. At the time of writing this paper the legacy cycles have not yet beenfully implemented.The following comments were obtained from the second teacher as informal assessment andthoughts about her RET experience: 1. “Implementation of this legacy cycle in the classroom is expected to have a profound impact on the student perspective of careers in science and engineering. I teach at a small, rural school in Putnam County with a total enrollment of 350 students grades 9-12. Page 15.240.9 Opportunities for furthering education after high school are limited for these students as most of them come from low SES families and
getthe chance to learn about engineering4.Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP) is a Mexican private institution of higherlearning committed to first-class teaching, public service, research and learning in a wide rangeof academic disciplines including economics, business administration, the physical and socialsciences, engineering, humanities, and the arts. UDLAP places a high priority on reaching out toits local community. Such outreach fosters service opportunities so P-12 students can discoverscience, engineering, and technology careers. Service is a fundamental aspect of being aprofessional and thus fundamental to our students’ education.UDLAP’s Alimentos Divertidos4 is an inquiry-based science and engineering program for P-12students
students’ newly acquired knowledgeabout scientists and engineers are invaluable. We have gained increased interest and respect forthese fields that were intimidating in the past. Thank you for this rewarding experience.”“I have gained so much knowledge from my participation and my Fellow. I feel this is a veryvaluable program for teachers and students and that with continued support in the classroom,teachers can prepare students beginning in middle school for careers in science and engineeringby getting them excited about science and math through interesting hands on activities as well asspecific instruction in science, math and technology and engineering principles.”DiscussionThe data gathered by the external evaluator shows positive outcomes
project are to: 1) Provide an innovative network of support and communications among University-based outreach project directors and educational evaluation experts, creating a learning community to promote sharing of best practices and innovation that will deepen the impact of NCSU’s pre-college STEM programs on students’ future academic and career choices. 2) Develop and demonstrate a system of data-driven planning and analysis guided by best practices to facilitate longitudinal assessment of participant outcomes through development of a common STEM Outreach Evaluation Protocol as well as a database integrating records of NCSU K-12 outreach participants with NC Department of Public Instruction
educational setting would differ in the use of the supportsprovided within WISEngineering. This paper outlines the implementation of the CC in aninformal summer educational seminar setting which involved 7th and 8th grade gifted participants(N=36) in June-July 2012. Statistical analysis of pretest and posttest measures along withembedded assessments, examined through the knowledge-integration framework are included.IntroductionChanges in the modern world and the global economy indicate that the importance of scienceand mathematics is steadily increasing5. The number of science, technology, engineering, andmathematics (STEM) related careers, specifically in science and engineering, are increasingfaster than other professions 6 . The recent report
learning and bridges classroom lessons to real-world experiences.4,5The United States’ investment made in future nanotechnology developments requires a reformededucational program for preparing students for engineering, science, and technology careers.6The incorporation of nanoscale concepts into middle- and high-school curricula can contribute tothese initiatives.Research has demonstrated that students of science may gain deeper conceptual understandingswhen they are able to build and manipulate models of science phenomena.7 In addition, there isa consensus among scientists, engineers, and science and engineering educators in the field ofnanoscale phenomena that education of nanoscale science, engineering, and technology conceptsrelies on models
culture couples the abilityto learn with the ability to use knowledge in a practical context. Through this activity, they arealso presented with the opportunity to consider engineering as a future career. They often Page 14.539.3become more motivated as they feel the work they do makes a difference or has applicability inthe real world. These aspects are especially effective for students with non-conventional learningstyles.Virtual CVD LaboratoryThe instructional design of the Virtual CVD Laboratory is based on a cognitive apprenticeshipmodel where students are provided a problem in the similar context to an engineer in industry.Specifically
classes were statistically equivalent in termsof engineering attitudes with F (2, 68) = 2.271, p = .111, with an effect size r = .18.The students in all three classes generally recognized engineering as a profession where peopledesign things that are practical and useful, however the entrance interviews revealed that somestudents had very different ideas about what engineers actually design. Generally, all classesperceived engineering to be important to the United States’ economic success and useful ineveryday life. Overall, the differences as a whole were not significant between classes.Students were asked about their perceptions of engineering as a career and of engineers as peoplein their entrance interviews. Students categorized the tasks
