Engineering Education, 2018The influence of early STEM career exploration as related to motivation and self-determination theoryDr. Araceli Martinez Ortiz, Dr. Hiroko Kawaguchi Warshauer, Dr. Laura Cano Amaya andMs. Sara TorresAbstractA science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) summer intervention program is thesetting for a career-exploration research study with over 30 adolescent students in a low-incomecommunity. Using motivation and self-determination theory as a framework, the impact of earlyexposure to engineering and mathematics career opportunities is examined. In the larger study weutilized mixed methods to analyze how changes in middle school students’ affective characteristicsmay be linked to their future career decision
rural communities support and promote engineering as a career choice for theirstudents. Therefore, this study explored the ways in which rural communities provide support tohelp students make fully informed decisions about engineering as a college major.The findings presented here come from Phase 2 of a three-phase study exploring engineeringcareer choice among rural students. Using interview and focus group data collected from currentengineering students in Phase 1, Phase 2 turned to community members, including high schoolpersonnel, local industry leaders, members of local governments, and members of keycommunity organizations (e.g., 4-H). Using interviews with 16 participants across 3communities, we address the following question: What
Marcell Adams, North Carolina State University Dr. Javon M. Adams is the Coordinator of Transfer Programs in the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University (NCSU) focused on researching diversity Issues in Engineering. Dr. Adams graduated with his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from NCSU in December 2014 after completing his dis- sertation which focused on Transportation Engineering Materials. During his time as an undergraduate and as a graduate student at NCSU, Dr. Adams actively participating in a wide range of efforts aimed at increasing the recruitment, retention, and advancement of minority student groups studying engineering on campus. These personal experiences fueled his desire to pursue research
drawn from the County School System andworked in partnership with university faculty members. The UMES STI provided awareness to theparticipants on transportation and STEM careers and encouraged them to consider transportation-related courses of study in their higher educational pursuits. The program provided opportunitiesfor participants, comprising of minority and underserved groups on the Lower Eastern Shore ofMaryland, to explore the many exciting fields in the Transportation Industry. The Instituteprovided an integrated program in Mathematics, Science, Communication Skills/English andRecreation as well as activities in Land, Air and Water Transportation. The DemographicSummary of participants showed that 94.6% of students completed the
members hold [28, 30].Epistemology relates to the justifications, warrants, or rationale that support decisions or actionswithin the community about what knowledge is true[28, 30]. There are “things to know, ways ofknowing them, and ways of finding about them” [31], especially in design and engineering.“Epistemic frame theory suggest that learning to solve complex science, technology,engineering, and math (STEM) problems from being part of a community of practice” [32]. In this exercise, we defined a summer college preparatory engineering and design class asa community of practice where students were performing authentic tasks in which they coulddevelop or expand an epistemic frame. We focused on the interactions that occurred
teaching practices.Dr. Emily Anna Dare, Florida International University Dr. Emily Dare is an Assistant Professor of Science Education at Florida International University. Pre- viously, she taught at Michigan Technological University from 2015-2018, where she is still an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences. Dr. Dare’s research interests are focused on K-12 STEM education. In particular, she is interested in supporting science teachers’ reform- based instruction while simultaneously understanding their beliefs. As science classrooms shift to more integrated STEM approaches, this is especially critical. Additionally, Dr. Dare has a passion for working with K-12 students to
Paper ID #32486Evaluation on a New Virtual Program Format: How Does an EngineeringSummer Program Evolve and Adapt to Meet the Needs of an IncreasinglyDiverse Student Population During a Pandemic? (Evaluation, Diversity)Mrs. Maria Manzano, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Maria Manzano is the Director of Engineering Special Programs and EPIC program where she works to develop programs to reach out to pre-college students to encourage them to pursue engineering in college. She is involved with a variety of diversity and inclusion efforts in the college of Engineering ranging from student support programs
rewarding career path 4) Prepare students to make informed choices about their academic and career options by providing them with information regarding the vast number of engineering career paths 5) Help students identify “false positives”- that is, allow students who think they want to be engineers to explore the field and to figure out if engineering is for them within the safe environment of their high school classroom ENGR 102 HS benefits high school students by allowing them to: 1) Explore an introduction to engineering and the engineering profession without having to commit to a semester’s worth of engineering courses at the University
