An Engineering Research Experience For Teachers: Implementation And Assessment
- Conference
- Location
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Chicago, Illinois
- Publication Date
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June 18, 2006
- Start Date
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June 18, 2006
- End Date
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June 21, 2006
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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K-12 & Pre-College Engineering
- Page Count
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15
- Page Numbers
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11.183.1 - 11.183.15
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--360
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/360
- Download Count
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556
Paper Authors
Anant Kukreti University of Cincinnati
ANANT R. KUKRETI, Ph.D., is a Professor and Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Cincinnati (UC). He joined UC on 8/15/00 and before that worked 22 years at University of Oklahoma. He teaches structural engineering, with research in experimental and finite element analysis of structures. He has won major teaching awards and is internationally recognized in his primary research field.
Patricia McNerney University of Cincinnati
PATTY D. MCNERNEY, Doctoral Student in C & I Education/Technology, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, UC. She has spent the last 15 years in the K-12 education arena with teaching experience in the areas of math, science, technology and served as district technology director. Her research is focused in two areas: integration of emerging technology into education and teacher training.
Suzanne Soled University of Cincinnati
SUZANNE W. SOLED, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Educational Foundations, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, UC. Dr. Soled teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in assessment and evaluation, and cognitive psychology. Her research is focused in two areas: teaching and learning, and assessment and evaluation. She has won the Outstanding Teaching Award in the College of Education.
Kelly Obarski University of Cincinnati
KELLY J. OBARSKI, Doctoral Student in C & I Education/Technology, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, UC. Along with teaching undergraduate and graduate education course work, Kelly is currently researching how participation in a NSF Fellowship affects undergraduate and graduate Fellows career choices once they leave the project.
Mingming Lu University of Cincinnati
MINGMING LU, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC. Dr. Lu teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental engineering. For research she has specialized in air sampling and compositional analysis of aerosols, and the characterization of diesel particulate matter.
Richard Miller University of Cincinnati
RICHARD A. MILLER, Ph.D, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC. Dr. Miller teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in civil engineering materials, structural engineering. His main research focus is concrete materials, prestressed and reinforced concrete, and testing and evaluation of structures and bridges.
Daniel Oerther
University of Cincinnati
orcid.org/0000-0002-6724-3205
DANIEL B. OERTHER, Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC. Dr. Oerther teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in biology and molecular biology and applications to natural and engineered environments. His research focuses upon microorganisms in wastewater treatment plants, drinking water treatment plants, bioremediation field sites, and natural surface watershed.
Heng Wei University of Cincinnati
HENG WEI, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC. Dr. Wei teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in transportation engineering. His research includes Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), traffic flow characteristics and microscopic traffic simulation modeling.
Thaddeus Fowler University of Cincinnati
THADDEUS FOWLER, PhD., is a Professor Emeritus, Division of Teacher Education, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, UC. Dr. Fowler has taught instructional methods courses at UC for 27 years, and has close relationships with many school districts. His administrative positions include program coordinator, director, and associate division head. He has worked as a consultant to technical corporations to develop their in-house training programs.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
An Engineering Research Experience for Teachers: Implementation and Assessment Introduction
This paper describes the research and professional development experience provided in a pilot Site for 7th to 12th grade teachers in "Civil Engineering" with a special focus on “Civil Infrastructure Renewal and Rehabilitation.” The Site was offered at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), University of Cincinnati (UC) during the summer of 2005. This Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and can be found at http://www.eng.uc.edu/STEP/ret/. The goals of this RET experience were three fold. First, we expected to educate, cultivate, and facilitate 7th to 12th grade science and math teachers by exploring the scientific method of inquiry and the critical research skills that engineers use to solve open-ended real-world problems. Second, it was expected that the teachers participating in the RET experience would become role models by applying their research experiences in their classrooms and with colleagues. Third, the teachers’ new skills would enable 7th to 12th grade students to directly link their standards-based education to events and issues occurring within their community and encourage them to become effective citizens in a technology-driven society. This paper describes four aspects to the project; first the research projects and professional development activities executed are presented, second the assessment process used as part of the evaluation plan is described, third the outcomes of the evaluation plan are presented and how these results obtained are planned to be used for future improvements, and finally the general conclusions from the whole experience are summarized. Hopefully, this documentation will help others in planning similar experiences for K-12 teachers.
In a world with rapidly changing technology and a global economy, there is a growing concern that Americans will not remain competitive1. The well being of our nation depends upon how well we educate our children in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Poorly prepared instructors teach many STEM classes, and our inability to attract and keep good teachers has become problematic2-7. The most effective way to interest children in science and math is by producing enthusiastic inspiring teachers. Teacher training is not simply a matter of preparation; it depends just as much on sustained, high-quality professional development8-12. The RET Site provided the type of quality professional development that encouraged reciprocal interactions between teachers and professionals necessary in today’s economy to open channels of communication and sharing to enhance and maintain teacher abilities and preparation for teaching relevant STEM skills to students in an emerging global economy.
As part of the RET Site, each teacher worked from 8:00 a.m. to noon each day with a CEE faculty member and a dedicated graduate student on a research project for six weeks during the summer in their laboratories. In the afternoon from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. the teachers took professional development seminars taught by education and engineering faculty members and practicing engineers, and went on four field trips. They also worked with a team of engineering and education graduate Fellows working for a NSF Graduate K-12 Fellows Grant to develop lesson plans that would be implemented in their classrooms before they finished the summer RET summer experience. They presented their research findings and a related lesson activity
Kukreti, A., & McNerney, P., & Soled, S., & Obarski, K., & Lu, M., & Miller, R., & Oerther, D., & Wei, H., & Fowler, T. (2006, June), An Engineering Research Experience For Teachers: Implementation And Assessment Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--360
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