STEM activities3,4 mayprovide another venue through which students can learn and apply data handlingtechniques. Unfortunately, there is much evidence to suggest that our students are notlearning these skills at the level necessary to be able to apply them in their careers ordaily lives. TIMSS data indicate that data analysis and statistics are areas of weaknessfor U.S. students1, and Kuklianksy and Eshach5 found that undergraduate students inscience and engineering courses had difficulty with everything from choosing appropriaterepresentations of data to understanding and accounting for measurement error.Measurement, data collection, and data analysis are essential elements of many scienceand engineering activities, thus when students engage
report that the potential benefits ofintroducing children to engineering can be grouped into five areas: • improved learning and achievement in science and mathematics; • increased awareness of engineering and the work of engineers; • understanding of and the ability to engage in engineering design; • interest in pursuing engineering as a career; and • increased technological literacy.2They also note that the impact in science and mathematics may be particularly significant forunderrepresented minorities. Finally, they indicate a belief that “engineering education mayeven act as a catalyst for a more interconnected and effective K–12 STEM education system inthe United States.” 2This paper reports on the development of an
design process. In addition, thesketching and brainstorming process of developing a solution assists the students in developingsystems thinking[4]. Engineering design, particularly at lower grade levels, is essentially sciencedriven problem solving. The development of these skills is tied to their successes throughouttheir academic careers and in their everyday lives. In addition, these engineering concepts helpstudents discover the crosscutting themes between the traditional science disciplines.Research has found a direct correlation between student achievement and teacher preparedness toteach science[5]. Teacher’s subject matter knowledge influences the instruction implemented inthe classroom[6]. However, research on pre-service and in-service
real clients, hold the potential to attract Latino/a adolescents to STEM.IntroductionA major challenge for engineering education is the underrepresentation of minority students,particularly Latinos – one of the fastest growing ethnolinguistic groups in the United States.1Although the Latino school-age population is constantly increasing,2 the number of studentsobtaining engineering degrees is stagnant.3 Different scholars have offered reasons behind whyLatinos do not pursue STEM careers.4-6 Studies suggest that one particular powerful reason isthat the cultures of underrepresented students do not fit with the cultures of engineering.7For instance, research has emphasized how underrepresented students may find it difficult toidentify with
just pay attention and do what you’re told, then you’ll have a good time” “At first, I thought it was confusing; but then after finding more about it. I could understand how the work we were doing related to real life situations and stuff; it was pretty cool once I got used to it.” “I thought it was pretty fun I think”Further into the interviews, it was apparent that two of the students still considered the activityinteresting, while two described the activity as less than interesting: “I’d put it at about an 8. it showed what you would want to think about the in the future if you wanted to take engineering in college and stuff, all the things you need to know to have a career.” “I thought
school or earlier to increase the numberof students entering the engineering disciplines.6 Most students in the middle level grades (6th,7th, and 8th) are unaware of engineering and are not socialized to recognize engineering as a goodand rewarding career option. Typically, these teachers and students are not exposed early oroften enough to employing critical thinking and science for solving engineering problems in thereal world.Many K-12 teacher development initiatives involve providing teachers with activity sets thatthey can repeat in their classrooms. This technique has been met with limited success, resultingin teachers actually utilizing few of the activities. Teachers are often uncomfortable withexperiments and activity principles they
books, six chapters in edited books, one book review, 47 journal articles, and 97 conference pa- pers. Moreover, he has mentored 82 high school students, more than 300 K-12 teachers, 22 undergraduate summer interns, and 11 undergraduate capstone-design teams, and graduated eight M.S. and four Ph.D. students.Dr. Magued G. Iskander P.E., Polytechnic Institute of New York University Magued Iskander is a Professor and Graduate Adviser of the Civil Engineering Department at NYU-Poly. Dr. Iskander is a recipient of NSF CAREER award, Chi Epsilon (Civil Engineering Honor Society) Metropolitan District James M. Robbins Excellence in Teaching Award, Polytechnic’s Distinguished Teacher Award, and NYU-Poly’s Jacobs Excellence in
