Preferred Learning Style Program

Women are underrepresented in STEM fields in the US because of unsupportive school environments as women, which are classified as minorities, are economically underpaid; that leads to poverty. Although women make up half of the American workforce, they constitute only 26% of STEM workers; women made up 27% of the STEM workforce, while men make up 73%. Because women are believed not be better in math and (most)science as men. 

   This problem is high-risk. At Stanford, a study was conducted on the test scores of around 40 million US students and discovered that minority students had lower scores than other students. The academic-achievement gap was even greater in wealthy university towns like Evanston in Illinois and Berkeley in California. Stanford University analyzed whether poverty was a major factor in the gap, since minority students tend to come from less resourceful families. So what is happening in these schools that are allowing non-minority students to be more knowledgeable than their male classmates & students to be tracked into more demanding courses. This usually leads to male children learning more compared to female minority classmates. 

There are a number of factors that contribute to the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields include:

• Stereotypes about women's abilities in math and science
• Lack of female role models in STEM fields
• Unconscious bias in hiring and promotion practices
• Creating more supportive school environments for girls and women in STEM
• Promoting positive stereotypes about women's abilities in math and science

Increasing women's representation in STEM fields is important for many reasons. First, it helps to close the gender pay gap. Women who work in STEM fields earn more than women who work other fields. Second, it can help to improve diversity of ideas and perspectives in STEM fields. Third, it helps ensure the benefits of STEM innovation are shared more equitably by all members of society.

This aligns with Executive Order 14005 which was signed 01/25/2021 by President Joe Biden ensuring the federal government invests taxpayers dollars into American owned businesses. The Preferred Learning Style program educates STEM in informal settings so that America can educate its underserved communities in STEM allowing the US to remain a strong nation and will lead in STEM careers. 

   Women represent only 16% of Bachelor's degree recipients in computer and information sciences, 21% of Bachelor's degree recipients in engineering and engineering technology, and 27% of Bachelor's degree recipients in physical sciences. President Joe Biden signed into law the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which will build on this progress, making historic investments that will poise U.S. workers, communities, and businesses to win the race for the 21st century. To strengthen & invest in research and development, science and technology, and the workforce of the future to keep the United States as leaders of tomorrow.

 Preferred Learning Style software is committed to STEM research and practice, in a variety of informal STEM experiences and environments that make lifelong learning equitable and achievable. Preferred Learning Style software program centers around equity as it is the answer to addressing the wellness of the disproportionately marginalized communities who have historically been and continue to be excluded, under-served, or underrepresented, due to gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, neurodiversity, geographic location, and economic status, among others, as well as their intersections.

 The Preferred Learning Style works in formal and informal settings by integrating into a system management platform or legacy program:

• A learner starts in an Enrichment program, community/after-school program or alternative education structure or general school

• A learner is registered into the informal programs database

• The Preferred Learning Style program is already an app in the informal learning system database

• The learner is given an ID: Username and Password to begin access to their account

• Learner is given a Preferred Learning Style Assessment(a set of questions to evaluate a person’s most preferred way to learn)

• The learner’s PLS data is auto-saved in learners account and shared with instructor(if needed)

• Each lesson in the learners account will give the learner the original general instructions/curriculum and the adaptive curriculum/instruction in their Preferred Learning Style.

Preferred Learning Style software leverages advanced machine learning models to generate critical-thinking questions for any text a STEM learner reads, analyze their response, give them immediate feedback on how to refine their thinking, and ultimately provide data-driven insights to their educators/instructors. The capability to automatically interpret open-ended responses using artificial intelligence (AI) is a rich area for the educational community. This software deepens the informal STEM learning community's knowledge in this area and applies the findings to K-12 education programs.

The integration of AR and VR in EdTech solutions helps offer an interactive experience to the informal learners of STEM. It allows learners to explore and seamlessly connect with abstract concepts, and subsequently driving student engagement as curriculum/lessons are presented in the learners’ learning style. On the other hand, the integration of blockchain technology allows end-users to store and secure records of students and learners, thereby enabling educators/instructors to analyze the consumption patterns of the material offered to the learners and make data-driven decisions. The Preferred Learning Style program is well-organized and given its ability to correct the mistakes of the past in education by closing the achievement gap through informal educational systems such as enrichment programs and community centers youth education programs with built-in advance technology to assess success.

The target population would include me; a young black american women. Preferred Learning Style software program centers around equity as it is the answer to addressing the wellness of the disproportionately marginalized communities who have historically been and continue to be excluded, under-served, or underrepresented, due to gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, neurodiversity, geographic location, and economic status, among others, as well as their intersections. Girls who are not tracked in school to learn STEM as much as boys have been. Black and brown communities that are under-funded and do not provide the resources to educate in STEM. They are the "At-Risk" communities. And community is not just a physical location but a culture. This includes the disabled communities and learning disability communities. Preferred learning style software gives those with learning disabilities equity in education and creates independence economically. 

