ABSTRACT
In addition to being an employment requirement for in-service high school educators, professional development (PD) workshops in STEM fields are vital for keeping up with new innovations in both theory and practice. Integrating cross-cutting engineering concepts into a PD STEM program provides a unique opportunity for both teachers and students. Students gain a deeper understanding of individual concepts and the relationship among the components of STEM. Teachers benefit from demonstration of how this integration of concepts can be practically carried out in their classrooms. The goals of the PD institute were to 1) integrate industrial technology, engineering technology and computer science constructs into core math and science high school curriculum (Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry and Physics);2) advance teacher knowledge in the core science subjects with emphasis on misconceptions;3) introduce/reinforce the engineering design process;and 4) due to COVID-19 constraints, to introduce teachers to online simulation platforms for at-home and in-class discovery of scientific concepts. Delivered as a six-day workshop in Summer 2020, the PD institute continued throughout the school year to offer continued support and form a Professional Learning Community (PLC). Due to restrictions from COVID-19, the entire workshop was delivered virtually and instruction was offered to assist with remote delivery of classes and science labs in the upcoming school year. The program covers multidisciplinary engineering science and education technology topics including misconceptions in physical science, misconceptions in biological science, visual programming, CAD and 3D printing, electrical circuit simulation, and overview of online teaching technologies. In addition to instruction and continuing education credit, the teachers received classroom materials to support them in delivering these STEM contents in their schools including a 3D printer for each participating school. This paper represents the current work in progress as part of a comprehensive initiative, which also includes a ten-day summer program for high school students, to serve diverse students and educators from underrepresented communities. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
ABSTRACT
The experience of delivering a STEM focused summer program to pre-college students is not novel, however, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the choice to offer such a program virtually to a diverse underrepresented population of 9-12th graders in rural Louisiana posed a great opportunity to reach an otherwise underserved segment of the population. This however is not without unique challenges. The ten-day summer program included applications of engineering principles across disciplines in a virtual setting. The program consisted of 8 different modules as daily themed mini-camps covering the areas of mechatronics, CAD & 3D printing, cyber security, biological sciences, physical science, architectural design, environmental engineering, and chemical engineering. Through several hands-on activities and interactive simulations, students practiced many engineering concepts including the engineering design process, drafting and 3D modeling, energy conversions, sustainability and clean energy, microcontroller coding, and internet security. This program was one segment of a comprehensive on-going initiative to serve students and educators from underrepresented communities which also includes a professional development program for in-service STEM educators. The program for educators is ongoing and is designed to provide them with the tools and experiences that are necessary to offer continued support and specific instruction to their students at their local schools. This paper will serve as an investigation of such a program and detail both the delivery and specific challenges encountered as well as discuss the solutions that were implemented and lessons learned. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
ABSTRACT
The experience of delivering a STEM focused summer program to pre-college students is not novel, however, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the choice to offer such a program virtually to a diverse underrepresented population of 9-12th graders in rural Louisiana posed a great opportunity to reach an otherwise underserved segment of the population. This however is not without unique challenges. The ten-day summer program included applications of engineering principles across disciplines in a virtual setting. The program consisted of 8 different modules as daily themed mini-camps covering the areas of mechatronics, CAD & 3D printing, cyber security, biological sciences, physical science, architectural design, environmental engineering, and chemical engineering. Through several hands-on activities and interactive simulations, students practiced many engineering concepts including the engineering design process, drafting and 3D modeling, energy conversions, sustainability and clean energy, microcontroller coding, and internet security. This program was one segment of a comprehensive on-going initiative to serve students and educators from underrepresented communities which also includes a professional development program for in-service STEM educators. The program for educators is ongoing and is designed to provide them with the tools and experiences that are necessary to offer continued support and specific instruction to their students at their local schools. This paper will serve as an investigation of such a program and detail both the delivery and specific challenges encountered as well as discuss the solutions that were implemented and lessons learned. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021