2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Senior secondary (grades 11 and 12) STEM education generally focuses on knowledge-based learning, yet this approach fails to reflect the dynamic application of STEM concepts in post-secondary and/or research environments. Consequently, many students graduate from secondary school with limited understanding of how STEM concepts are applied outside the classroom. To overcome this challenge, advocacy is high for student-centered learning that immerses students in realistic STEM environments through hands-on experience, self-motivated learning, and inquiry-based projects.

The Discovery Program was launched in 2016 with the dual objectives of providing (i) senior secondary school STEM students with immersive educational experiences and (ii) engineering graduate students with an opportunity to develop pedagogical skills. Each semester, senior biology, chemistry, and physics students from local secondary schools complete open-ended biomedical engineering-themed projects within post-secondary laboratories guided by instructional support from graduate student volunteer mentors and their classroom teachers. The program framework provides students with an opportunity to explore STEM interests by engaging in realistic, open-ended problem solving using state-of-the-art research tools and equipment not typically available in the secondary school environment.

Previous studies of pre-pandemic Discovery Program outcomes revealed multiple positive outcomes for participants. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated disruptions to teaching and learning, there have been a number of changes to educational practices, and new challenges to student engagement and learning have emerged. Current study goals therefore investigate whether the Discovery Program has retained positive impact on students and whether the current framework should be adapted for immersion within the post-pandemic secondary learning environment.

To investigate current program impact and changes since the previous studies, structured interviews of participating secondary school teachers were performed following Spring and Fall 2024 programming. Interviews focused on discerning how teachers currently integrate Discovery programming into their existing curricula, as well as teacher perceptions of differences in student engagement and learning during program participation compared to normal in-class instruction. Thematic analysis techniques applied to interview transcripts identified three main themes within collective teacher responses: (i) both teachers and students are navigating a myriad of new or intensifying challenges centered around student disengagement, knowledge/skill loss, and student persistence as the transition back to in-person teaching and learning continues; (ii) students are excited and more engaged when participating in Discovery Program projects compared to classwork; and (iii) the experience within Discovery helps promote a more effective long-term student learning mindset. Although the interconnecting themes suggest there are indeed new challenges that continue to obstruct student learning, teacher perceptions reveal that the Discovery model remains effective at increasing student participation and engagement in STEM. Furthermore, teacher perceptions indicated belief that Discovery project experience helped overcome some of the challenges educators increasingly face within their classrooms, suggesting that programs such as Discovery are increasingly relevant in post-pandemic education. Results of these analyses provide important and relevant information regarding how supporting STEM programs should be designed and adapted to ensure continued benefits to student learning through immersive experiences.