Portfolio
SERC has an extensive portfolio of projects that have been created, developed, and implemented in collaboration with many partners. Learn more about many of our current and past projects using the browse below.
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Browse a selection of past and current collaborations.
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Project Focus
- Career Support for Educators 8 matches Focus on supporting educators in their careers. This includes pre-service and in-service professional development for k-12 teachers, support for college educators aimed at different career stages and elements like leadership development.
- Changing Education Systems 17 matches Focus on how to make positive change in education systems. This includes departmental change, institutional change, as well as other systemic change across institutions and disciplines.
- Connecting STEM Research to Education 12 matches Focuses on bringing current STEM research practice and knowledge into education. This includes research experiences for student such as field work, CURE's and summer research experiences (like REU's). It also includes strategies and resources for bringing current research literature, practices and knowledge into the classroom and informal science communication.
- Disciplinary Skills and Habits of Mind 28 matches Focuses on developing students' ability to think and act with disciplinary expertise. This encompasses concepts like systems thinking, quantitative reasoning, field-based learning, spatial and temporal thinking, data visualization and manipulation.
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice 15 matches Focuses on one or more dimensions of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice (DEIJ). This encompasses a wide range of topics including anti-racism, accessibility, ethics, and broadening access to education.
- Engaging Students with Communities 4 matches Focus on connecting students and education processes with broader communities and civic issues.
- Interdisciplinary Grand Challenges 7 matches Focus on grand challenge problems that require multiple disciplinary strategies. This includes issues like climate change and the interconnected issues of food, energy and water. The solutions integrate STEM-informed approaches as well as wisdom from the social sciences, arts, humanities and other ways of knowing.
- Network and Community Building 10 matches Focus on supporting the development and nurturing of networks of individuals. This includes community visioning efforts, supporting communities of practices, and understanding and supporting the growth of networks.
- Pedagogy and Teaching Approaches 28 matches Focuses on one or more dimensions of how educational experiences are structured. This encompass topics such as curriculum design, informal education strategies, universal design for learning, and specific classroom approaches. It includes both educational research and applied practice. (Includes simple materials development.)
- Supporting Student Success 9 matches Focus on how to support students across their full education career. This includes fundamental educational access issues, attending to the whole student, academic and professional skill development, and facilitating the transition from education to career and citizenship.
SERC Role
- Community Building/Organization 18 matches A focus on activities that create a sense of community amongst project participants. This can include groups such as communities of practice, professional organizations, and research coordination networks.
- Content Expertise 20 matches A focus on SERC staff writing disciplinary content for a project. Many SERC staff members have advanced degrees and all can contribute a wide range of content knowledge to projects.
- Education Research 8 matches A focus on facilitating or conducting research on what works in the STEM classroom across a variety of levels and contexts. Project foci include student assessment, spatial reasoning, teaching and learning practices, influence of professional development, influence of open education internet resources, influence of Communities of Practice, and levers of change in higher education.
- Evaluation 29 matches SERC has deep experience in utilization-focused, evidence-based program evaluation. This can include a wide variety of methodologies, evaluation planning, and capacity building for project teams.
- Event Development/Facilitation 38 matches A focus on planning, organizing, and supporting in-person or virtual events as part of a project's activities. This can include logistical support, program development, session facilitation, and all other aspects of running successful events.
- Materials Development/Review 28 matches A focus on supporting the creation of new pedagogic materials addressing some specific content area, pedagogic need, or educator audience. This can include aspects such as the technical infrastructure to support authoring, management of author teams, and facilitating expert review prior to publishing.
- Organizational Backbone 12 matches A focus on providing administrative services for partner organizations. This can include aspects such as membership management, accounts payable/receivable, and intra-organization communications.
- Product Dissemination 39 matches A focus on helping publicize and raise awareness of the outcomes, products, and findings of project work. This can include activities such as presentations at professional meetings, writing manuscripts, running webinars, and writing press releases.
- Professional Development 17 matches A focus on putting together opportunities for project participants to learn new skills or content related to the goals of the project. This can include activities such as synchronous or asynchronous events, self-paced materials, and creating an enduring record of activities for use after the end of project funding.
