MSPnet Phase II is a facilitated electronic learning network serving the MSP community from 2008-2011. This network will continue the functionality of the current MSPnet, while undertaking substantial new initiatives and expanding its reach to serve newly funded Institute and RETA projects. MSPnet Phase II builds on the very successful current MSP learning network, which has had over 319,000 visits (from 190,000 unique visitors) and has served over one million page views. It is accessed by all 71 currently funded NSF MSP projects, and serves each project by collecting, sharing, and disseminating research, resources, and tools generated by Comprehensive, Targeted, Institute, and RETA MSP efforts. Furthermore, it is used as an effective dissemination vehicle sharing selected research and resources with The Department of Education's MSP program as well as the public at large. MSPnet Phase II will ensure that all MSP projects will benefit from an electronic learning network that facilitates sharing within and between projects. MSPnet will continue to play an important role in the MSP efforts to synthesize research and lessons learned from projects as they reach maturity. This will ensure that an online archive will be accessible to researchers, future STEM programs, and the public.
MSPnet Phase II will: . Increase and sustain members' awareness of activities, events, accomplishments, and conferences related to the MSP community at large; . Increase and sustain sharing and access to resources, tools, research, and conference archives between MSP projects; . Increase and sustain communication of partners and constituents within MSP projects; . Enable the continued dissemination of activities, resources and findings to related programs such as the Department of Education's MSP projects, as well as the public at large; . Create a complete archive and synthesis recording the research and lessons learned through this program; . Serve as a cyber-infrastructure model for future NSF programs concerned with sharing research within and across programs. . Research and evaluate the role of on line communities such as MSPnet on supporting the five key features of the MSP program.
MSPnet was originally launched in 2004 to serve as the online learning network for NSF’s Math Science Partnership Program. At it’s outset MSPnet had 351 members. Today it has over 9,500 members who are all affiliated with an NSF or ED MSP funded program. In addition it has reached over 1.8 million unique visitors who have accessed over 8.5 million page views. NSF’s MSP program was created to engage STEM faculty in higher education institutions to create partnerships with K-12 districts in order to improve challenging courses and curricula, increase the quality, diversity, and quantity of STEM teachers and to provide evidenced based designs to improve student achievement. These partnerships were often large and complex, and presented challenges of stretching beyond institutional boundaries and the need to bridge the differing cultures of K-12 and higher education. MSPnet was intended to help partnerships create and maintain online communities of practice that involved researchers, STEM faculty, and K-12 practitioners. To that end MSPnet created a platform, which provided each project with an interactive site for its members. Each site included a way for administrators to track and email members of the project, share resources and research, use a file manager to track and share documents, have threaded online discussions, host webinars (free of charge), use an online registration tool for workshops and track events in a shared interactive calendar. To date MSPnet has created 181 such interactive spaces, one for each funded MSP and also one for State Coordinators and Project Directors of the US Department of Education MSP program. In addition to members being able to share resources, and resources with others within their project, they are also able to share papers, press-clippings, highlights, research, webinars, etc. with other MSP projects and with the public at large. This is accomplished as projects share their resources with the MSPnet Hub. (See Figure 1). Hence, the MSPnet platform is one of nested communities of practice, where resources can be restricted to smaller communities, shared with all MSP projects, or with the public at large. The MSPnet Hub hosts events for all projects including poster showcases, video presentations of leaders in the field, and site-wide discussions. In addition it hosts the MSPnet Academy, which is a series of webinars led by experts from within and beyond the MSP community. These webinars are archived and are available to the public. See: http://hub.mspnet.org/index.cfm/mspnet_academy The MSPnet Hub has become a very rich resource - not only for the MSP program but also for all researchers and practitioners interested in educational reform. Its Library houses an extensive collection of over 1, 950 articles, almost all presented with full text. These articles are relevant to educational change and policy, professional development, and STEM teaching and learning. The Showcase has over 200 press releases, over 330 MSP project reports, over 160 project presentations and 36 videos submitted by the MSPs. See: http://hub.mspnet.org/index.cfm/showcase MSPnet has also served as an effective archive for the MSP program through its extensive collection of MSP authored papers and documentation of all face-to-face MSP Learning Network Conferences. There are over 500 papers in the Library that are authored by members of the MSP community and share the lessons learned from their work. See: http://hub.mspnet.org/index.cfm/library/list/keyword_id-10679 It has also provided full proceedings, and a video archive of plenary speakers for each MSP conference that has taken place. These can be seen at: http://hub.mspnet.org/index.cfm/pi_conf MSPnet has also served as an effective dissemination vehicle. Each week it sends a newsletter to over 9,500 members and 3,000 guest subscribers. These newsletters highlight news and announcements from NSF, emerging research in the field, and MSP project news and resources. Past newsletters can be seen at: http://hub.mspnet.org/index.cfm/26561 MSPnet continues as a vibrant community for all current and past MSP funded projects as well as a rich resource and dissemination vehicle for other programs, and individuals interested in improving STEM education.
