The Technology-linked Epidemiology Education Network (TEEN) was created in response to the acute need for educational opportunities that will increase STEM literacy among high school students. The U.S Department of Commerce predicts that STEM jobs will grow at a faster rate than non-STEM jobs from 2014-2024, yet evidence shows US students perform below the benchmark for STEM scores on the American College Testing (ACT). The previous implementation of this project-based, blended learning platform was associated with improvements in scientific self-efficacy, and sophistication of epistemological beliefs of high school students.
Thus, the Technology-linked Epidemiology Education Network (TEEN) is a university-high school partnership developed to increase high school interest and persistence in science, technology, engineering, math, and public health (STEM-PH). Our research team for this project consists of epidemiologists, computer scientists, and health educators. The curriculum for this project was developed in accordance with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Epidemiology and Public Health Science: Core Competencies for High School Students. Our goal is to provide a blended learning platform, Thinkdemic, to deliver a project-based training program that will improve scientific self-efficacy, epistemology, and personal interest in science of high school students from diverse backgrounds.