- Project Lead (PI/Co-PI) 21 matches SERC has a primary leadership function on this project. One or more SERC staff members direct the work of the project.
- Project Management/Implementation 17 matches A focus on ensuring that project work moves forward in a timely fashion. This can include activities such as scheduling regular meetings, providing deadlines and reminders for project personnel, and maintaining records of discussions and project decisions in a centralized space.
- Strategic Planning and Thought Partnership 14 matches A focus on SERC staff assisting project leadership with designing activities to meet the goals they set for the project. This can involve activities such as grant writing and visioning, participation in project leadership, providing exemplars from past projects, and contributing lessons learned from SERC's collective experience.
- Website Hosting and Development 76 matches A focus on providing the technical infrastructure and support for a project's website. This can include activities such as creating new SERCkit tools, development of website architecture, and design of the website's look and feel.
Grade Level
Subject
- Biology 10 matches
- Business 1 match
- Chemistry 4 matches
- Computer Science 1 match
- Economics 2 matches
- Education 6 matches
- Engineering 1 match
- Environmental Science 20 matches
- Fine Arts 1 match
- Geography 5 matches
- Geoscience 41 matches
- Mathematics 1 match
- Physics 3 matches
- Political Science 1 match
- Social Science 2 matches
- Sociology 1 match
Results 1 - 10 of 90 matches
Developing a Next Generation Concept Inventory (NGCI)
This project developed a tool for assessing environmental students' foundational knowledge and their ability to grasp complex systems-level concepts, particularly as it relates to Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus systems. Specifically, they applied an established machine learning method to create a Next Generation Concept Inventory(NGCI) to Help Environmental Programs Evaluate Student Knowledge of Complex FEW Systems. SERC served as the external evaluator, using interviews and artifact analysis to conduct a process and summative evaluation.
This project developed a tool for assessing environmental students' foundational knowledge and their ability to grasp complex systems-level concepts, particularly as it relates to Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus systems. Specifically, they applied an established machine learning method to create a Next Generation Concept Inventory(NGCI) to Help Environmental Programs Evaluate Student Knowledge of Complex FEW Systems. SERC served as the external evaluator, using interviews and artifact analysis to conduct a process and summative evaluation.
Project Focus: Supporting Student Success, Connecting STEM Research to Education
SERC Role: Evaluation
SERC Role: Evaluation
Improving Undergraduate Scientific Explanations: Exploring the Role of Data Literacy
The Improving Undergraduate Scientific Explanations: Exploring the Role of Data Literacy Skills in Scientific Reasoning project at Rider University is supported by an NSF IUSE grant (#2021347) awarded to Kathleen Browne in 2020. The PIs investigate whether students who participate in courses that use data sets from the NSF-funded Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) and provide instruction in the use of "DCER" (i.e., Data Description-Claim-Evidence-Reasoning) are able to provide better explanations of scientific observations than those in a comparison group and perform better on assessments of scientific reasoning and data literacy.The SERC evaluation team consulted on the statistical analysis and conducted a process evaluation using artifact review and interviews.
The Improving Undergraduate Scientific Explanations: Exploring the Role of Data Literacy Skills in Scientific Reasoning project at Rider University is supported by an NSF IUSE grant (#2021347) awarded to Kathleen Browne in 2020. The PIs investigate whether students who participate in courses that use data sets from the NSF-funded Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) and provide instruction in the use of "DCER" (i.e., Data Description-Claim-Evidence-Reasoning) are able to provide better explanations of scientific observations than those in a comparison group and perform better on assessments of scientific reasoning and data literacy.The SERC evaluation team consulted on the statistical analysis and conducted a process evaluation using artifact review and interviews.