ofchange -- (See Appendix A). The logic model illustrates the logical relationship among programinputs (such as the grant funds and faculty expertise), activities (such as the introductoryengineering design course) and desired outputs (such as numbers of participating students) andoutcomes (such as increases in student interest in clean energy careers). This logic model wasused to inform the program design, including activities with students. In addition, the logicmodel was used to frame measures of success. This paper will describe our efforts, examine themeasurements of our goals, and discuss lessons learned over the three iterations of our program.BackgroundThree different cohorts of students participated in the program between 2013-18. Each
each participant’s responses.The inter-rater reliability between the two research team members on the coding of studentresponses was strong, with a Cohen’s Kappa value of 0.788 where a value above 0.750 indicatesa strong agreement above chance [18].Results and DiscussionThis study focused on answering the research question: is game-based learning an effectivemeans of introducing engineering to middle school students?Based on these worksheet responses it was concluded that students demonstrated awareness andknowledge about women in engineering fields, engineering concepts and principles, andengineering career paths and linked knowledge of these concepts back to their gameplay. Out ofthe 14 responses collected to the prompt “Recall something you
community challenges through strategic partnerships and deep listening. Lauren lives in Winston-Salem with her husband, Danny, and two boys who inspire her daily.Dr. Elise Barrella P.E., Wake Forest University Dr. Elise Barrella is a founding faculty member of the Department of Engineering at Wake Forest Univer- sity and a registered Professional Engineer. She is passionate about curriculum development, scholarship and student mentoring on transportation systems, sustainability, and engineering design. Dr. Barrella completed her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at Georgia Tech where she conducted research in transportation and sustainability as part of the Infrastructure Research Group (IRG). In addition to the Ph.D. in Civil
perspective to support equity-and inclusion-oriented initiatives in educa- tion. Damian is currently a graduate student participating in San Diego State University’s Master’s in Education Program specializing in Critical Literacy and Social Justice.Dr. Perla Lahana Myers, University of San Diego Perla Myers is Professor of Mathematics at the University of San Diego (USD), where she has been on the faculty since 1999. She earned her B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Houston, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of CalDr. Odesma Onika Dalrymple, University of San Diego Dr. Odesma Dalrymple is an Associate Professor and Faculty Lead for the Engineering Exchange for Social Justice, in the Shiley
to think more aboutengineering (Jones, 2009). Also, principals, can make better policy and implementation decisionswithin their high schools to support their students’ outcome expectations. Accordingly, the purpose of this qualitative study is to explore teachers’ and principals’perceptions of students’ postsecondary career outcome expectations in two Virginia highschools. This study stems from a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project on studyingsystemic gatekeepers and how they may influence students’ decision to pursue engineering. Weground this particular study within the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) (Lent et al.,1994) to answer the following research question (RQ): How do teachers and principals in twoVirginia
Interest Levels of Male versus Female Students going into STEM Fields (Evaluation)IntroductionThe fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, also known as STEM, haveexperienced rapid growth in terms of their importance and the demand for qualified graduates[1]. STEM careers provide an essential driving force behind new innovations and growth in theUnited States. STEM fields have seen a job growth rate three times that of non-STEM careers,and are continuing to grow [2]. Despite efforts to increase the number of STEM graduates, TheUnited States is struggling to supply enough qualified workers to fulfill these demands. TheUnited States is facing a problem as students’ interest, and therefore literacy in STEM has
Toronto District School Board. Teachers of both classes werefamiliar with Discovery and had previously participated in multiple in-person program offerings.Discovery-related deliverables graded by class-specific teachers made up 10-15% of final coursegrades.Discovery mentors were volunteer undergraduate and graduate students from the University ofToronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. Prior to student interaction, mentors wereprovided a pedagogical approach “cheat sheet” that included technical specifics of the projectsand was compiled based on the experience of previous Discovery mentors and teachers.Program OutcomesEvaluation of the Fall 2020 offering of Discovery was completed using a combination of studentgrade data, student
