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Reflections on
Communication,
Collaboration
and Convergence
Strategic models for
STEM education and research
Dr. James Lipuma
Dr. Cristo León
Dr. Víctor Hugo Guzmán Zarate
About the Authors
Dr. James Lipuma, USA, New Jersey Institute of Technology, director of
the Collaborative for Leadership Education, and Assessment Research
(CLEAR).
Dr. James Lipuma is a faculty member in the Humanities Department
at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and director of the Collaborati-
ve for Leadership Education, and Assessment Research (CLEAR).
He holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University, an
MS in Environmental Policy Studies and a PhD in Environmental Science
from NJIT, and a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Teaching fo-
cused in Science Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
He conducts extensive research in digital learning, curriculum, and ins-
tructional design and is currently piloting online converged course deli-
very methods.
In his role as director, Dr. Lipuma has completed curriculum develop-
ment, assessment design, program evaluation, and program design and
development projects for public schools, universities, the NJ Department
of Education, Us Department of Education, and the National Science
Foundation. He has also taught more than 5,000 students in more than
200 courses in his 25 years at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He
has completed work on nearly $6M worth of grants including over $2.5M
as lead Pi or CoPI as well as received over $250K worth of donations.
Legally blind since nine, Dr. Lipuma appreciates the need for positive
change and works to promote broader participation for women and un-
der-represented minorities in Science Technology, Engineering, and Ma-
thematics (STEM) as part of STEMforsuccess.org and other STEM Literacy
projects he leads.
Dr. Cristo León, USA, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Director of
Research, CSLA, Office of Research & Development
In this role, Cristo manages the logistics of research programs as well
as pre and post-award actions for +100 active grants, overseeing the sub-
mission process of research proposals, serving as a liaison with the Offi-
ce of Research, the College Dean, 7 departments, and over 110 faculty
PIs. As of 2022, he has submitted over 1,400 proposals to federal, state
nonprofit, and private sponsors requesting over $744M in total direct
cost. He also has assisted in the process is setting up the 342 new awards
for $78M in total direct cost.
Cristo’s experiences have included over 15 years in directive positions.
Managing Sponsored Research Programs & Logistics, facilitating organi-
zational development training, designing business innovation plans, and
implementing innovation projects for organizations including NJIT, Nor-
thern Ocean Habitat for Humanity, Ocean County College, Monterrey Ins-
titute of Technology & Higher Education, and the University of Veracruz.
Cristo also develops and facilitates courses for the Monterrey Institute of
Technology & Higher Education “ITESM” in Latin America for C-Level exe-
cutives of corporations including; KPMG, Chedraui Inc., Coca-Cola Femsa,
PEMEX, Continental, Adelca, SemMaterials, and Adecco among others.
After completing his Masters in Business Administration in 2015 “Suma
cum laude”, he was awarded the “Generation Leader EXATEC 2021” tit-
le by the Monterrey Institute of Technology & Higher Education. He is a
PhD. His graduate education in Management and Innovation of Institu-
tions was focused on International Management; his research areas are
Convergence, Innovation, Broadening Impact and Participation, Strategic
Planning, Digital Marketing, and Business Storytelling.
Dr. Víctor Hugo Guzmán Zarate, México, Instituto de Estudios Univer-
sitarios.
Dr. Guzman is a Federal Official, Consultant and Entrepreneur, who
has worked for more than twenty-five years in the business area, is main-
ly focused on Process Reengineering, Formulation and Evaluation of Pro-
ductive Projects, Continuous Improvement Processes, Human Capital
Management and Entrepreneurship. He holds two PhDs, one of Public
Law and another in Administration. He also studied a Master in Adminis-
tration with a specialty in Finance after completing his Bachelor of Busi-
ness Administration.
He has worked as a teacher in face-to-face and online sessions for
more than 30 years as a professor of the Doctoral Program in the Instituto
de Estudios Universitarios (IEU). He is certified by the National Council for
Standardization and Certification of Labor Competencies (C.O.N.O.C.E.R.)
in Technical Standards in Labor Competences, according to Standards 05
and 217, and in Design and Delivery of courses and Training Programs.
His professional experiences include, amongst others:
• Business Development Executive at Nacional Financiera, S.N.C.
• Director of Promotion and Development in the Ministry of Labor
and Social Welfare (STPS) in Chiapas State.
• Academic Secretary of the Political University of Tapachula.
• Administrative and Marketing Vice Director in many business
groups, such as Corporate Araujo and D'amiano Group.
• Managing Partner of GR&A Servicios Integrales, S. C., a company
dedicated to Consulting, Advisory and Business Training in the Sou-
theast Region of Mexico for more than 25 years.
• Managing Partner of Agroindustrias San Sebastián, S.P.R. of R.I.,
a company dedicated to the production and maquillage of sugar
cane in the coastal region of the Chiapas State.
The paper used holds the YUNGAS PRODUCT - FCA
(Alternative Cellulosic Fibers) certication from the
ProYungas Foundation, an IRAM-audited seal certifying
that Ledesma's paper is produced from non-wood
cellulose bers and protecting the environment in each
of its production processes.
Mito Editorial
Editor & layout : Martin Van Houtte
General Coordination: Jimena Serret y Marcos Cabobianco
Coordination Assistant: Pedro Leonetti
Graphic Design: Fernando Alberto de Carabassa y Alejandra Pini
Printed by: Mil Tintas SRL - miltintas@miltintas.com
León, Cristo
Reflections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence : Strategic
models for STEM education and research / Cristo León ; James Lipuma ;
Víctor Hugo Guzmán Zarate. - 1a edición para el alumno - Ciudad Autónoma
de Buenos Aires : Jimena Serret Iriart, 2023.
Libro digital, PDF
113 p. ; 17 x 24 cm.
ISBN 978-987-88-8278-9
1. Educación. I. Lipuma, James. II. Guzmán Zarate, Víctor Hugo. III.
Reflections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence: Strategic
models for STEM education and research.
CDD 371.397
© 2022– James Lipuma, Cristo León and Víctor Hugo Guzmán Zárate.
All rights reserved.
1st edition: august 2023
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0
International License.
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if
changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests
the licensor endorses you or your use.
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your
contributions under the same license as the original.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally
restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
CONTENTS
Preface ..................................................15
Chapter 1. Introduction ...................................19
Chapter 2. Laying the groundwork (Abstracts) ...............29
Chapter 3. Collaboration and Strategic planning .............39
Chapter 4. STEM literacy and Trans-Disciplinary
Communication .......................................57
Chapter 5. Integrating models for effective
Collaborative convergence .............................67
Chapter 6. Planning, visualizing, and intention
alignment ............................................75
Chapter 7. Reflections on Collaboration .....................91
Sources .................................................95
Appendix: Six Sections of a Theory of Change ..............103
FIGURES
Figure 1. Collaborative Convergence Pyramid ...............24
Figure 2. Disciplinary spaces ...............................26
Figure 3. Academy to Society continuum ....................34
Figure 4. Knowledge Generation & Communi-
cation continuum (KGCC) ...............................37
Figure 5. Universal Strategic Planning Model ................49
Figure 6. Primary Components of a Planning
Model ................................................86
Figure 7. Six Sections of a Theory of Change .................88
TABLES
Table 1. Matrix GTS ......................................41
Table 2. Decision and aggregation levels in the
organization ..........................................45
Table 3. Decision levels and dimensions of the
USP model ............................................47
Table 4. Strategic Alignment Matrix: GIMPA .................79
To Sandy and Katie, for all their love, patience, and support.
To Cynthia for her wisdom and undying care.
To my wife Maria Lucero de la Rosa and to our children Juan
Francisco Guzmán de la Rosa, Víctor Hugo Guzmán de la
Rosa y Lucero del Carmen Guzmán de la Rosa.
Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite:
it’s the starting point.
Henry Mintzberg
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 15
Preface
By John Wolf, Ph.D.
Literacy in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) is essential for full participation in the knowledge economy
of the twenty-rst century. Yet mastery of STEM domain content
alone may not be fully sucient to prepare today’s students to
become tomorrow’s leaders. In addition to knowledge trans-
fer—a task that presents numerous institutional and pedagogi-
cal challenges in and of itself—contemporary STEM education
must also consider those characteristics that will best prepare
students for enduring success, up to and including the point
at which they graduate from students to become practitioners,
regardless of the numerous elds across multidimensional
industries in which that practice might occur (e.g., academia,
government, industry, etc.).
The following collection of articles, based on the authors’
primary empirical research, which, taken together, spans seve-
ral years and numerous sponsored research endeavors, present
frameworks for thinking about STEM knowledge transfer and
student character building as well as practical suggestions for
everyday praxis. There’s no shortage of challenges and oppor-
tunities that await educators and students alike in this domain,
and the ideas presented in this anthology comprise a thought-
ful and nuanced ingress to a landscape, the pace of change of
which by far outpaces the scholarship attempting to document
and explain it. Indeed, this collection succeeds, in no small part,
because it makes no effort to capture scholastically a moment
in time, but rather it presents a comprehensive overview of
systems and models for the ability to think contiguously and
unabatedly about contemporary STEM education notwithstan-
ding the ever-accelerating rate at which these changes seem to
occur.
16 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
Key and common to the ideas and paradigmatic models pre-
sented throughout this book are notions related to collabora-
tion and communication, the importance of which either one
cannot be overstated. Wisely, the authors choose to adeptly
synthesize these areas of praxis throughout the text rather
than presenting ideas about them in isolation or without re-
minder of their necessary and inherent nexus. The case that
collaboration and communication are fundamental for keeping
pace with the constant cultural, pedagogical, and sociopolitical
changes surrounding STEM literacy is made convincingly, and,
furthermore, the authors invite readers to consider the impli-
cations of these tools for praxis and scholarship more broadly,
even that which may at rst seem beyond the boundaries of
contemporary STEM education.
Dr. John Wolf.
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 17
18 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 19
Chapter 1. Introduction
Much of this work concerns learning and education systems es-
pecially related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
(STEM). The authors have a diverse background that overlaps
in several areas of interest. However, each reader should be
aware of some foundational concepts related to these areas.
For this chapter, we begin with a brief and broad introduction
to concepts of education and learning to set the stage for the
research conducted over the previous ve years by the authors
themselves.
1.1 Learning and your approach
One signicant distinction that must be considered at the
outset is your view of what it means to teach and how this is
accomplished. For some, delivering material is teaching while
for others teaching only occurs if the learner can access and
master the content to be taught. Along these lines, some view
learning as being accomplished through control of experien-
ces designed to change the actions and mental processes of
learners (Instruction-centered) while others see it as working to
have the learner build new knowledge (learner-centered). Your
views on these types of questions will fundamentally change the
way you conceive of and develop the plan for the learning ex-
perience. Two of the major theories demonstrating this distinc-
tion are Behaviorism and Constructivism. The Behaviorists feel
students or any learner can be trained through modeling beha-
viors and then following this with reinforcement tied to shown
behaviors. Constructivists feel that knowledge is constructed in
the minds of students and not transferred so the student must
be the focus of the education, allowing each to experience lear-
20 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
ning in the way that best suits his or her own needs and inte-
rests. Beyond these general distinctions, there are subtle diffe-
rences within these major theories that have been rened and
adjusted over the last century. Today, many different names are
used to describe the means that teachers use to present mate-
rial to students and foster learning to achieve goals and attain
learner mastery. Knowing the name of what the teacher does
is not as important as seeing the distinctions between those
things that are used to force an end goal or behavior versus
those that are designed to allow the learner to grow guided
by the teacher towards the end. Learning that is problem-ba-
sed, inquiry-based, active, experiential, holistic, or emergent is
more constructivist and student-centered. Learning that is goal
driven, test-based, or has behavioral objectives tied to rewards
is more of a behavioral learning environment. Other environ-
ments exist, such as an apprenticing or mentoring system that
allows pupils to work with experts or homeschooling that de-
livers knowledge to students from parents through prepared
materials and individual desires.
