STEMship
The Problem
With STEM jobs being the highest paid, as well as the fastest growing, it is important to get students engaged as early as middle school. Unfortunately, most middle school teachers lack the resources and training to create an engaging environment for their students.
The Solution
STEMship is a library of STEM activities and equipment that teachers can borrow for their classrooms. Each activity comes with a teacher training guide and suggested lesson plan. Schools buy credits to use in the library, and teachers can log-in online to reserve activities to be delivered directly to their classroom.
Key Responsibilities
Co-Founder, Business Strategy, Market Analysis, User Research, Service Design, Assumption Testing
StempSHIP
What if teachers could have access to the latest educational technology without any additional cost, lability, or work for the school? STEMplate acts as a facilitator of the sharing economy within school districts. We loan out gadgets, gizmos, devices, and toys teachers teachers in member schools as if they were borrowing a book from the library. In addition, teachers have the option to request an industry professional to volunteer their time to come speak with the students about how that device would be used in the professional world. We believe that giving the students hand on and in-person exposure to STEM and STEM professions is the best way to keep them engaged in the classroom, and teachers agree!
Initial Research
To get a better understanding of what challenges teachers face when teaching STEM classes, we went to a STEM teachers' convention in New Jersey. While we were there, we interviewed about 20 K-12 teachers as well as librarians and administrators. What we learned was that middle school is crucial for student engagement in stem if they want to pursue it as an elective in high school. Unfortunately, middle school and elementary teachers are less likely to be specialized in a STEM field and have a harder time creating engaging lessons for the class. Not to mention, they have a harder time getting their students to stay focused than high school teachers would.
QUantitative research
We sent out a survey and received 30+ responses from teachers all across the country to find out what types of STEM classes they teach, what challenges they face, and how equipment rentals would affect their classroom engagement.
33% of teacher found it difficult to create engaging lesson plans
40% of teachers said that costly equipment is the hardest part about teaching STEM subjects
67% said they would use STEMship if the order and delivery were simple, if it would help limit costs for yearly budgets, or if there was a training facility/teacher development opportunities
25% of teacher would rent science equipment/technology for their classroom
We also heard: There is a lack of real knowledge (and consensus) among other educators about what STEM really is, and a lack of funding.
THe Price of STEM EDUCATIon
STEM is a rapidly changing industry, which means the technology is always updating. This makes nearly impossible for teachers to keep their classrooms up to date while staying on budget. Teachers who want to expose their students to things like 3D printing and robotics typically have to rely on donations or sponsorship, and will sometimes even buy the equipment with their own money. Without this exposure, the students start out behind the curve of the latest technology, which will make it difficult for them to catch up later in their education.
Personas
New-to-STEM Steve
“The school I work at decided they needed a STEM class, so I got assigned. I used to teach math, so I'm still trying to figure out what kinds of things to teach the kids"
About:
Steve is a motivated and enthusiastic teacher who is always looking for ways to improve his classroom experience, which is why he was chosen to run the STEM program at his school. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much experience in the area outside of math, and struggles to come up with lessons.
Motivations:
Keeping the kids engaged and fostering the love of learning
Concerns:
So much of Steve's time outside of the classroom is spend researching what STEM is and what kinds of activities he can bring to the classroom. He's worried that his limited knowledge will stifle the student's growth in STEM.
NASA-Trained Natalie
“My school doesn't understand that STEM is more than just a computer class. There are so many more activities that I want to do with my students, but I would have a hard time getting the resources. I usually end up buying things myself."
About:
Natalie has a background in design and has been immersed in the STEM field for a long time. She recently went through NASA's teacher certification program and wants to bring everything she learned back to her students.
Motivations:
Inspiring her students to reach for the stars. Literally.
Concerns:
STEM isn't considered a core class, so the school doesn't give it the same weight and therefore doesn't get enough resources to create the engaging learning environment she envisions.
Competitive Analysis
While there are plenty of organizations working towards more accessible STEM education, we are positioned to approach it from every angle in a more systemic way.
Why It Matters
According the the US Dept. of Labor, the STEM job market is expected to grow up to 37% by 2022, while the overall job market is only expected to grow 11%. Unfortunately, only 36% of high-school students are prepared for college level math and science.
Designing The Business
Our initial reaction was to try to boil the whole ocean by redesigning "the school of the future." Since that was obviously too ambitious, we paired down to an MVP that supplements existing schools and teachers. We found in doing this we were able to make a bigger impact with a shorter lead time.
Testing the Theory
Assumptions are dangerous to leave unchallenged, especially with a new business. We wanted to make sure we were solving the right problems, for the right people, and in the right ways. After drafting a business plan and outlining the services we would offer, we headed back out into the field to talk to more education professionals to get their feedback. Most of the feedback that we got was positivity and excitement, but the looming warning of the challenge of dealing with public school politics did not go unnoticed. We decided to run our pilot program with a group of charter schools in NYC because they had significantly more freedom in budgetary and operational decisions. Once we had built credibility, we would be able to roll out more easily in the traditional public schools.
MVP Card sort
With so many amazing STEM activities and tools on the market, we had to find a way to narrow down to just a few for our initial business model. We created a deck of options and asked teachers from all different school districts to pick out the ones they would most like to have in their classrooms that may otherwise be difficult to get their hands on. We asked them to take into consideration the school’s current inventory as well as how the activities might fit into their current curriculum.
Running the Numbers
When it comes to strategy, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is investing in an idea that isn't financially viable. After speaking to administrators about what portion of their budget would be dedicated to a service like STEMplate, we decided to run as a membership program with an "a-la-carte" option. In addition, as a non-profit, we would be able to secure funding from grants and industry partnerships.