SLA: Summer STEM Learning Academy
WiSTEM Virtual Summer Academy
The Summer STEM Learning Academy is a 2-month virtual learning experience during June and July for rising high school 10th-grade through 12th-grade students of any gender. The experience is designed for participants to explore STEM professional skills including mindfulness in design, design thinking, presentation skills, and more.
The virtual academy includes:
- Weekly SLA informational newsletters aligned to digital badge content (one per week throughout June and July).
- Weekly Role Model Monday Webinars (Mondays 12:00 – 12:50 p.m. CT throughout June and July) with alums, current students, corporate partners, and others throughout our community who share their experiences and STEM stories.
- 4 digital badges that advance STEM skills and add to your STEM resume (see badge information below).
- End of camp celebration for participants, family members, and teachers with design challenge showcase and UT Austin admissions presentation.
Participants spend 2-4 hours weekly on asynchronous academy activities. Other than the live, 50-minute Role Model Monday Webinars, all virtual academy experiences can be completed on your own time and your own schedule. Each newsletter’s content takes about 30 minutes to read and watch all the videos. Learning module time estimates to earn digital badges or microcredentials can be found below.
Registration will open in January 2025 for Summer 2025 virtual academies. Sign up for the monthly WiSTEM K-12 newsletter to be notified when registration opens.
Digital Badges
Digital badges or microcredentials highlight the knowledge, skills, and expertise you have gained. They can be showcased on resumes, LinkedIn profiles, portfolios and other places to showcase your achievements. Below are the digital badges that can be earned by fully completing the WiSTEM Summer Learning Academy:
Week 1 Learning Badge: Explorations into Mindfulness – This badge earner has developed an understanding of mindfulness concepts and techniques and has learned how to apply mindfulness practices to various situations. The individual has an understanding of how to develop focus and self-awareness further. Badge earners can use these skills as a foundation for further study in mindfulness and apply mental and emotional management in any career path they choose. This badge takes about 3 hours to complete.
Week 2 Knowledge Badge: Design Thinking Practitioner Badge – Throughout this 2-hour course, you will learn the theory of Enterprise Design Thinking from experts, see real examples, and earn the Design Thinking Practitioner Badge.
Weeks 3 and 4 Knowledge Badge: Data Science 101 – Data Science 101 Level 1 badge will help you understand the possibilities and opportunities that data science, analytics, and big data bring to new applications in any industry. This is a 3-hour course.
Weeks 5 through 9 Learning Badge: Professional Skills – (see course alignment to weeks below) – This badge earner understands key skills for professional success and core soft skills needed in the workforce. This knowledge of skills and behaviors includes creating and delivering presentations, using agile approaches for working professionally to deliver quality work and experiences to customers, collaborating effectively with teams, communicating with impact, dealing with challenges in a controlled and focused manner, and solving problems and implementing solutions.
- Week 5: Present with Purpose
- Week 6: Collaborate Effectively
- Week 7: Interpersonal Skills
- Week 8: Deliver Quality Work with Agility
- Week 9: Solving Problems with Critical and Creative Thinking