these alone will not create a significant enough STEM pipeline,since most high school students are not academically prepared to enter engineering college.While K-12 engineering experiences, such as engineering electives, may inspire an interest inengineering, students must also make course selections across the curriculum that adequatelyprepare them for an engineering future. We know that small, yet vitally important, changes incurriculum can, and do, impact students’ perceptions about engineering. PBSL is one suchexample of the changes that have the ability to positively influence a student’s career choice.Overall, our analysis indicates that the hands-on engineering design projects offered in the 10thgrade Creative Engineering Design course
perspectives of science and help us think about things in different ways. • He showed us and explained to us different ways to look at science. • He helped explained things differently. • You get new views and ideas from someone else, a different perspective. Also our Page 22.747.7 engineer is very creative and I learned a lot of new things. • It gives another insight on science in the classroom.Other students emphasized the new information they learned about careers. Here are some ofthose student comments. • It helped us learn about the world
highschool graduates – preparing them for any career path, particularly in STEM disciplines.Two high school based curricula currently being used to address these concerns are Project Leadthe Way and the Infinity Project. Project Lead the Way (www.pltw.org) has modules forintroducing engineering topics to students in both middle and high school. However, high schoolteachers in our partner schools have indicated to us that they would prefer a more in-depthcurriculum that ties together application and content. The Infinity Project (www.infinity-project.org) focuses on digital electronics, allowing for a rigorous approach, but is limited to avery narrow range of topics. Teachers have indicated to us that they like the rigorous nature ofthe Infinity
Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum permanent col- lection. Mr. Trotti has over 25 years of professional and academic experience. He has taught Space Architecture design at the College of Architecture at the University of Houston and Industrial Design courses for extreme environments at the Rhode Island School of Design. He is currently on the Board of Directors of Studio Arts Center International (SACI) in Florence, Italy. As founder and director of several space enterprises during his career he has been involved in the design of the International Space Station, many Space vehicles, Lunar and Mars surface Systems. As founder and president of two ar- chitecture / industrial design firms in Houston and Boston he has been
Mindstorms competition and Engineering Week activities. The schools have implemented STEM instead of Science Fairs, STEM Career Days and Engineering Week whole school activity days with community volunteers.The November meeting presented a unique opportunity to access a wide variety of perspectiveson the model to date. Present were administrators, STEM coordinators and classroom teachersfrom each school. The challenge was to use a short amount of time to capture a wide variety ofaspects of the project from widely varying perspectives. The opening session was spentfamiliarizing the attendees with the partner schools and their progress in integrated STEM usingengineering. Then Ms. Parry, serving as facilitator, led the group through the
questions: 1) What is the influence of the CAPSULE PD methodologyin various STEM classrooms?; 2) What are the students’ and teachers’ perception ofengineering-based learning, engineering design process, and capstone projects?; 3) Howhas the CAPSULE methodology changed the perception of STEM careers according tostudents?4 BackgroundJosiah Quincy Upper School (JQUS) was recently authorized to be an InternationalBaccalaureate (IB) Diplomma Programme school and has started to adjust curriculumaccordingly for 11th and 12th grade [5]. IB mathematics includes four levels:Mathematical Studies Standard Level, Mathematics SL, Mathematics Higher Level, andFurther Mathematics Standard Level. JQUS offers Mathematical Studies Standard Leveland plans to offer
AC 2011-686: MAKING ELEMENTARY ENGINEERING WORK: LESSONSFROM PARTNERSHIPS AND PRACTICETHE SYSTEMIC PROJECT, MARY-LANDPamela S. Lottero-Perdue, Towson University Dr. Pamela S. Lottero-Perdue is an Assistant Professor of Science Education in the Department of Physics, Astronomy & Geosciences at Towson University. She began her career as process engineer, taught high school physics and pre-engineering, and has been involved in both Project Lead the Way and Project FIRST robotics. She was a Hub Site Partner for Engineering is Elementary (EiE) through their National Dissemination through Regional Partners program. As a pre-service teacher educator, she has added engineering to her elementary and early childhood
Professor and Graduate Adviser of the Civil Engineering Depart- ment at Polytechnic Institute of NYU, Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Iskander is a recipient of NSF CAREER award, Chi Epsilon (Civil Engineering Honor Society) Metropolitan District James M. Robbins Excellence in Teaching Award, Polytechnic’s Distinguished Teacher Award, and Polytechnic’s Jacobs Excellence in Education Award (twice). Dr. Iskander’s research interests include Geotechnical modeling with trans- parent soils, foundation engineering, and urban geotechnology. He makes extensive use of sensors and measurement systems in his research studies. Dr. Iskander has published 10 books, 90 papers and grad- uated 6 doctoral students, 27 masters students, 12 undergraduate