theimplementation of the lessons or skills. Additionally, the research team anticipated that positioningteachers and students within a team would reveal various actions that teachers might take as theywork with their students.During the first two weeks of the workshop, engineering graduate students under the supervisionof an engineering faculty introduced relevant robotics concepts, robot components, and robotprogramming to the participants. In addition to learning about how to design, build, and programa robot, participants were introduced to some ideas of entrepreneurship and how to present theirengineering products to businesses. The ultimate goal of the workshop was that teachers andstudents learn about engineering practice and how its product can be
. He is also interested in improving STEM+CS education for minorities. He has been volunteering in many education outreach programs including Science Fair and Robotics programs such as First Robotics competitions. Areas of research interest include engineering education, STEM+CS, and robotics in K-12 education. Kaya advocates his view that research, teaching and learning are best practiced as a unified enterprise that benefits students and society. He has received numerous teaching awards as well as grants for his research from several foundations. Kaya is an active member of AERA, ASEE, ASTE, NARST, and NSTA, has presented at over 15 conferences, published in ranked journals (e.g. Journal of College Science
tenured engineering/computer science faculty member, one middle/high schoolSTEM-focused teacher, one STEM-focused community college faculty member, one STEM-focused undergraduate education students, and two undergraduate engineering students. Over thecourse of the three years of the grant, twelve teams (four teams per year) spent six weeks on campusengaged in research and professional development opportunities. The final deliverable of theexperience for all teams was development of an appropriate K-12 engineering-informed lessonplan submitted to TeachEngineering [3]. The team subsequently implemented lessons plans in theK-12 and community college classrooms during the school year following the summer experience.The project also included research
for the Center of Enhancement for Engineering Diversity where she taught a seminar for first-year female engineering students and coordinated precollege outreach events. As a researcher, she has previously served as a Graduate Research Assistant on the VT PEERS project studying middle school students reg- ularly engaging in engineering activities. In addition, she dedicates her spare time to exhibiting at the Virginia Tech Science Festival and hosting several sessions for the Kindergarten-to-college (K2C) Initia- tive.Dr. Jacob R Grohs, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Jacob Grohs is an Assistant Professor in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech with Affiliate Faculty status in Biomedical
-serving engineering universities in the U.S. Dr. Traum coordinated MSOE’s first crowd-funded senior design project. He also co-founded with students EASENET, a start- up renewable energy company to commercialize waste-to-energy biomass processors. Dr. Traum began his academic career as a founding faculty member in the Mechanical & Energy Engineer- ing Department at the University of North Texas - Denton where he established a successful, externally- funded researcher incubator that trained undergraduates to perform experimental research and encouraged matriculation to graduate school. Traum received a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he held a research
on pre-college mentoring of females byfemales, nor much focused on the role models themselves [23], so this is a nexus area ripe forresearch.Professional guidance in male-dominant environmentsCareer guidance begins with exploration, and one of the best ways to learn about careers is fromrole models. Today there are many more female engineers than there were 30 years ago, so it iseasier for girls to aspire to the role, although still a male-dominant occupation.For women in male-dominant occupations, there is an implicit connotation of masculinityinherent in the roles, such that their gender roles might be conflicted if their psychosocialorientation is not consistent with the expectations and culture of masculine occupations,particularly if
academic and campus life at theuniversity. In addition to providing an exciting enrichment experience to students, pre-collegeprograms help Northeastern University to attract top high schoolers around the globe to campusand excite them about the university’s unique learning model and ample opportunities at theundergraduate level. The programs allow students to learn from Northeastern University facultymembers, explore and live on campus, and get a sense of the experiential style of a Northeasterneducation. The APCP are two-week residential programs. From approximately 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM,Monday-Friday, students work in the classroom with a faculty lead and their teaching team tolearn about their specific areas of interest. During evenings and