SERC Role: Education Research, Evaluation
Polar STEAM
Polar STEAM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math, integrates and enhances two long-standing National Science Foundation (NSF) programs: the Polar Educators program and the Antarctic Artists and Writers program and facilitates virtual and deployment collaborations with scientists conducting research in the polar regions. The external evaluation of project activities are led by the SERC Evaluation Team, using a mixed-methods approach to conduct a developmental evaluation that provides rapid feedback to support data-driven innovation (Patton et al., 2016), and an outcomes evaluation to monitor progress towards the stated project outcomes.
Polar STEAM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math, integrates and enhances two long-standing National Science Foundation (NSF) programs: the Polar Educators program and the Antarctic Artists and Writers program and facilitates virtual and deployment collaborations with scientists conducting research in the polar regions. The external evaluation of project activities are led by the SERC Evaluation Team, using a mixed-methods approach to conduct a developmental evaluation that provides rapid feedback to support data-driven innovation (Patton et al., 2016), and an outcomes evaluation to monitor progress towards the stated project outcomes.
Project Focus: Connecting STEM Research to Education, Engaging Students with Communities
SERC Role: Evaluation
SERC Role: Evaluation
ARIS: Advancing Research Impact in Society
The Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS) was launched in September 2018 with funding from the National Science Foundation to "advance the rigor, relevance, and practice of broader impacts (BI)." ARIS works to elevate research impact by providing high-quality resources and professional development opportunities and by creating connections among researchers, community partners, and engagement practitioners. The external evaluation team at SERC provides an independent, formative assessment of whether Center activities are being implemented as proposed (implementation evaluation) and desired outcomes are being achieved (outcome evaluation). Consistent with a Development Evaluation (DE) approach, the goal of this work is to provide project leaders with the information they need to continuously adapt and improve ARIS materials and programming throughout the grant period.
The Center for Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS) was launched in September 2018 with funding from the National Science Foundation to "advance the rigor, relevance, and practice of broader impacts (BI)." ARIS works to elevate research impact by providing high-quality resources and professional development opportunities and by creating connections among researchers, community partners, and engagement practitioners. The external evaluation team at SERC provides an independent, formative assessment of whether Center activities are being implemented as proposed (implementation evaluation) and desired outcomes are being achieved (outcome evaluation). Consistent with a Development Evaluation (DE) approach, the goal of this work is to provide project leaders with the information they need to continuously adapt and improve ARIS materials and programming throughout the grant period.
SERC Role: Evaluation
AI in Geoscience Education
This site explores emerging practices in the use of AI in geoscience education. SERC developed the initial website to reflect emerging discussions about AI use in higher education to encourage broader discussion within the geoscience education community.
This site explores emerging practices in the use of AI in geoscience education. SERC developed the initial website to reflect emerging discussions about AI use in higher education to encourage broader discussion within the geoscience education community.
Project Focus: Pedagogy and Teaching Approaches
SERC Role: Community Building/Organization, Project Lead (PI/Co-PI), Website Hosting and Development, Event Development/Facilitation, Professional Development
SERC Role: Community Building/Organization, Project Lead (PI/Co-PI), Website Hosting and Development, Event Development/Facilitation, Professional Development
AK UNiTE
By providing researchers and professionals with learning opportunities related to mentorship, AK UNiTE aims to expand the ability of Alaskan students, particularly historically marginalized groups, to participate in biological research in Alaska. Connecting students from diverse backgrounds to place-based research with culturally responsive mentors is one method to increase retention in the biological sciences. SERC provides web hosting for the project and also helps design and facilitate some of the professional development that project participants receive.
By providing researchers and professionals with learning opportunities related to mentorship, AK UNiTE aims to expand the ability of Alaskan students, particularly historically marginalized groups, to participate in biological research in Alaska. Connecting students from diverse backgrounds to place-based research with culturally responsive mentors is one method to increase retention in the biological sciences. SERC provides web hosting for the project and also helps design and facilitate some of the professional development that project participants receive.
Project Focus: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, Network and Community Building
SERC Role: Website Hosting and Development, Event Development/Facilitation
SERC Role: Website Hosting and Development, Event Development/Facilitation
Building Capacity in STEM Education Research via the POGIL Community
The project aimed to promote discipline-based education research (DBER) within the PRocess-oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) community of practitioners. The project team facilitated professional development of teams of DBER scholars through virtual and in-person workshops. SERC conducted an external formative and summative evaluation, using surveys and interview studies.
