Issue link: https://takingitglobal.uberflip.com/i/1542824
R. Adeboye, C. Flewelling,V. Ogbole, E. O'Sullivan 65 Short-Term Outcome #2: Increased Student Interest in Areas Covered By Sessions The evidence provides moderate support for the idea that Connected North is contributing to increased student interest in the areas covered by sessions. Teachers frequently described students displaying enthusiasm during and after sessions—continuing projects beyond scheduled time, revisiting materials, and pursuing related topics independently— while also noting that interest varied across students and could be difficult to observe over time. Teacher survey comments further illustrated multiple forms of heightened interest, including requests for additional sessions and, in some cases, sustained engagement that extended into extracurricular activities or future career aspirations; and more than half of surveyed teachers observed increased student interest specifically in learning from role models. Student survey data offered mild additional support, with a majority of respondents expressing excitement about what they learned in their session. Many teachers described how they thought students' interest in the subject matter had increased as a result of Connect North sessions. This was manifested in various ways. Teachers described short term effects such as how hands-on activities helped students stay focused on a session; to slightly longer-term effects such as students continuing to work on an activity beyond the scheduled time for the session. Some instances of more sustained interest were noted as well, such as when students requested additional sessions on a topic, or a scheduled series of sessions on a given subject elicited ongoing excitement. Reference was also made to how Connected North sessions supported longer-term activities driven by student inquiry. However, a few teachers did emphasize that they could not confirm if the interest they observed in a limited time frame was sustained over the long term. As a complement, the teachers' survey included a large volume (99% positive) of write-in responses suggesting that Connected North sessions contribute to increased student interest. These comments reflected similar themes as the interviews, and actually described some instances of more intense and longer-term interest. For example, one teacher described how a session on sewing led to an after-school sewing club and several students looking at starting a sewing business. Importantly, a few interviewed teachers indicated that sessions did not always pique the interest of all students, noting that sometimes it was students who were already interested in or inclined towards a given subject who would find their interest enhanced by the session. One teacher explained that, after any given session, there are typically two or three whose interest was noticeably "I really enjoyed [Content Provider's] engineering courses - he was very engaging, and students would spend DAYs afterwards tinkering with paper and trying to rebuild some of his fancier designs." - Teacher Survey Respondent "It was amazing to see how the session inspired a love of reading for many students!" - Teacher Survey Respondent