An Investigation of the Impact of Strengthening the "T" and "E" Components of STEM in High School Biology and Chemistry Courses

Stevens Institute Of Technology, Hoboken NJ

Investigators

Abstract

Stevens Institute of Technology and the New Jersey Department of Education are addressing the DR-K12 challenge of assuring that all students have appropriate opportunities to learn significant STEM content. The project is developing high school biology and chemistry instructional materials that incorporate engineering design and inquiry activities closely linked to the content, while simultaneously introducing students to cutting-edge research in STEM fields. The goal of this project is to strengthen the technology and engineering components in high school STEM courses taken by a majority of students. The hypothesis is that increasing the presence of engineering and technological design at the high school level, specifically by integrating activities in bioengineering and chemical engineering into high school biology and chemistry classes, improves student understanding of science concepts and strengthens students? 21st Century skills more than traditional instructional methods. The study employs an experimental design with matched pairs of classrooms randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions. Instruction in the treatment group includes an engineering design activity in addition to the existing curriculum, while instruction in the control group consists of the existing curriculum and an additional activity presented via traditional methods. Changes in performance on achievement and skills tests for the matched pairs are then compared. Intellectual Merit: The study is intended to contribute to the body of research on the effectiveness of engineering design activities in improving student understanding of science concepts as compared to other teaching methods. An experienced, multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional research team and project advisors utilize rigorous methodologies to investigate the impact of engineering design activities on the learning of science content and 21st Century skills. Broader Impacts: This study contributes new knowledge to both state and national efforts to improve the effectiveness of STEM education at all levels for all students. By incorporating engineering design in high school science, students are exposed to engineering concepts and the interdisciplinary connections among science, technology, and engineering. Introducing engineering design concepts in courses with larger and more diverse enrollments helps to align public perceptions with reality, increases student enrollments in STEM courses, and enhances the diversity of students considering post-secondary engineering programs.