Delivering K-12 invention & entrepreneurship to rural areas: Programming, teacher experiences, and student outcomes in a partner hub

Abstract

The K12 InVenture Prize program has been creating the next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs through invention education since 2013. Its key components include teacher professional development, a semi-structured curriculum, an online platform for students to receive periodic feedback on their inventions, and a culminating state competition event at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). The program is actively trying to reach more rural areas by engaging urban and small-town hubs located within rural counties. A total of 35 schools, 55 teachers, and over 200 students from a new hub were involved in the program during the 2018-2019 school year. We found that the use of a regionally-centered, in-person event catalyzed participation in the region more than any previously attempted recruitment efforts, including offers of financial support and meetings with school leaders. Surveys were administered to a subset of participating teachers and students in the region, allowing for insights into how participants experienced the program in this setting. Outcomes assessed in the student survey include math interest, science interest, self-efficacy for schoolwork, and creative problem solving. Outcomes assessed in the teacher survey include perceived impact of the program on students, motivation for participating in the program, and self-efficacy for teaching engineering and entrepreneurship. Barriers and supports to the expansion of the program into this area, along with results from the student and teacher surveys, will be presented in this paper. Preliminary findings suggest similar positive experiences among students and teachers as those seen previously in settings located close to the hosting institution, suggesting that creation of hubs with local competitions may be a scalable strategy. This is an important early finding given the potential benefits of extending the rich, contextualized educational experiences engendered by K-12/university partnerships to K-12 institutions that have limited geographical access to major universities.