STEM Collaboration Assessment Leading to Curriculum Changes and Greater Long-Term STEM Engagement

Gifted Fourth and Fifth Grade students from Richland School District 2 conduct a field study (Active Learning Experiences in Resourceful Thinking, ALERT) at The Citadel every other year. The focus is for their students from 19 elementary schools who are part of a district-wide gifted and talented pullout program to experience STEM disciplines in a college environment to not only inform the future mathematics and science classes they have and will have, but also to begin the discussion on the importance of going to college and follow-on careers, especially in STEM disciplines. The School of Engineering and Science and Mathematics work together to provide four distinct one hour blocks of activities and interaction with discussion of how devices work (theory). The key focus is engineering and each student group of 25 students see two one hour blocks on engineering (civil and electrical). The students complete a reflection on the daylong experience and the teachers incorporate pictures of the activities the students experienced into future mathematics and science lesson plans to complete the learning circle by tying mathematics/science problems to their experiences. Many of these students decide to apply for academic magnet middle schools focused on STEM based on the success of the 4 and 5 grade integrated lesson/field trip curriculum to The Citadel. Assessment of curriculum changes based on the field trip, student reflective essays, and future attendance at middle and high school STEM magnets will demonstrate the importance of collaboration between universities and elementary and middle school programs (especially STEM focused programs) on engagement with STEM disciplines in the future.