Conference Session

Engineering in the Middle Grades

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Karen High, Oklahoma State University; Becky Hammack, Stillwater Middle School; Beth Watt, Stillwater Middle School; Julie Thomas, Oklahoma State University; Adrienne Redmond, Oklahoma State University; Pat Jordan; Jean Dockers, Oklahoma State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

degree in elementary education with a minor in mathematics from the University of North Texas in 1971, her master’s degree in Educational Administration and Mid-management from Texas A&M at Corpus Christi in 1975, and her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Mathematics Education in 1988. Her research interests include the development of conceptual knowledge of mathematics in pre-service secondary mathematics education students, ways to enhance the mathematics understanding of low-achieving algebra 1 students, and the continuing development of mathematical knowledge of practicing inservice teachers.Jean Dockers, Oklahoma State University

Conference Session

Women in K-12 Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura Bottomley, North Carolina State University; Katherine Titus-Becker, North Carolina State University; Heather Smolensky-Lewis, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

has slowed to the point where women are actually retainedand graduated in the College at a higher rate than men, as indicated in figure 1.Figure 1: Students who entered in a cohort year who are still enrolled in or have graduated from EngineeringDespite this encouraging trend, the numbers of female students enrolled remains lower, around250 out of a class of approximately 1200 for each of the listed years. To increase the numbers ofsuccessful female engineering students, efforts are in place to bring in more women and to retainthem at an even higher rate.One of the most effective ways to retain women in STEM fields is to encourage and supportwomen in these fields while in college1. A study by the

Conference Session

Thinking, Reasoning, and Engineering in Elementary School

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Molly Bolger, Vanderbilt University; Marta Kobiela, Vanderbilt University; Paul Weinberg, Vanderbilt University; Richard Lehrer, Vanderbilt University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Page 14.214.3simple systems consisting of links and pivots, such as that displayed in Figure 1. Our choice ofPage 14.214.4 MethodParticipants Participants (n=9, 5 male) attended an elementary or middle school serving primarilyunderrepresented youth in a city located in the southeastern region of the United States. Thepercent of children attending the schools that qualify for free or reduced lunch ranges between60 to 90 from year to year. The five elementary school children (ages 7, 8, referred to as Sam,Katie, Brian, Don and Beth, all pseudonyms) came from one second grade classroom. Themiddle school children (all fifth grade, ages 10, 11, referred to as Kim, Chuck, Greg and Anne,all

Conference Session

Infusing Engineering Content Through Curricular Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Pelletier, Northern Essex Community College; Linda Desjardins, Northern Essex Community College; Paul Chanley, Northern Essex Community College; Lori Heymans, Northern Essex Community College

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

raisestudents’ scores. But, unfortunately, schools lacked the resources needed to do thiseffectively.The statewide Grade 5 test in Science and Technology/Engineering is based upon thecurrent Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Frameworkwhich specifies learning standards for Grades 3-5 in Technology/Engineering in additionto Earth and Space Science, Life Science (Biology), and Physical Sciences (Chemistryand Physics). The learning standards for Grades 3-5 in Technology/Engineering (seeappendix)1 speak of elementary school students being able to use Engineering Design tosolve problems as well as use appropriate materials and tools. Page

Conference Session

Engineering in the Middle Grades

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kari Cook, Brigham Young University; Geoff Wright; Steve Shumway; Ronald Terry, Brigham Young University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

AC 2009-1368: AN INVESTIGATION OF MIDDLE-SCHOOL STUDENTS’INTEREST IN, PERCEPTION OF, AND ATTITUDES ABOUT TECHNOLOGYAND ENGINEERINGKari Cook, Brigham Young UniversityGeoffrey Wright, Brigham Young UniversitySteve Shumway, Brigham Young UniversityRonald Terry, Brigham Young University Page 14.207.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 An Investigation of Middle School Student Interest, Perception, and Attitude Toward Technology and EngineeringIntroductionRecently, technology education educators have been asked to include engineering concepts in K-12 curriculum.1 While to some this may initially appear to drift from the purposes of

Conference Session

Engineering in the Middle Grades

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jed Lyons, University of South Carolina; Bethany Fralick, University of South Carolina; Jennifer Kearn, University of South Carolina

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

through earlier workwith 6-8th graders that positive-negative wording is sometimes confusing to students. Earlier,more complicated surveys of the type used in the current study frustrated many participants andresulted in a large number of incomplete surveys being collected. Hence each concept appearsonly once in the survey, and whether that concept was interpreted as positive or negative by theparticipants was not investigated.As shown by the example in Figure 1, each survey had nineteen Likert scale questions and oneopen ended question. The wording of individual items was identical on both surveys, exceptengineers were the subject of one survey and scientists the subject of the other. For example, onthe Engineer in Science Class (EISC) survey

