Infinity-project.org The Institute for Engineering Education Engineering Education for today’s...

infinity-project.orgThe Institute for Engineering Education

Engineering Education for today’s classroom.

The Infinity ProjectSM

Bringing Engineering Education to High Schools Across the Country

infinity-project.org

Engineering Education for Today’s Classroom

The Institute for Engineering Education



What is The Infinity ProjectSM?

Award Winning High School and Early College Engineering Education Program

A year long course approved by the TEA Based in The Institute for Engineering Education Appropriate for:

High School Students: Sophomores – Seniors– Completed Algebra II & one lab based science

Early college students Hands-on application of math & science to topics

of interest to students Internet, cell phones, electronic music



The Infinity Engineering Curriculum

High School: Typically offered as a stand-alone course lasting for one year.

Categories – Math, Science, Career and TechnologySome schools offer the course as a two year sequence or

incorporate the materials and classroom technology into existing courses.

Universities: Offer the curriculum to their freshman students – typically EE/CE/CS



Key Elements to Infinity Project Success

Two Key Elements for the Program’s Success

1. Award winning, high quality program

2. Easy for schools to implement

Added benefits: low cost works with existing teacher base significant classroom support high impact



Focus of the Curriculum

Built off of the simple truth about engineering:

basic math + basic technology = cool stuff

Fun to learn; fun to teach! Rooted in math and science Hands-on, loaded with design projects

Emphasizes creativity Students learn to “think like engineers” and apply math to

good, real problems



Award Winning Curriculum

Provide Instructor with “Complete Solution” for Implementing Curriculum Textbook - published August 2003

Robotics chapters added December 2003 Student Lab Manual Instructor’s Guide

Frequently Asked Questions Homework Solutions Sample Test Questions

Daily Lesson Plan Objectives, Materials Instructional Strategy, Homework Assignments

Presentation Slides



Classroom Technology:The Infinity Technology Kit

The Complete Classroom Technology Solution Turns a standard PC into an engineering design platform.

Integrated extensively throughout the curriculum.

Supports hundreds of exciting engineering design projects.

Low-cost kit manufactured by National Instruments and Texas Instruments includes:

Cutting Edge TI DSP technology

Visual Application Builder (VAB) Software for Infinity

All the peripherals you need



Key Course Objectives

The student develops an understanding of the engineering design process.

The student uses a variety of technological devices to design, build, and test engineering concepts.

The student applies mathematical and science knowledge to engineering technology.

The student explores the connections between humans and technology to enhance the human utility of engineering designs.

Inspire students to pursue higher level math & science



Course Outline

Chapter 1 - The World of Modern Engineering Chapter 2 - Creating Digital Music Chapter 3 - Making Digital Images Chapter 4 - Math You Can See Chapter 5 - Digitizing the World Chapter 6 - Coding Information for Storage and Secrecy Chapter 7 - Communicating With Ones and Zeros Chapter 8 - Networks From the Telegraph to the Internet Chapter 9 - The Big Picture of Engineering



Making Math Relevant

Polynomials

E-commerce

Sines and Cosines

Wireless communications

Matrices

Special Effects



Student Impact

Qualitative survey prepared for TEA reported that80% of students completing program report a

“very strong interest” in pursuing engineering.95% learned new math conceptsNearly 100% would “recommend course to friend.”



Infinity Students



Program Breadth

AlabamaArizona

CaliforniaColorado

ConnecticutDistrict Columbia

MichiganMississippiMissouri

New JerseyNew Mexico

New YorkOhio

GeorgiaHawaiiIllinoisIowa

KentuckyLouisiana

OklahomaOregonTexasUtah

VirginiaWest Virginia

Currently in 160 schools - Public, Private, Magnet 55 new school applicants for 2006-2007

Gaining international interest - Ireland, Australia, Mexico, Netherlands



Professional Development Institutes

Week long summer training

Taught by Master Infinity Instructors

35 hours of Professional Dev. Credit

Hosted on University campus

Hands-on and valuable

Enriching, relevant and fun



Typical Total Program Costs

Professional Development for Teachers $750 $750/teacher plus travel expenses

Classroom Technology Acquisition $4,000 $400/kit – typically 10 kits per classroom

Course Materials (Prentice Hall) $1,300 $50/Textbook “Engineering: Our Digital Future” $15/Student Lab Manual for 20 students

_______

Approx. cost per Classroom $6,050Note: Assumes existing personal computers (Windows 2003) – one per Infinity kit



Current Partners

Universities, corporations, government agencies and many others



Expansion: University Partnerships

Working with University Partners to promote Infinity

Infinity part of outreach to local schoolsHost Professional Development InstitutesInvite principals, math, science teachers to info

sessions

University of Central Florida

University of Houston

Georgia Institute of Technology

Southern Methodist University

Santa Clara University

DeVry University And othersUniversity of Texas – San Antonio



Creating Awareness

Reaching 60,000 Educators at Key 2006 Conferences T^3 InternationalNational Science Teachers Association National

ConventionNational Council Teachers of Mathematics Annual

Meeting

Infinity Project E-mail NewsletterDelivered to 1000+ Infinity friends & prospects

twice/semester



Criteria for Infinity Schools

Committed school administrators. Motivated and qualified instructor(s): math, science,

or technology certified instructors with moderate comfort level using computer programs.

Energetic students with the appropriate prerequisites: sophomore, juniors or seniors who have completed Algebra II and one lab science course.

Sufficient lab equipment and space.



Becoming an Infinity School

Complete & submit application prior to June 30, 2006 Interview conducted with school principal & instructor Schools acquire classroom technology & textbooks Teachers attend summer training Teachers begin teaching course 2006-2007



www.infinity-project.org

Visit the website to download this PowerPoint, a DVD describing the program, teacher comments, sample

materials, and all the application forms.

How do I learn more about the Infinity Project?

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