analysis, inference, evaluation, deduction, interpretation, explanation, numeracy) emerged from participant responses, in isolation and in interaction with each other in undergraduate STEM students’ responses to real-world scenarios to find potential trends or insights to better understand the intricate nature of critical thinking as a construct. Results: While we aimed to explore CT attributes in isolation based on their previously defined definitions, our findings demonstrate that certain CT attributes occurred concurrently with other CT attributes at higher frequencies than others (e.g., analysis and induction). These concurrent attributes show that undergraduate students identified various entry points to a real-life scenario, and simultaneously find multiple solutions to these complex problems. The findings of this exploratory study suggest areas for STEM program improvement based on the qualitative examination of whether CT attributes are present, and how they might also happen concurrently more frequently when undergraduate students face real-life decision-making scenarios. Conclusions: Findings from this study will help create a more robust program model for undergraduate student development to meet STEM workforce demands and competitive job placement after graduation. A deep understanding of what makes up this complex construct is essential to increase students’ CT skills. Further research in this area may explore how CT attributes offer additional insights for framing undergraduate professional development programs. With careful attention to distinct and concurrent attributes, carefully designed professional development might be more effective and transferrable to STEM fields. 

Experiences during post-secondary education can accentuate the ongoing, ever-changing process of developing 21st-century skills for undergraduate students. These 21st-century skills, including critical thinking (CT), are important for students to develop for competitive job placement after graduation. The future workforce requires diverse knowledge, skills, and dispositions to navigate complex and ever-changing jobs, especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Purpose: This project aimed to qualitatively investigate previously determined quantitative attributes of CT to gain a deeper understanding of how these attributes manifest themselves in undergraduate STEM scholars’ problem-solving and decision-making. Sample: Twelve program undergraduate student participants from a STEM professional development program partook in completing materials for this study. Methods: We used a phenomenology approach to explore the nuances of CT attributes from the responses of our program participants. We explored how the eight CT attributes (induction, analysis, inference, evaluation, deduction, interpretation, explanation, numeracy) emerged from participant responses, in isolation and in interaction with each other in undergraduate STEM students’ responses to real-world scenarios to find potential trends or insights to better understand the intricate nature of critical thinking as a construct. Results: While we aimed to explore CT attributes in isolation based on their previously defined definitions, our findings demonstrate that certain CT attributes occurred concurrently with other CT attributes at higher frequencies than others (e.g., analysis and induction). These concurrent attributes show that undergraduate students identified various entry points to a real-life scenario, and simultaneously find multiple solutions to these complex problems. The findings of this exploratory study suggest areas for STEM program improvement based on the qualitative examination of whether CT attributes are present, and how they might also happen concurrently more frequently when undergraduate students face real-life decision-making scenarios. Conclusions: Findings from this study will help create a more robust program model for undergraduate student development to meet STEM workforce demands and competitive job placement after graduation. A deep understanding of what makes up this complex construct is essential to increase students’ CT skills. Further research in this area may explore how CT attributes offer additional insights for framing undergraduate professional development programs. With careful attention to distinct and concurrent attributes, carefully designed professional development might be more effective and transferrable to STEM fields. 

Studies have identified gaps in the development of undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Students lack communication and problem-solving, impeding employment opportunities post-graduation. It is essential to prepare students for employment in STEM fields, as these fields remain in high demand and offer competitive wages for economic stability. Research has revealed that students gain critical thinking and problem-solving skills through students mentoring experiences. Evidence surrounding the inclusion of active learning strategies for in-classroom pedagogy has expanded in recent years, but the support mechanisms beyond the classroom remain unclear. Herein, we followed students for a decade after participation in our mentoring pre-professional training program, Nebraska STEM for You (NE STEM 4U). This phenomenological study utilized interviewing techniques and descriptive statistics to demonstrate how a midsized, metropolitan university STEM mentoring program supported the development of NE STEM 4U participants. We found that engagement in an after-school mentoring program provided participants with a model of mentorship. Participants also developed transferable professional and personal skill sets, including communication, perspectives, conflict resolution, and professional development. 

Here we present unique perspectives from undergraduate students (n=3) in STEM who have taken both a traditional laboratory iteration and a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) iteration of the same introductory chemistry course. CUREs can be effective models for integrating research in courses and fostering student learning gains. Via phenomenological interviews, we asked students to describe the differences in their perspectives, feelings, and experiences between a traditional lab guided by a lab manual and a CURE. We found that (i.) critical thinking/problem solving, (ii.) group work/collaboration, (iii.) student-led research questions and activities, and (iv.) time management are the top four emergent themes associated with the CURE course. Students also indicated that they learned more disciplinary content in the CURE, and, importantly, that they prefer it over the traditional lab. These findings add another dimension of success to CUREs in STEM education, particularly surrounding student retention.