Learning takes many forms and there are many things that
a student learns to do as he or she moves through the educa-
tional process. Generally, the purpose of education should be
to prepare students to know what to expect as well as deal with
the unexpected. At rst, a child imitates the models that are
shown and learn to memorize and repeat things. Directions are
given and learning to understand and follow these instructions
is an essential part of education. As time passes and experience
is gained, learning moves to the knowledge that is internalized
and thus known. This body of knowledge is added to as learning
progresses so that skills are developed in the learner. Mode-
ling continues as more complex processes are experienced and
a depth and breadth of knowledge are developed. These two
types of learning go hand in hand to help the student develop.
Eventually, the student needs to develop the ability to handle
problems that have not been experienced. Education prepares
students to gure out what to do when facing an unknown si-
tuation. Adaptability and the ability to solve problems are key to
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 21
the future success of any student. This leads to the highest le-
vels of education in which a student seeks his or her own ends.
If students are supported to make their own choices and lead
themselves, education becomes self-directed toward their own
goals. As this development takes place, questions of motivation
and interest become more important since self-direction places
the emphasis and path of learning more on the learner.
All of this can be summarized by the following four things:
• You are told what to do
• You know what to do
• You can gure out what to do
• You can lead yourself and others to what you want to do
As you work through these steps, one thing to mention is
a major problem many students have that comes from earlier
years of the educational process and life in general. This is the
idea of preconceptions about things and the conict that exists
between common sense and accepted knowledge. Preexisting
knowledge can be misunderstood or wrong. If these types of
misconceptions are not highlighted and addressed, the student
may compound these as new knowledge is associated with the-
se incorrect ideas. Furthermore, some observations and com-
mon-sense understandings of the world do not agree with what
is generally accepted as correct by scholarly experts. As a result,
it is necessary to be willing to question what you know and exa-
mine new knowledge. Knowing you might not always be correct
allows for the potential to change what you know in light of new
ideas. Having a clear picture of learners’ prior knowledge is es-
sential for effective instruction.
1.2 Learning and working styles
Knowledge acquisition relates to a person’s learning style.
Learning styles are descriptions of the tendencies you show
concerning how information is best gathered and remembered
22 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
by a student and therefore how learning is best accomplished.
There are many models and theories of learning styles but most
identify three major distinctions—visual, auditory, and kinesthe-
tic/tactile. Though every learner may not fall into one of these
exclusively and each can be broken into subsets, the three ma-
jor divisions are useful at this point to help you become more
aware of how you approach instruction.
Visual learners prefer to have things shown or written out.
This type of learner usually prefers pictures, written text, or
both. Writing items down and reviewing material visually rein-
forces learning for these types of learners. The auditory learner
prefers to have things presented orally or through discussion.
This type of learner often learns better by repeating aloud and
discussing concepts or even by using audiotapes and e-books.
Finally, the kinesthetic/tactile learner prefers to be involved in
the learning process through active learning, demonstrations,
and hands-on activity in the class. Many times asking questions
and engaging in laboratory or multimedia learning tools assists
students to comprehend learning. Often, visits to locations re-
lated to the topic being studied, such as parks, historical sites,
museums, learning centers, etc., or having actual examples of
the subject is useful for this type of learner.
Terms related to learning such as active versus passive; or
top-down/global versus bottom-up/detail learning, are used to
describe how people build understanding based on knowledge.
Some people are even multimodal or can change styles depen-
ding on the subject, environment, age, or many other aspects.
It is useful to understand how learning styles affect you and
t better with how people learn and interact with new material.
These natural tendencies inuence the way individuals process
information and thus collaborate. As we discuss interactions
both tied to education and more broadly as part of inter-dis-
ciplinary collaboration, these foundational ideas underpin the
approaches that we use and developed. The more diverse a
group the more important it is to be aware of the diversity of
styles, backgrounds and approaches to the problem in the gi-
ven scenario.
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 23
1.3 General Principles
Before going into our published works and the concepts and
models in this book, we wanted to be explicit about the areas
of our work that come together here. As we work to develop a
clear understanding of communication and collaboration in a
trans-disciplinary space, aspects of our interests and research
pursuits are emphasized less. In the context of this book, we
have the following areas that inform our work and provide a
space for us to conduct research and perform the needed steps
of design and development.
• Modes of instruction from synchronous (in-person) to fu-
lly asynchronous online
• Research approaches, outreach, and community engage-
ment
• STEM Education and practice
• Strategic Planning
Beyond this common space for action and research, a key
factor that allows us to collaborate effectively is a shared
'Worldview' and guiding principles, By embracing an intercul-
tural, diverse, inclusive, and open-minded worldview, the work
described here was made possible.
As we began to work together, we discover that our approa-
ches to problems and doing research were based on Critical
Theory and postmodernism. We found ourselves using a mul-
ti-sector, collaborative, and co-design approach to problems as
we tackled large-scale, complex issues facing society. As we en-
gaged in research, we found it necessary to work at the interfa-
ces of disciplines and even sectors of society leading us to ex-
plore Inter- or Trans-Disciplinary levels. Thus, we nd the need
to understand and explicated the "Collaborative Convergence
Approach” (CCA) to research (see Figure 1). This CCA is based
on several established theories:
24 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
Figure 1. Collaborative Convergence Pyramid
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 25
• “Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT)” (Bryant & Char-
maz, 2010; Charmaz, 2006; Corbin & Strauss, 1990; Glaser
& Strauss, 1967; Hafer, 2021),
• “Critical Theory (CT)” (Bohman, 2003; Bohman et al., 2021;
Zanetti, 1997),
• “Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DIT)” (Halton et al., 2021;
Moore, 2014; Rogers, 2003),
• “Intercultural Competence (IC)” (Deardorff, 2009; Dodd,
2017; Leeds-Hurwitz, 2017), and
• “Theory of Interactive Team Cognition (TITC)” (Abramo et
al., 2017; Fiore, 2008; Hall et al., 2019; Hofstede et al., 2010;
Kozlowski & Ilgen, 2006; Stokols et al., 2008).
Other inuential concepts that have not fully developed into
a theory but that relate to the work we do include: Networks
and Communities of Practice, Team Science, and Convergence
of Knowledge, Technology, and Society (CKTS). Throughout the
book, we use the word “Educator” but it can be easily repla-
ced by the words: Teacher, Professor, Administrator, Superin-
tendent, or even parent during COVID-19. The word Educator
is meant to be used as a catch-all phrase that includes anyone
who has overseen education.
Throughout the text, you will nd the word “Discipline”
applied in different scenarios. The authors want to note that the
concept of a discipline encompasses more than just a narrowly
dened academic subject or group of related areas of investiga-
tion. It is used here more broadly as the eld of study or an area
of focus (see Figure 2).
26 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
Figure 2. Disciplinary Spaces
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 27
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 29
28 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 29
Chapter 2. Laying the groundwork
(Abstracts)
As the authors developed their collaborative research work, the
overlap in online education, interdisciplinary communication,
and STEM outreach produced several published research arti-
cles. This section provides the abstracts of those articles along
with a link so readers can read the full text if desired. These pa-
pers serve as a background to the material presented in the up-
coming chapters as the core principles of collaborative commu-
nication and research approaches are explored and explained.
2.1 Mode Matters
One of the initial points where our research intersected per-
tained to the methods of instruction. For many years, the re-
search discussion examined how instruction was delivered with
a simple view of two states—in-person or remote. As techno-
logy advanced and research continued examining the factors
related to the variety of options or 'modes' of instructional
delivery, more factors emerged. These included synchronous
vs. asynchronous, on-ground vs. online, Face-to-face vs. at a
distance and managed vs. self-paced. Each of these different
modes has unique factors that require adjustments to methods
of instruction, teaching style, and at times, philosophy of edu-
cation. These factors occurred during the COVID-19 crisis, but
NJIT has been researching this topic since 2013.
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 31
30 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
Title: Exploring the Context of Converged Learning: a
case study in a polytechnic university
Abstract: New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), a four-
year polytechnic R01 research university in the United States
utilized a participatory strategic planning process to implement
an innovative approach to the modes of delivery for instruc-
tion that exist between face-to-face and online instruction. NJIT
denes the spectrum of integration of online and on-ground
instruction as Converged Education. This spectrum allows stu-
dents to either participate face-to-face, join remotely through
real-time video conferencing technology synchronously, or
watch classroom instruction asynchronously.
The article opens with a general background of NJIT’s
approach to the new idea of converged instructional delivery.
It provides a brief history, context, and explanation of its inter-
disciplinary participatory strategic planning process. Then the
paper describes the process of pilot testing that was conducted
to determine how best to adopt the new modes of instruction
across all disciplines. Next, the process for dening and clari-
fying the terms and conceptions of the various modes to be
adopted is presented. After this, the paper discusses the impact
of the shift from Web 1.0 to web 6.0 and how the different de-
partments and sectors of NJIT worked on strategic planning to-
gether. Finally, the resulting implementation of the new policy
and its reection on course offerings is shown and discussed.
(Lipuma & Leon, 2022)
Source: Lipuma, J., & Leon, C. (2022). Exploring the Context
of Converged Learning: A case study in a polytechnic university
[Review of Exploring the Context of Converged Learning: A case
study in a polytechnic university, by B. Bukiet]. The Journal on Sys-
temics, Cybernetics, and Informatics, 20 (1), 102–121. https://doi.
org/10.54808/JSCI.20.01
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 31
2.2 Scenario Matters
As our collaboration continued to develop, another key sy-
nergy became apparent. In the diverse areas of study and tea-
ching activities, the need for a common language was identi-
ed. Whether as part of teaching undergraduates, managing
research projects, or conducting research on STEM Education,
the idea of scenario specication became an essential concept.
For our work, we dened this concept as the description of the
Goal, Target, and Situation related to the domain of discussion.
Each of these major components has several elements that
help delineate the communication and collaboration that oc-
curs. This was explored in our research project that brought a
range of New Jersey K-12 educators together to share out their
experiences and solutions resulting from the shift to online
education during COVID.
