RET Site: Engineering Design Challenges and Research Experiences for Secondary and Community College Teachers

University Of Cincinnati Main Campus, Cincinnati OH

Investigators

Abstract

This Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program, Engineering Design Challenges and Research Experiences for Secondary and Community College Teachers, at the University of Cincinnati (UC), creates opportunities for secondary school instructors of engineering, math, physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science from 15 local school districts and faculty from 5 local community colleges to participate in ongoing research projects conducted by professors of engineering at UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science. Recruitment will focus on both minority teachers and districts with high minority populations so that a benefit of improving diversity in future STEM professions may be impacted. Taking their newly acquired research knowledge back to the classroom, participants will create and implement units of instruction that tie the research to the curriculum, encourage team work and problem-solving, and link science and math to real world applications. By doing so, they will inspire and encourage students to continue taking coursework in STEM disciplines and pursue careers in STEM fields. Over a 7-week period each summer, UC will host a cohort of 10 secondary school teachers and 3 community college faculty participants from schools that encompass a diverse population of students. The program goals are to: 1) educate and enrich science and math RET participants' content delivery in their classrooms by exploring the engineering design-and-challenge instructional process and the critical research skills used by engineers to solve open-ended real-world problems, 2) improve grades 6-14 student science and math achievement and stimulate interest in STEM careers as a result of better instruction delivered by RET participants trained in engineering content and design-based instruction, and 3) support RET participants in becoming leaders by applying their research experiences in their classrooms and communicating those experiences to their peers. Five engineering research project topics will provide research experiences addressing National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grand Challenges in Water, Energy, Brain, Infrastructure and Cyberspace. An Engineering Faculty Member and a Graduate Research Assistant will mentor a team of two participants; a RET Resource Person will train, support, and critique the work of the participants; and an Engineering Education Resource Person will educate the teachers on engineering disciplines and occupations, how engineers use the design process to solve real world challenges, and assist them in the development of an appropriate engineering challenge for their own classes. Each participant will develop a unique curricular unit and poster and each team will produce a research project report which includes a classroom implementation plan, a PowerPoint presentation, a short research video, and a draft of a journal article during the summer. Each participant will implement the curricular unit in at least one classroom during the following academic year. Results will be disseminated to other participants through a dedicated website and a regional Annual STEM Conference.