Work in Progress: A two-way learning street: Near-peer college students enhance high school after-school STEM club opportunities

Ernest David Cartwright

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Conference: 2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference
Location: Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia
Publication Date: March 28, 2025
Start Date: March 28, 2025
End Date: March 29, 2025
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 6
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--54699
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/54699
Download Count: 9

Paper Authors

biography

Ernest David Cartwright Sr. Marshall University

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As the oldest of four in a single-parent household near Dayton, Ohio, my upbringing instilled a deep sense of responsibility and resilience. Growing up, I developed a passion for math and science, which shaped my academic pursuits and guided my career path. I earned my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton, where I honed my analytical and problem-solving skills. I then worked for five years for General Motors, Delco Marine Division.
Throughout my educational journey, I have always sought to combine my technical expertise with a desire to give back to the community. My professional experience began at General Motors, where I worked throughout high school and college. This experience fueled my passion for engineering, but my subsequent transition to teaching truly ignited my spirit. I began teaching at the University of Dayton, moved to Shawnee University, and ultimately found my home at Marshall University.
I work in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Marshall. My mission is to inspire and educate the next generation of innovators. Education is about imparting knowledge, fostering critical thinking, and nurturing creativity. I have been working in student development and success for over thirty years. Outside of teaching, I have held advanced study seminars and tutored, mentored, and encouraged STEM students of all levels.
Beyond my academic and professional pursuits, I am a passionate educator and a lifelong learner. I strive to stay updated with the latest advancements in engineering and education methodologies to provide my students with the best possible learning experience. My commitment to education extends beyond the classroom; I am also a devoted husband, father, and friend, and I believe in balancing my personal and professional life.

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Abstract

This work-in-progress paper presents a novel way of teaching college and high school students by pairing groups of high school and college to help the high school students create a year-long community-based research project (CBRP)as a requirement for the Health Science Technology Academy (HSTA) in two high schools in West Virginia. The college students assist, teach, and guide the high school groups in organizing their CBRPs. Both peers and students learn the scientific method, survey and experimental design, data collection and cleaning, statistical analysis tools, presentation skills, and team building skills. This paper will introduce the HSTA program and the importance of CBRPs to its weekly structure. It will also discuss the methodology used to train the near-peers and students and some preliminary results of this process in a classroom. We anticipate that our high school students will perform better than those teams who do not have this opportunity and that our near peers will have a more profound understanding of CBRPs, statistical analysis, and experimental design.

Citation
Format

Cartwright, E. D. (2025, March), Work in Progress: A two-way learning street: Near-peer college students enhance high school after-school STEM club opportunities Paper presented at 2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia. 10.18260/1-2--54699