- Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)
- National Science Foundation
- Curriculum Review
- Formative Evaluation
- Summative Evaluation
- Training Design
- Collaborative Evaluation
Crossing Boundaries provides teachers with curriculum and training to introduce students to conservation science through geospatial technologies. Video profiles of young scientists show environmental careers in action.
Headquartered at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Crossing Boundaries uses geospatial technologies to teach tropical biodiversity. Students analyze environmental issues in their local region, as well as in the Brazilian Amazon, African savannah in Kenya, and rainforests of Chiapas, Mexico.
The project required evidence to support a request for new funding. The funder – NSF – required data to show how well Crossing Boundaries prepared teachers to implement ready-to-use, technology-infused curriculum to help students gain technology skills while learning science. Teachers needed to show the impact of real-world investigations on their students.
The project asked Edu to conduct a three-year external evaluation of Crossing Boundaries. Edu and the client partnered to design the study. A jointly-developed validated survey measured the efficacy of teacher professional development and its impact on students.
The outcome? Crossing Boundaries met or exceeded every goal it proposed to NSF, and produced more than was promised. Most notably, the highly successful video profiles of young scientists increased the students’ awareness of scientific and environmental careers.
Teachers enthusiastically report value in the Crossing Boundaries project. Three years of survey and interview data shows that teachers perceive significant growth in both their content knowledge and their confidence using technology-infused pedagogy. Teachers report superior student engagement and understanding compared to more traditional instructional methods.
The evaluation supported a proposal for continued funding and peer-reviewed publications.