EAGER: MAKER: Engaging Math Students with 3d Printing for STEM Success

Whatcom Community College, Bellingham WA

Investigators

Abstract

The significance of this study is that it seeks to use a Maker space to improve success rate of a gatekeeper course in community college, Precalculus II, which is required course for most STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students. This project aims to drastically improve completion rates for this make-or-break course for most community colleges. The researcher will investigate whether 3d printing, infused at this critical juncture, can save students from falling off the STEM pathway and instead use 3d printing to help unlock STEM potential and passion in students who would not otherwise stay in, or gravitate toward STEM. The intellectual merit of the research is that it builds off of Maker movement momentum and the institution's recent acquisition of its first 3d printer. The research piece of the project hypothesizes that by "flipping" the College's Precalculus II class with 3d curriculum and adding an optional hands-on lab component, success rate can be improved. The potential impact 3d printing has on retaining STEM students and students' long-term memory of key math concepts will also be explored. One of the significant broader impacts is that faculty will be better equipped to teach concepts that are tough for most to visualize, let alone grasp. With the efforts described, students will literally be able to grasp the desired concepts as 3d printing offers a vast array of tools not previously available to faculty or students. This project is a part of NSF's Maker Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) portfolio (NSF 15-086), a collaborative investment of Directorates for Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE), Education and Human Resources (EHR) and Engineering (ENG).