The Partnership in Education

The Partnership in Education is a program located at Duquesne University that is passionate about improving STEM education and health literacy.

The Partnership in Education was founded in 2005 by its current director, Dr. John Po***ck, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Duquesne University. Since then, he has led the production of a wide array of teaching materials—including an Emmy-award winning TV special, Scientastic! Are You Sleeping? and the groundbreaking BiblioTech apps, which create an interactive and adaptive reading e

xperience. Dr. Po***ck began exploring informal science education the mid 90’s with planetarium shows about cell biology and neuroscience. The shows were both a huge success and a total failure. He found that people were learning a lot—but only if they were the right age. Anyone too young or too old got little to nothing out of the show. Believing he was on to something, Dr. Po***ck applied for and won a Science Education Partnership Award from the NIH, assembled a team, and began producing more planetarium shows, using the first show as a test-bed and learning what did and did not work. However, the team was still faced with the big challenge of reaching K-12 teachers. Through a focus group, they learned that even though teachers loved the show, no one would use it in their classrooms. Why? “Too much science!” was the resounding answer. They were afraid students would ask them questions they couldn't answer, among other concerns. Dr. Po***ck realized he would need to figure out how to best reach teachers. He expanded his partnership of scientists, artists, and production crew to include educators from Duquesne University and in-service teachers. They began guiding the program to meet state standards and meet teachers' needs in terms of information and curriculum, as well as language. With a broader range of partners, The Partnership branched out into a variety of different media: video games, new video productions, museum installations, tactile teaching tools that you could play with, and most recently, apps. Today, the Partnership in Education continues to develop cutting-edge education technology that brings Dr. Po***ck’s mission to life: to make science education available and fun for everyone!

07/21/2025

We’re excited to announce two new peer-reviewed publications on our educational board game, N.O.V.E.L. (Newly Observed Variant of Extreme Lethality)

Paper 1: "Cards, Cubes, and Collaboration: A Case Study of the Development of an Educational Board Game
This behind-the-scenes look at the creation of N.O.V.E.L. details how we combined scientific accuracy, student feedback, and iterative design to build an engaging, standards-aligned learning experience.
Check it out: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00472-z

Paper 2: "Adolescents’ knowledge of and confidence in vaccines improves with board game play"
Published in Discover Education, this study shows how N.O.V.E.L. helped over 300 students across six schools improve their understanding of vaccine development and recognize the importance of soft skills like communication and teamwork.
Read it here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-025-00683-4

These studies highlight the potential of game-based learning to address complex public health issues and support scientific literacy.

Register for the National Conference on Science Education in Philadelphia | March 26-29, 2025

02/26/2025

Our Director, John A. Po***ck is looking forward to speaking at the 2025 NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Philadelphia!

This event brings together the brightest minds in science education to share ideas, resources, and inspiration.

Don’t miss your chance to join us! https://i.snoball.it/p/A8y7P/f

Register for the National Conference on Science Education in Philadelphia | March 26-29, 2025 Join us in the City of Brotherly Love to connect with like-minded professionals for an unforgettable experience-for the LOVE of Science Education.

01/13/2025

Our director, Dr. John A. Po***ck will be sharing valuable insights during this National Science Foundation (NSF) panel discussion on Jan. 30. Check it out!

From Zzzs to A’s: Classroom lessons focus on good sleep habits

11/04/2024

See what our Director of Education and Multimedia Development, Dr. Brinley Kantorski had to say about the importance of sleep for teens and tweens in this article from K-12 Dive.

From Zzzs to A’s: Classroom lessons focus on good sleep habits Curricula can help students build healthy habits, such as putting smartphones away before bed and using trackers or activities that promote good sleep, experts say.

02/14/2024

Does it feel like you and your family have been recycling the same cough and sniffles all winter?

Have a warm bowl of soup and watch our newest video on pathogens- the germs that make us sick!

What Is A Pathogen? Learn all about Pathogens in this companion video to our cooperative board game, N.O.V.E.L.- Newly Observed Variant of Extreme Lethality. Take a peek at what...

Photos from Duquesne University School of Science and Engineering's post

09/16/2023

We're very proud of our Director and Founder for being named the Lambert F. Minucci Endowed Chair in Engineering and Computational Sciences.
Congrats to Dr. Po***ck on this wonderful accomplishment!

08/28/2023

🎉 Exciting News! We've hit 1 MILLION VIEWS on our YouTube channel!

https://youtube.com//videos

From the first video to this milestone, your support has been incredible. Here's to more fun, learning, and growing together!

The Partnership In Education - YouTube The Partnership in Education is a program located at Duquesne University that is passionate about improving STEM education and health literacy. Funded in par...

06/14/2023

We'd love it if you could take a few moments and vote for N.O.V.E.L. for the Gee Games People's Choice Award.

You can cast your vote here:
https://forms.gle/R3KEi7AFbDA6NRy49

Thanks everyone!

06/08/2023

We had a blast showing off N.O.V.E.L. at Gamemasters last month. We hope everyone who had the chance to play had a good time too!

03/29/2023

01/06/2023

We're funded through a SEPA - Science Education Partnership Award grant from the NIH. Did you know that the National Institute of General Medical Sciences also provides an online database of the resources produced by all SEPA projects? In addition to our own website, you can also find our resources on https://nihsepa.org/resources/ plus those of other great SEPA projects!

Why not head on over and take a look?

nihsepa.org Educational Resources 5 Minute Yoga Media - https://www.thepartnershipineducation.com/resources/5-minute-yoga Yoga can help bring about a sense of calm and focus. Try this easy yoga routine for a quick and relaxing way to unwind from your day. Slow-paced and meant to inspire a sense of calm, this ro...

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http://thepartnershipineducation.com/

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1308 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA
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The Partnership in Education

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