- Cynthia Trawick
- Director
- Innovative Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics
- http://www.morehouse.edu/istem/
- Morehouse College
- Tiffany Bussey
- Director
- Innovative Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics
- http://www.morehouse.edu/istem/
- Morehouse College
- Willie Rockward
- Chair and Professor
- Innovative Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics
- http://www.morehouse.edu/istem/
- Morehouse College, Morehouse College
Public Discussion
Continue the discussion of this presentation on the Multiplex. Go to Multiplex
Teresa Eastburn
Digital Learning & UCAR Connect Lead
What I like about the iSTEM project is the problem-based focus one theme: getting to the moon (and later infrastructure and life systems). That offers a broad enough theme that spans a great deal of STEM learning but the overall theme remains constant, which I think helps students understand the schema of the various problems. I’m also glad to hear one of the researchers state the importance of the 21st century learning skills like public speaking and collaboration along with the STEM content knowledge that is gained. In my experience you always need both. At this point you are relatively young program so what have you learned in your first year? What has surprised you? Also, how are students recruited, and do they all attend Saturday Academy? After-school time can be challenging around consistency. Have you found this to be true? Why or why not? I am also interested in the curriculum? Has it been developed or is it being piloted at this point?
Tiffany Bussey
Director
Teresa, thanks for your comments. You are correct iSTEM is a young program in its first year so we spent most of the year mostly planning, recruiting, performing baseline assessments and team formation both for the instructors and the student participants. I guess our biggest surprise thus far is that we have had no attrition from the program. Students are recruited from local area high schools through social media, word of month and informational sessions with existing partners. All 40 students in the program attend the Saturday academy and are now flowing into the 5 week summer camp. We asked that students and their parents sign commitment letters to commit the required time of the program and so far we have not had an issue with commitment. We keep the program fun and excited for the students and from what we understand they look forward to coming on Saturdays and complain on the Saturdays we are not in session. The this point the curriculum is still being piloted within the overall theme of colonizing earth’s moon.
Lauren Allen
Postdoctoral Research Associate
This is one of my favorite videos so far! I love seeing the actual students and facilitators involved in the projects and how engaged they seem in the program. I’m also curious about some of the details of the program that Teresa mentioned, especially about how students are recruited and how many Saturdays they attend the academy. Will the same students attend all three years? Will you be able to keep in touch with them when they head off to college and find out if they use the skills they learned in iSTEM?
Tiffany Bussey
Director
Lauren, thank you for your comments. Students are recruited from the local are schools through the use of social media and informational sessions with schools already engaged with Morehouse College through other programs. Yes, the intent is for students to attend all three years. Our plan is to engage these students in a pipeline program to college if not through this program the through other programs at Morehouse. We are working closely with the existing precollege programs on campus and our hope is to have these students participate in those programs.
Roger Taylor
Assistant Professor
Echoing what Teresa and Lauren said, I’m also interested in learning more of the details of your PBL program. For instance, what educational improvements do you expect and how are you measuring them?
Tiffany Bussey
Director
Roger thank you for your comments. One of the main goals of iSTEM is the increase awareness and sharing of knowledge of STEM careers to our target student population. We are assessing students perception and level of interest in STEM careers. We are expecting to see a favorable shift towards interests in STEM fields.
Bianca Shelby
The iSTEM program at Morehouse College is a dynamic program that my daughter, Emily, participates in twice a month and during the summer for 5 weeks. She loves the program and is engaged from start to finish. She enjoyed participating in the Morehouse College Innovation Day where her team showcased their project, Moving On the Moon. I look forward to her continued growth and interest in the STEM field over the next three years while participating in the program.
Tiffany Bussey
Director
Thank you Bianca! We love having Emily in the program. We look forward to seeing her next week at summer camp.
Jennifer Adams
Associate Professor
Looks like a very exciting project! As other facilitators have asked, I would like to know more details—how long students are involved in the program, how are they recruited, how many students have been involved up to this point and what has been the feedback from those students? Is there any family engagement component?
Tiffany Bussey
Director
Thanks Jennifer! There are 40 students in the program and its the intent to have them engaged with the program for all 3 years with the expectation that they continue on to other pipeline programs at Morehouse and eventually to attending college. Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with more demand for the program than we have seats. We do have a family engagement component through parental workshops done twice a semester and frequent e-blast communication. Parents were also engaged in our Innovation Expo where the middle school students and college students presented innovative project ideas from across various disciplines.
Craig Schroeder
This looks like a great program. How specifically do you expose the students to STEM careers? Are you purposeful in exposing them to many different mentors? If so, how do you choose these students? I have all the same questions mentioned above as well. I would also be interested in what metrics you are using with your students since you have prolonged exposure unlike most “camps”.
Tiffany Bussey
Director
Craig thank you for your comments. Students are exposed to STEM careers through a speaker series of STEM professionals, video cases and independent student research on STEM careers of interest.
Further posting is closed as the showcase has ended.