Making Connections to Support STEM Transitions
Strategy 7
STEM repository building to link young people to STEM opportunities
Making Connections, aims to understand and support transitions and handoffs that remove barriers and connect youth to STEM learning opportunities.
Understanding how to make connections across settings in systematic ways can support the study of, replication, and scaling of strategies for making connections across settings in out-of-school STEM learning.
Strategy 7: STEM repository building to link young people to STEM opportunities
Strategy 7 is about supporting youth in finding new STEM learning opportunities beyond isolated programs (e.g., internships, summer camps, STEM programs).
Why would you use this strategy?
To support young people in finding STEM opportunities requires curated information – gathering to find locally-relevant opportunities.
Who would use this strategy?
Networks and programs that need more effective processes for information curation and dissemination to youth and families.
“Maybe you’re really drawn to neuroscience, and so we want you to do a deeper dive about neuroscience. We’re going to show you this website that has all the opportunities related to everything from neuroscience to biomedical and marine science. (Youth might ask) ‘where do I go from here? Is there an internship? A camp? Somebody I could talk to?’ and then it’s up to (the girls) to make that next step. We found it was almost like information overload. They didn’t know where to start so these are some things that you can do, here’s a tool for you. We hope that you continue.”
-Noelle, Palm Beach County 4-H
Target Outcomes
- Youth more easily find STEM opportunities that allow them to continue pursuing a specific STEM interest.
- Youth gain awareness in terms of local opportunities, jobs, and careers as they explore their STEM interests.
- Network, program leaders, and educators become more knowledgeable of local STEM opportunities. They also become more in-touch with effective ways to communicate with youth and families.
Important Considerations
- Barriers to entry such as transportation needs and associated costs should be surfaced for users of the repository.
- There could be challenges with the maintenance of the site over time; if youth encounter dead links or outdated opportunities, they are less likely to use the repository.
- It's a good idea to have a set of criteria for deciding which opportunities ought to be included, as well as for how to organize the information (e.g., local, cost considerations).
- Program leaders are often strapped for time, and there are often high turnover rates in these positions; finding ways to make the work of managing the repository easier can speak to these challenges.
- Youth and families need to be reminded that a STEM repository resource exists and shoul dbe introduced to the repository in places they frequent (e.g., afterschool sites, libraries, schools, and community centers).
Design Considerations at the Network Level
- Leverage connections with existing STEM networks and ecosystems to surface existing lists of STEM opportunities that may already be in circulation.
- Networks can find opportunities for cross-network collaboration and provide support for coordination across multiple organizations united toward similar goals.
- Networks can work directly with program leaders to surface STEM opportunities and share across the state; both local and statewide opportunities can be included in the repository.
- Networks can help create a STEM repository and if possible, develop a search code so users can filter relevant opportunities by location, cost, STEM discipline, and details of opportunity.
Design Considerations at the Program Level
- Program leaders should enlist youth to help create the repository by asking youth to recommend programs or opportunities with which they have experience.
- Design and development of the STEM repository should be user-centered, tailored around youth and families' perspectives and points-of-view, as well as include a deep understanding of the forms of communication that work well to dissminate information to the local community.
- Educators and program leaders need to have a good sense of how they can inspire participation in families and students.
- Program leaders should create systems for finding relevant opportunities for youth, as well as consider ways to support youth as they navigate those opportunities (e.g., finding scholarships, transportation concerns).
- Program leaders should seek to build local partnerships so that opportunities and programs are sent directly to programs as they arise.
- The repository should be set up in a way that is easy to navigate on both a computer and mobile device; other locally relevant accessibility needs should be considered as well.
Case Study: “Where Do I Go From Here? Is There An Internship? A Camp? Somebody I Could Talk To?”: Creating an Openly Networked Infrastructure to Make Connections to STEM Opportunities
Building the Foundation for an Openly Networked Infrastructure to Make Connections to STEM Opportunities Across Palm Beach County
Creating an openly networked infrastructure to help young people access information and share their work can help them to make connections to peers with common interests and open up their networks in new ways. These openly networked infrastructures are often in the form of websites and tools designed to help youth showcase original work or access a curated suite of resources and opportunities they might not otherwise come across on their own. An openly networked infrastructure can also help point youth to new opportunities they might not see otherwise by curating a collection of resources and opportunities in one place.
In coordination with the Florida Afterschool Network and Palm Beach County Library, Palm Beach County 4-H is creating a locally relevant website that can help girls in their program link to networks and future opportunities in particular STEM fields. They hope to help youth find “opportunities related to everything from neuroscience to medical to marine science” so they can further explore their interests.
Connections between and across STEM learning settings and experiences can promise to foster meaningful, lifelong STEM learning for youth, yet the detailed and concrete mechanisms for how this learning is connected remains unclear. Little is known about how STEM learning is connected in systematic and sustainable ways.
Making Connections, aims to understand and support transitions and handoffs that remove barriers for youth by connecting STEM learning across ages and settings, ensuring youth interest and motivation persists.
These products are based on research conducted through a collaboration between the Connected Learning Lab at University of California Irvine and STEM Next and their regional partners. It was made possible thanks to the generous support of The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Samueli Foundation.
Strategy seven is is one of eight still-evolving strategies, for coordinating and brokering connections across settings in STEM ecosystems. These are intended to serve as tools for making connections across settings to support STEM transitions and unlock academic, workforce-related, and civic opportunities for all youth, especially underrepresented groups like girls, youth of color, and youth from low-income families.