have indicated that the program helped them decide to pursue aSTEM degree in college.A few of the questions most relevant to this paper and their ranking on a scale of zero to five(with 5 being “strongly agree”) are identified below:Q9. I have a greater sense of confidence in taking risks to change the content and the methods of Page 22.304.13teaching mathematics /science. (4.25)Q12. I have examined and revised my classroom practices to include information and studentprojects involving STEM careers. (4.0)Q14. There will be an ongoing collaboration between my school and Louisiana Tech in theSTEM disciplines beyond this project. (4.6)Q18. I
library. These units,created by engineering graduate students and reviewed by engineering faculty, are user-friendlymaterials for K-12 teachers, designed to impact K-12 student’ science and mathematicsknowledge and their awareness of engineering as a possible career 20. The designers have shownsignificantly higher learning gains in experimental groups using the ITL Program materialscompared with control classrooms. The vision statement of the ITL Program, adapted from theNational Academy of Engineering and National Research Council, is ―To create a K-12 learningcommunity in which students, K-12 teachers and the College of Engineering and Applied Scienceexplore, through hands-on doing, the role of engineering and innovation in everyday life. And
subjects especially). Most students are willing to at least attempt to Page 22.412.13go to college, and our results showed that these students (n = 208) are no different. Studentsgenuinely wanted to succeed in both their personal and professional lives. One of the limitationshere is that the students that were tested were primarily tenth graders (ages: 15-16), and at thispoint in their high school career are not really sure what they want to do. It seemed that when thestudents were asked, they change their minds every other week. This is indicative of the changesbetween both the pre and post survey results. Students when asked the same question
-school. By encouraging early STEMeducation we hope to influence high-school coursework, as well as career and educationalpathways. The real world applications of engineering and the inquiry-based, hands-on nature ofthe engineering design process can serve as a means to integrate mathematics and science inways that connect youth to the joy of learning, and to applying knowledge and skills to sociallyrelevant challenges.3,4Recent science education reform focuses on the concerns that students are not gaining the skillsets necessary to maintain America’s economy.5 There has been a general call to change schoolexperiences to prepare students’ for life and work in today’s global economy.6 Meadows5 statedthat learning science by inquiry is central to
development of UScitizens in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Consequently, theresearchers addressed this effort by exposing young people to STEM careers while focusing ondesign issues and concepts related to energy conservation and the environment.In this paper, we describe the results of the initial implementation of Studio STEM in aninformal setting for underserved youth: an after-school Boys and Girls Club in a ruralAppalachian community. The curricular package used for this pilot study, called Save thePenguins, has been used in the past in formal, in-school settings with advantaged youth.3,4 Inthis iteration the researchers selected a different population and added an informationcommunication technology (ICT) component
AC 2010-1952: A NOVEL APPROACH TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTRobert Reeves, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Robert Reeves graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2009 with a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He will finish his MS in Chemical Engineering also from UMBC in May 2010 and will begin his career with OSIsoft, LLC. He has been working on the INSPIRES program for the last year.Julia Ross, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Julia Ross is Professor and Chair of the Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Department at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her technical research interests are in the area of cellular
skill and content knowledge that exists forinstance when you have an elementary teacher, a middle school teacher and a high school teacherbringing their specific expertise and background to a workshop. It was an introduction in manycases to differential instruction.Faculty members have also benefited from their exposure to K-12 outreach activities byintegrating their experiences and lesons learned into their research grants, especially NSF. Forexample, an asst. professor from Mechanical Engineering who has been involved in our roboticsoutreach activities was recently received an NSF CAREER award that integrates K-12 outreach,and another professor has a new NSF CCLI grant that includes a high school component as afollow on to the Finding NANO