Who Are The Next ‘Real’ American Idols?

Awhile back we spoke with Dr. Kemi Jona regarding STEM education and published an article on WRAL Local Tech Wire based in Raleigh, N.C., that shared his insight. We would like to share that article with you now so you can gain a keen perspective of the state of STEM education in this country from a national e-learning expert.

Dr. Kemi Jona is a Research Associate Professor of Learning Sciences and Computer Science at Northwestern University and Director of the Office of STEM Education Partnerships where he leads research and development projects in curriculum design, learning technology, online science and virtual labs, and Web-based patient education and outreach. Over the course of his career, Dr. Jona designed and oversaw the development of custom learning solutions for numerous corporate clients including GE Capital, Wal-Mart, Eaton/Cutler-Hammer, Deloitte, and Accenture. He also led a multi-year partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that produced an award-winning interactive learning system currently in use throughout the U.S.

He is also President of Kemi Jona Associates, an independent consulting practice that helps learning organizations improve the quality, competitiveness, and accessibility of their offerings, take best advantage of existing and new technologies, and reduce development expenses. It was an honor for him to take a few moments out of his busy schedule to talk with us.

Dr. Jona, what is the biggest challenge(s) you see when it comes to STEM today?
There are two interrelated problems: STEM workforce and STEM education. The need for a workforce that is skilled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics areas is closely linked to the idea of American competitiveness in the global economy – and that has really gotten a lot more traction and visibility recently. High-tech companies have tens of thousands of jobs they can’t find qualified applicants to take. These are really good, high-paying jobs. Microsoft alone has something like 17,000 unfilled positions. And, the problem is only going to get worse with the upcoming wave of retiring baby-boomers. Add to that the sense that we have serious problems to solve in the areas of alternative energy and global warming, and I think the public is waking up to the importance of a having a well-prepared STEM workforce in order to keep America’s leadership position in innovation and in the global economy. This is what has really driven increased awareness in addressing the STEM education issue. You don’t magically get a STEM workforce. You have to educate today’s students in these important skills now if you want to prepare the workforce to fill these kinds of jobs.

How can we improve the retention and graduation rates of STEM students?
Retaining students in STEM fields is a tough problem and can’t be solved with a single solution. A good start, in my opinion, would be to start developing project-based curriculums that are based on the kinds of real-world activities STEM professionals do. This will help students see the relevance of what they are learning and get exposed to a variety of interesting career roles at the same time. Plus, students learn best by doing, so active project-based learning is far more motivating and effective than boring lectures. I’m also a big advocate of job shadowing, internships and summer job opportunities. We need to be doing a better job partnering with industry to make these kinds of programs more widely available to today’s students.

How can we get more students and parents, etc., excited about STEM?
A lot of the same things that I mentioned for retaining students in STEM also are effective for getting folks excited about STEM. For parents, I think a media campaign that encourages them to get their children into STEM learning, both in and out of school, and highlights the great STEM career opportunities available to them is a great place to start. We need an “American Idol” for STEM superstars, not just singers.

What changes in skills are expected for professionals in the near future, and how are these skills communicated to our students working in today’s educational system?
Most of these skills are already pretty clear and in use today: teamwork, collaboration, strong verbal and written communication skills, information organization and critical analysis. The problem is that almost none of these skills are part of the education system today. Students spend most of their time working individually, not in teams. Looking at someone’s document in school is called cheating. In the workplace it is called collaboration. Much of the educational system is shaped by how well students can memorize facts and spit them back out on tests. Barely any jobs require those particular skills. Yet that is what we are training the current generation of students to be good at. One new set of skills that cuts across many jobs, especially in the sciences, is the use of what is called cyberinfrastructure, which uses computational tools like networks, databases, computer models, simulations, data analysis, and visualization. Nearly every field is being reshaped this way and those students who know how to use it are going to have a big advantage. But again, none of this is currently being taught in schools.

When referring to growing international cooperation in research and education, what are the effects STEM education will have for U.S. students now and tomorrow?
Most major new scientific research and large-scale corporate efforts involve multinational networks of partners enabled by cyberinfrastructure. This is how Boeing designs and builds airplanes and Lenovo designs and builds laptops. If you want to be successful in research or business in the future, you are going to need to understand how to work within this kind of networked, multinational organization. In fact, you will probably be part of several of these real or virtual organizations at one time. If we don’t do a better job preparing our students in STEM and in the skills needed to work in this type of environment, they will be at a significant disadvantage in the future workforce.

What are real or practical uses of new technologies (including cyberinfrastructure developments) in both education and research?
Cyberinfrastructure allows you to do work in ways that simply couldn’t be done before. Scientists now use huge sensor networks to collect data from all over the globe and feed it into giant databases that are shared by researchers in many countries. These “large-scale observatories” were never feasible before. For example, I am working on a project called GLOBE Watershed Dynamics to help connect kids and teachers to these kinds of scientific databases so that a high school student can analyze the same data the scientists have. This can really change the way that science education happens in classrooms by making it look a lot more like what real scientists do, and also teach students about how to work with cyberinfrastructure. Once the investment is made in creating this kind of cyberinfrastructure for scientists, why not take advantage of it for education as well?

