Impact of an Engineering Service Learning Program on Dual Credit High School Student Interests in Engineering (Evaluation)

J. Jill Rogers; Amy Annette Rogers; James C. Baygents

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Conference: 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Publication Date: June 23, 2018
Start Date: June 23, 2018
End Date: July 27, 2018
Conference Session: Program Evaluation Studies
Tagged Division: Pre-College Engineering Education
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 12
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--30600
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/30600
Download Count: 332

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Paper Authors

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J. Jill Rogers University of Arizona

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J. Jill Rogers is the assistant director for ENGR 102 HS at the University of Arizona. ENGR 102 HS is an AP-type, dual credit college level, introductory engineering course offered to high school students. In 2014, the ENGR 102 HS program won the ASEE best practices in K-12 and University partnerships award. Over the years Rogers has developed K-12 science summer camps, conducted K-12 educational research, developed engineering curricula for formal and informal education venues, and developed robotics outreach programs for children’s museums and K-12 schools. Rogers is a certified teacher and holds a Master’s of Science in Education. Her Master’s thesis topic examined middle school student attitudes towards robotics and focused on gender differences. She is a member of the National Science Teachers Association, Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O) and American Society for Engineering Education. Her interest lies in the K-12 pathways to engineering and ways to bring young people, particularly under represented populations, into STEM careers.

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Amy Annette Rogers Delaware State University

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Dr. Amy Rogers has an earned Ph.D. in Social Psychology. Her current appointment is as Associate Professor and former Chairperson of the Department of Psychology at Delaware State University. She specializes in areas surrounding social justice. Her current application of social justice principals is in the area of the access/success of women/girls to science, technology, engineering, and math education and careers for which she recently served two years at the National Science Foundation as a grant administrator. Dr. Rogers provides statistical and methodological consulting on a variety of research, evaluation, and assessment projects.

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James C. Baygents University of Arizona

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James C. Baygents is the associate dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Arizona. His primary responsibilities include academic affairs and recruitment, admissions and retention programs. Baygents is a member of the Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering (ChEE) and the Program in Applied Mathematics at the UA. He joined the Engineering faculty as an assistant professor in 1991, the same year he received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton University. He also holds an M.A. (Princeton, 1981) and a B.S. (Rice, 1980) in chemical engineering. Baygents has received the Arizona Mortar Board Senior Honor Society award for outstanding faculty service and the College of Engineering Award for Excellence at the Student Interface. In 1997, he was awarded an International Research Fellowship by the National Science Foundation for study at the University of Melbourne. Baygents is head of the ENGR 102 HS team that was recognized in 2014 by ASEE for best practices in K-12 University partnerships.

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Abstract

Impact of an Engineering Service Learning Program on Dual Credit High School Student Interests in Engineering (Evaluation)

Abstract Service Learning is a form of experiential education that allows students to apply knowledge learned in the classroom to solve a real community problem. This paper will examine the impact of an EPICS High service learning unit on the interests of high school students. The EPICS High unit is taught as part of a dual credit, introduction to engineering course offered by the University of Arizona. EPICS is a program that was developed at Purdue University to engage undergraduate students in real world engineering problems and to connect engineering with people and the local community needs. Today the EPICS program has been adapted for use in high school classrooms.

Data presented in this work were collected over three academic years. Participants were 406 high school juniors and seniors, 325 male and 81 female, who engaged in engineering service projects in their community as part of their ENGR 102 HS course. Data from all ENGR 102 HS students (n=1363) were also examined. Large numbers of participants came from groups typically underrepresented in engineering, including Hispanic students who make up forty percent of the sample. Results showed that EPICS High students who identified as Hispanic/Latino were more likely to express an interest in studying engineering than EPICS High students not identifying as such. Students who identified as Hispanic/Latino who participated in an EPICS high service learning project also showed a stronger interest in studying engineering in college than students of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity in an ENGR 102HS course without the service learning portion. Eighty percent of all the participants reported that participation in the EPICS High unit increased their interest in engineering and no significant gender differences were found. Participants also reported improved capabilities in the areas of teamwork, leadership and communication.

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Rogers, J. J., & Rogers, A. A., & Baygents, J. C. (2018, June), Impact of an Engineering Service Learning Program on Dual Credit High School Student Interests in Engineering (Evaluation) Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--30600