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Supporting the Implementation of Modeling Instruction in Rural Schools

A NSF DRK-12 Project

The Science House in the College of Sciences and the STEM Education Department in the College of Education are excited to offer this professional development opportunity to high school science teachers in North Carolina. Supporting the Implementation of Modeling Instruction in Rural Schools (SIMIRS) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) project (Project Number 2101590). This program focuses on Modeling Instruction in High School Biology and Chemistry while producing new educational research in the area of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). Please visit the American Modeling Teachers Association to learn more about Modeling Instruction.

2025 Modeling Courses:

Modeling Biology and Modeling Chemistry. These are two-week summer-only courses. Attendance is required in both weeks.

Who is eligible to apply?  North Carolina High School Biology and Chemistry Teachers. High School Physical Science teachers are eligible to apply and will be considered for the Chemistry course, though Chemistry teachers will have priority. 

2025 Summer Dates: July 14-18, 2025 (week #1) & July 21-25, 2025 (week #2)

2025 Workshop Location: NC State University, Raleigh, NC.

Hours and Credits: The workshops will include 60 hours of instruction for 6.0 CEU credits.

Cost: There is no cost to participating teachers. Teachers will be eligible for a daily stipend of $150. Full attendance at both weeks is required, which would pay a total stipend of $1,500.

Travel: Participating teachers are responsible for their transportation to the workshop location and their meals. The project will provide on-campus housing at no cost in apartment-style dorms for teachers not within commuting distance. More housing information will be provided later.

Education Research Component: Participating teachers will be asked to participate in educational research activities. Agreeing to participate in the research is a prerequisite for selection.

Participating Districts: The following districts and schools provided a letter of collaboration and are grant partners. Teachers from these districts will have priority registration; however, all North Carolina teachers are eligible to apply.

Alleghany County Schools, Asheville City Schools, Avery County Schools, Buncombe County Schools, Caldwell County Schools, Catawba County Schools, Cherokee County Schools, Cleveland County Schools, Davie County Schools, Graham County Schools, Haywood County Schools, Henderson County Public Schools, Highland School of Technology (Gaston County), Iredell-Statesville Schools, Jackson County Schools, Macon County Schools, McDowell County Schools, Mount Airy City Schools, Mountain Heritage High (Yancey County), Newton-Conover City Schools, Rowan-Salisbury School System, Rutherford County Schools, Surry County Schools, Watauga High School, Wilkes County Schools, Yadkin County Schools.

Below are the application links for both courses. Please note that applying does not confirm your participation. Applications will be collected through February 15, 2025, and then reviewed. Priority selection goes to our grant partner districts. Accepted applicants will be notified no later than March 1, 2025. Applications are collected using NC State University’s REPORTER system. The system is free to use but does require you to register.

Modeling Biology Application

Modeling Chemistry Application

Contact: For more project information, please contact Scott Ragan by email (nsragan@ncsu.edu) or phone (919-515-5610).