Conference Session

Women in K-12 Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michelle Porche, Wellesley Centers for Women; Corinne McKamey, Wellesley Centers for Women; Peter Wong, Museum of Science

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

schools within a large urban school district in the Northeast (see Table 1 forschool profiles provided by the district). In this urban district, the 4-year graduation rateis less than 60% and the dropout rate is 20%; another 19% are still in high school beyond4 years and the rest have moved on to GED or other programs. Given our research focuson retention in the STEM pipeline, the five participant schools were chosen, incollaboration with the district’s Director of Science, because they had an explicit focus onone of the STEM areas and/or a strong reputation for instruction in the STEM subjects.Working with these schools allowed us to examine the experiences of urban students withgreater opportunities to enter and persist in the STEM pipeline

Conference Session

Assessment of K-12 Engineering Programs and Issues

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Taryn Bayles, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Tania Monterastelli, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

high school enrichmentprogram.Background A study by Jeffers(1), et al., of various outreach programs categorized that most programsfall into the following categories: develop classroom material; conduct outreach activities on thecollege campus; conduct outreach activities at the K-12 school; conduct/sponsor engineeringcontests; sponsor teaching fellows/offer service learning courses; offer professionaldevelopment. The goals of the programs are to: increase engineering enrollment; diversifyengineers; educate the students; teach the teachers; develop undergraduate students. The goal ofthe Young Engineers and Scientists Seminars (YESS) program is similar and provides an

Conference Session

High-School Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mitchell Nathan, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Kyle Oliver, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Amy Prevost, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Natalie Tran, California State University, Bakersfield; Allen Phelps, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

descriptive analyses of classroom observations of the instruction and classroominteractions that took place over four days of a high school pre-engineering class, Project Leadthe Way, as participants engaged in project-based learning. Our objective was to study theenacted curriculum and determine how class time was apportioned, the extent to which time wasdistributed between developing technical skills and fostering conceptual understanding inengineering and mathematics, and the degree to which mathematics concepts were implicitlyembedded within the engineering activities or made explicit for students, and therefore moresupportive of transfer of learning.Our coding of the video data support the following three main descriptive results: (1) more of

Conference Session

Enhancing Recruitment and Retention in Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eugene Brown, Virginia Tech; Robert McGahern, DDR&E; Robert Stiegler, NSWC-DD

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

. Fig. 1. The NDEP Logo Fig. 2. NDEP Participating Navy LaboratoriesA few selected facts about each trend make clear the urgent need for the NDEP program: • Shrinkage of the DoD S&E workforce through attrition and retirement The DoD S&E workforce declined by 38 percent, from 45,000 to 28,000 between 1990 and 2000, even before the peak of the retirement wave that is currently depleting our defense laboratories of their most seasoned scientists and engineers. The DoD is facing a stark reality: its Apollo generation is ripe for retirement. Budget cutbacks and ongoing constraints in funding for basic research and other program categories have prevented hiring from keeping pace with

Conference Session

Enhancing Recruitment and Retention in Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mitchell Nathan, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Natalie Tran, California State University, Bakersfield; Amy Atwood, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Amy Prevost, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Al Phelps, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

studying teacher beliefs for engineering education and educational reform.Prior Research on Teacher BeliefsTeachers generally report that their perceptions of students are the most important factors ininstructional planning, and teachers consider their views of student ability to be the characteristicthat has greatest influence on their planning decisions4, 5. Furthermore, teacher beliefs have animpact on students' educational experiences 1, 6, 7. Yet beliefs about learning and instruction aremental constructions mediated by culture and social influences, rather than directly rooted inscientific evidence8, 9. As such, teachers’ beliefs and expectations of students’ knowledge andbehaviors are not always accurate or consistent with educational

Conference Session

Enhancing K-12 STEM Education with Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adrie Koehler, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Eugenia Fernandez, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Charles Feldhaus, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

science”1.Additionally, “forty-eight states now have standards for what students should know and be able to dowith technology”2. As states require more STEM graduation requirements, there must be morequalified teachers to instruct students in these topics.In order to alleviate teaching shortages, states have increased legislation to allow people to becomecertified to teach secondary education through alternative methods. These alternative teachercertification programs began in the 1980s. Now, nearly all states have such certification plans in place.These plans vary in structure. Some programs focus on aiding former soldiers in their transition tobecome teacher certified while others encourage midcareer professionals to shift into the

