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REVIEW:
What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?
This proposal presents an innovative and creative approach to
providing opportunities for students to learn STEM through collaboration
between K12 and community college students.
Strengths:
The project is based on existing relationships and infrastructure,
and the PI has prior experience implementing similar programs to the one
proposed.
Weaknesses:
The research and evaluation are not as comprehensive and
well-conceived as they would need to be to ensure that the program
advances understanding and discovery within the field. While the
proposal presents two hypotheses, neither of identifies possible
explanatory mechanisms for the intended project outcomes- improved
attitudes toward science, increased interest in science careers, and
decreased drop out rates. Understanding how specific program components
and features lead to such outcomes would advance understanding in the
field.
What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?
Strengths:
The program has the potential to increase access to science and
broaden participation of underrepresented groups. The creation of
outreach materials could create broader impacts by enhancing the ability
of other community colleges to offer such programming
Weaknesses:
The importance of dissemination is underestimated by the proposer,
who claims "It will be a trivial exercise to share results of this
project either at workshops or as Internet materialà". No compelling
case is given for establishing the efficacy and credibility of the
proposed programming and materials, ensuring awareness and access to
materials on a larger scale, and building capacity within programs to
develop the necessary expertise to implement the program with fidelity.
Summary Statement
The project proposed is interesting, timely, and creative; however,
the proposal itself needs to be further conceptualized to take the
current efforts of the PI to the next level.
Notes: Budget includes only stipends, evaluation, and modest
materialsà there is neither salary nor time commitment included for the
project PI.
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