ASU Engineering and Education: DET Expansion for K-12 Teachers

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

PROPOSAL NO.: 0230726 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Crouch, Peter INSTITUTION NAME: Arizona State University TITLE: ASU Engineering and Education: DET Expansion for K-12 Teachers ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to position the College Engineering and Applied Sciences and the College of Education at Arizona State University for successful infusion of Design/Engineering/Technology (DET) concepts throughout the complete range of teacher education experiences, including pre-service and post-baccalaureate programs. The project is led by the College of Engineering but includes the full participation of the College of Education. A team of faculty and administrators from both colleges will explore ways in which DET can be infused into all aspects of teacher education and ultimately used to anchor instruction in science and math education. Part of the team will design and teach a pilot course that will be used as a tool to conduct research and collect the data needed to inform both engineering and education faculty on best ways of incorporating DET concepts. The goals of the project include 1) identifying curricular and pedagogical needs of teachers and university faculty for implementing DET, 2) developing a DET-based pilot course as a research tool for exploring DET in the curriculum, 3) crafting a set of recommendations for a comprehensive implementation of DET in teacher education, 4) developing models for the appropriate points in the professional development sequence for DET, 5) determining the effectiveness of the pilot on instructional practices, curricular choices and student understanding of DET and engineering careers, and 5) developing models that extend DET to pre-service education through methods classes and general education courses. The intellectual merits of this planning grant include a re-conceptualizing part of the science and mathematics component of teacher education and bringing technological design, as addressed in the standards, to the forefront of k-12 science and mathematics instruction.