This funding establishes a new CISE Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) site focused on emerging technologies in mobile computing at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Each summer a cohort of teachers from Omaha Public Schools will conduct research with faculty at the university. They will also develop problem-based learning modules which they will integrate into their classes during the school year. Numerous academic year activities will expand the project to many other computing teachers thus impacting over 4,320 students in the participating schools. This site is co-funded by the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Program.
The intellectual merit of this project lies in strong research basis and the expertise of the faculty. The project team has significant related research and experience in educational applications and K-12 school outreach. The projects are in research areas that are current and of interest to teachers and their students.
The broader impacts of the project include providing a quality research experience to teachers and the infusion of sound instructional models into the K-12 schools. The project includes outreach to a large community of teachers in the metropolitan Omaha region and should impact a student population that has a significant minority population. The materials will be broadly disseminated for use by others. The project has the potential to create a sustainable partnership between the university and schools thus benefitting the Omaha area for years to come.
