Success Framework for a STEAM x S-L Partnership

Kathryn Schulte Grahame; Anne E. Shea; Christiane Amstutz

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE) Technical Session 1: Partnerships Making It Real!
Tagged Division: Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 18
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44355
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44355
Download Count: 226

Paper Authors

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Kathryn Schulte Grahame Northeastern University

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Dr. Kathryn Schulte Grahame is a Teaching Professor at Northeastern University and the Associate Director of the First-Year Engineering Team at Northeastern University. The focus of this team is on providing a consistent, comprehensive, and constructive educational experience that endorses the student-centered, professional and practice-oriented mission of Northeastern University. She teaches the Cornerstone of Engineering courses to first-year students as well as courses within the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. She is a recipient of the Excellence in Mentoring Award and the Outstanding Teacher of First-Year Students Award. Her research interests include service learning and work that informs and enhances the teaching of first-year students.

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Anne E. Shea Northeastern University

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Christiane Amstutz

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Abstract

It is widely recognized that there is a need for a diverse workforce of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professionals, leaders, and innovators to co-create successful solutions for global problems. The inclusion of art into STEM activities (making STEAM the new acronym) has the potential to encourage a more diverse population of learners to become engaged in this workforce. While these needs are great, there is not widespread access to STEAM activities; teachers in many districts face multiple constraints in developing new rigorous activities. Partnerships between K-12 and universities can ease this burden through service learning (S-L).

At an urban elementary school in the northeast, an afterschool STEAM club has been partnering with a S-L engineering course from a local university to develop and facilitate activities. We call this partnership STEAM x S-L. This partnership seeks to be mutually beneficial and work towards a common goal developed by the community partner and university, to achieve a transformative relationship. Our partnership specifically focuses on engaging and growing K-12 STEAM education in a manner that does not place the burden solely on K-12 teachers.

Utilizing a design-based implementation research (DBIR) approach, the school and university teams created numerous collaborative activities for upper elementary-aged students. The process of improving activities occurred through iterative interviews, student work samples, and feedback from the K-12 students and undergraduate team leaders. The results from this iterative process were then used to develop an initial framework for what makes successful activities for the STEAM x S-L partnership. The framework was then mapped to current literature around developmentally appropriate teaching practices, STEAM, and S-L and further refined through comparison to student feedback on various activities.

This framework has implications for both researchers studying S-L and STEAM education and also practitioners seeking to set up their programs for success. While elementary teachers are overworked and over-asked, developing S-L relationships with local university programs can be one solution to addressing STEAM workforce development at both K-12 and university levels.

Citation
Format

Schulte Grahame, K., & Shea, A. E., & Amstutz, C. (2023, June), Success Framework for a STEAM x S-L Partnership Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--44355

TY - CPAPER
AB - It is widely recognized that there is a need for a diverse workforce of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professionals, leaders, and innovators to co-create successful solutions for global problems. The inclusion of art into STEM activities (making STEAM the new acronym) has the potential to encourage a more diverse population of learners to become engaged in this workforce. While these needs are great, there is not widespread access to STEAM activities; teachers in many districts face multiple constraints in developing new rigorous activities. Partnerships between K-12 and universities can ease this burden through service learning (S-L).

At an urban elementary school in the northeast, an afterschool STEAM club has been partnering with a S-L engineering course from a local university to develop and facilitate activities. We call this partnership STEAM x S-L. This partnership seeks to be mutually beneficial and work towards a common goal developed by the community partner and university, to achieve a transformative relationship. Our partnership specifically focuses on engaging and growing K-12 STEAM education in a manner that does not place the burden solely on K-12 teachers.

Utilizing a design-based implementation research (DBIR) approach, the school and university teams created numerous collaborative activities for upper elementary-aged students. The process of improving activities occurred through iterative interviews, student work samples, and feedback from the K-12 students and undergraduate team leaders. The results from this iterative process were then used to develop an initial framework for what makes successful activities for the STEAM x S-L partnership. The framework was then mapped to current literature around developmentally appropriate teaching practices, STEAM, and S-L and further refined through comparison to student feedback on various activities.

This framework has implications for both researchers studying S-L and STEAM education and also practitioners seeking to set up their programs for success. While elementary teachers are overworked and over-asked, developing S-L relationships with local university programs can be one solution to addressing STEAM workforce development at both K-12 and university levels.

AU - Kathryn Schulte Grahame
AU - Anne E. Shea
AU - Christiane Amstutz
CY - Baltimore , Maryland
DA - 2023/06/25
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Success Framework for a STEAM x S-L Partnership
UR - https://peer.asee.org/44355
DO - 10.18260/1-2--44355
ER -