Title: Scenario specification structuring effective colla-
borative communication
Abstract: The support from the Howmet Aerospace Founda-
tion Grant No. 223990 led to the development of digital resources
for hands-on STEM that would be useful for student learning in an
online world, compiled as “Tools for Teachers a STEM for Success
Guide”. 100 teachers and over 500 students from 20 schools par-
ticipated in the project. This article describes the project activities,
results and lessons learned that allowed them to pivot from a fa-
ce-to-face model to an online model as well as the benets that a
co-design strategy brings to broaden participation and inclusion
in multi-stakeholder collaborative projects. (Lipuma et al., 2022)
Source: Lipuma, J., Yañez Leon, C. E., & Patel, K. (2022). Scena-
rio Specication Structuring Effective Collaborative Communi-
cation. In Proceedings of the 16th International Multi-Conference
on Society, Cybernetics and Informatics: IMSCI 2022 51–56. https://
doi.org/10.54808/IMSCI2022.01.51
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 33
32 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
2.3 Language matters
Our work involved individuals and organizations from diverse
cultures, backgrounds, and community interests. As we worked
together with this diverse collection of researchers and stakehol-
ders, it became clear that common language must mean more
than spoken words or translated documents. Finding commo-
nality through negotiation of understanding is vital to effective
trans-disciplinary collaboration. The different conceptions of lan-
guage and the concept of idiolect provide a means for better and
more effective communication.
Title: Collaborative Convergence: finding the language
for Trans-Disciplinary Communication to occur
Abstract: The proper study of communication from existing mo-
dels opens the doors to scientic research that allows exploring
language and coding as an integral part of effective communica-
tion to generate new models that include Trans-Disciplinary Co-
llaboration. The authors analyze the factors of communication to
describe the application of Trans-Disciplinary Communication.
This paper aims to dene the communication processes and
their relationship with language, considering their impact on
Trans-Disciplinary Collaboration for innovation.
After conducting a systematic literature review the article ex-
plored the concepts of communication, functions, language, and
Trans-Disciplinary Communication. This led to its application in the
convergence research approach as presented in the Collaborative
Convergence Pyramid. (Leon & Lipuma, 2022)
Source: Leon, C., & Lipuma, J. (2022). Collaborative Conver-
gence: Finding the Language for Trans-Disciplinary Communica-
tion to Occur (Invited Paper). WMSCI 2022, 147–150. https://doi.
org/10.54808/WMSCI2022.01.147
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 33
2.4 Collaboration matters
As the scope and scale of the organizations we worked with
grew, the need for collaboration was essential. Moreover, un-
derstanding and nding shared visions and missions was a key
way of integrating our actions. Our research into effective co-
llaboration for research at an inter- and trans-disciplinary level
led to our Collaborative Convergence approach. Collaboration
builds from a lone individual working locked away and isola-
ted so knowledge is hoarded. As more than one individual be-
gins to cooperate and share, we move towards collaboration.
By communicating and exchanging knowledge we move away
from an individual approach but may yet not be collaborative.
The shift comes when together, the two individuals attain more
than separately. This rst level of collaboration is essential to
society's innovation on a large scale. Next, however, organiza-
tional collaboration can occur between organizations built up
by those individuals. This is much more complex but still es-
sential to organizational development, innovation, and social
change. Finally, at the largest scale, collaboration occurs at the
level of systems so entire disciplines or sectors of society can
collaborate and magnify individual action to attain synergy that
yields a sum much greater than any of its parts (see Figure 3).
Title: Collaborating Toward Convergence Efforts for K-20
STEM Education
Abstract: The paper examines the use of NSF’s Collabora-
tive Infrastructure and the Convergence Research approach
for complex social innovation challenges used by the authors
in their NSF INCLUDES project (#1744490). The paper claried
terminologies related to Convergence Research for multi-, co-
inter-, and trans-disciplinary. This paper denes and describes
collaborative research at each of these interfaces. Then it dis-
cussed key factors for engaging in collaborative partnerships
as individuals, with teams, and as organizations. Then, it presen-
ted concepts tied to individual factors for engagement with the
attitude, investment, motivation, and scenario analysis method.
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34 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
Figure 3. Academy to Society continuum
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Next, by drawing on business and management research, the
Availability, Interest, and Knowledge methodology provided a
simple way to identify the alignment of the vision, mission, and
theory of change by understanding the why, what, and how of
your actions. Following this, the authors integrated the con-
cepts of strategic planning and logic models with the Univer-
sal Model of Strategic Planning. The authors discuss the double
diamond model to represent the complex web of partnerships
and the framework developed for communication and colla-
boration amongst stakeholders. The result is the Collaborative
Convergence Pyramid framework for negotiating understan-
ding within a new common space being generated together.
Finally, the work concluded with a discussion of the vital roles
collaborative infrastructure and strategic planning played in
facilitating the Convergence Research approach with a mul-
ti-stakeholder coalition. (Lipuma & Yáñez León, 2022)
Source: Lipuma, J., & Yáñez León, C. E. (2022). Collaborating
Toward Convergence Efforts for K-20 STEM Education [Re-
view of Collaborating Toward Convergence Efforts for K-20 STEM
Education, by B. Bukiet, S. Pal, & J. Wolf]. The Journal on Syste-
mics, Cybernetics, and Informatics, 20(1), 351–389. https://doi.
org/10.54808/JSCI.20.01
2.5 Why this does matter
For our work, the main purpose is to generate positive chan-
ge and support our community members, colleagues, and
stakeholders. At the heart of this is working to solve large social
problems that require the collaboration of various individuals,
organizations, and systems to make change happen.
The denition of collective impact is “the commitment of a
group of important actors from different sectors to a common
agenda for solving a specic social problem at scale” (Hanley-
brown & Splansky Juster, 2021). In our view, the ve conditions of
collective impact outlined in the initial 2011 Stanford Social Inno-
vation Review article—common agenda, shared measurement,
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36 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and
backbone support—still hold.
Beyond this, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has pro-
moted the collaborative infrastructure designed as part of the
INCLUDES program to broaden participation in STEM by wo-
men, and other traditionally under-represented groups (TUGs).
In the Report the Nation II NSF states that the infrastructure
“is designed to foster collaboration by emphasizing ve design
elements of collaborative infrastructure: Shared Vision, Part-
nerships, Goals and Metrics, Leadership and Communication,
and Expansion, Sustainability, and Scale” (2020).
Our particular area of focus deals with increasing and
broadening participation in STEM across the PreK-20 conti-
nuum. Our work leverages expertise and experience in STEM
education, digital learning, communication, and collaboration.
We bring together a wide range of diverse individuals to create
a multi-sector trans-disciplinary research community that can
understand and act to make the changes needed. Moreover,
with our partners, we seek to co-design solutions that can be
enacted locally. These community actions can be shared and
rened to have an impact at the regional level hoping to scale
up to the global level in society. It is through this collaborative
planning, research, and action we see great potential for suc-
cess for everyone through STEM (see gure 4).
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Figure 4. Knowledge Generation & Communication continuum (KGCC)
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38 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
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Chapter 3. Collaboration and Strategic
planning
To help understand how our work comes together and is applied,
this chapter shares some of the basics of collaboration and plan-
ning. We work with others to determine our shared vision, deve-
loped collaboration, and co-design working solutions. One such
collaborative endeavor involved the Rutgers University Junior
Science and Humanities Symposium. The Principal Investigator,
Dr. Jean Patrick Antione, Associate Dean for Rutgers College of
Engineering saw the need to reduce costs while reaching more
students and engaging more judges from the public and pri-
vate sectors. Faced with this situation, this essay explores an
alternative solution that integrates the dimensions of strategic
planning, logic models, and the theory of change to create an in-
novative model of planning with a focus on collaborative infras-
tructure called the Universal Strategic Planning model (USP).
The chapter presents an analysis of strategic planning approa-
ches and their limitations followed by a discussion on logic mo-
dels and the theory of change. Next USP model and its uses are
described. Finally, the results were examined to discuss how the
USP model allowed the committee to co-design the new vision
of the program as well as implement and optimize the program
elements to improve the JSHS scale in the challenging time of
COVID-19.
3.1 Scenario and Collaboration
Scenario describes the parameters and chain of events that
leads to a specic coming together of individuals and organi-
zations. Dening a scenario is useful when planning strategies,
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understanding interactions, and impacts at the moment as well
as when conducting after-action reports. It includes three cate-
gories: your goal, the target audience, and the situation in which
the interaction occurs. Each of these components contains other
elements to be considered by leaders as they plan and act. Com-
munication and collaboration depend on these factors to specify
the moment of interaction so that participants can be prepared
and have the proper strategies to be most effective.
When examining the three phases of the “Prepare, Perform,
Publish (P3) model” (Lipuma & Yáñez León, 2020) or any action
for that matter, determining and delineating the elements of
the scenario will be useful. Often, the planning phase will requi-
re multiple scenarios to be developed while during the moment
of interaction; the planned scenarios are adjusted so needed
supports can be leveraged to increase effectiveness. Scenarios
are a major part of strategic planning and success across a wide
range of disciplines and environments.
Scenario planning has been dened in several ways. Michael
Porter (1985) dened scenarios as "an internally consistent view
of what the future might turn out to be—not a forecast, but one
possible future outcome". Schwartz (1991) dened scenarios as
"a tool for ordering one's perceptions about alternative future
environments in which one's decisions might be played out".
Ringland (1998) dened scenario planning as "that part of stra-
tegic planning which relates to the tools and technologies for
managing the uncertainties of the future". Shoemaker (1995)
offers, "a disciplined methodology for imagining possible futu-
res in which organizational decisions may be played out" as a
denition for scenario planning. (Chermack et al., 2001, p. 8)
3.1.1 Scenario components
There are three components examined in a scenario: Goal,
Target, and Situation. If the sender can see the causal chain of
events and the parameters tied to it, the participants can specify
and so better understand the factors that inuence and impact
those involved. He or she will be able to identify the goal and so
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set objectives to attain it, outcomes that are sought related to it,
and the things that demonstrate their attainment. Similarly, the
aspects of the identied target can be specied. At times, the
target is chosen; in others, it emerges from the scenario. The
more information about the target audience that can be gathe-
red and specied, the more effective the scenario can be acted
upon. Knowing about the demographics and other information
on the target helps develop a prole for the target. In addi-
tion, determining the target's prior knowledge of the moment
of interaction and familiarity with the content is important for
rening the content. Beyond these informational items, deter-
mining the target's expectations and way of judging communi-
cation will provide a great deal of insight into the scenario and
increase the overall effectiveness of leaders and speakers. The
third component is the situation that examines the factors of
the moment of interaction. The conditions are the physical loca-
tion and related factors, the circumstances describe the paths
that each participant followed to arrive at the situation in the
prescribed scenario. Lastly, context looks at the larger concerns
that surround two or more of the participants and the impacts
that the conditions and circumstances might have on them as
they interact within the moment of the scenario.
3.1.2 Elements of Scenario components
The table below contains the components of the Scenario
along with each of their elements. Links are provided afterward
to help expand some of these ideas related to these elements.
Table 1. Matrix GTS
Goal Target Situation
Objectives Audience Analysis Conditions
Outcomes Prior knowledge Circumstance
Deliverables Expectation and Metrics Context
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3.2 USP Model Rationale
Having the expertise to apply a model or construct an inte-
llectual framework or project management structure does not
guarantee that the scenario will support it. The USP provides
a means of structuring a set of steps with markers to delinea-
te aspects of the scenario. In addition, the USP help align the
differing levels of knowledge and engagement for different
participants and partners. In the example provided by JSHS,
NJIT CLEAR had implemented the USP in several projects (FRS-
NJ, STEAM Tank, Life, and STEM for Success). That experience
with the application of the model for collaborative engagement
and project management leverages the expertise of the resear-
cher. The successful implementation and outcome demonstra-
te quantitatively that the virtualization of the components of
JSHS facilitated by the USP was successful. The qualitative dis-
cussions and feedback from the participants and continued use
reect positively on the ability of the USP to provide the needed
analytical framework to both guide development and identify
gaps for program planning and improvement.
