Science Education for Public Understanding Program (SEPUP)
Impact
The results of 20 years of research and evaluation of SEPUP programs indicate that they are engaging and promote learning by diverse students. Positive effects of student learning and engagement have been documented in the following areas: * Content knowledge * Problem solving * Decision making * Investigation skills * Interest in science and perception of the relevance of science to students’ lives. Research also indicates that SEPUP materials are effective tools for professional development.
Accomplished
- Need Accomplished
- Evaluation Accomplished
- Sustainability Developing
- Replication & Scalability Developing
- Partnerships Accomplished
- Capacity Accomplished
- Challenging & Relevant Content Accomplished
- STEM Practices Accomplished
- Inspiration Developing
- Under-Represented Groups Accomplished
Design Principles
The programs in this database clear a high bar. STEMworks reviewed each program against the Design Principles for Effective STEM Philanthropy. Programs must be Accomplished (
) across all Design Principles, or be Developing (
) in a maximum of three areas.
Overarching Principles
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Need Accomplished
Identify and target a compelling and well-defined need.
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Evaluation Accomplished
Use rigorous evaluation to continuously measure and inform progress towards the compelling need identified.
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Sustainability Developing
Ensure work is sustainable.
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Replication & Scalability Developing
Demonstrate replicability and scalability.
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Partnerships Accomplished
Create high impact partnerships.
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Capacity Accomplished
Ensure organizational capacity to achieve goals.
STEM Principles
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Challenging & Relevant Content Accomplished
Offer challenging and relevant STEM content for the target audience.
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STEM Practices Accomplished
Incorporate and encourage STEM practices.
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Inspiration Developing
Inspire interest and engagement in STEM.
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Under-Represented Groups Accomplished
Identify and address the needs of under-represented groups.
Program Overview
The Science Education for Public Understanding Program (SEPUP) is a science curriculum project to develop comprehensive and supplemental science curriculum materials and resources targeted at diverse student populations in grades 5–12. Developed by the University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, SEPUP’s primary goals are to: * Increase all students’ engagement, motivation and learning in science * Provide teachers with the support they need to foster a learning environment that will help them achieve these goals. Issue-oriented science describes the approach of all SEPUP’s curriculum materials. Every SEPUP unit uses personal and societal issues to provide thematic continuity for student investigations. Issue-oriented science engages students in such questions as: * Should you throw your old computer in the trash? * What can you do to reduce the risk of getting food poisoning? * How can releasing your unwanted pet into the wild affect the environment? SEPUP curriculum products focus on both core science content and the practices of science and engineering through a variety of learning activities. Issues span the disciplines as earth, life and physical sciences and interdisciplinary content relevant to global issues and sustainability. Issues provide continuity and thematic connections among activities in each SEPUP unit and course. SEPUP’s comprehensive courses include support materials for the development of scientific and language literacy. SEPUP materials are published and distributed by LAB-AIDS, Inc. A nationally recognized assessment system, developed in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education, is included in all SEPUP programs.