Simon Initiative Work in Rural Panama Begins
By Caroline Sheedy
Carnegie Mellon University learning engineers are heading to rural Panama to help teachers improve student outcomes in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses. Greg Bunyea, a recent graduate of the Masters of Educational Technology and Applied Learning Science program, will lead the work.
To start the project, Kenya C. Dworkin y Méndez, an associate professor of Hispanic Studies, is working singlehandedly to translate sections of the tools, taking into consideration both the literal translation of the words and the greater cultural context. Eventually, this project may expand as part of the curriculum for CMU’s new master’s program in Global Communication and Applied Translation.
“I’m excited to give our students the opportunity to work on such an important project,“ said Sébastien Dubreil, a professor in Modern Languages who was part of the initial discussion about the collaboration with Simon Initiative. “We can truly make a difference for the students and teachers if we translate these tools into culturally appropriate deliverables while giving CMU students meaningful experience.”