This project: Native American Middle-school Students Afterschool STEM (NAMSAS) program focuses on the design, development, and evaluation of structured afterschool STEM programs that incorporate Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and 3D printing through spatial design activities that are relatable to both girls and boys. Strategic partnerships with afterschool programs in three Tribal Nations (Pawnee Nation, Citizen Potawatomi Nation, and the Chickasaw Nation) will support culturally responsive teaching in technology-rich afterschool environments.

This project aims to develop an immersive afterschool experience grounded in culturally relevant teaching and learning strategies. A version of the NAMSAS curriculum was piloted in 2018 with a small number of female students from the Pawnee Nation during a two week summer program, with the generous financial support of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). For the current project, seven design studio modules integrating these emerging technologies will be disseminated on a bi-weekly basis in the fall and spring semesters over four years, including mini hackathons at the end of each semester and a larger hackathon at the end of the project.