CCL-IGNITE (IncreasinG RepresentatioN In RehabilItation and CreaTivE Health Professions Research) - In this R25 application, NYU Steinhardt faculty in rehabilitation health professions research (RHP, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, communicative sciences and disorders, music therapy, drama therapy and art therapy) and education research will partner with College and Career Lab (CCL) and create a research pathway, NYU CCL - IncreasinG RepresentatioN In RehabilItation and CreaTivE Health Professions Research, “CCL IGNITE”. Guided by findings from contemporary educational research and substantial preliminary work, CCL-IGNITE will deploy a robust exposure and engagement-driven curriculum, designed jointly by educators and researchers at CCL and NYU Steinhardt. The central premise of CCL-IGNITE that early access, increased resources and sustained engagement will improve educational outcomes. In this novel pathway, for the first time, we implement key strategies that are known to mitigate key barriers to representation in other fields (such as medicine and nursing) in RHP research. We will increase access by providing early and sustained exposure to RHP careers and research, and by generating novel NGSS-aligned culturally relevant RHP science education. We will and offer increased resources supporting academic and career preparation and offering financial support, and will increase engagement by deploying a robust mentorship model and student-centered teaching. We include a rigorous impact evaluation that overcomes the pitfalls of conventional program assessment. Key outcomes of CCL-IGNITE include: 1) Development of a RHP research pathway for 450 students (150 high school and 300 middle school students), 2) Novel RHP research-related science education resources will be developed during the course of this project and disseminated through CCL-IGNITE website, immersive techniology (augmented reality / virtual reality), 3) Professional development open houses for teacher engagement (n=150 teachers), 4) Community labs to disseminate CCL-IGNITE materials to students, teachers, parents (n=1000), 5) Dissemination of findings in the peer-reviewed literature through conference presentations and manuscripts to facilitate translation to practice, 6) Qualitative and quantitative data will also be used for five iterations of program refinement (one for each year of grant award) This application has high potential for substantial positive impact as CCL-IGNITE will leverage university-community partnerships in an urban area and encourage youth to pursue further studies and careers in RHP research, consistent with the mission of NIGMS. Additionally, this application will generate novel NGSS-aligned science education resources related to rehabilitation and creative arts-based therapies research, and our findings will advance the field of evidence-based education practice.
