Adding E into STEM to Teach & Inspire Future Engineers

Published in: Innovation in Engineering, Technology and Education for Competitiveness and Prosperity: Proceedings of the 11th Latin American and Caribbean Conference for Engineering and Technology
Date of Conference: August 14-16, 2013
Location of Conference: Cancun, Mexico
Authors: Muge Mukaddes Darwish
Mary Frances Agnello
Refereed Paper: #286

Abstract:

The 21 st century’s dramatic technological revolution requires graduating more engineers to cope with new global exigencies and to develop new manufacturing processes and products, as well as manage energy, transportation and communications systems to prevent new and redress old environmental problems, create pioneering health care devices, and, in general, make technology respond to ever increasing demands (Flexner Report, 2007, Arnett and Van Horn, 2009). Despite this increased need for engineering professionals, the numbers of students studying engineering have declined in recent years, both in the United States and globally (Johnson and Russell, 2006). Many factors have contributed to this decline – including the difficulty of the curriculum, lack of well-prepared K-12 Sience , Technology , Engineering and Math(STEM) teachers, and the attractiveness of alternate paths to good technical jobs and uncertain employment paths for engineering graduates (Besterfield-Sacre Atman, & Schulman, 1997). Building student passion for engineering and science from an early age is one of the most important factors to prepare younger generations to become future engineers. Students need knowledge and inspiration in K-12 math and science classrooms, particularly in K-12 schools. Teachers can integrate their math and science knowledge into engineering principles in ways that engage learners in the world of the engineer. This paper will discuss the curricular innovations developed by Dr. Darwish to respond to the needs of in-service middle school teachers (master’s students) who are integrating engineering principles into their curricula.