Conference Session

Exemplary Outreach Programs in Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

L. Diane Hurtado, Texas A&M University; Andrew Conkey, Texas A&M University, Qatar; Thomas Blasingame, Texas A&M University; Christi Madsen, Texas A&M University; Cesar Malave, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

AC 2009-1226: ENGINEERING INSIGHTS SUMMER PROGRAML. Diane Hurtado, Texas A&M UniversityAndrew Conkey, Texas A&M University, QatarThomas Blasingame, Texas A&M UniversityChristi Madsen, Texas A&M UniversityCesar Malave, Texas A&M University Page 14.556.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Engineering Insights Summer ProgramAbstractEngineering insights (Ei) Summer Camp is a recruitment program for the College of Engineering(COE). This program is a 4 day, 3 night residential summer camp for high school juniors andseniors that has been operating for 4 years. The primary goals of the camp are: 1) introducingparticipants to engineering as

Conference Session

Assessment of K-12 Engineering Programs and Issues

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Austin Talley, University of Texas, Austin; Marilyn Fowler, Austin Children's Museum; Christina Soontornvat, Austin Children's Museum; Kathy Schmidt, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

unit (NXT brick) thathas four inputs and three outputs. Outputs for the NXT brick are motors and lamps (lights).Inputs for the NXT brick are light, sound, rotation, distance, touch and other custom sensors.The robots are built from LEGO Technic components and other craft materials. Programs tocontrol the robots are written on computers with the NXT software and then transferred to therobots. An example of an NXT robotics project is shown in Figure 1. Page 14.488.2 Figure 1: LEGO NXT Robotics Example In the robotics program the students explore concepts about automated devices withactive learning principles. The

Conference Session

Exemplary Outreach Programs in Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gisele Ragusa, University of Southern California; Joseph Cocozza, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

AC 2009-2238: RESEARCH, COLLABORATION, AND INTERCONNECTEDOUTREACH FOR UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPSGisele Ragusa, University of Southern CaliforniaJoseph Cocozza, University of Southern California Page 14.1029.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 1 Research, Collaboration and Interconnected Outreach for Underrepresented Groups: Success from RET and REU Collaborations Gisele Ragusa, Ph.D. Joseph Cocozza, Ph.D. and Diana Sabogal University of Southern California Abstract

Conference Session

Gender and Minority Issues in K-12 Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tirupalavanam Ganesh, Arizona State University; John Thieken, Arizona State University; Monica Elser, Arizona State University; Stephen Krause, Arizona State University; Dale Baker, Arizona State University; Chell Roberts, Arizona State University; Sharon Kurpius-Robinson, Arizona State University; James Middleton, Arizona State University; Jay Golden, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

for 78 contact hours during the academic year and 48 contact hours during the summer. Students engaged in after-school meetings (twice a week), fieldtrips, parent nights, and internships related to program content. As part of the evaluation portion of the program students were given a “Draw an Engineer” (DAE) assessment to determine individual preconceived conceptions of engineers and engineering. The DAE assessment was administered at the beginning and end of the school year. Analysis of the pre and post student produced drawings indicated the emergence of three main categories: 1) Engineers in Action, 2) Occurrence of Gender, and 3) Engineers’ Clothing. Differences in pre and post

Conference Session

Engineering Collaboration: Faculty and Student Involvement in K-12 Programs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Maloney, California Institute of Technology; Tara Gomez, California Institute of Technology; Jennifer Franck, California Institute of Technology; Pamela Aschbacher, California Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

AC 2009-2364: ENHANCING K-12 SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING THROUGHSUSTAINABLE PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN SCIENTISTS AND TEACHERSJames Maloney, California Institute of TechnologyJennifer Franck, California Institute of TechnologyTara Gomez, California Institute of TechnologyPamela Aschbacher, California Institute of Technology Page 14.569.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Enhancing K-12 Science and Engineering Through Sustainable Partnerships Between Scientists and TeachersOverview, History and MissionThe ______Classroom Connection (XXX) is a science education outreach programbuilding 1-to-1 partnerships between

Conference Session

Enhancing K-12 STEM Education with Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lydotta Taylor, EdVenture Group; Erika Shaffer, EdVenture Group; Gary Winn, West Virginia University; Robin Hensel, West Virginia University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

. Page 14.726.3There are three stages to the development and implementation of the TIME Kits: the summerworkshop, unit instruction, and research study. Each development stage is explained in thesections that follow.2.1 TIME Kit Development: Stage 1: The Summer WorkshopThe summer workshop begins with a local engineering professional explaining the need forengineers in society and generally what his firm does. This discussion engages teachers in aprocess that explains to high school teachers what engineers do and how they do it.This conversation is followed by several WVU Engineering professors verbally painting apicture of the new face of engineering. An excellent example of this was the Disney Worldmodel. One professor explained the various

