Michael A. Evans

Youth appropriation of social media for collaborative and facilitated design-based learning

Youth participated in an afterschool design-based STEM program.Social networking forums (SNFs) were integrated as tools for design-based learning.SNF posts were analyzed using the theoretical framework of connected learning.Youth used SNFs to collaborate with others on designs and articulate knowledge.Facilitators played a role in encouraging youth to persist in the design process. The purpose of this paper is to report on the ways that middle school age youth in the US appropriated a social networking forum (SNF) during an afterschool integrative STEM program, Studio STEM. SNFs are a form of social media created predominantly for social interaction and maintenance of relationships. In design-based learning environments, SNFs have the potential to facilitate the documentation of the design process from collaborative idea generation through testing and refinement. These records can be accessed from anytime and anywhere with Internet access, providing opportunities for youth to draw connections between classroom and afterschool environments. Studio STEM was designed intentionally to expose youth to scientific concepts related to electrical generation and energy transformations through collaborative design of lights powered through motion. Concurrently, facilitators encouraged youth to post to the SNF, Edmodo. All posts were analyzed using the theoretical framework of connected learning in which peer and instructor interactions mediated through SNFs might enhance learning. Results indicate that youth appropriated Edmodo to connect with others, articulate knowledge, and exchange design ideas. Facilitators played a strong role in encouraging youth to persist with design refinement through the use of Edmodo. Results suggest that youth are open to using SNFs to collaborate and provide updates on design processes, which is encouraging in terms of blending formal and informal STEM learning environments with social media.

Differential effects of learning games on mathematics proficiency

This study examined the effects of a learning game, [The Math App] on the mathematics proficiency of middle school students. For the study, researchers recruited 306 students, Grades 6–8, from two schools in rural southwest Virginia. Over a nine-week period, [The Math App] was deployed as an intervention for investigation. Students were assigned to game intervention treatment, and paper-and-pencil control conditions. For the game intervention condition, students learned fractions concepts by playing [The Math App]. In the analysis, students’ mathematical proficiency levels prior to the intervention were taken into account. Results indicate that students in the game intervention group showed higher mathematics proficiency than those in the paper-and-pencil group. Particularly, the significantly higher performances of intervention groups were noted among 7th graders and inclusion groups. The empirically derived results of the reported study could contribute to the field of educational video game research, which has not reached a consensus on the effects of games on students’ mathematics performance in classroom settings.

The effects of an educational video game on mathematical engagement

In an effort to maximizing success in mathematics, our research team implemented an educational video game in fifth grade mathematics classrooms in five schools in the Eastern US. The educational game was developed by our multi-disciplinary research team to achieve a hypothetical learning trajectory of mathematical thinking of 5th grade students. In this study, we examined overall engagement and three sub-domains of engagement as outcome variables after ten sessions of treatment with fifth grade students. The results showed that both male and female the video game group had slight increases in all engagement levels while students, particularly male, in the paper-and-pencil drill group displayed large decreases in all engagement levels. Implications of the study are 1) more fine-grained evidence of engagement in three sub-domains after implementing an educational video game, and 2) a consideration of gender differences in engagement levels in mathematics in the adoption of a video games.

Studio STEM: A Model to Enhance Integrative STEM Literacy Through Engineering Design

Developing and implementing integrative curricula that enhances STEM literacy by providing meaningful connections to the lives of youth is challenging. Equally demanding is to invoke the desired cognitive, social, and affective changes that could positively influence motivation in STEM learning (Katehi, L., Pearson, G., & Feder, M. (Eds.). Engineering in K-12 education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2009). In this chapter, we present the Studio STEM model, which is comprised of theory, curricula, training, implementation, and assessment that attempts to overcome known barriers. Studio STEM is an out-of-school, design-based science and engineering program intended to engage middle school youth in critical STEM concepts and practices. The design principles that frame the model include: curricula based on science inquiry, engineering design, studio-based learning, technology-enhanced experiences and opportunities, and a focus on community connections through service organizations and businesses. The Studio STEM model addresses several issues identified by recent reports that highlight potential hindrance of full adoption of integrative STEM programming. We offer the framework by which Studio STEM was intentionally designed to be a practical program based on current theory and research. We also discuss details of what constitutes an engineering design-based science learning environment, a description of the program curricula and training, assessment measures used, and results from several implementations of Studio STEM in varying informal learning contexts (Evans et al. International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, 3(2), 1–31, 2014; Schnittka, C. G., Brandt, C. B., Jones, B. D., & Evans, M. A. Advances in Engineering Education, 3(2), 1–31, 2012; Schnittka et al. Looking for learning in afterschool spaces: Studio STEM (2015). Preliminary results suggest positive changes in youth engagement toward and interest in STEM as a result of participating in Studio STEM. As a result, we highlight the connections among theory and research, practical implementations of the program, and positive student and teacher outcomes related to motivation and STEM literacy driven by a focus on engineering design practices as core to these efforts.

Engagement and knowledge building in an afterschool STEM Club: analyzing youth and facilitator posting behavior on a social networking site

Social networking sites (SNSs) are popular technologies used frequently among youth for recreational purposes. Increasing attention has been paid to the use of SNSs in educational settings as a way to engage youth interest and encourage academically productive discussion. Potential affordances of using SNSs for education include knowledge building, collaborative communities, and the ability to document and share processes and designs. In this study, the SNS, Edmodo, is examined as an educational tool used with Studio STEM. Results indicated that youth appropriated Edmodo to exhibit engagement and articulate knowledge through reciting facts, acknowledging learning, and documenting progress with the guidance of instructors and facilitators. Based on results, we suggest that efforts to include SNSs in integrative science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programming for youth prioritize consistent monitoring and guidance by supportive and more knowledgeable others as this serves to develop community and encourage youth engagement.

Fostering 21st-Century Skills in Constructivist Engineering Classrooms With Digital Game-Based Learning

Video games can be considered constructivist instructional materials because of their potential to promote student-centered opportunities in the classroom. Since the emergence of this educational trend, called digital game-based learning, several studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect that learning or recreational video games have had on learners and on their mastery of learning objectives. Many of these studies have focused on specific sets of skills that specific video games can promote. Nevertheless, there is evidence that any type of video game, regardless of its learning or recreational nature, can help students develop certain knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) that could be useful for engineering courses and projects. This evidence also suggests that digital game-based learning contributes to 21st-century skills that are necessary for competitive engineering professionals. This literature review will describe the KSAs that could be promoted in constructivist-oriented classrooms when learners engage in any type of video game. This research paper will focus on how engineering students can develop 21st-century KSAs that are implicit in each gaming opportunity, such as high-order thinking and decision-making skills, persistence, socialization, leadership skills, self-confidence, and autonomy and self-regulation.