TechBoston and Northeastern University are working collaboratively in this comprehensive project to integrate an innovative robotics curriculum into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses in the Boston Public Schools and in other racially diverse and economically disadvantaged Massachusetts school districts.
The project targets 90 STEM teachers in grades seven and eight, each of whom receive 80 hours of summer professional development and 40 hours of follow-up support in leading yearlong after-school robotics programs. More than 1,800 students are participating, with each having 20 to 80 hours of contact time during summer and after school.
The project addresses the urgent need to enhance students' interest and performance in STEM courses, while fostering skills that are important prerequisites for IT careers. In the near term, project leaders are helping students in Massachusetts to meet statewide academic standards. Over the long term, the project will help to inspire and prepare a new generation of IT professionals.
The project's intellectual merits derive from its innovative delivery platform (i.e. hands-on robotics projects) and its professional development framework (i.e. after-school programs as an incubator for new classroom teaching methods). In terms of broader impacts, the robotics curriculum is aligned with both state and national technology education standards, and the project team is committed to promoting statewide adoption and national replication. Special emphasis is placed on female and minority students. Pedagogical methods are tailored to these students' learning patterns, and strategies are provided to help middle school STEM teachers engage all students, regardless of gender or race.