Conference Session

Enhancing Recruitment and Retention in Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Winn, West Virginia University; Laura Winn, Waynesburg Central High School; Reagan Curtis, West Virginia University; Robin Hensel, West Virginia University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

-tech careers. Low family income often meansreduced opportunities to afford college. Fewer adult role models and community resources meanthat students may never learn about scholarships that are available.Our adaptation of the social stress model is illustrated in Figure 1, where “stressors” are theunique problems encountered by students living in the Appalachian region, and “interventions”are our responses to the problems (“moderator category” is a way to logically group thestressors). In understanding the model fully, it is important to note that we have tried to providea solution (intervention) for each stressor, and that one of the interventions that keeps showingimportance is peer influence. In the model we present here, an adaptation of

Conference Session

Robot Mania in Precollegiate Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elisabeth McGrath, Stevens Institute of Technology; Susan Lowes, Teachers College, Columbia University; Peiyi Lin, Teachers College, Columbia University; Jason Sayres, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Jonassen, whodescribed cognitive tools or “mindtools”1 that can enhance the learning process. Others haveposited that robotics enables students to creatively explore computer programming, mechanicaldesign and construction, problem solving, and collaboration,2, 3 as well as the ability to presentopen-ended problems that require integrative thinking.4 Robotics enables students to own theirlearning as they make choices and explore many paths in order to solve design challenges.Through the use of LEGO robotics technology, students learn various facets of problem solvingwhile simultaneously mastering numerous mathematical and scientific concepts.Riskowski et al. identified three components that engineering design brings to the study ofscience (in

Conference Session

Best Practices in K-12 Engineering Panel

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stacy Klein-Gardner; Michele Dischino; Manjit Khosla, HALS Academy; Patrick Foster, Central Connecticut State University; Carol Shields, Stevens Institute of Technology; Dan Fagan, Wallace Primary School; Martha Cyr, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; John Staley, Doherty Memorial High School

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

-year MSP program focuses on a different science discipline. The first yearfocused on life science, environmental science, engineering, and use of computer technology;year two, which ended June 2008, focused on earth and space science; and the final year willfocus on physical sciences. Scientific inquiry and the engineering design process provided thefocus and coherence to the topics and concepts covered in this program. The engineeringactivities provided the hook for participants to learn science. The Engineering is Elementary(EiE)1 curricula were used as the vehicle to help teachers apply their learning to a real-worldproblem and to introduce teachers to the engineering design process. The EiE curricula,developed by the Boston Museum of

Conference Session

Successful Mentoring and Outreach Programs for Girls and Minorities

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ruth Friedman, Ohio State University; Linda Weavers, Ohio State University; Glenda La Rue, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Engineering Curriculum at School? Fun!Since its inception in 2002, the Future Engineers’ Summer Camp (FESC) at The Ohio StateUniversity has given more than 200 young women the opportunity to “have fun while learningabout engineering” and engineering-related careers (Weavers et al., 2008, p. 3).1 Originallydeveloped with funding from the National Science Foundation’s Presidential Early CareerAward for Scientists and Engineers, FESC has consistently sought to ensure that these youngwomen derived not only knowledge but also enjoyment from their participation in the program.Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data collected by Weavers et al. (2008) during FESC2006, this paper will argue that the camp’s emphasis on

Conference Session

Successful Mentoring and Outreach Programs for Girls and Minorities

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura Campo, Rice University; Stephanie Rice, Rice University; Daniela Rimer, Rice University; Brent Houchens, Rice University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

socioeconomic experiences. Page 14.876.2Several mentors have cited outreach through DREAM as broader impacts in successfulfellowship proposals.IntroductionUnderrepresentation continues to be a widespread problem in Science, Technology, Engineeringand Mathematics (STEM) fields, and the statistics are particularly alarming in engineering. Inthe year 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 12.3% of the U.S. population was AfricanAmerican and 12.5% was Hispanic or Latino [1]. However, only 11% of baccalaureate degreesin engineering were conferred upon representatives from these two groups combined in 2006 [2].When considered in light of the fact that

Conference Session

Infusing Engineering Content Through Curricular Innovation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Austin Talley, University of Texas, Austin; Kathy Schmidt, University of Texas, Austin; Richard Crawford, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

the functions.Arrows are used to represent the flows of energy, materials, and signals connecting the functions.Figure 1 shows an example function structure of the Black and Decker AutoClamp. Page 14.383.3Page 14.383.4 Table 1: Functional Common Basis16 Class Basic Flow class restricted Synonyms Import Input, Receive, Allow, Form entrance, Capture Export Discharge, Eject, Dispose, Remove Transport (M) Lift, Move Transfer

