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STEM-based Projects to Integrate the Undergraduate ECE Program with the K-12 STEM Curriculum

Introduction

This paper discusses how electrical and computer engineering (ECE) projects with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) components will integrate the undergraduate degree programs in ECE with the K-12 STEM-based curriculum. The high school students in the K-12 school programs participate in an Engineering Day event. During this event, the students work on the ECE projects selected to have the necessary STEM components that enable the student to observe and relate scientific theory to engineering design principles and practices. The Engineering Day at Gannon University will form the direct outreach component of University partnership program with K-12 schools to (a) raise the level of awareness among K-12 students of the promising careers in the engineering disciplines upon graduation with baccalaureate and/or advanced degrees (b) establish and sustain the dialog between the K-12 schools and Gannon University to encourage the K-12 school students to pursue and excel in subjects with STEM components (c) promote the interaction between the engineering faculty at Gannon University and the K-12 school students through activities which deliver critical STEM components.

Recently, the ECE department at Gannon University, Erie, PA organized two Engineering Day events in its system integration laboratory. The laboratory accommodated nearly 105 high school students in six hour-long sessions with up to 20 students in each session. During each session, the students worked on a traffic signal control circuit. The project activities comprised the following steps (1) complete the design of the circuit (2) test the operation of the circuit. Two ECE faculty members and sixteen ECE students currently enrolled in the undergraduate ECE program coordinated the project activities. The students followed step-wise instructions to assemble and test the circuit. Each student completed a survey at the end of the session. The survey consisted of two sections. The quantitative section asked the student to grade (on a scale from 0 to 5) the effectiveness of the project activity to stimulate their interest in ECE system design. The qualitative section asked the student to comment on the overall experience. Through the STEM-based ECE project activities during the Engineering Day events in the future, the ECE department at Gannon University expects to achieve the following (a) encourage K-12 students to consider careers in ECE (b) strengthen or increase the undergraduate enrollment in ECE (c) integrate the undergraduate ECE program with the K-12 STEM curriculum.

The University partnership with K-12 STEM schools to integrate K-12 STEM learning with the engineering disciplines at institutes of higher education comprises (a) direct

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Sundaram, R., & Zheng, Q. (2010, June), Stem Based Projects To Integrate The Undergraduate Electrical And Computer Engineering Program With The K 12 Stem Curriculum Paper presented at 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, Louisville, Kentucky. 10.18260/1-2--16777