by anonymous,
Research Associate, Boston College,
I have used this tool extensively and have found it remarkably comprehensive. It covers all possible interactions. For instance, any interesting events that may or may not be immediately understood can be assigned to a category quickly and confidently by reading either the bulleted guidelines, the rating rubric or the detailed category descriptions. Furthermore, the individual variables observed, for example organization, inquiry or youth voice, are ordered in sub-categories that focus the tool's users on specific aspects of the educational experience. These sub-categories guide the users to strictly focus on the specific aspect of that variable and not on other simultaneously occurring events.
I have used the tool for several months and, over time, I believe that I have significantly increased my proficiency with making sense of and evaluating an OST experience in a more meaningful and rigorous way. For programs that on the surface would have seemed perfectly fine or even above average in the STEM and student activities, following evaluation using the DOS tool, I was now able to conclude that the learning activities and take-aways were insufficient and I was able to do so in a specific way and, although not my role, I would have been able to offer specific guidelines for improvement. Similarly, programs that seemed, on the surface, unstructured and unremarkable, emerged as very successful following deconstruction using the DOS tool.
I have learned so much about the specific features of a successful OST STEM experience for K-8 students. This tool is incredibly powerful!