As director of CLEAR and part of the JSHS executive planning
committee, Dr. Lipuma accessed his experience in building suc-
cessful programs and virtualizing instructional materials both
for use in class and co-curricular K-12 environments. The ob-
jective of the work was to develop a coherent plan that aligned
with the existing plans of Rutgers JSHS that would attain the
integration of online tools and virtualized programs.
The program was highly successful under Dean Antione’s
guidance. Our objective was not to overtake the program or
change it but help realize the collective vision of the committee
members to attain the goal of larger numbers for lower costs.
To that end, the USP model was applied.
The objective of this book is to provide a real-world scenario
serving as an example of the USP model implementation. The
USP provided a clear framework to analyze existing program-
matic elements leading to the clear identication and communi-
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cation of a shared vision. Then, in response to evolving desires
for expansion, and sustainability as well as response to changing
scenarios, the USP allowed for continuous planning and impro-
vement to support shared goal settings with common metrics as
well as implementation and optimization of program elements
to improve JSHS scale in the challenging time of COVID-19.
3.3 Methodology
Socio-critical with a Mixed Method Approach: the authors
seek to understand the reality of the schools and teachers with
a co-design approach to integrate theory and practice. An ex-
ploratory study of the Rutgers JSHS status quo.
3.3.1 Professional Participants
PI. Jean Patrick Antione. Rutgers Dean, College of Enginee-
ring. Runs JSHS and recruits members of the executive planning
committee. Committee members include individuals from NJIT-
CLEAR, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ HS Schools, and Corporate/ nonprot
representatives. Main participants: Students. Additional Suppor-
ters: JSHS participants, Educator guides and facilitators, Research
mentors from Universities, Government, and the Private sector,
Judges apply a national rubric to give feedback, tutor, and then -
nally rate student work, Other aliates for expert presentations
and enrichment at culminating seminar events.
3.3.2 Literature Review
The authors develop the ideas found in the review of the exis-
ting literature regarding strategic planning as well as decision
and aggregation levels, integrating them with logic models (Da-
vid, 2011; Frey, 2018c; Kellogg Foundation, 2004; Posse Fregoso,
2000; Valdés Hernández, 2009); to generate a holistic planning
tool, which they call the Universal Strategic Planning model (USP
model), applicable mainly to the eld of academic research, ba-
sed on the particular characteristics of the context where the
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project of research, elaborated based on three fundamental
concepts of strategic planning: the administration of academic
research, the theory of change and project management.
3.4 Development
Some of the advantages of the "Systemic Approach" are: It
bases the analysis, has global perception, and manages com-
petitive intelligence among many others (Valdés Hernández,
2009). Its main limitations are: It causes indecision, it does not
promote emotional intelligence, and it does not consider the
advantages of the quantitative or mixed approach (Kogan Sch-
mukler, 2017). These characteristics allow it to have a wide circle
of inuence in various sectors of society but limit it when trying
to solve complex problems. In the operational eld where pro-
blems can be considered constantly changing, complicated, and
of social impact, the disadvantages of the systemic approach
prevent it from achieving collaboration between the multiple
levels of the system and the different needs of each group. Val-
dés Hernández provides a fundamental concept of the systemic
approach by pointing out that “the organization is interrelated
with another macro system called the environment and that it
is everything that surrounds it and does not control it” (2014),
so it is necessary to develop “transdisciplinary competencies”
(Risopoulos-Pichler et al., 2020) that allow us to integrate the
various interest groups in a common goal.
3.4.1 Strategic Planning
Fundamentally, strategic planning has two dimensions:
"Strategic formulation and strategic implementation" (Garri-
do Buj, 2003; Lema, 2004). There is a moment before strategic
planning where the analysis is proposed before proceeding to
the design, followed by a measurement of results based on the
control indicators that will allow us to generate the strategic
review. While these dimensions are common to project mana-
gers, they may be unknown to academic researchers.
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3.4.2 Decision and aggregation levels
In the context of organizational planning (Acle Tomasini,
1990; Cuero Osorio et al., 2007; Otero Iglesias et al., 2004), the
decision levels Directors (D), Higher management (HM), Mana-
gerial level (ML), and Operative Level (OL) presented in Table 1
determine which area will be in charge of proposing the plan
(D) and its programs, (HM), who will manage the project (ML),
and who will be in charged with executing the initiatives (OL)
composed of activities and tasks (Montes De Oca Aviña, 2018).
Each level has a different inuence on the decisions that will
need to be implemented and/or adjusted (see Table 2).
Table 2. Decision and aggregation levels in the organization
Decision and aggregation levels in the organization
Directors (D) Vision &
mission Plan
Higher management (HM) Strategic Program
Managerial level (ML) Tactical Projects
Operative Level (OL) Operative Initiatives: Activities and
Tasks<?>
Personal elaboration based on Planeación estratégica con enfoque sistémi-
co (Valdés Hernández, 2014).
3.4.3 Logic Models and Theory of Change
1In essence, the logic models are based on two general axes:
The planned work and the expected results. Following closely the
dimensions of the theory of change: assumptions and external
factors. Logic models can be used as planning and/or evaluation
1 Commonly these three words: “initiatives, activities and tasks”, are
used interchangeably depending on the context, and are generally referred
to as activities. However, in the context of strategic planning, initiatives en-
compass activities and tasks.
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46 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
tools. The authors agree with the ideas of Shannon and Wea-
ver (1963) and adopt the Kellogg Foundation's denition of logic
models: "The term logic model is frequently used interchangea-
bly with the term program theory in the evaluation eld. Logic
models can alternatively be referred to as theory because they
describe how a program works and to what end" (2004, p. 2).
These are the fundamental parts that make up the logic model:
Production, Results, Impact, Resources, and Activities. They can
be generally understood from the organization's approach and
the research approach, however, the superposition of the ele-
ments often generates confusion since their denitions vary in
the Particular and the Specic levels, as well as in the contexts
of planning, evaluation, and the results report. By adding the di-
mensions of control, analysis, and strategic design (Amorocho
et al., 2009; Lema, 2004; Mintzberg et al., 1997) the feedback
loop can be closed, allowing us to integrate strategic planning
and evaluation into the life of the program.
3.4.4 USP model
In academic research, it is often necessary to collaborate with
different organizations and associations, both public and priva-
te. There are several models and methodologies (Basarab Nico-
lescu, 1996; Ravitch & Mittenfelner Carl, 2020; Scholz, 2020), for
the development of disciplinary and multidisciplinary research
that will generate convergent research (National Science Foun-
dation, 2018). However, when the researcher wishes to partici-
pate in research programs such as NSF INCLUDES (NSF, 2017) or
those that are based on collaborative infrastructure: “NSF's 10
Big Ideas” (National Science Foundation, 2016), the researcher
discovers that developing inter-disciplinary, trans-disciplinary,
and/or convergent programs requires planning with greater
emphasis on strategic planning. It can be challenging to integra-
te multiple organizations, especially when some may require a
deeper understanding of fundamental research methodologies
and systemic problem-solving approaches, which are constrai-
ned by their limitations.
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The USP model was born from the primary need to create
a tool that allows addressing strategic planning focused on
the collaborative infrastructure, thus taking advantage of the
knowledge base of those involved, which results in the enrich-
ment and strengthening of the project. The secondary need was
to support the various interest groups in the ecosystem of subsi-
dized research at the "New Jersey Institute of Technology" (NJIT,
2021), a Polytechnic University of Higher Education in the United
States, where the two authors work. The dimensions of the USP
model presented in Table 2 are complemented by the decision
and aggregation levels previously exposed in Table 3 (see Table
3).
Table 3. Decision levels and dimensions of the USP model
Decision and aggregation levels Dimensions of the USP
model
(D) Rutgers Vision &
mission Plan I. Pre-planning
(HM) CLEAR Strategic Program II. Strategic planning
(ML) Committee Tactical Projects III. Implementation
(OL) PI Operative Initiatives IV. Follow-up
Personal elaboration (based on Valdés Hernández, 2014).
3.4.5 How the foundation of the USP model is created
Usually, the researcher has greater clarity about the dimen-
sion of the implementation and can identify its components:
1. Products, 2. Results and 3. Impact. However, integrating the
components of the remaining dimensions: 4. Strategic Design,
5. Strategic Analysis, and 6. Control tends to be outside their
area of expertise. The rst step to developing the USP model in
an academic investigation is to accurately describe each of the
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48 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
six components, in the order that the researcher or the colla-
borative team deems appropriate. Once the components have
been focused with clarity and precision, the next step is to lo-
cate them in the corresponding dimensions (I to IV), to form
the diagram presented in gure 5 (below), thus concluding the
logical foundation of the model.
3.4.6 Description of model dimensions
I. Pre-planning: The dimension of Strategic Analysis (Hax &
Majluf, 1995) requires a Strategy as well as a Strategic Guide
(Lema, 2004), where the vision, essential ideology, methods,
and, if possible, the Just Cause (Sinek, 2019), it is necessary, as
well, the delineation of the situation (Mintzberg et al., 1997). In
the case of academic research, the pre-planning stage includes
the search for nancing instruments, the analysis of the context
of the social problem, and the articulation of the vision of the
program with the vision of the institution, and with the personal
vision. Pre-planning is commonly overlooked, but it is at this sta-
ge that a recount of the ideas, resources, techniques, and strate-
gies that will make the investigation possible is made. This is the
moment in which possible collaborators are identied; they will
give greater depth to the plan, for example, relationships with
evaluators, colleagues from other institutions, or relationships
with intermediate and higher educational institutions, among
many others. The objective of this dimension is to determine
the initial situation, the existing needs, the selected problems,
and the possible resources at our disposal. When the collabora-
tors consider that success is possible, they can continue with the
Planning dimension of the project. It is important to highlight
that within the Strategic Analysis, the following items are exami-
ned: the context and the situation, the needs and problems, the
strategic guide, the collaborators, and the key resources at our
disposal.
II. Planning: It is the dimension in which, after identifying the
situation and needs, the general plan on which the project de-
sign is developed. It can also be referred to as work planning.
In this dimension, the participants will describe the resources
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1. Preplaning 2. Planing 4. Assesment3. Implementation
54 1 2 3 6
Strategic Analysis Strategic Design Products Results Impact Control
Context
& situation
Of needs
& problems
Of the strategic
guide
Of possible
collaborators
Key resources
Resources
We will need X to
operate the project
Activities
If we have X then
we will use it to do Y
Production
If we achieve our
activities, then
we will deliver the Z
amount we intended
Consequences
If we deliver Z to the
amount we intended
then our participants
will benefit by...
Benefits
If these benefits are
achieved for the
participants, then we
can expect certain
changes to ocurr in
the community or
the system
Evaluation
- Feedback
- Control Systems
- Strategic indicators
- Initiatives Adjustment
Activities and Tasks
- If necessary remedial
measures will be
implemented
Universal Strategic Planning model (USP model)
Figure 5. Universal Strategic Planning model
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needed to implement the program and what they intend to do.
