Let Engineers Teach Engineering in K-12

Western Washington University, Bellingham WA

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national need for K-12 engineering education by creating an engineering teaching certification (ETC) pathway, offered during four-year engineering undergraduate programs to prepare graduates to teach in local middle and high schools in northwest Washington state. Students in K-12 settings should have the opportunity to see themselves as engineers from an early age. Yet, the current quantity and quality of engineering instruction in K-12 schools varies considerably based on capacity and resources. By designing a novel engineering teaching certification program in collaboration with K-12 partners, this project seeks to cultivate a community of high-quality educators to teach engineering in these schools. This project is intended to help ensure all middle and high school students have the opportunity to consider engineering as a future career. A more diverse engineering workforce promotes creative solutions and enables engineers to help solve problems of concern for their own communities. This project at Western Washington University will develop local partnerships with schools, educational agencies, and industry. The project will address three goals: (1) determining needs and capacity for the ETC model, (2) creating a plan to utilize the needs and capacity assessment findings in conjunction with the existing engineering certification resources toward building a unique ETC program at Western Washington University, and (3) constructing a sustainable ETC model with the collaboration of the project partners. The project's evaluation will include collecting data to determine the integrity of the needs assessment and collaborative processes and the extent to which the university, participating schools, and community partners are authentically involved in the processes that form the basis for the ETC program. This project has the potential to address a gap in engineering education by generating a vision and model for increased opportunities across the Nation. This capacity-building project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the effectiveness and retention of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.