Informal Pathways to Engineering
- Conference
- Location
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Atlanta, Georgia
- Publication Date
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June 23, 2013
- Start Date
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June 23, 2013
- End Date
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June 26, 2013
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Topic
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NSF Grantees Poster Session
- Page Count
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11
- Page Numbers
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23.747.1 - 23.747.11
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--19761
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/19761
- Download Count
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600
Paper Authors
Monica E Cardella
Purdue University, West Lafayette
orcid.org/0000-0002-4229-6183
Dr. Monica Cardella is an assistant professor of engineering education at Purdue University. She is also the director of Informal Learning Environments Research for the Institute for P-12 Engineering Learning and Research (INSPIRE). She conducts research on undergraduate engineering students' design and mathematical thinking in formal and informal contexts in addition to research on how children develop engineering thinking in informal learning environments.
Marisa Wolsky WGBH Educational Foundation
Marisa Wolsky is an executive producer at WGBH Educational Foundation with over 20 years of experience turning STEM content into entertaining and educational media. Ms. Wolsky is the principal investigator for the NSF-funded series Design Squad, for which she oversees all aspects of the production, translating its engineering content into entertaining across many platforms. She is also senior producer for the NSF-funded preschool science series Peep and the Big Wide World, responsible for managing its production and working closely with the series’ advisors to oversee the implementation of Peep’s educationally rich science curriculum. Prior to this, she worked on the development and production of many children’s series, including Long Ago and Far Away, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?, Arthur, and ZOOM. Ms. Wolsky holds a B.A. in American Studies from Barnard College at Columbia University.
Christine Andrews Paulsen Concord Evaluation Group
Dr. Christine Andrews Paulsen is founder of Concord Evaluation Group (CEG) in Massachusetts. Dr. Paulsen holds a Ph.D. in education research, evaluation, and measurement from the University of Pennsylvania. She has been conducting evaluation research since 1990 and, prior to CEG, worked for the Institute for Social Analysis and the American Institutes for Research. Dr. Paulsen routinely directs evaluations of STEM-related projects in informal settings, focusing on learners as well as practitioners. Her main research interest lies in evaluating the use of learning technologies that hold the promise of enhancing the lives of traditionally underprivileged populations (children, parents, and communities).
Tamecia R. Jones
Purdue University, West Lafayette
orcid.org/0000-0003-4229-3975
Tamecia Jones received a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University, a M.A. in Learning, Design, and Technology from Stanford University, and a M.Div. from Boston University School of Theology. She taught middle school math and science for three years, consulted with pre-college programs, and nonprofits and museums. The focus of her doctoral research is assessment in K-12 engineering education.
Abstract
Informal Pathways to Engineering Roughly 85% of a child's time (waking hours) is spent in out-‐of-‐school settings. Therefore, as we consider increasing pre-‐college students' awareness of engineering, along with the need to broaden diverse participation in engineering and promote a more engineering-‐literate populous, it is important to not only consider how children learn about engineering in school environments, but also how they learn about engineering in out-‐of-‐school settings. This project seeks to investigate the effect of informal, out-‐of-‐school learning activities on students' interest in engineering and decisions to engage in engineering-‐related activities (leading to choices to study engineering in college). The study builds on the success of the "Design Squad," an NSF-‐funded, multimedia program for middle school children that includes television episodes broadcast nationally on PBS, an interactive website, and hands-‐on engineering activities. The study uses a longitudinal study design where children, parents and educators (both classroom teachers and informal educators) are interviewed and surveyed to collect data, which will be analyzed using social cognitive career theory. The broader significance and importance of this project will be to support the informal engineering field's ability to inspire more children to pursue engineering pathways (from initial interest in engineering to choices in college majors and an ultimate career as a professional engineer). The project builds on strong partnerships with many youth organizations, such as the Girl Scouts of the USA, FIRST and the National Engineers Week Foundation. This project includes not only a research program, but also the development of new web-‐resources that can further promote children's interest in and understanding of engineering.
Cardella, M. E., & Wolsky, M., & Paulsen, C. A., & Jones, T. R. (2013, June), Informal Pathways to Engineering Paper presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--19761
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