Within this dimension, the following items are considered: the
strategic design, the available resources, and the activities to be
carried out. It begins by identifying and/or clearly describing the
“X” resources that we will need to operate the project. The Ini-
tiatives: Activities and Tasks continue to be broken down preci-
sely, in such a way that, if we have "X" then we will use them to
do "Y".
III. Implementation: The dimension in which the desired out-
comes are generated is crucial. Hence, it's vital to acknowledge
the existence of two scenarios: the ideal implementation, whe-
re the intended achievements are articulated and visualized on
paper, and the converse of the actual performance when the
project is executed. An adequate description of the products
and expected results will make it easier for us to carry out pro-
duction and determine its possible consequences.
In basic and exploratory research, this distinction is dicult
to make, measurable tangibles or in some cases preliminary
data are not yet available, however, talking about the ideal im-
plementation is easier when it is described as the performance
of the activities exposed. The planning will allow us to deliver
the quantity/number of products that we wish to offer to the
project participants, so that, consequently, we will be able to
obtain results, which must be measurable. These results are
what will be observed in the actual implementation.
The Implementation contemplates the products or the pro-
duction, the results, the consequences, and the impacts. We will
maintain a logical reasoning chain as we describe the products,
including production or inputs. Then, if we can execute our ini-
tiatives, which may involve various activities or tasks, we can de-
liver the desired quantity of "Z" to the participants. It is in this
section where researchers begin to have diculty in articulating
the prediction of the objectives since in several cases the investi-
gation may be exploratory or not have enough preliminary data
to identify the possible changes resulting from the intervention.
The results or the consequences of the process lead us to say
that: “if we deliver 'Z', that is, the amount we intended, then our
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participants will benet by… (a predicted goal is added)”. In this
part, it is important to nd a clear base or metrics against which
to compare the desired results to offer a more precise idea of
what you are trying to achieve. Dening the impact may appear
to be a straightforward step, but it is also the most challenging.
First, the chain of reasoning is concluded if the benets for the
participants are achieved. Then, we can expect specic positive
changes to occur in the community, society, or the system.This
is the last step in the implementation.
IV. Follow-up: The last dimension corresponds to Follow-up;
here are the control systems, the evaluation, the feedback, the
strategic indicators, the adjustment of the initiatives, and, if ne-
cessary, the remedial measures that will be implemented. It is
very important to consider that the feedback is external, neu-
tral, and impartial. If it is not possible to hire an external eva-
luator, an internal evaluator can be used, but objectivity may
be compromised in the second case. The key element in this
dimension of control involves specifying the control and moni-
toring systems, outlining the evaluation process, dening the
feedback channels, and determining the strategic indicators.
These indicators usually follow the structure of an annual report
and are essential in most research programs. Communication
channels are established with collaborators and evaluators, as
well as with the community and participants.
3.4.7 Diagram of the USP model.
The logical argument check is structured according to each
of the four dimensions in the order presented at the bottom of
the diagram (see gure 5, above); following the reasoning pre-
mise "If X... then Y...", thus consolidating the research project.
The proposal of the USP model focused on collaborative in-
frastructure integrates the dimensions of the Theory of Chan-
ge, grouping all the previously stated denitions to generate a
universal strategic planning tool based on the particular cha-
racteristics of the context where it will take place.
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Its applicability allows us to use it as a valuable program plan-
ning tool, a project management tool, and/or a tool for stake-
holder collaboration.
3.4.8 Importance of adopting the USP model
One of the most signicant barriers identied by the authors
in the eld of academic research is the fact that when imple-
menting research projects, academic researchers do not have
the time. It is necessary to plan a program, develop projects,
and structure initiatives within it. The time required to acquire
the necessary skills to solve complex problems (Risopoulos-Pi-
chler et al., 2020) is incompatible with the reality of teaching
and research. The authors chose to investigate the processes
necessary to acquire a shared vision that claries the direction
of goals, metrics, and controls. Furthermore, this shared vision
fosters transparent communication with associations, collabo-
rators, and interest groups, facilitating mutually reinforcing ac-
tivities. These activities, in turn, will promote the sustainability
and scalability of the programs generated with the help of the
USP model.
3.4.9 The USP for JSHS
Applying the USP model to the work of the JSHS allowed a
rapid understanding of their current situation and the develo-
pment of a strategic plan to implement virtualization. Moreo-
ver, having utilized the USP model in this way allowed an easier
transition to full virtualization during COVID-19.
3.5 Results
As time passed, the USP allowed the committee to co-design
the program's new vision, including virtual poster and paper
submission, reviews, judging, and nal presentations. Thanks to
the work with the USP, these efforts prepared the program to
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respond to the challenges of COVID-19 and even thrive growing
the program by nearly 150% of accepted submissions.
During the 2021-22 round of JSHS, a new lower-division vir-
tual "3-Minute Research Pitch" pilot program for younger par-
ticipants aged 12 to 16 was collaboratively developed following
the USP model. This initiative aimed to increase the interest of
younger participants and provide a larger pool of applicants
and higher quality submissions. This growth strategy is only
possible due to clear planning. Another aspect that has been
identied due to the USP is the need for a coherent set of me-
trics related to recruiting and outreach as well as reach and en-
gagement tied to social media and other communications stra-
tegies.
3.6 Implications
The authors consider that the impact of the USP model in
research with collaborative infrastructure will be very useful for
the development of academic research, given that the study of
strategic planning adds direct value to the administration and
management of projects both for the simplicity of its structure,
as well as the direct integration of the explored denitions. Its
exibility as a planning or project management tool allows its
implementation to generate added value for the researcher and
the community in general. Similarly, one of its main strengths is
the ease of visualizing the logical ow of the project as a whole,
which will result in the optimization of human resources, the
interaction of diversities, generating and enrichment of ideas,
and fostering of collaboration. Finally, concerning the applica-
bility, we have worked with this model, in an exploratory way,
with groups of researchers in Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics, (STEM) as well as the area of social sciences
and education at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in New
Jersey USA.
The USP model has been received with great satisfaction, ge-
nerating collaborative enthusiasm in the academic community,
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and the enrichment caused by the diversity of contributions, it
should be noted that, at the New Jersey Institute of Technology,
it has been applied in research projects that have achieved sta-
te and federal funding from the US government.
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Chapter 4. STEM literacy and Trans-
Disciplinary Communication
National Science Foundation's (NSF) Science and Engineering
(S&E) indicators clearly state the signicant need for more and
improved training in STEM and related elds. NSF and many
other organizations have documented the growing gaps in the
needed capacities among US citizens and our failure to produ-
ce enough appropriately skilled members for our workforce.
Central to all of this are the many literacies that continue to be
lacking: lack of scientic, information and technological litera-
cy all lead to a lack of understanding of what research is, how
knowledge is deemed ‘true’, and what the pillars of a reasona-
ble argument are. Evidence of the pervasive lack of scientic
understanding is seen in the many persistent popular beliefs:
at earth, the connection between vaccines and autism, denial
of global warming, the substitution of anecdotal experience or
personal belief for true scientic study, etc.
In this chapter, we explore some of the basic principles of
STEM Literacy and the aliated concepts of communication. Wi-
thout effective communication, the view of STEM is incomplete
and may not be fully effective. STEM is in everything we do and
so the ability to effectively communicate across disciplines and
to every level and background of the listener is essential. At the
same time, simply being an effective communicator is neces-
sary but not sucient. Persuasion is a double-edged sword sin-
ce without it many may not understand or believe what experts
say, however, at the same time, those who seek to cloak them-
selves in the language or feel of science can persuade others to
faulty ends or even blatantly false conclusions and beliefs.
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4.1 Integrated STEM Literacy
Before specically researching collaboration, Dr. Lipuma fo-
cused on STEM Literacy. The key research question he works
to answer is “How do we prepare everyone to be STEM literate
to meet the challenges of global competitiveness, technological
innovation, environmental change, and social and political stri-
fe?” An integrated approach is needed to ensure that citizens
acquire the literacy skills essential to continue our leadership in
innovation in STEM and to prepare our workforce for success in
the 21st century.
STEM education is essential to sustain the pace of innovation
and progress so that our citizenry can understand and know-
ledgeably engage in debate about an increasingly complex
world in which anyone can access and disseminate “informa-
tion” via the internet. Yet, many studies indicate the need for
more K-20 collaboration and communication among diverse
groups to ensure a clear understanding of the basic principles
of STEM. Many students have persistent misconceptions about
science and even many highly educated STEM professionals
still carry such misconceptions with them. The lack of unders-
tanding of research methods, inability to differentiate fact from
ction, and lack of habits of mind concerning STEM, in addition
to the increasing separation of the average citizen from unders-
tanding how STEM disciplines impact their lives, poses many
signicant challenges and research opportunities. No one has
studied the entire system to seek an integrated approach to
information literacy and literacy in STEM and an appreciation
of design thinking. Extensive collaboration at all levels and re-
search into the ways to address these persistent problems is
needed at all levels and across all boundaries. Key aspects of
STEM literacy include:
• Agreement about the accepted body of knowledge in
STEM disciplines and the processes for arriving at that
consensus
• Understanding the habits of mind and methods of STEM
practitioners
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• Ability to use the fruits of STEM innovation, research, and
development
• The capacity of everyone to engage in rational debate
and come to informed decisions about current issues in
a civil manner, especially involving STEM Essential to the-
se efforts are information literacy, an understanding of
research and critical analysis of information sources, and
the way people seek answers to questions and judge the
results found.
There is much research highlighting the extent of the pro-
blem at all levels of education and in society at large. Current
generations have grown to accept answers provided by the in-
ternet, our devices, or someone who sounds like an “expert”.
This leads to a series of research questions: What are effective
ways to promote STEM literacy at all levels? How do we promo-
te effective collaboration and communication of ideas across
disciplines and from STEM professionals to the general public?
Are the broader impacts of NSF-supported research reaching
and impacting the public? What role do changing conceptions
of integrated approaches to STEM and including arts and de-
sign play in the development of creativity and innovation?
• To what level can interventions at early ages combat the
persistence of misconceptions and aid in the recognition
of pseudo-science and non-science?
• How might teachers and STEM professionals be trained to
act as role models and mentors both to promote higher
levels of STEM literacy and encourage greater participa-
tion in STEM?
• Why does it matter? What scientic discoveries, innova-
tions, and desired societal outcomes might result from
investment in this area?
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4.1.1 Why does STEM literacy matters?
