Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Track 1 Project: Incorporation of Next Generation Technologies in the Preparation of Highly Qualified Science Teachers

About This Grant

The proposed project plans to provide scholarships or stipends to enable 16 high-achieving preservice undergraduate and graduate students to become a STEM teacher in a secondary classroom in the New York metropolitan area and will support them through their first two years of induction as a new teacher. The project aims to serve the national need of preparing highly qualified STEM teachers who can educate a future science-informed workforce with the skillset to use next generation technologies such as drones, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality. The use of these technologies requires educators to possess their own unique skillset that will help prepare students to better meet the challenges of a changing, technologically driven job market. Student-focused motivation and engagement in STEM through the use of cutting-edge technologies in the science classroom could strengthen student desire to pursue a STEM degree and to choose science and technology careers that are competitive on the global stage. In addition to technology education, scholars will participate in various activities to strengthen their knowledge of data collection and analysis as well as attend workshops at local technology companies which is intended to improve community ties, support professional development, and build a robust STEM pathway, with scholars themselves becoming advocates for technology mastery and innovation in science education. This project at Queens College, City University of New York, includes partnerships with high-need schools within the borough of Queens and Nassau County, the New York Hall of Science, TeamBuilders, and Google. Project goals include producing effective science teachers by supporting both undergraduates and career changers in the fields of geology, biology, chemistry, and physics. The project's research component consists of analyzing the effect of a technology-enhanced curriculum and extracurricular supports on educators' technological pedagogical content knowledge evaluated through data collection of teacher attitudes, technology-supported lesson plans, and the use of novel technology that supports the education of future learners. The project also intends to build a strong community of science educators to support innovations in technology education as well as improved science literacy by supporting student interest in STEM through their use of novel technologies. Project outcomes are slated to be shared at conferences and through publications to potentially assist other universities' teacher preparation programs across the country. This Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers, and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the effectiveness and retention of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.