Evaluating the Effectiveness of The New York Academy of Sciences Wikispace Reflecting Constructivist theory of Instructional Materials within Middle School STEM Learning Environments

Abstract

This study’s purpose is to evaluate the effectiveness of the New York Academy of Sciences’ Wikispace reflect Constructivist theory with the use of instructional material shared with middle school teachers for grade 7-8, in STEM disciplines. The research was compiled to answer the questions of how and why a collaborative cloud environment, a wiki, could provide adequate support for mentors and teachers to instruct middle level students on STEM disciplines. Through the use of forms and questionnaires, in addition to informal interviews, and ‘speak aloud/walk through’ of the use of the wiki data was collected to answer the primary and sub questions of the study. The conclusions that were found through this study identified the strength and weaknesses of the Wikispace. This analysis supported the effectiveness of the Wikispace and the continued use of the Wikispace by the STEM mentoring program.