Research Experiences for Teacher Advancement in Nanotechnology
This project seeks to establish an RET site at IU Indianapolis in order to provide pedagogical training and assistance to STEM teachers within the school districts that comprise metro Indianapolis. Participation will enhance teacher development through graduate course credits and infuse STEM curricula with inquiry-based methodology in order to generate STEM interest among students. More importantly, due to the multidisciplinary nature of nanotechnology, trained teachers will be equipped to integrate multiple STEM subjects into their curriculum providing students with subject-to-subject connectivity comparable to real-world collaborative expectations. The proposed framework provides a portable model that can be implemented at other institutions and teaching modules that can be implemented on a national level.SEIRI Role: For this RET-site, SEIRI is (a) leading teachers' classroom module development activities, ensuring their alignment with the CCSS and NGSS expectations, (b) providing three credit hours of engineering and technology coursework on nanotechnology and STEM careers, (c) promoting module dissemination, (d) scheduling and conducting on-site classroom visitations using the Integrated Nanotechnology and STEM Observation protocol, and (e) analyzing formative and summative evaluations of the program.
SEIRI Personnel: Justin L Hess
Collaborators: Maher Rizkalla (PI); Mangilal Agarwal; Jomo Mutegi; Likun Zhu
Website: http://indi.indianapolis.iu.edu/RET.php
Funding Organization: NSF Division of Engineering Education and Centers
RFP: Research Experiences for Teachers
Grant Status: Current
Award #: 1406995
Award Amount: $494,220 Grant Status: Current (09/01/14 – 08/31/17)
Publications:
- Agarwal, M., Sorge, B., Fore, G., Minner, D., Feldhaus, C., & Rizkalla, M. (2016). Research models with dissemination activities for Research Experiences for Teachers (RET). Paper presented at IEEE Frontiers in Education, Erie, PA.
- Hess, J. L., Feldhaus, C., Rizkalla, M., & Agarwal, M. (2017). An evaluation of a Research Experience Traineeship (RET) program for integrating nanotechnology into pre-college curriculum. Paper to be presented at the ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, OH.
