Polar Literacy: Maintaining and Innovating Youth STEM Outreach Programs during a Pandemic

Abstract:

Polar Literacy is an NSF-funded initiative, in its second year of implantation, with the goals of (1) understanding how youth engagement with polar data influences knowledge of and appreciation for polar systems and data literacy skills, (2) describing youth learners’ own “connectedness” to a scientific self identity as a result of engaging with polar scientists in out of school time programming, and (3) identifying and articulating effective strategies for translating polar research and data into out of school time education programs. The project team had developed learning materials and was in the process of user testing them when the pandemic struck.

To maintain the team’s momentum, continue to deliver outreach to stakeholder groups, and embrace opportunities to innovate, materials were adapted for use with hybrid learning opportunities for a variety of audiences via online platforms including Canvas, Google Classroom, Padlet, Mentimeter, and Zoom. These new formats required a significant investment of time upfront to learn the infrastructure, thoughtfully adapt materials, and provide sufficient staffing to facilitate experiences. Some of this investment will likely be mitigated with time and the team has begun to identify effective practices to increase youth engagement and interactivity. A benefit of online delivery is that youth from any location with an internet connection may join, however the project team and stakeholders are aware that reliable, affordable internet connections are not available to all youth and that the only option for some is a smartphone. The team’s hybrid approach sought to accommodate the different circumstances of youth. Data were collected throughout the project to measure youth engagement and science identity. The team will share its methods, lessons learned, and data informing next steps.