The investigator team at the University of Arkansas proposes to establish the first Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Site in Arkansas, an EPSCoR state. Arkansas is the 29th largest by area in the nation at 53,179 square miles and has a population of approximately 3 million with 16.4% in poverty. The Arkansas Data Analytics Teacher Alliance (AR-DATA) program will provide at least thirty 9th-12th mathematics, computer science, and pre-engineering teachers with transformative research experiences thematically centered on data analytics, especially engineering applications towards smart and connected health, infrastructure, and community. Northwest Arkansas is strengthening the data analytics sector with support from various local organizations. This proposal seeks to address the urgent needs of incorporating modern analytics materials into K-12 STEM curriculum. It also aims to utilize and enhance analytics research at the University of Arkansas as well as analytics workforce in Arkansas. The teachers participating in the AR-DATA program will develop, implement, and disseminate analytics learning modules suitable for high school curriculum, reaching high school students in Northwest Arkansas, including those underrepresented and in rural areas. In order to strategically plan and operate the RET site with long-term sustainability.
Objectives
Objective 1: Curriculum Development
RET participants will develop and promote modules to enhance current curriculum, guided by curriculum coaches and research mentors, to train the next-generation STEM workforce, reflecting state-of-the-art research on data analytics with applications in various engineering disciplines.
Specifically, ten RET participants each year over three years will:
- Create curricula and learning modules on data analytics with engineering applications in health, infrastructure, and community, which will meet the Arkansas K-12 Computer Science and Math Standards, serving as a model for other states;
- Deliver and pilot developed modules in one of the following: mathematics, computer science, or pre-engineering; such modules can be for any high school 9th-12th grade students in Northwest Arkansas, including schools in rural areas and with significant minority populations;
- Improve and disseminate curriculum through the TeachEngineering digital library, the University of Arkansas Center for Math and Science Education, and various STEM-related conferences.
Objective 2: Teacher Development
RET participants will attain new knowledge of data analytics and engineering applications, gain a better understanding of the next-generation STEM workforce needs in data analytics, and learn innovative pedagogies and effective strategies from peers, mentors, and curriculum coaches.
Specifically, RET participants will:
- Involve and participate in cutting-edge research in data analytics mentored by engineering faculty and graduate student researchers, especially focusing on the concept of smart and connected health, infrastructure, and community;
- Observe and learn about the integration of research, industry applications, and teaching from research and industry mentors, and discuss ideas for potential real world applications for students in the classroom;
- Increase their understanding of data analytics applications in the public and private sector as well as the current and future needs for the analytics workforce, especially in Northwest Arkansas;
- Share ideas, knowledge, and experiences in adopting effective strategies along with modules and teaching materials among peers, mentors, and curriculum coaches.
Objective 3: Partnership Development
All AR-DATA participants will benefit professionally through the RET program activities and achieve a long-term collaborative partnership between the University and public school districts in Northwest Arkansas.
Specifically, RET participants will:
- Increase collaboration and networking opportunities through interaction with university faculty and graduate students, industry mentors, and RET peers.
RET mentors and program team members will:
- Establish a long-term partnership with 9th-12th grade educators and leaders and will visit the high school classrooms to observe module implementation and provide feedback;
- Visit with various teachers in the region to recruit additional participants and to disseminate existing modules;
- Explore collaboration opportunities among mentors themselves and be motivated to develop and implement new pedagogies in their own classrooms.
Who Can Participate?
Each interested teacher will need to fill out an online application to the program. Applicants will describe their initial needs for modules that will strength curriculum in computer science, math, and pre-engineering. During three rounds of mentor matching, RET participants will learn more about research project ideas from the mentors, and discuss the applicability of research ideas to standards-based modules with the mentors and the Curriculum Coach team. Returning RET participants will also be selected based on their past participation and their goals to achieve in the second RET experience.