Co-Design as a Strategy for Translation and for Scaling and Sustaining K–12 STEM Innovations

About This Grant

Many educational innovations show promise in small studies but never reach widespread classroom use. This study will examine co-design as a mechanism for transforming foundational research into usable interventions, and scaling and sustaining those interventions within diverse K-12 systems. Co-design is a collaborative process whereby teachers, researchers, and developers work together to design and test STEM innovations to improve teaching and learning outcomes. Drawing inspiration from medical research, where translation occurs from "bench to bedside" (Type I) and from bedside to widespread and sustainable practice (Type II), this project will study how co-design supports both the creation of usable tools and their successful integration into schools. Although co-design is increasingly used in federally funded education research, there has been no large-scale study of how it works in practice or contributes to the broader use and long-term sustainability of STEM innovations. Through a multi-method study of 100 NSF-funded STEM education projects, the team will examine outcomes of co-designed innovations, refine what is meant by co-design, identify the conditions that support and impede its success, and develop models of effective co-design. The project will advance the broader literature on theories and models of translation in education and in so doing help ensure that innovations actually reach and benefit all students. This study will examine co-design as a mechanism for transforming foundational research into usable interventions, and scaling and sustaining those interventions within diverse K-12 systems. The study will focus on a sample of 100 projects funded by the NSF DRK-12 and ITEST programs between 2013-2024 that engaged in co-design to develop STEM education innovations. In Phase 1, the team will use human-in-the-loop natural language processing to analyze project abstracts and construct a typology of design challenges, products, and contexts. In Phase 2, the team will survey researchers and educators from sampled projects and analyze public reports to identify common co-design components and model relationships between co-design practices and outcomes of scale and sustainability. In Phase 3, the team will conduct multiple case studies--including interviews and artifact collection--to refine descriptive and explanatory models and integrate insights about challenges and adaptive strategies in co-design. Outcomes will include: (1) empirically grounded models of co-design practices and their mechanisms for supporting translation, scale, and sustainability; (2) factors associated failure of co-design to achieve these goals; and (3) practical guidelines for deciding how and when to use co-design and for avoiding pitfalls that limit co-design's effectiveness. The project will advance the science of translation by providing foundational evidence on how co-design can be structured to increase the reach and lasting impact of STEM education innovations. This project is jointly funded by the Translation and Diffusion (TD) program that supports research that advances the science of translation and diffusion between research and practice in STEM education, the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that increase students' knowledge and interest in STEM and information and communication technology careers, and the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) which advances use-inspired and translational research in all fields of science and engineering. 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.