The project aimed to promote discipline-based education research (DBER) within the PRocess-oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) community of practitioners. The project team facilitated professional development of teams of DBER scholars through virtual and in-person workshops. SERC conducted an external formative and summative evaluation, using surveys and interview studies.
Project Focus: Connecting STEM Research to Education
SERC Role: Evaluation
SERC Role: Evaluation
C-ChanGe
The Cultural Change in Geoscience (C-ChanGe) project works toward a vision of the future where all people at each stage of their career experience academic geoscience as a safe and welcoming environment where they feel empowered to learn and contribute without stifling their identities, and the community recognizes contributions from everyone. SERC leads the professional development of 2 cohorts of faculty change agents empowered to work in their own context to make successive, incremental changes, leading to positive cultural shifts within their home departments with the support of a community of practice made up of local and national peers. The project also raises the visibility of the many other groups working towards an inclusive geoscience discipline through a web-based network to support awareness, recognition, and connectivity of national partner projects working on geoscience cultural change.
The Cultural Change in Geoscience (C-ChanGe) project works toward a vision of the future where all people at each stage of their career experience academic geoscience as a safe and welcoming environment where they feel empowered to learn and contribute without stifling their identities, and the community recognizes contributions from everyone. SERC leads the professional development of 2 cohorts of faculty change agents empowered to work in their own context to make successive, incremental changes, leading to positive cultural shifts within their home departments with the support of a community of practice made up of local and national peers. The project also raises the visibility of the many other groups working towards an inclusive geoscience discipline through a web-based network to support awareness, recognition, and connectivity of national partner projects working on geoscience cultural change.
Project Focus: Changing Education Systems, Network and Community Building
SERC Role: Project Lead (PI/Co-PI), Project Management/Implementation, Website Hosting and Development, Event Development/Facilitation, Professional Development
SERC Role: Project Lead (PI/Co-PI), Project Management/Implementation, Website Hosting and Development, Event Development/Facilitation, Professional Development
MACH: Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub
SERC serves as the external evaluator for the MACH project which is a collaboration of thirteen university and institutional partners pursuing integrated, co-produced research. In addition to ongoing formative evaluation and thought partnership activities, our evaluation plan includes an annual Social Network Analysis, Principles Focused Evaluation, Workforce Development Plan Implementation Evaluation (assessing efforts to provide for the professional and career development needs of graduate students and post docs serving on the project's research team), and Broader Impacts Evaluation of the project's Community College and Documentary Film program activities. Learn more about MACH, including its publications.
SERC serves as the external evaluator for the MACH project which is a collaboration of thirteen university and institutional partners pursuing integrated, co-produced research. In addition to ongoing formative evaluation and thought partnership activities, our evaluation plan includes an annual Social Network Analysis, Principles Focused Evaluation, Workforce Development Plan Implementation Evaluation (assessing efforts to provide for the professional and career development needs of graduate students and post docs serving on the project's research team), and Broader Impacts Evaluation of the project's Community College and Documentary Film program activities. Learn more about MACH, including its publications.
SERC Role: Community Building/Organization, Strategic Planning and Thought Partnership, Materials Development/Review, Evaluation
Mental Health in the Geosciences
The workshop on Positive Mental Health in the Geosciences focused on building community and gathering information from attendees and psychologists to help us assess how mental health is being addressed in formal and informal geoscience communities, and identify outstanding needs. SERC designed and facilitated the workshop with the Geological Society of America.
The workshop on Positive Mental Health in the Geosciences focused on building community and gathering information from attendees and psychologists to help us assess how mental health is being addressed in formal and informal geoscience communities, and identify outstanding needs. SERC designed and facilitated the workshop with the Geological Society of America.
Project Focus: Career Support for Educators, Supporting Student Success, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice
SERC Role: Website Hosting and Development, Event Development/Facilitation
SERC Role: Website Hosting and Development, Event Development/Facilitation