University of Pennsylvania Approach to Sustainable, Mission- oriented, K-16+ STEM Education Partnerships

Overview K-12 STEM education problems Higher Ed STEM education problems K-16+ STEM Ed partnerships generally are not linked to a systemic, mutually- beneficial, mission-oriented solution to these problems; thus not sustainable Penns ABCS approach

Problems with K-12 STEM Education Students are not learning science by doing science; classroom instruction is passive and/or disconnected from their world Lack of focus on STEM education Effective implementation requires the combination of: Locally appropriate activities and labs Additional human and intellectual resources for curriculum development and implementation Focused, interactive professional development

Problems with Higher Ed STEM Education Students are not learning science by doing science; classroom instruction is passive and/or disconnected from their world Uneven access to undergraduate research opportunities Lack of interaction between undergraduate and graduate students Undergrad and grad students need key professional skills, e.g., collaboration, communication with non-scientists Science researchers and science educators not connected

Predominant K-16+ Partnership Approaches Outreach is not aggregated for change Lack of coordination of efforts Efforts are widely scattered K-12 and higher ed STEM education problems addressed separately Not integrated with core mission K-16+ relationships not mutually beneficial Outreach is viewed as service, not connected to research and teaching

Academically Based Community Service (ABCS): an integrated, mission-oriented approach Credit courses and associated research at the undergraduate, graduate, and faculty level Incorporates service that is rooted in and intrinsically linked to teaching and/or research Emphasizes collaborative, real world problem solving

Breadth of ABCS Penn has offered: Over 160 courses Through 36 Departments & 11 Schools 60+ courses are offered each year

STEM ABCS Courses Include: Biology 150: Learning Biology by Teaching Biology Biological Basis of Behavior 150: ABCS of Neuroscience Biological Basis of Behavior 007: Sex Differences: Biology, Chemistry, and History Math 123: Math Community Teaching Project Engineering and Applied Science 296: Learning Multimedia Tools by Teaching Multimedia Environmental Studies 404: Urban Environment - Lead Poisoning Prevention Psychology 386: Research Experience in Developmental Psychology

Psychology 386 Advanced research methods course that involves juniors and seniors in original research projects assessing K-12 students STEM learning Student projects are linked to teaching and learning partnerships in Access Science classrooms Projects have examined: High school students geometry learning via Math 123 Middle school students learning about robotics and fractions Elementary students learning related to a unit on biological classification Apply research methods based in cognitive science

Math 123 GK-12 Fellow Sarah Mason has worked as the course TA and is the current instructor K-12 Partner - University City High School Geometry Teacher Scott Koehler Penn undergraduates enroll in the course Students learn by developing and teaching hands-on geometry curriculum.

EAS Learning Multimedia Tools by Teaching GK-12 Fellow Mark Van Langeveld developed and teaches the course K-12 Partners - Sayre and University City High Schools Enrolled undergraduates are required to become proficient with a multimedia tool Each undergraduate develops a tutorial & uses it to teach at the schools

Conclusion Sustainability: Made possible via an integrated, mutually-beneficial approach based on core mission Core Mission: Research, Teaching, and Service Development of graduates who are actively engaged in collaborative, real-world problem solving Our Integrated Approach: Academically Based Community Service Course (ABCS)

Contact Information Cory Bowman Associate Director, Center for Community Partnerships Katie Schu Access Science Coordinator Dennis DeTurck Professor of Mathemathics, Dean, College of Arts and Science Christine Massey Director, Pennlincs