Conference Session

Engineering in Middle Schools

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John McLaughlin, MacLaughlin Associates; Gail Hardinge, College of William and Mary; Eugene Brown, Virginia Tech; Kirk Jenne, Office of Naval Research; Robert Stiegler, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

knowledge about what scientists and engineers do in their jobs, and anincrease in interest in STEM careers.Student focus groups were held in four schools. Comments made by students reflected a highdegree of satisfaction with the content and the opportunity to interact with scientists andengineers. Specifically, students noted the benefits of a problem solving approach, saying [It]“shows why you’re learning stuff”, and “you’re having so much fun that sometimes you forgetthat you’re learning.” One student offered to the group that the VDP activities would be “goodto have all over the country…it could change the way people think about things…like pollutionproblems and ways to stop it and fix environmental problems.”During the spring of 2007, the VDP

Conference Session

Gender and Accessibility Issues in K-12 Engineering Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Linda Hirsch, New Jersey Institute of Technology; John Carpinelli, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Howard Kimmel, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Ronald Rockland, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Joel Bloom, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

engineering to help inform students6-9. Unlike many professions, engineers are rarelydepicted in movies and television shows. The engineers in the Dilbert® comic strip may befunny, but they do not reflect the typical engineering workplace and do not persuade students tostudy engineering.Inadequate academic preparation and lack of information about engineering are the most crucialreasons why students do not pursue engineering careers10, but even students with adequatepreparation who pursue engineering studies often do not persist in their programs. Numerousstudies of students who dropped out of engineering programs have determined that poorpreparation and lack of information account for only a part of the reason why students leaveengineering programs

Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K-12 Teachers – II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daphne Duncan, Purdue University; Euridice Oware, Purdue University; Monica Cox, Purdue University; Heidi Diefes-Dux, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

indicate that these adaptations were successful.The Reading Certificate MEA was unexpectedly very difficult to implement. The local teacherswere perhaps too familiar with the context of the problem. Issues arose with the data set thatprevented the teachers from engaging in the mathematics of the problem. The teachers maderecommendation to improve the book list for each child and the level of difficulty associatedwith each book on the list. They also recommended the addition of a reading level for eachchild. Certainly, the assessment results reflect teachers dislike of this problem. This MEA wasnot carried over into INSPIRE Academy II.The NASA MEA was originally targeted for first-year engineering students. Attempts to adjustthe MEA to a 5th-6th

Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K-12 Teachers – I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shanna Daly, Purdue University; Lynn Bryan, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

concept, none of the teachers suggested the criteria were any different for models ofnanoscale phenomena compared to science models in general. As put by one teacher, there were“no differences, since a model is used to represent difficult concepts regardless of scale.” Intheir selection of a model, teachers selected one to represent a nanoscale concept. The nature ofthe directions of the assignment may have affected their choice of one model versus multiplemodels to represent a nanoscale phenomena concept. Upon reflecting on this issue, we do notwant the selection of one model to be a limiting factor for teachers. Research has indicated thatmultiple models prove to be more effective with the presentation of abstract or non-observableconcepts. The

Conference Session

Engineering in Middle Schools

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth Reid, Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis; Christine Floyd, Brownsburg East Middle School

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

progress through the development of their model. The problem must include sufficient data and context to allow the students to judge for themselves when a model is working or if it requires modification.4. The Model Documentation principle requires students to document their progress as well as their final model. The development of the final product – the model – is a deliverable in itself. This allows students’ to look reflectively as they continue development of the model.5. The Share-ability / Reusability / Generalizability Principle requires a solution that can apply not only to the situation as presented, but is applicable to similar situations. The solution should also be transferable to other

Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K-12 Teachers – II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steve Shumway, Brigham Young University; Jared Berrett, Brigham Young University; Andy Swapp, Milford High School; Ronald Terry, Brigham Young University; Thomas Erekson, Western Illinois University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

summer program focused on systems control. The technology teachers had previouslyidentified systems control as an area of expertise that they needed and could use in theirclassrooms.Near the end of the summer of 2005, the BYU team met to reflectively assess the strengths andweaknesses of the program as we prepared for the next round of professional development. Ourassessment was that we successfully followed the model of 1) presentation of theory, 2)demonstration of a new strategy, 3) initial practice, and 4) prompt feedback about participant’sefforts. However, despite a successful incorporation of many of the “best practices”(competitive selection of participants, allowing participants to participate in the planning,professional development

Conference Session

Gender and Accessibility Issues in K-12 Engineering Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Glenda Kelly, Duke University; Paul Klenk, Duke University; Gary Ybarra, Duke University; Lee Anne Cox, Duke University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

principles in physics can be crucial––using theheart to illustrate the principles of a pump was found to interest girls more than an oil rig; and theneed “to put effort into making sure the way the material is presented reflects girls’ interests inhuman service occupations, human needs, and biological systems” was stressed 1.Researchers also agree that mentors and role models are important from the early grades andthroughout a woman's career in science or engineering 4, 10, 11, 12. Programs for girls combininghands-on activities, role models, mentoring, internships, and career exploration have improvedgirls' self-confidence and interest in STEM courses and careers 13,14.For both genders, hands-on experiences such as using tools and equipment have

Conference Session

Engineering Student Involvement in K-12 Programs

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jed Lyons, University of South Carolina; Veronica Addison, University of South Carolina; Stephen Thompson, University of South Carolina

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

the multidisciplinary aspect ofengineering related activities in order to show connections between math and science.AcknowledgementThis material is based upon work supported by the National Science Page 12.785.10Foundation under Grant Number 0440568. All opinions expressed withinare the authors' and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Science Foundation.Bibliography1. National Science Foundation, NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows In K-12 Education (GK-12) http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5472&from=fund2. A. Caicedo, J. Lyons, S. Thompson, (2006) “Investigating Outcomes for GK-12 Teacher Partners and GK-12

Conference Session

Assessment of K-12 Engineering Programs and Issues

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Valerie Galarza, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; Mariela Figueroa, UPRMUniversity of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; Cristina Lugo, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; Ricardo Rodriguez, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; Francisco Rivera, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; Alexandra Medina-Borja, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

make it” said a student who enter college from a technical public HS. We noticed most of the students who came from private schools thought they had a goodeducational background when they arrived at the UPRM, but they actually confronted the sameproblems of those students who came from public and rural schools (Figure 2). Although privateschools provide a diverse curriculum for those students interested in science and math areas,students coming from those expressed the same problems than the rest of the students. Thisfinding was reflected previously in college impact analysis (Figure 1). Another relevant aspect was critical thinking. Most of the participating students answeredthat HS instruction didn’t promote or encourage