Post on 23-Dec-2015
Department of Veterans AffairsNSF Research Experience for Teachers through the Lens of Rehabilitation Engineering Design
Department of Veterans Affairs
Mary Goldberg, PhD
Jon Pearlman, PhD
Education & Outreach Project Director
Assistant Professor
Department of Rehabilitation Science and TechnologySchool of Health and Rehabilitation SciencesHuman Engineering Research Laboratories
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Background: Departmental Structure
• Rehabilitation Science & Technology• Human Engineering Research
Laboratories– Veterans Affairs Research Center
– NSF ERC (QoLT)
– Education & OutreachPrograms
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Guiding Framework
• Increase number of students with disabilities in STEM disciplines• Retain individuals who have re-entered the pipeline• Insert participatory action design into engineering curricula• Empower practitioners and end-users with QoLT
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Background: Product Development• Resources
– Design & fabrication facilities
– 5 full-time staff
– Lots of AT users
– Close ties to AT businesses
– Multidisciplinary faculty & students
• Successes– 5 products
– 3 patents awarded; 9 pending
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Technology Innovations for People with Disabilities (TIPeD) Target Populations
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Background: Design Curricula
Fall
TIPeD-C: Fundamentals of
Rehab Design and Fabrication
FabLab
Spring
TIPeD-C: Rehab Design Project
FabLab
REV/T
Summer
TIPeD-P: [facilitated in collaboration with
the NSF REU program] and with business and law
students
RET
ELeVATE
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RET History • Initiated by NSF in 2001 to involve middle &
high school teachers in engineering research to bring engineering & tech innovation to the classroom
• 3-5 year grants to universities • Involvement since 2007• Multiple collaborations across Pitt & CMU,
namely the Learning Research & Development Center
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Integration of Veterans
• National Science Foundation supplement to support R&D experiences for veterans
• Collaborative veteran/teacher teams (REV/T)
• Supports transition to college by building and expanding upon skills learned in military
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Veterans + R&D College• Preparation for the classroom• Often a non-traditional student,
student with a disability • Supports a culture of trust &
connectedness (8 Keys to Success)• Cross-mentoring opportunities
between teachers & veterans
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Program Model & Philosophy• Attractive & engaging topic across populations
• End-user involvement
• Design is iterative and interdisciplinary – Product development
– Curriculum development
• Collaborative learning
• Design-based learning
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Timeline• February 1: turn in application (including
support letter from school principal) • March-May: engineering design course 1
evening/week• July: 4 week curriculum workshop• Fall ‘14: design-based learning unit aligned
with standards in RET participants’ classroom
• January ‘15: student design competition• March ‘15: option for repeat participation
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RET Program Flow
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Spring: Research & Development Experience
• Goals– Design course
– Complete a team product design project resulting in a functioning prototype and written report to include business plan
• Participants
• Process– Flipped classroom
– Discussion based
– Experiential learning through R&D activities
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RET Class Structure
• Product Design and Development Textbook complemented by short online lectures
• Required weekly class attendance (14 weeks)• Weekly assignments [Critical]• Class time devoted to activities related to
project and skill development– Computer Aided Design / Computer Aided Manufacturing– Prototyping and Fabrication Lab
• Group project – Weekly deliverables include design and prototyping &
fabrication– Business Plan/Commercialization plan– Design Brief - Introduction; background; methodology;
models; tests; futurework– Functional prototype
Spring: Research & Development Experience
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• Google services as a hub for all course related documentation– Drive, documents, hangout and email
• Lecture video and slides posted online, 1 week in advance
• Syllabus for class activities, assignments and pre-reading requirements
RET Class StructureSpring: Research & Development Experience
Department of Veterans Affairs
RET Material/Software Provided• Product Design & Development (Ulrich &
Eppinger, 5th edition)• Autodesk Inventor Professional
– Available for free download at http://www.autodesk.com/education/student-software
• Rapid prototyping for quick prototype fabrication– MakerBot Replicator 2X
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• Project Overview – Activity Monitoring Device Case
– Adaptive Hunting Device
– Wheelchair Positioning Apparatus
– Meter Feeder
Spring: Research & Development Experience
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Summer: Professional Development
• Complete 4-week curriculum development workshop
• Receive Act 48 credits• Complete a design-based learning
unit– E.g. prosthetic limb
• Veterans complete research and development in college transition program
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Fall: Curriculum Implementation
• Complete ~6-week design-based learning unit aligned to math & science standards – Cross-curricular
• Classroom visits by RET program staff• Prepare students for design competition
– Student teams of 4
– May include conducting individual classroom (or multi-classroom, where applicable) competitions
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Fall/Spring: Design Competition
• Participate in design competition– Artifact, poster, video
– Grand prize team(s) receive internship
– Best Design, Math, Presentation, & Science
• Novel online competition format – Peer review software
– Engineers, designers, & AT expert judges
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Assessment Methods
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Assessment Methods & Additional Research• Design self-efficacy
– Teachers, veterans, students
• Product review
• Design canvas
• IDEATE
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Outcomes• 70 teachers• 6 veterans• 1,000+ students• New approach to math & science
integration• Online design competition method
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Results and Future Work • Lessons learned
– Instructor perceptions
– Feedback from RET mentor & participant surveys
• Changes for future cohorts
• Research questions
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Acknowledgements & Questions• Mahender Mandala, MS• Financial support
– University of Pittsburgh
– Human Engineering Research Laboratories
– NSF Research Experience for Teachers
– NCIIA
– NSF QOLT ERC
• Our clients• RET participants and previous trainees