Information, scientic, and technology literacy, or more
broadly STEM literacy matters because STEM underpins our so-
ciety and without an informed citizenry our leadership in inno-
vation and creativity and our ability to compete globally will be
threatened. Through effective collaboration and communica-
tion, we will be able to meet the challenge and continue to deve-
lop, innovate, and create a brighter future. Understanding how
best to prepare all students from an early age and support their
development from cradle to career means we take advantage
of our diversity and interconnect all sectors of our population to
develop a stronger, more resilient, and tolerant society. Through
increased sharing of knowledge and by taking a collective im-
pact approach, we will eciently reduce duplication of effort
and eliminate the revisiting of settled debates. STEM is always
open to the reexamination of ideas when new data arises or
more accurate models and explanations are provided that t
the situation more accurately. However, nowadays it seems as
though there are many attacks on STEM based on false logic,
rehashing of already discredited work, and a sense that ever-
yone is entitled to their facts. If we can understand all aspects
leading to this problem, we can improve methods to educate all
students in a more rational and STEM-centered manner. This
will reduce obstacles and unproductive debates, enabling our
society to move forward more effectively and quickly. Everyone
must have free and easy access to the world of STEM and the
benets that literacy in STEM provides. By funding this work,
the lives of all children and, later, all americans will be improved
through a concerted effort to understand how best to prepare
the workforce for the coming decades. The pace of innovation
is such that today’s technologies will long since be obsolete and
the jobs we see now for college graduates will not be the ones
for which the next generation will be needed. The generation
after that may not even know that the current jobs existed. Mo-
reover, each person must have the knowledge, skills, and ca-
pabilities to act wisely when confronted with choices and the
ability to communicate their ideas and thoughts. The capacity
to understand STEM and the research process and to judge the
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validity of the torrent of information constantly being produ-
ced will be essential to function successfully in a society built
upon the fruits of STEM research and development. Thus, we
must learn how to teach, promote, and support STEM and in-
formation literacy for all. Without this research, the mission of
NSF will be appreciated and supported by an ever-shrinking mi-
nority, while the rest will be left behind. This could lead to the
inability of the US to compete effectively and reduce our ability
to lead the world to a better future.
4.1.2 What would success look like and why now?
Success takes several forms with different metrics. Most sim-
ply, new materials for K-20 education will be generated and used
to develop an expanding STEM-literate workforce and informa-
tion-literate citizenry. The number of productive STEM professio-
nals will increase and be better prepared, not only for their role
in the economy but also as informed citizens well equipped to
participate in civic activities. Beyond this, greater engagement
in collaboration and communication will increase the pace of
innovation and spur new and expanding developments in all
areas of STEM. This integrated perspective and collective im-
pact approach will leverage work being done throughout the
STEM community, and lead to breaking down silos and building
bridges to foster more effective practice. STEM professionals,
especially researchers, will have the tools to engage more fully
in collaborating, sharing work, and promoting the next genera-
tion of STEM practitioners. If effective, successful collaboration
at and among all levels will increase engagement. Most signi-
cantly as a marker of success, Integrated STEM Literacy for All
in the 21st Century will bring together disparate groups of US
citizens to become more productively involved in all aspects of
STEM endeavors, careers, and citizenship. Informed by STEM
knowledge and equipped with the tools to work together more
effectively, there will be greater integration among K-12 educa-
tors, the higher education community, the general community,
industry, and government. This will enable us to see and ad-
dress pressing national needs more readily, as all communities
gain voice and representation. The effort will boost collabora-
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tion and effective communication, leading to a more fully enga-
ged citizenry and continued US leadership in innovation.
As the pace of knowledge creation and technological advan-
cement will only increase, continued US leadership in STEM and
innovation demands information and a scientically literate
populace. With greater interest in socially conscious practices
and an increasingly diverse population, all communities must
be engaged in moving our country forward. There is a need to
build the required educational infrastructure to adapt to these
developments. Currently, there is a key shift from simple curri-
cular disciplinary instruction to one focused on creativity and
STEM/STEAM design. This allows for the creation of new
paradigms and the reform of curricular approaches and ma-
terials. The ubiquity of inexpensive digital tools increases the
ability to spread widely and quickly those lessons learned in this
research to produce a nation that is STEM literate and condent
in the use of information, science, and technology that leads
the world forward toward a brighter future.
4.2 Trans-Disciplinary Communication and STEM
Literacy
As our work moved into areas that are more inter-disciplinary
and engaged others in co-design, effective communication be-
came more necessary when collaboration occurs within a focu-
sed area of study, a single subject, or even with a dened disci-
pline, communication may be taken for granted or focused on
accurate translation from one language to another. However,
as collaboration moves towards inter-disciplinary interactions,
perspectives, cultures, and private language or jargon become
an issue.
In STEM this same issue of interfacing content areas, back-
grounds, cultures, etc. holds true. however, STEM must also
transcend simple academic conversations and engage a wide
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range of stakeholders both to inform and at times persuade
them of what STEM does and/or holds as true.
In any large social change initiative, being able to leverage
effective trans-disciplinary communication will be a key factor
in success. Moreover, a large portion of those involved may
have differing backgrounds and approaches not to mention in-
terests and attitudes. Due to this, a rational logical approach
may not fully solve the communication and collaboration cha-
llenges faced as STEM professionals and educators interface
with the public across the globe. The wide range of potential in-
teractions and communities with their cultural perspective ne-
cessitates the need for persuasion to engage in STEM Literate
discussions. At the same time, however, logical arguments and
weight of evidence are the language of STEM literacy but may
not be how everyone sees persuasion.
4.3 Persuasion in Research
Throughout our research and reviews of the literature on
Trans-Disciplinary Communication (TDC) and STEM, we have
identied different goals for expert communication around
STEM. Researchers can discuss concepts amongst themselves
as part of the activities of STEM professionals to move the study
and products of STEM forward. Going beyond this level, they
disseminate and divulge their work and ndings. While disse-
minating the primary function consists in increasing the visibi-
lity of research activities, outcomes, outputs, and impact. The
intention of this type of communication is to generate peer en-
gagement in science, methods, process, and innovations. The
discussions and dissemination invite others to review and un-
derstand the work as it is being done within the discipline.
When divulging the primary function concerns making scien-
ce comprehensible to the public while stimulating intellectual
curiosity. The intention of this type of communication is to draw
the attention of society to their research conclusions, enhancing
comprehension, implementation, and translation. This type of
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communication is essential for education and the continual de-
velopment of new professionals as they are inducted into and
develop as part of the discipline.
However, in modern society, STEM ndings are not always
assumed to be known or accepted. Thus, part of TDC with the
general public involves the need to persuade and educate as
the larger community is engaged. In this scenario, effective
communication is vital to engage in TDC and enact persuasion
to attain the desired goal. Some scientists focus on persuading
fellow STEM professionals and researchers, but that is typically
handled through established procedures and rules of evidence
within of new disciplines in question.
When engaging in TDC around STEM, there may be more
effective approaches than relying solely on logic. Other types
of persuasion that involve emotions, perceived value, and repu-
tation can also play a role, thus adding a barrier to the commu-
nication process. It is, therefore, essential to discuss the term
"persuasion" in the context of research and consider the Aristo-
telian "Trinity of Persuasion" which includes ethos, pathos, and
logos. This remains as relevant today as it ever was.
Creating the foundations of "Persuasion" as an explicati-
ve principle and its differences from the common practice in
communication, marketing and politics will benet society at
large thus fullling the Trans-Disciplinary need for understan-
ding and clarication in terms and taxonomies for researchers
around the globe.
Our research has led us to a series of essential questions in
this area that we will work to answer:
• What should be the objective of an academic presenta-
tion in the context of research?
• Should researchers advocate for their position or seek to
contribute to the disciplinary body of knowledge and the
larger society as a whole?
• Is the quality of rhetoric and the measure of reputation a
means of enabling effective communication or do these
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factors persuade others in a way that detracts from ove-
rall STEM literacy?
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Chapter 5. Integrating models for effective
Collaborative convergence
In this chapter, we present the application of the concepts and
models examined previously. As the work of individuals within
a community, discipline, or area of interest recognizes larger
vexing issues, collaboration and extra-disciplinary interac-
tions become necessary. In our work with STEM education, the
tools of digital learning and communication made it possible
to reach a wider audience but necessitated formalization and
expansion of our efforts. Working with others to use the Co-De-
sign Approach (CDA) for solutions and learning at the interfa-
ces of multiple sectors across diverse communities led us to the
examples provided herein. We hope that these simple descrip-
tions and resources can assist others to better understand our
research and practice as well as facilitate their own agency and
actions.
5.1 Virtualization as a strategy for collaboration
and communication
Technology has transformed the way we communicate and
collaborate. However, many traditional methods are still em-
ployed and can be effective. Our research is not working to per-
suade everyone to do everything virtually. However, when the
option is available as a method of instruction, communication,
or collaboration, it must be understood and used effectively. As
with any technology, leveraging it to attain a goal must involve
understanding how it works and how that functionality might
enhance outcomes.
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The concept of virtualization has advanced greatly during CO-
VID-19. Meetings are held with teleconferencing, collaboration
is managed with virtual documents, digital learning manage-
ment systems facilitate all aspects of learning, and cameras and
devices are now an essential part of our everyday learning life.
A signicant part of the foundation of our work and research
relates to a clear understanding of our work. Clearly expressing
what we envision and how it comes together and is planned
and implemented did not just emerge. The design and develo-
pment of our personal and programmatic strategic plan, pro-
ject management, and overall communication and evaluation
plans took time. Virtualizing these materials was a large factor
in being able to collaborate and engage in effective co-design.
Rather than just having our ideas, values, and principles in our
heads, it was available on the web. Instead of just writing ad
copy documents, we developed digital materials and videos to
enable our partners and other stakeholders to see what we are
working on, our plans for advancing the work, and the tools and
resources we wish to share with everyone. Moreover, virtua-
lizing our communication and collaboration allows us to offer
our resources and work with others to come to a mutually sha-
red vision of how our work and that of others can nd synergy
to reach a wider audience and attain our shared goals more
effectively.
5.2 CLEAR Case
In order to help illustrate how we used the tools of the USP to
facilitate communication and collaboration, we will rst exami-
ne the NJIT College of Science and Liberal Arts (CSLA) Collabora-
tive for Leadership, Education & Assessment Research (CLEAR).
The academic center intended to enhance internal collabora-
tion amongst members of the various departments at NJIT as
well as encourage outreach with our community.
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5.2.1 CLEAR strategic planning
Vision:
The Collaborative for Leadership, Education, and Assessment
Research (CLEAR) at NJIT promote pathways for the success of
students in college, career, and citizenship in the digital age
through a multi-stakeholder approach.
Mission Statement:
CLEAR’s mission is to support effective education and colla-
borative leadership through the use of educational best practi-
ces and technology.
Goal:
CLEAR’s goal is to develop programs and activities for stake-
holders that promote networking and collaboration.
Objectives:
Vital to the success of CLEAR’s charge are the following ini-
tiatives:
• Promote collaboration to integrate and advance discipli-
nary activities, knowledge, and practices through STEM
and STEAM initiatives
• Increase and broaden participation in STEM and STEAM
opportunities, majors, and careers, especially for women
and underrepresented minorities
• Promote the effective and ecient utilization of digital
learning tools in curriculum, instruction, assessment, and
professional development
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Brand Mantra:
Supporting effective education.
In the end, the work of CLEAR led to the attainment of nu-
merous grants and funded projects. The planning and project
management assisted members to engage with one another
and our larger community. However, to fully address large-sca-
le social issues and engage more partners, something larger
and focused outside of NJIT was needed. Building upon the NSF
INCLUDES Design and Development Launch Pilot (DDLP) the
same tools were used to create the STEM for Success Project
and its strategic plan and collaborative infrastructure. CLEAR
and STEM for Success have been integrated into the strategic
plan for CSLA, thus impacting the policy and planning of the co-
llege as we enact the shared vision for ourselves and our part-
ners.
5.3 STEM for Success case
STEM for Success is an integrated program to broaden par-
ticipation in STEM, especially for those in traditionally underre-
presented groups (TUGs). Our three initiatives are fostering co-
llaborative community engagement, providing STEM education
resources, and the Active Learning Academy.