content knowledge. International journal of technology and designpotential for use with students is evident. Future work with undergraduate and graduate science education, 22(3), 345-360.and or engineering majors as well as with high school students is also an area of need. Additionalrevisions may be necessary for work with different populations of learners. Some differences [9] Kaya, E., Newley, A., Deniz, H., Yesilyurt, E., & Newley, P. (2017). Introducing Engineering Design to a Science Teaching Methods Course Through Educational Robotics and Exploring Changes in Views ofbetween different groups of respondents
-time. Through this position, she was encouraged to earn her Master of Arts in Science Teaching, also at Northern Arizona University. During this time, Christina discovered a love for research, prompting her to pursue a Ph.D. She is a recipient of both a Graduate School Recruitment Fellowship and a Texas New Scholar’s Fellowship. She is a member of the National Science Teachers As- sociation, and currently serves as the STEM Education representative to the Graduate Student Assembly at UT.Hannah Smith Brooks, University of Texas at Austin Hannah Brooks is a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on promot- ing equitable access through collaboration and instructional design. She is
body of literature which explores the process of measuringimpact at the service-learning level, the goal of this paper is to begin to understand theorganizational infrastructure of our K-12 STEAM outreach efforts by documenting stories fromthe graduate coordinators of a K-12 outreach program. The findings from this work help build ataxonomy of the program for potential future research which explores its impact on multipleconstituencies (undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, community, institution).MethodsApproachTo answer our research question and gather insights from past graduate coordinators of theoutreach efforts, we sent out a recruitment email to all of the past graduate student coordinators.The email described the project
be approved by the instructorbefore students can proceed to the building and competition stages. Students are encouraged towork individually, but small teams (2 members, for example) are allowed. Small objects can beattached to different locations on an aircraft to change the center of gravity and to facilitateflying of the aircraft. Students can explore such effects during their test fly and undersupervision of the instructor. At the end of this session, aircraft that flies the longest distance ischosen as the winning design, regardless of weight or size. This module is the least challengingbecause the design process involves fewer steps and foam boards are easy to handle for highschool students.Figure 6: Aircraft Design and Competition
integration andcollaboration.Further research needs to be conducted to follow up with developing better classroom-readyinstruments for classroom assessments in authentic problem solving challenges. In addition, alarger study that includes follow up of students’ performance post-graduation (from high school)to seek an understanding of the impact on their pursuit of STEM education (speciallyengineering) and careers would be recommended.References[1] Partnership for 21st Century Learning (2015). P21 Framework Definitions. P21: Washington, DC.[2] S. Haag, N. Hubele, A. Garcia, & K. McBeath, “Engineering undergraduate attrition and contributing factors,” International Journal of Engineering Education, vol 23, no. 5, pp. 929- 940, 2007.[3] T
ofmentoring were the program coordinator’s alone, without interference from the imposedperceptions of the authors.The authors also recognize that their positionality affected the research. Schill is a white womanwho had favorable experiences in K-12 STEM outreach as a graduate student; survey questionswritten by Schill may have unintentionally been presented in such a way that attractedcoordinators of programs similar to Schill’s experience. Bielefeldt is a white woman who hasparticipated in K-12 outreach activities as a faculty member, but not to a significant degree.Additional limitations stem from the COVID-19 pandemic. The large distractions of initialshutdowns and moves to remote learning alongside email overload in March-May 2020 duringthe
Paper ID #21746Gatekeepers to Broadening Participation in Engineering: A Qualitative In-vestigation of a Case Site in Virginia (Work in Progress)Mr. Andrew L Gillen, Virginia Tech Andrew Gillen is a doctoral student and graduate research assistant in the Department of Engineering Edu- cation at Virginia Tech. Andrew received his B.S. in Civil Engineering with an environmental engineering concentration from Northeastern University.Dr. Cheryl Carrico P.E., Virginia Tech Cheryl Carrico is a Research faculty member for Virginia Tech. Her current research focus relates to STEM career pathways (K-12 through early career) and
, 2018), and during theimplementation of the curriculum in homeschool settings (e.g. Dandridge et al., 2019). In allthese studies, we have observed evidence of children engaging in both engineering and CTpractices. The project involved various researchers including faculty members, postdoctoralscholars, staff professionals, and graduate and undergraduate students. Throughout the four yearsof the project, more than 60 kindergarten, first, and second grade in-service teachers participatedin the study. The participating teachers were from 15 different public elementary schools and oneprivate elementary school within five different school districts. Four homeschool educators werealso included. More than 1,000 kindergarten to second grade