Conference Session

Thinking, Reasoning, and Engineering in Elementary School

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michele Strutz, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

, those who acquire specific knowledge and aprofessional engineering license, for many years until recently.Based on the current pipeline, it is unlikely that this country can meet the demand of 2012because there a shortage of American engineers. This shortage is due to 2 factors: a substantialnumber of baby boomer engineers are retiring13, and there are not enough U.S. students studyingengineering today29 to meet this future employment estimate. Concepts that may be related to thesolution to the engineering shortage will be explored: (1) the historical fluctuations in educationfocus and the current STEM presence in education legislation that may prompt younger talentedstudents to study engineering, and (2) the needed integration of engineering

Conference Session

Exemplary Teacher and Counselor Professional Development

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kurt Becker, Utah State University; Jim Barta, Utah State University; Rebecca Monhardt, Utah State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

, parents, and community leaders. The core partners forthis effort include the Navajo Nation in the Mexican Hat Elementary School in MexicanHat, Utah and the Northern Ute Nation in the Todd Elementary School, in Fort Duchesne,Utah.The three-year proof of concept grant: 1) designed a series of culturally relevantprofessional development modules for teachers of grades 4 through 6 that include anAmerican Indian perspective and that satisfy national and state of Utah core curriculumrequirements in math and science; and 2) developed a template that describes theorganization and methods for creating a Community Advisory Panel (CAP) of teachers,American Indian students, community leaders, parents, and tribal elders who work toincorporate important

Conference Session

Thinking, Reasoning, and Engineering in Elementary School

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Irene Mena, Purdue University; Brenda Capobianco, Purdue University; Heidi Diefes-Dux, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

place in an urban elementary school setting (grades K-5) that houses 369 studentsand 26 teachers. The demographics included: 68% White, non-Hispanic, 26% Hispanic, 2%Black, non-Hispanic, and 1% Asian/Pacific Islander. Of these students, 43% have free lunch,12% reduced-price lunch, and 55% low-cost lunch.Within the school, three teachers (one from grade 3, 4, 5, respectively) were purposefullyselected9 to participate in this study. The three teachers attended a summer workshop onimplementing elementary engineering learning activities in their classrooms. The activitiesstressed knowledge of engineering and the work of engineers, the engineering design process,and science content knowledge specific to each individual activity. The teachers then

Conference Session

Robot Mania in Precollegiate Engineering Education

Collection

2009 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; Levelle Burr-Alexander, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

) education and mentorship activities, in an effort to help students see therewards of careers in STEM and increase students’ interest in pursuing a career in these fields.Students who participate in the centers’ programs are better prepared to pursue and successfullygraduate in STEM majors, especially engineering. The Center also conducts training institutesthat provide teachers with pre-engineering curriculum to better prepare students to enterengineering degree programs. The curriculum focuses on pre-engineering skills and teachers aretrained to use instructional strategies that support connections between standards-based science,mathematics and real world engineering. The current paper describes 1) a new training programto introduce students and

Conference Session

High-School Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jan DeWaters, Clarkson University; Susan Powers, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

actions. Page 14.1309.2A number of surveys have shown generally low levels of energy knowledge and awarenessamong U.S. students and the general public.1-7 For example, the National EnvironmentalEducation & Training Foundation (NEETF) found in a 2001 survey that, while many Americanstended to overestimate their energy knowledge, just 12% could pass a basic quiz on energyknowledge.3 More recent surveys indicate that consumers are becoming more aware ofrenewable energy resources, but remain confused about many other issues such as the main areasof energy consumption within their homes and communities.4, 7Effective educational programs will make

Conference Session

Assessment of K-12 Engineering Programs and Issues

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Doug Kueker, Vivayvic; Pam Newberry, Project Lead the Way

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

made complex because there are multiple viewpoints from which one mayexamine a curriculum. Porter25, 26 (2002, 2004) makes distinctions regarding the four levels atwhich curricula analysis may occur. Table 1 reflects the focus of curricula analysis at each of thefour levels.Table 1. Primary Focus of Curricula Analysis at Each Dimension of a Curriculum Level Primary Focus of Curricula Analysis Intended Curriculum Analysis is concerned with examining the content (e.g., declarative, procedural, tactile, and situative knowledge) and the performance expectations, which is the level at which a student is expected to know and use the