Description
NASA TEAM II seeks to provide authentic STEM engagement opportunities for students, and for their learning support systems of families and informal and formal educators and institutions, which also support the following NASA STEM Engagement Strategic Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Design Principles: • Provide authentic STEM engagement activities aligned with NASA mission-driven needs and priorities; • Leverage NASA missions, content, people, and facilities to provide experiential authentic STEM opportunities that encourage innovation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills; • Use or develop evidenced-based educational strategies in designing and implementing the project and address state and local needs; • Establish outcomes and define corresponding metrics and measures to demonstrate a measurable impact on learner interest in and positive attitudes towards STEM topics, and improve self-perception of the learner’s ability to participate in STEM; • Attract and sustain diversity in student participation, and incorporate approaches to foster and promote inclusion, particularly for groups historically underrepresented and underserved in STEM fields; and • Utilize partnerships and regional and national networks of STEM- and STEM education-related IEIs to magnify reach and impact. Selected projects shall: • Address one or more of the technical subject areas of NASA-themed space exploration, aeronautics, space science, Earth science, and/or microgravity. • Target STEM engagement for diverse groups of youth and their learning support systems of families and informal and formal educators and institutions. Primary interest is students of upper elementary and middle school age, in grades 5-8, with the next priority being students in grades K-4. However, proposals utilizing innovative methods for targeting other specific age groups such as early learners and high school age students are also welcome. • Effectively leverage NASA people, resources, and facilities. • Provide evidenced-based opportunities to engage youth in NASA-unique learning experiences beyond the classroom. • Provide experiential authentic STEM opportunities that encourage innovation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. • Include independent evaluation of the project’s progress, impact and outcomes. The outcomes shall include changes in the beneficiaries’ knowledge, skills, behaviors, an d/or attitudes. A minimum of 8% of the total project budget is required to support evaluation activities. • Proactively share best practices with the informal education community, and address how the products generated during the project and the evaluation results will be shared with other individuals and organizations, including NASA’s Museum and Informal Education (MIE) Alliance. • Attract and engage students who are historically underrepresented and /or underserved in STEM fields, particularly women and girls, persons with disabilities, those in rural- underserved areas and/or areas without ready access to information and communication technology, and those who are new to NASA STEM. • Utilize one or more regional or national networks, consortia, or associations of STEM- and STEM education-related IEIs (formal or informal STEM Ecosystems) to magnify and maximize the reach and impact of the proposed work.