Engaging Preservice Science Teachers in Engineering

University Of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville TN

Investigators

Abstract

PROPOSAL NO.: 0230617 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Seat, Janie INSTITUTION NAME: University of Tennessee Knoxville TITLE: Engaging Preservice Science Teachers in Engineering ABSTRACT Success in engineering is strongly dependent on the quality of a student's secondary mathematics and science education. Unfortunately, many middle school and high school teachers in Tennessee do not know enough about engineering or the engineering education process to prepare their students adequately for the rigors of engineering degree programs. Together with the University of Tennessee (UT) College of Education, the UT freshman engineering engage program is proposing to develop and test novel methods of educating secondary science teachers about these topics, and to thereby increase the quantity and quality of students entering engineering degree programs. A pilot program will bring preservice science teachers from the UT College of Education will spend ten hours each week learning firsthand about engineering education by working in engages Physical Homework class. Participants will also take a Special Topics course in Education in which they will be encouraged to apply the knowledge that they gain from their science education experiences in engage to the secondary science classroom. At the end of the year, faculty members from both Education and Engineering will evaluate the pilot program to determine whether or not it would be an effective way to increase the engineering content in the existing preservice science curriculum. This program leverages facilities and expertise from two different colleges to work on the problem of science teacher preparation. This problem is one of actual preparation as the role of the College of Education and from the College of Engineering, a customer of science preparation. This program puts the best resources of teaching pedagogy and understanding applied science together to improve and educational resource.