With the world becoming more complex each day, the importance of civic knowledge and community engagement is on the rise — especially among younger generations.
Nebraska researchers are leading a project designed to provide civics, entrepreneurship and leadership education to underserved youth through an innovative learning program based on interactive online games and simulations.
It’s Friday morning in the Maker Space Lab at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska, and the room is abuzz — literally and figuratively.
One group of students is hard at work on the 3D printer. Other students collaborate on a computer aided design (CAD) project. Another group concentrates on woodworking with power tools.
Tucked away from the busy city streets of São Paulo, Brazil, young learners are exploring a colorful garden with spades, magnifying glasses and other tools. They gather around their preschool teacher who is holding a freshly dug worm in her hands. They observe the wriggling creature together. After the excited shrieks subside, the teacher begins to ask them questions.
As demand increases for employees with expertise in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, representation of Latinos in STEM fields continues to lag.
As of 2011, Latinos represented only 7 percent of the American STEM workforce, despite accounting for more than 16 percent of the U.S. population.
Recent studies show that 85 percent of the U.S. population has access to 4G — fourth-generation — broadband network technology.
Which means 15 percent of Americans do not.
In Nebraska, the numbers are better: A recent report by Nebraska Broadband indicates broadband is available to 99.5 percent of the state’s residents.
For students struggling to learn math, confusion and frustration can be common denominators. But a recent University of Nebraska research project aims to help remove those negative factors from the equation.
According to previous studies, students with math learning difficulties experience the most severe and persistent underachievement in algebra compared to their peers. Jessica Namkung, assistant professor of special education and communication disorders, is exploring ways to help such students prepare for algebra.
Tim Guetterman, applied research methodologist and co-director of the Michigan Mixed Methods Program, led the Spring 2019 Emerging Scholar Workshop hosted by CYFS’ Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics.
The event’s March 7 research presentation, “Training and Assessing Communication Skills Using Virtual Human Technology: A Mixed Methods Investigation,” is now available on video.
As demand increases for a growing workforce in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, the nation’s colleges and universities strive to recruit and retain students from diverse backgrounds.
Open-access institutions, including community colleges, enroll the majority of U.S. college students and play a crucial role in increasing the number of graduates with STEM degrees.