5.3.1 STEM for Success strategic planning
Just Cause:
STEM for Success just cause is to empower children to have
freedom and agency to follow their path and solve the pro-
blems they will face as they pursue their passions in life. We are
looking for people to collaborate with us as we enact our vision.
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Vision:
STEM for Success envisions a system to broaden the participa-
tion of children in STEM, especially among traditionally underre-
presented groups.
Mission:
STEM for Success fosters collaborative change in STEM by en-
gaging multiple stakeholders around STEM experiences.
Goal:
To establish a digital repository to collect, share and show-
case STEM accomplishments of students as they develop skills
to become productive members of the future workforce. In this
way, we will achieve persistent participation.
To better prepare the students in acquiring these sets of
skills. We will help to foster a growth mindset, critical thinking,
reection, problem-solving, leadership, communication, colla-
boration, and other essential skills.
To meet all children where they are and provide multiple sus-
tained ongoing STEM experiences so that students will be able
to pursue multiple paths to explore and follow their passions.
Values:
• LEADERSHIP: Leadership is taking responsibility for your-
self and others to achieve goals.
• TEAMWORK: Teamwork is individuals cooperating towards
the successful attainment of a common goal, through a
shared vision, distributed leadership, commitment, agen-
cy, and action.
• EDUCATION: Education is a system of planned experien-
ces and activities to facilitate learning and foster Science
Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) literacy.
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• INNOVATION: Innovation is the inspiration, imagination,
and integration of new ideas or new ways to apply an
existing idea through research and development.
• PASSION: Passion is investing your human capital to ser-
ve others to achieve a common purpose.
• AGENCY: Agency is taking action to attain your end and
make positive change through self-ecacy and self-di-
rected learning leveraging partnerships and collective ac-
tion.
Principles:
• SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES: Individuals and organizations
have an ongoing and committed ethical obligation to act
to benet society at large.
• COLLABORATION: Effective individuals work with others
in teams with a shared vision to attain a common goal
together (Peer engagement).
• COLLECTIVE IMPACT: Leadership and organizational su-
pport through a strong backbone are essential for pro-
grams to harness individual inputs to reach scale and be
successful (Organization engagement).
• COLLABORATIVE CHANGE: To truly create large-scale
sustainable change, individuals and organizations must
come together mindfully to change the situation and the
system (System engagement).
Philosophy:
How we collaborate: Co-Design with Community.
Brand Mantra:
Promoting Success Through STEM.
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Tag line:
STEM is in everything we do.
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Chapter 6. Planning, visualizing, and
intention alignment
In this chapter, we go beyond individual, team, or organizatio-
nal collaboration and communication. Using the example of
our NSF INCLUDES Alliance proposal, we present the founda-
tional ideas that bring together several organizations around
a common goal and shared vision. Together, we work to make
a positive impact on the system that could not be achieved in-
dividually. At the same time, this process necessitates TDC and
collaborative convergence to help everyone understand what
aspects of the issue we can tackle and how we can work on this
together to make progress. This Alliance is just beginning but
building on what has come from our previous work, we hope
to build a sustainable means of promoting STEM literacy and
broader participation for all.
6.1 S4S Alliance Shared Vision
Their LiFE project experience led the PIs to formulate the key
research questions that drive the current S4S Alliance proposal:
1. How can we improve data collection and shared metrics?
2. How can females share their knowledge to broaden parti-
cipation in STEM?
3. Why do women and other under-represented groups
choose or not choose to participate in STEM opportunities
(clubs, activities, challenges, competitions, etc.)?
4. What inuences decisions to participate or to continue
participation (includes factors such as the participants'
peers, educators, parents, mass media, and social media,
as well as their own emotional experiences, interactions
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with leaders, feelings of belonging, the opportunity for
teamwork, and feelings of purpose and contribution to
society)?
5. What paths are most common for opted-in participants,
opted-out (non-)participants, multi-year participation in
the same or similar experiences; multi-year participation
in a variety of experiences? For those forced to stop by
the system or lack of opportunity? For those who choose
options other than STEM?
6.1.1 S4S Collaborative Infrastructure
STEM 4 Success (S4S) envisions increased participation for
females in STEM experiences with support to enhance aware-
ness, access, and sharing. This will lead to broader participa-
tion as each person joins a STEM pathway and support network
leading toward a future STEM career. S4S fosters collaborati-
ve change and broader participation among females in STEM
by engaging multiple stakeholders around STEM experiences.
The Alliance will create a set of common metrics aligned with
the NSF INCLUDES Network shared metrics for program par-
ticipation. In addition, new metrics tied to communication and
collaboration will be created, tested, and disseminated widely.
Through the STEM for Success advisory board and CLEAR’s back-
bone, the Alliance partners will come together to co-design the
new space for this much-needed social innovation.
6.1.2 Broader Participation Challenge
The challenge we identied is the disengagement of fema-
les in STEM related to divergent, isolated, and siloed STEM ex-
periences, often promoted as enrichment, extra-curricular, or
disjointed projects that are not connected one to another. This
lack of synergy and context must be addressed to constructi-
vely align the STEM experience of each participant. Participants
must be engaged in collaborative efforts that provide meaning
and the ability to communicate safely and condently about
their work, desires, and situation, leading to agency and creati-
vity. For females especially, community context, collaboration,
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and the ability to display work over time creatively promote
personal identity and meaning through STEM experiences. This
increases both the attractiveness of STEM to the student and
increases student interest and persistence.
6.1.3 Goals and Metrics
S4S aims to understand the decisions made by females con-
cerning their participation in STEM experiences. This will inform
the ecosystems that surround and support them. Our particu-
lar goals and initiatives are:
• G1-To learn why females persist or not in STEM. In this
way, we will acquire a better understanding of the deci-
sions of females in order to enhance the effectiveness of
all support programs.
• G2-To administer a digital repository to collect, share and
display STEM accomplishments of students as they deve-
lop skills to become productive members of the future
workforce. In this way, we will achieve persistent partici-
pation.
• G3-To develop opportunities to promote STEM awareness
at a national level. In this way, we will be able to promote
exemplars who encourage females and people from un-
der-represented groups in STEM across the nation. This
will also allow our local and regional activities to connect
with their national and international footprints.
As a backbone, NJIT will continue to manage the interactions
of the S4S advisory board as well as recruit members aligned
with our vision. The shared vision and mutually reinforcing ac-
tivities of the Alliance will be enhanced by the leadership and
constant communication managed by the backbone.
A signicant step towards this synergistic alignment is the
development of a social media playbook and a common com-
munication protocol. These guides will allow all members of
the Alliance to speak a common language, leverage the enga-
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gement and reach of one another, and reinforce the efforts of
everyone through best practices for modern communication
strategies. Additionally, the backbone staff will facilitate the
communication of activities with the NSF INCLUDES Network
and the larger community of practice and networks interested
in the work and opportunities. In particular, this will allow more
stakeholders to be aware of, access, and share the materials
and supports S4S provides.
Collaborating with Partnerships in Education and Resilience
(PEAR) allows S4S's backbone to co-design vital aspects of the
effective program and help increase inter-partner communica-
tion and collaboration. This collaboration will yield a clear set
of tangible goals and metrics for each partner tied to the eva-
luation protocols and data dashboards provided by PEAR and
widely disseminated by New Jersey STEM Pathways Network
(NJSPN).
NJIT will organize and host partner and professional develop-
ment events for our partners and participants. The collection
and sharing of data on Traditionally Under-represented Groups
(TUG) participation in STEM is essential in creating S4S's sha-
red vision and promoting NSF INCLUDES common measures
aligned with S4S's shared goals and metrics. This will lead to
a better understanding of the long-term trends so data-driven
decision-making best practices can be adapted and measured
over time for effectiveness. This will also allow these practices
to be disseminated throughout the Alliance partners and their
networks to create a longitudinal picture for everyone to custo-
mize, thus optimizing the impact and sustainability of programs
to increase equity and participation.
6.1.4 Mutually Reinforcing Activities
A major rationale for bringing the many partners together
into this Alliance is to ensure representation of the four sectors
in the collaborative convergence research approach: Acade-
mia, Government, Public and Private Organizations, and society
that surrounds and comprises many of the stakeholders in the
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work. As a backbone, Collaborative for Leadership, Education,
and Assessment Research (CLEAR) must also ensure that the
development of tools and the work of scaling and sustainability
is served. Thus, there are partners representing various stages
of work and scope of reach. The partners in the Leadership and
iSTEAM for Females in Elementary School (LiFE) project are in-
terested in continuing their collaborations, as are many of the
other collaborators of STEM for Success. Despite COVID res-
trictions, LiFE partner Morris Plains joined the Alliance to assist
with the co-design of the work. Similarly, the many ecosystem
members represented by NJSPN see the benet of involvement
with the Alliance. NJSPN has worked with CLEAR to develop
showcases for STEM Month during our LiFE project that provide
examples of how this can be expanded. Junior Science & Hu-
manities Symposium (JSHS) at Rutgers seeks to generate more
local interest and so helped CLEAR co-design the High School
Female STEM Research Invitational as a way to provide a con-
tinuation and expansion of the program and share those insi-
ghts with the larger JSHS national organizations. As we engage
with schools and educators as well as public and private orga-
nizations, S4S remains true to its stated vision and mission su-
pported by its strategic plan and communication and outreach
activities.
6.1.5 Partners alignment map
S4S used a partners alignment matrix to match our strategic
plan to the collaborative infrastructure and work of our part-
ners aligning our Goals, Initiatives, Metrics, and Partner Activi-
ties (GIMPA) as shown below in Table 4.
Table 4. Strategic Alignment Matrix: GIMPA1
Goal 1: Learn why females persist or not in STEM. In this way, S4S better
understands the decisions of females in order to enhance the effective-
ness of all support programs.
1 Reference: CI indicates Collaborative Infrastructure; SV=Shared Vision;
P=Partnerships; GM=Goals and Metrics; LC=Leadership and Communica-
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80 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
Initiative
Short term
1S-Develop valid and reliable instruments to be shared at
local and regional levels
Actions
• Developing and administering the survey
• Analyzing the survey data
• Sharing survey results among partners
Initiative
Long term
1L-Distribute survey results at a national level
Actions
• Encouraging the adoption of survey instruments open-
ly and widely
• Sharing survey results nationally.
Metrics Progress toward a valid and reliable tool
# of focus groups run
# of people completing the surveys
Partners PEAR Institute, School districts, NJSPN, InterNational STEM
League (iNSL), New Jersey School Boards Association (NJS-
BA), and Ten80 Education (Ten80)
CI Element
Backbone
role
LC-NJIT will coordinate the work of PEAR with partners to
gather baseline, develop tools, and facilitate progress and
communication. GMs are managed to ensure the survey
development and testing proceeds, LC: All parties are
involved in the co-design of the instruments, and training,
ESS: The survey tools will be shared across S4S to ensure
validity and reliability as well as increase the baseline for
all partners.
tion; ESS=Expansion, Sustainability, and Scale.
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Goal 2: Administer a digital repository to collect, share and display STEM
accomplishments of students as they develop skills to become productive
members of the future workforce. In this way, S4S achieves persistent
participation.
