The Annual Forum as Linchpinfor Integrated STEM Community
Tom LoughranDepartment of Physics
University of Notre Dame
Start with different “circles”
Add people; stir vigorously
Elements of STEM Community
Research
Education
Elements of STEM Community
Research
Education
Segregated elements of STEM Community
K-12
Integrating STEM Community
Research
Education
NDQC
NDeRC
RE(HS,U,T)
Integrated STEM Community
Research
Education
Commerce
Programs that integrate STEM Community
Education
ESTEEM enFocus MSTCi
Innovation &Ignition Parks
PLTW Internships
WFD
NDQC
NDeRC
RE(HS,U,T)
CommerceResearch
A Vibrant STEM Community
Education
PLTW Internships
WFD
NDQC
NDeRC
RE(HS,U,T)
Innovation &Ignition Parks
ESTEEM enFocus MSTCi
Research Commerce
How do we connect the people we’d like to be together?
Secret sauce: Invite them to a party
Education: the craft of issuing effective invitations into community…
A Forum is a great place to invite people
(Strategic) Party Games at the Forum
• FOOD• a pinch of Vision • invitations to new initiatives• cool reports from recent ones• changemaker appearances• attractive, timely topics• FOOD• collaboration bazaar• handouts (collaboration catalogue)• handins (f2f and check-box sign-in sheets w/ followup)• plenary discussions• DATA collection
A Few Images
Rinse and repeat
• 7 consecutive years• a steady stream of new and familiar faces• common genres: collaboration catalogues,
bazaar, plenary discussions• a consistent set of assessment questions• an emerging database of participant activity
The data: teachers come back
Everybody who does anything with us comes to a Forum
Some 25 schools had teachers at 10 or more events (over 6 years)
200+ teachers came back at least one more time
In our hayday (2010), we collaborated with a lot of schools and teachers
The forum keeps drawing beyond the grant funding cycle (2013 data)
Over time, we’re building a good ember bed of collaborators
We need some really GOOD network maps (sociograms)
SBCSC