The preferred learning style software program offers a better lifestyle and future for any student(student means anyone learning) that uses it. By creating a program that individualized education to TEACH according to the students best learning ability and at the pace they need in order to understand the STEM material is to offer success. This software is used informally in community enrichment programs such as COGIC organization(where I serves as the community engagement coordinator for their youth department on the national level) that serves predominantly black american communities, after-school programs at the YMCA and Boys & Girls Club and local church before and after school programs. And where I have been selected to serve as the Google Women Techmakers Ambassador; reaching multiple women and young girls to encourage and engage in STEM. This program examines a students preferred learning skills, then take lessons provided by the educator/instructor or written instructions and synthesis it using language, examples and literature that’s understandable and progress the material as you learn by introducing new lessons, literature, equations etc.; this keeps a learner interested in being educated in STEM and confident in what they’ve learned. The Preferred Learning Style program tracks a 9yrs old student learning a 16yrs old assignment simply because if the learner can grasp the material presented to them, they will want to learn more and it will keep them progressing to higher levels. And allow the educator/instructor to upload lessons of theirs and other connected educators if the learner surpasses their age level of work. This will solve the problem of miseducation among our children in STEM, close the achievement gap, create confidence in learning, reduce the defiance and non-compliance in society, and lastly, create equity in STEM. It will give America the chance to educate better and produce more STEM learners and careers.

I am he right person to deliver this solution because I am apart of the community the solution is needed in. I am a millennial black american born and raised in the inner city of New Jersey. I attended both private and public primary schools and attended a HBCU before receiving a scholarship to attend UNC Chapel Hill as a Science major.

 I have been inserting my “why" throughout my writing. I have had the privilege of a good education, acceptance into good schools and engagement with good teachers. As I entered my 20s, I discovered that not everyone has had that same experience. And a great number of people have given up on themselves partly because they lost belief in their own intelligence. They have allowed standardized tests, one size fit all lessons and frustrated educators guide their life into disappointment and low self esteem in themselves. Simply because they learned at a different pace. I have met people who would skip school because the teachers were too slow and the students got bored; this is also an issue in our education system. The achievement gap does not just affect the minority community, but now affects every community as trauma in our nation hits us all. If we don’t close this gap, we will lose more than self-confidence. I care because my future, our future depends on us correcting the mis-education of students. To create a software program that teaches a person by meeting them where they are educationally, is simply the right thing to do! We say we want a peaceful nation, then let’s start with equity in education, let’s close the academic achievement gap by providing equal education to all students and allow the information to be current. Not many can argue that standardized tests are good for our students (of all ages), and with the technology of today, we can change that. 

The team have similar stories as this software is led by women and minorities. All with a passion for STEM and with backgrounds as educators and technologists. Believing in responsible AI, this team participates in PDs, tech summits and consult with 3rd party developers; active with teachers and giving back to the overworked educators that are underpaid by providing them a consultants fee. I am apart of Google Developers Groups and we collaborate with coding programs that give women and other minorities the opportunity to learn tech by providing experience with working on projects like this and providing them school credit as well. We participate in round table discussions and receive feedback from local schools that allow the software to be piloted in their school.

We have the prototype and have tested in but we need to build it out more and run more research and development on it. We have tested fro feasibility but need to test more with a larger capacity. 

I am applying to this challenge for the reasons mentioned above which is for the peer to peer mentoring and individual leadership coaching and advice on plans for scaling. Along with access to networks and resources. As a black minority, we don't always have the same access to resources and networks as our male counter parts. Don Harrison, an executive at Google did an interview which is on youtube and was asked how can people get access to resources like acquisitions and he stated that "it's about WHO you know"; "having the right person saying your name" and "being in the right place with the executives". All of which is difficult if we work 9-5 to make ends meet and can't afford to play golf or other recreations as often as Don mentioned(I do play every so often). And that creates inequities for those women like myself because we don't gain access to the same resources as others but can have a the same ideas, concepts but no support to achieve their goals. 

I am applying because the patented preferred learning style software program is a life changer and we want to MITs assistance in building out a more responsible technology and with larger capacities to do what is created to do. 

The lead of the team is a Women Techmakers Ambassador with Google, and an educator. The team partners with other companies such as Code the Dream that give women and other minorities a chance to learn tech through hands on experience while receiving credit and a portfolio for their work with pay. The team is made up of community leaders in both NC, NJ and NY. The team lead is a volunteer coordinator with COGIC Int. which has an adherent of over 8 million members in over 100 countries as the largest minority organization. The team are educators in public school systems. 

A friend sent me the link. But I have been trying to connect with MIT to consult on the software.

My Preferred learning style software program is so innovative because it offers:

• Personalization: The software can be customized to each learner's individual learning style. This means that the content is presented in a way that is most likely to be understood and retained by the learner.
• Interactivity: The software is often interactive, which means that learners can actively participate in the learning process. This can help to keep learners engaged and motivated.
• Assessment: The software can often be used to assess learner progress. This information can be used to identify areas where the learner needs additional support.
• Collaboration: The software can often be used to collaborate with other learners. This can help learners to learn from each other and to build relationships.

Along with all else, my preferred learning style software does what no other edtech on the market does. It is patented and offers advance technology through ML/AI and VR usage. My software gives student based results and not teacher base results. 

My impact goals are to increase women in STEM fields through individualized education that teaches learners through their preferred learning style. This will close the achievement gap in the US and address learning voids in our nation. The goal is to better educate in the minority community to increase the socioeconomic goals. To increase learners assessment scores by 100% and the retention. To track their progression and set realistic goals for achievement of the increase of women in STEM fields.