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Effects of Participating in a GK-12 Program on the Graduate Students’ Programs of Study Jed S. Lyons, Steve Fisher, and Stephen Thompson University of South Carolina – Columbia

Abstract The NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education program at the University of South Carolina supports engineering and computer science graduate students to serve as content resources in local schools. This paper analyzes how participation in the GK-12 program affected the Fellows’ university research and program of study. Qualitative and quantitative assessment data were collected from the Fellows and from the Fellow’s advisors, evaluated and used to identify intended as well as unintended effects. The time commitment for many of the Fellows often exceeded what was expected or required. However, the majority of Fellows and advisors did not report that participating delayed their graduation. In many cases, participation enhanced their ability to conduct research and present the results. The results indicate that the benefits to the Fellows of participating in the program outweighed any negative consequences.

Introduction The Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) program at the University of South Carolina seeks to develop the technical communication and teaching skills of participating graduate students (Fellows), foster STEM content gain and professional development among participating teachers, and enrich grades 3-8 students’ learning of STEM concepts and applications. The graduate students spend at least ten hours each week working with a teacher partner in the classroom, and an additional five to ten hours each week planning for their in- school activities. The Fellows enhance science and mathematics instruction with engineering- related lessons and activities. In addition, each cohort of Fellows plans and implements a 3-day summer workshop for teachers from across the state. To help prepare the graduate students for these activities, they are required to enroll in a 3-credit, graduate-level course (EDTE 701 – Special Topics in Teaching Science) during the Fall semester, and attend weekly GK-12 seminars during the Spring and Summer. At the same time, each Fellow is expected to adequately progress in his/her university program of study and complete their thesis research.

From August 2001 through July 2004, three cohorts Fellows each were partnered with teachers in local public elementary and middle schools. The 2001 cohort of Fellows included 9 graduate students and 2 undergraduate seniors. The 2002 cohort of Fellows included 10 graduate students and one undergraduate senior. The 2003 cohort consisted of 13 graduate students.

Assessment Procedures Multiple assessment procedures were used to analyze the effect of the GK-12 program on the Fellows’ research and program of study. These included: Fellow Focus Groups, Post- Participation Interviews of Fellows, Post-Participation Follow-up Fellow Surveys, and Post-

Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2005, American Society for Engineering Education

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Fisher, S., & Thompson, S., & Lyons, J. (2005, June), Effects Of Participating In A Gk 12 Program On The Graduate Students’ Programs Of Study Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--14610