Initiative
Short term
2S-Engage the larger STEM communities by providing
STEM educational resources.
Actions
• Publishing STEM journals
• Organizing and hosting conferences
• Expanding digital repositories: showcase materials
and educator tools
Long term
Initiative
2L-Scale the repository at a national level
Actions
• Synergizing with partners who can expand interest
through their network
• Scaling and recruiting groups to join and contribute to
the Alliance’s digital repository
Metrics # STEM Journals published
# of artifacts added to the repository
# of items related to issues of females in STEM Conferen-
ces: # of conferences # of events
Resource usage:
# of downloads; # of distribution by state; PlumX metrics
(proprietary 51 data points for Digital repository from
Digital Commons provided by NJIT) # google analytics for
traffic and other metrics
# of new organizations added contributing to the reposi-
tory
% of items added to the repository in-state / out-of-state /
internationally
# of states/countries contributing
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82 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
Partners Red de Investigadores de Juegos de Rol (RIJR), INSL, JSHS,
NJSPN, NJSPBA, School districts
CI Element
Backbone
role
SV: CLEAR oversees NJIT Digital Commons to match new
content with the S4S vision; GM: meet the metrics of
content and publications with S4S staff and researchers;
LC: maintain scheduled production of journals, conference
pages, event notices, and coordination of S4S partner ac-
tivities; ESS: Promote S4S offerings, recruit new partners,
and publish widely.
Goal 3. Develop opportunities to promote STEM awareness at a national
level. In this way, we will be able to promote exemplars who encourage
females and people from under-represented groups in STEM across the
nation. This will also allow our local and regional activities to connect with
their national and international footprints.
Initiative
Short term
3S-Share activities to engage potential partners to ex-
pand, sustain and scale the Alliance at a regional level
Actions
• Increasing participation by females in partner STEM
activities
• Connecting our ecosystem with the NSF INCLUDES
Network
• Recruiting new partners
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Initiative
Long term
3L-Share products developed through co-design to en-
gage potential partners at a national level and scale the
Alliance
Actions
• Increasing offerings, growing breadth of organizations
running events
• Engaging members of the NSF INCLUDES Network
proactively
• Expanding advisory board, Recruiting partners with
national reach
Metrics Regional level
# of regional organizations added
# of new organizations added to the
Alliance # of participants (females) reached
# of partners connected with the NSF INCLUDES Network
and Hub
# of conferences/events and locations
# of participants (females) in national events
# of partners/reach added at a national level
# growth of advisory board
# posts on INCLUDES Network
# feedback/interactions with the NSF INCLUDES Network
members
Partners STEM Ecosystems, National JSHS Community, RIJR Interna-
tional Community
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84 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
CI Element
Backbone
role
SV: New partners will be on-boarded and our shared
tools and metrics will be provided to engage them in the
Co-design process. LC: CLEAR will lead the effort to add
new partners, recruit financial support and assist existing
partners to expand and scale work based on their scena-
rios. New partners are trained on S4S tools. GM: baselines
are established and new partners are oriented to the
Goals and metrics as their materials join the S4S resources
and are aligned with activities. SES: As detailed in this sec-
tion and below, the backbone will support the expansion
of partner activities while refining Good Enough to Share
(GETS from the US Army) and distributing it widely.
6.2 Logic Model Guides and Examples
A logic model is a graphic organizer for your plan, it answers
what and how will results be produced. Logic models are also
known as Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) frameworks and
are sometimes referred to as logical frameworks. In general,
the logic model is similar to a logical framework, but it is pre-
sented differently. They are commonly used by projects funded
by United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
or the United Nations (UN).
The purpose of logic models is to present a clear plan for the
use of resources to meet the desired goals and objectives. They
are a useful tool for presenting programmatic and evaluation
components.
An underlying assumption of logic models is that there is a
linear relationship owing from program inputs to processes/
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activities, which, in turn, result in outputs that ultimately lead to
long-term outcomes and impact. Inputs, processes and outputs
pertain to what the program does while outcomes and impact
pertain to what the program sets out to accomplish.
• Inputs: The resources invested in a program, for example,
technical assistance, nancial resources, infrastructure,
and equipment.
• Processes: The activities carried out to achieve the pro-
gram’s objectives, such as training and outreach.
• Outputs: The immediate deliverables of a program achie-
ved through the implementation of activities, such as pro-
viders trained or bed nets distributed.
• Outcomes: Short-term and intermediate results at the
population level achieved by the program through the
implementation of program activities, such as changes in
people’s knowledge, attitudes, or behavior.
• Impact: The long-term effects of a program, for example,
changes in health status.
The following gure (see Figure 6) outlines the primary com-
ponents of a logic model.
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86 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
Your planned work Your intended results
Key resources
RESOURCES ACTIVITIES OUTPUTS OUTCOMES IMPACT
we will need the
Delaware Cost
study to stablish a
baseline for our
research activity.
If we have this
resource then we
can use it to
identify research
expenditures
similar to our
college.
(Benchmarks)
If we accomplish
our activities then
we will deliver a
report assessing
the effectiveness
of the FSG
program on
Faculty research
productivity.
If we deliver this
report then the
participants will
benefit by
undersanding ROI
best practices and
investment.
If these benefits to
participants are
achieved then it will
codify FSG as a reliable
intramural funding
source with proof of
concept and a
suggested
“Converged
paradigm” than may
be adopted by others
schools colleges and
universities.
Figure 6. Primary Components of a Planning Model
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Ideally, health program planners and managers will deve-
lop a framework or model during the program planning stage,
after they have articulated the health problem and contribu-
ting factors and identied potential solutions. The framework
is comprised of the activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts
that the program managers intend to change over the life of
the program. A framework also helps program managers iden-
tify appropriate indicators that the M&E team will track to ensu-
re that the program activities are leading to the end goals. If a
program manager begins to implement activities before a par-
ticular framework has been established, it is still useful to cons-
truct a framework to map out these important considerations.
6.3 The Six Basic Elements of a Logic Model
Problem. A statement referring to a current condition percei-
ved as harmful to a client system. A comprehensive description
of the environment, resources, characteristics, behaviors, atti-
tudes, or attributes which are problematic.
Goal. A statement describing a future condition perceived as
desirable and feasible that will solve or ameliorate the stated
problem.
Objectives. A series of statements that describe steps that
must be accomplished if the goal is to be achieved. They are
components of the goal and are more limited in scope, less abs-
tract, more concrete, and thus measurable.
Inputs/Resources. A series of statements that list all the
things, tangible and intangible, needed to accomplish the ob-
jectives.
Methods. A series of statements that list all the processes
applied to the resources to produce the desired result(s) and
outcomes.
Results and Outcomes. The short-term and the long-term
effects of applying the specied processes to the inputs/re-
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88 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
sources identi ed. Results can (and should) be measured as the
client/client system exits the program; outcomes can only be
measured by following the client for a speci ed period.
6.4 Theory of Change and Logic Models
A Theory of Change (ToC) is a graphic organizer for your ra-
tionale, it answers the question why will this work? Here we need
to organize six sections.
• What is the problem (or vexing issue)?
• What are the community needs?
• What are the desired results?
• What are the in uential factors?
• What strategies will be implemented?
• What assumptions do you have?
The following gure (see Figure 7) describes the six main
components of a Theory of Change.
Figure 7. Six Sections of a Theory of Change
Strategies
Step 5
Step 1
Step 4 Step 3
Step 6
Assumptions
Problem or Issue Statement
Influential
Factors
Desired
Results
Step 2
Community Needs /Assets
Figure 3. The Six Sections of a Theory of Change
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90 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
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Chapter 7. Reflections on Collaboration
This book was a means for organizing and sharing our work
from recent years that built upon diverse experiences with nu-
merous wonderful people. All of us seek our own ends and face
challenges. Sharing the workload makes the lift easier and the
journey more enjoyable. This is where we stand today but to-
morrow everything will change. Our challenge is that the sys-
tem is comprised of humans and so that change can be posi-
tive for all. Our particular experience and aim relate to STEM
education as a focus for the examinations of social change and
broadening participation to benet all. This nal chapter is our
reections on what has come thus far to get us to this point
and a look forward as we move to large-scale work with a wider
array of partners, from a much larger community of interested
stakeholders from around the world.
We hope to strike the balance between breadth and depth
so we can attain our goals and benet the most without being
overwhelmed by the tasks or becoming lost in the many side
channels and discussions that will certainly arise. None of us
has all the skills needed in the modern world but hopefully, to-
gether we can collaborate and communicate toward change
that is effective for all.
7.1 Reflection from Lipuma
I am amazed by my small role in the conversations that occur
at the many levels of collaboration and interaction. My every-
day work involves educating undergraduates to foster a sense
of the interaction needed for effective collaborative leadership
and communication. My research has grown well beyond that
as I worked with my colleagues and partners to act on a perva-
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 93
92 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
sive vexing problem facing all of us—how to empower all young
people to be self-directed in their learning and ready for the
challenges of tomorrow. Perhaps selshly, I seek to encourage
as many as possible to experience thought in action and use
the tools of STEM. I believe STEM is in everything we do and
through basic training in the tools of STEM and its wondrous
products, everyone can nd benets. Moreover, in order to face
the unknown challenges of the future, I am condent that the
generations that follow us can prepare themselves to meet all
challenges and exceed every expectation.
It is through this lens that I look to build alliances and en-
act social change through collaboration resting upon a rm in-
frastructure. I know this goal is not easily attained, simple to
achieve, or pursued alone. Only through a sustained effort to
establish and sustain our efforts and continually expand and
embrace our work can something like this be attempted. In the
end, I may only be a spark but if I have worked to gather the right
tinder and prepared the forge correctly, the re that I might light
can be used to create something that will last and light the way
for those that come after me.
7.2 Reflection from León
I am truly honored to have this creative collaboration with
the co-authors of this work. My everyday work involves sponso-
red research administration fostering the necessary communi-
cation and support that faculty members need to pursue their
agendas. My research has beneted from the conversations
presented in this book but mainly from the shared vision and
intercultural collaboration that is necessary when approaching
the pervasive vexing problems of society. I share with Dr. Li-
puma and Dr. Guzmán a strong belief that education and the
tools of STEM will prepare the present generations for future
challenges. I hope that more people learn and experience the
benets that collaboration and convergence bring to discipli-
nary research.
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7.3 Reflection from Guzmán
I am honored to have participated in the edition of this book
with Dr. León and Dr. Lipuma. This research project, without
any doubt, will be very helpful to determine all the skills needed
for competitive professionals who have new challenges in this
new century.
This publication describes Strategic Models for education
and research. It accurately combines the characteristics of stra-
tegic planning and academic research management. Besides,
it considers the logic models, the theory of change and project
management. As a result, this innovative book will help all the
actors in the education sector to sustain theoretically future re-
search.
As an educator, I consider the topics discussed here invalua-
ble to forming future investigators interested in collaboration.
94 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 95
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102 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
Reections on Communication, Collaboration and Convergence | 103
Appendix: Six Sections of a Theory of Change
If you have the digital copy of this book, this appendix contains a
form-llable version of gure 7 available for your personal use.
Inuential
Factors
Problem or Issue
Statement
Desired
Results
Strategies Assumptions
Community
Needs/Assets
104 | Lipuma, León & Guzmán Zárate