How can we advance the understanding of the cause/effect scenario when it comes to broadening participation in STEM education?
Parents, employers, teachers all need to do their part in helping make students aware of the breadth of STEM careers, and the excitement of the kinds of challenging problems you get to work on with these jobs. Then we need to make STEM education resemble these exciting job roles as much as possible to close the gap between what STEM jobs look like and what STEM education looks like. That will motivate students and help them see the relevance of what they are learning to possible future career options. There is no bigger turnoff than having to memorize facts and formulas that aren’t made relevant to solving realistic problems. That’s not what a STEM job is about and it shouldn’t be what STEM education is about either.

Thank you, Dr. Jona, for your insight and time.

IE Driving National STEM movement

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (May 12, 2009) – Innovate-Educate New Mexico (IENM), a statewide catalyst in 21st century education, today announced that nearly 700 technology industry executives, educators and government officials from all over the country participated in the inaugural IENM conference earlier this month at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The non-profit group also sees this event as just the beginning to a bigger, national movement that supports improvements in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.

IENM 2009 provided three days of dynamic collaboration and brought together state and national leaders in industry, education, and government to coordinate existing efforts and collaborate on new ideas that better engage students specifically in STEM fields. Organizers also did it an interesting way – including talk show formats such as “The View” and “The Late Show with David Letterman” (which surprisingly featured a live band) as well as a presidential-style debate and remarks from several of the state’s top elected officials.

New Mexico Lt. Gov. Diane Denish opened the conference and talked about the concept of an “Edu-conomy” – her vision of a seamless intersection of education and the economy. “We need an exemplary investment in education and human capital in New Mexico,” said Denish. “Together, we can build and invest in every citizen in the state through collaborative efforts just like we are seeing here today at Innovate-Educate New Mexico.”

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) via video presentation talked about the success of the America COMPETES Act as well as new legislation currently in House committee called the Achievement Through Technology and Innovation Act of 2009 (H.R. 558). “Science and technology are at the heart of nation’s ability to compete in a global economy and to solve our most pressing challenges,” added Bingamam. “Our future hinges on the next generation of scientists and engineers. I look forward to continuing to work with Innovate-Educate New Mexico.”

Senator Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) commented that New Mexico schools and our economy will perform at a higher level if students know that every day puts them one step closer to a good job in a growing industry. Udall added, “Innovate-Educate New Mexico has put together an impressive team that will give our students a crucial advantage and ensure that our country remains competitive. I look forward to our continued work together.”

Representatives from nearly 20 of the world’s top IT companies have joined the IENM Board of Directors and will provide the thought leadership needed to steer the organization in today’s global economy. IENM Chairman and Intel’s Corporate Affairs Director for New Mexico and Texas Jami Grindatto says he sees IENM as a major step in the work to advance education in New Mexico and nationwide by helping to build a motivated and prepared workforce. Adds Grindatto, “We are all in this together, and we must work together in a collaborative, systematic way to ensure our students receive the education that stimulates their intellectual curiosity and maximizes their creative talents.”

Education continues to play a central role in addressing the challenges of the 21st century and is crucial for the development of knowledge-based economies. By IENM initiating such a unique educational effort that creates new opportunities and fosters new ideas on a state and national level, it may just serve as a the first straightforward model this county has seen for delivering systematic improvements in engineering and science education by applying best practices in a coordinated and methodical way.

Dr. Ray Johnson, senior vice president and chief technology officer at Lockheed Martin commented on the event, the role Innovate-Educate New Mexico will have in the future, and the critical nature of improving today’s educational system. “At Lockheed Martin, we clearly understand the need to nurture an interest in STEM education to develop a new generation of students to become tomorrow’s technology leaders. A younger generation, with an aptitude for science and a desire to pursue technical career fields, is vital to our corporation and essential to our competitiveness as a nation,” says Johnson. “Lockheed Martin is proud to be partnered with Innovate-Educate New Mexico in preparing the statewide vision for STEM education and technology literacy in New Mexico schools.”

New Mexico has made great strides in learning and promoting STEM education, including the creation of the New Mexico Public Education Math & Science Bureau in July 2006. However, New Mexico will face a severe shortage of scientists and engineers over the next decade if we can’t reach students quickly and effectively.

IENM Executive Director Jamai Blivin concludes that IENM will seek to have a positive effect on our education system by continuing to support invigorating and inspiring curriculum, internships, mentorships and industry involvement. “This can be accomplished through collaboration throughout the state as well as across the U.S.,” adds Blivin. “We are honored to have the leadership of IT experts from across the country as well as top education advisors from across New Mexico involved. Technology has been the driving force of our economy for the last 50 years, and it will continue to be for the next 50. In order for New Mexico to remain competitive today, we must build systems that increase education attainment and success.”