Sample Program Schedule
| Time | Date | Activities |
| Pre-Program | 05-January | - Application due date |
| 06-February | - Prospective teacher/mentor interviews begin | |
| 06-March | - Selected teachers are assigned to respective faculty mentors- Mentor training and orientation | |
| 03-April - 12-June | - Teachers are assigned pre-program reading materials on specific research techniques and background as assigned by mentors, in preparation for research- Teachers are required to view three 20min visual webinars introducing nanotechnology and one webinar on the scientific method and general research training | |
| Week 1 | 12-June | - RET teachers arrive on campus - RET teacher orientation including campus and lab tours - meet fellow RET participants, personnel, and mentors - review program guidelines, expectations, and requirements- Lab safety and waste disposal training workshops |
| 14-June | - RET teachers begin research in respective mentors’ labs | |
| Week 2 to Week 6 | Mon & Wed 8:30am-10:00am | - Brown bag literature discussions related to learning module design - group discussions of assigned reading related to inquiry-based learning - participant networking and interaction |
| Tues 8:30am-10:00am | - Brown bag course “Careers in Nanotechnology and other STEM fields” - three professional development graduate course credit hours in technology - educates participants on career and educational offerings - designing classroom projects that achieve success based on Common Core Standards | |
| Thurs 8:30am-10:00am | - Brown bag course “Integrating Inquiry-Based Learning in the Classroom” - three professional development graduate course credit hours in education - guided versus open inquiry: readying students for careers in STEM - generated critical thinking and problem-solving skills in the classroom - how to conduct classroom research on a budget | |
| 12-July | - Campus Summer Research Symposium – oral/poster presentation sessions - CRL-sponsored event is shared with all summer researchers - Closing Ceremony and Celebration | |
| Post-Program | Fall Semester (4th November, 2017) | - Fall Retreat – Module Presentation, Implementation, and Evaluation - presentation of modules created by teachers and networking with colleagues - peer review session and guidance from RETAIN staff/mentors - workshops on successful module implementation and available RETAIN resources - workshops on module evaluation within the classroom – assessing student impact |
| Spring Semester | - Module implementation in home classrooms - on-site visitation and support/resources offered by RETAIN staff/mentors - module evaluation data will be collected by teachers | |
| Subsequent Year (Week 2-Monday) | - Teacher-collected evaluation data due to SERI - data generated during module implementation in the spring semester- Brown bag session with past participants, 11:30am-1:00pm - panel of past participants will share advice and experiences with incoming participants in an open dialogue |