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Session 2550

PLTW: One State’s Perspective

Levelle Burr-Alexander, Howard Kimmel, and Ronald Rockland

Center for Pre-College Programs and Newark College of Engineering New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, New Jersey 07102

Abstract

Despite today’s growth in the age of knowledge, information and technology, the enrollment and conferring of undergraduate degrees in engineering and engineering technology continues to fall short of the nation’s demands. In the state of New Jersey, from 1998-2002, only ~5.3% of the degrees awarded were in engineering and engineering technology (NJ Commission on Higher Education, 2003). In 2002, New Jersey Institute of Technology became the sixth university affiliate of a national pre-engineering program called Project Lead The Way (PLTW), as one strategy to increase the pool of New Jersey secondary school students interested and prepared to enroll, and graduate from post-secondary, undergraduate engineering-related programs. PLTW trains secondary school teachers to implement one middle school and six high school yearlong courses.

This paper presents a state’s perspective on the impact of the skills development and implementation of PLTW on secondary school educators, students and guidance counselors throughout New Jersey over the past four and a half years. Currently, 68 teachers in New Jersey have been trained to implement this program in 7 middle schools and 20 high schools represented by 21 public school districts. The institutionalization of this pre-engineering program across a profile of different high school environments is examined. We explore the similarities and differences of implementation within a “magnet” high school and a comprehensive school. Perspectives of both teachers and students are included.

Introduction

There has been a dramatic shift in the national workforce over the past decades from an age of information to knowledge. Thee next decades will require a more knowledgeable high- technology workforce. The National Science Board has reported that the need for engineers is increasing at a faster rate than other professions, yet the current trend in the national enrollment, at the post-secondary level, may not be able to meet the national demand.1 The authors present one state’s perspective on addressing the issue of increasing the enrollment

Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright ©2004, American Society for Engineering Education

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Rockland, R., & Burr-Alexander, L., & Kimmel, H. (2004, June), Pltw: One State's Perspective Paper presented at 2004 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--12886