K-12 Engineering Subcommittee

May 12, 2005 Update

Subcommittee Members• Janie Fouke – Michigan State University• Pat Galloway – Nielsen-Wurster Grp/ASCE• Gary May – GA Inst. of Technology• Susan Metz – Stevens Inst. Technology• Rick Miller – Olin College of Engineering• Jackie Sullivan – Univ. Colorado Boulder• Assisted by NSF Staff:

– Sue Kemnitzer – Mary Poats

• Science and math performance of our nation’s youth• Flat — and declining — engineering enrollments• Women & minority students conspicuously under-represented• Public perception of engineers / engineering/ technology sad• Preparing youth for change in a complex world

The Motivation…

Science & Engineering Degrees

Asia = China, India, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Natural science = math, physics, chemistry, astronomy, biological, and earth, atmospheric, ocean, agricultural sciences and

computer sciences.Source: Science & Engineering Indicators, 2002

U.S. Asia

BS Engineering Degrees - 2003

Degrees by Ethnicity & Gender

Women 20.4%

African American 5.1%

Hispanic 5.4%

Source: ASEE PRISM, September 2004

All lower than 1999!

African Americans, Latinosand Native Americans comprise

30% of college-age people, and 25% of the U.S. workforce

K-12 Subcommittee Charge Summarize ENG ’00-’05 investment in K-

12 engineering Evaluate effectiveness of various NSF or

ENG K-12 engineering program features Decipher which elements show promise and

may merit further investment Ascertain initiatives that

“harvest” ENG K-12 investments and trulydisseminate results

K-12 Subcommittee Charge Evaluate if NSF-funded K-12 engineering

initiatives support the reality of the standards-based K-12 world

Recognizing the K-Grey continuum, recommend if programs should be better linked to encourage student participation

K-12 Subcommittee Charge Evaluate if smaller ERC-like programs

should be developed to bridge between programs at an institution

Determine if ENG has aK-12 investment plan

If so, evaluate and react to it

Make recommendations to ENG re: K-12 investment

Key K-12 Questions Considering the challenge with

engineering enrollments, should ENG respond (and not rely on EHR or Dept of Ed)?

Should ENG invest in K-12 initiatives? If yes, designed to achieve what goals?

What can be gained by K-12 engineering initiatives when the public message about engineering is not invitingto youth?

Key K-12 Questions If ENG should invest in K-12, what % of

the budget should be allocated to this priority?

Should AP engineering courses be created that focus on working togetherto create things for the benefit of society?(pedagogy is key)

Should initiatives be funded to disseminate what’s already been created?

K-12 Subcommittee PlanSynthesize recommendations in these reports

as they relate to K-12 engineering: Engineer 2020 (NAE) Assessing the Capacity of the U.S. Engineering

Research Enterprise (NAE) Innovate America: National Innovation Initiative Strategic Directions for Engineering Research,

Innovation & Education (NSF) Extraordinary Women Engineers (ASCE) Building Engineering and Science Talent in

K-12 (BEST)

K-12 Subcommittee Plan Evaluate ENG initiatives that invest in K-12

Effective? Why or why not? Worth expanding? Changing?

Focus on dissemination of what’s already been created

Be driven by realities of standards-based K-12 world

Preliminary recommendations Nov ’05; final report January 2006

Summarize ENG K-12 Investment

ENG Directorate ($39M and counting):– GK-12 $11.3M (’00-’05)– RET $13.7M (incl. $2.5 M supplements;

’01-’05)– Bridges for Engineering Education $9M

(’02-’04)– Nanotech Cntr for Learning & Teaching

(NCLT) $5M (’04-’08)NSDL: 8 engineering-related projects

(no ENG $$ contribution to date)

• The challenge is great…• …so are the opportunities!

Creating Tomorrow’s Engineers…Creating Tomorrow’s Engineers…

Last Thought…Last Thought…

“It is our choices, Harry Potter,

that show what we truly are,

far more than our abilities.”

--- Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster

Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry

Feedback?

• Suggestions?

Title

What Do Engineers Do?2003 1998

Build/construct/make things 38% 26%

Design/draw/plan 19% 27%

Mechanic/mechanical work 9% 2%

Train operator 7% 5%

Create/are creative 3% 3%

Mathematics/physics 3% 2%

Develop new technologies 3% -

Application of technology 2% -

Work with computers 2% -

Source: Harris Poll, December 2003

TeachEngineering Digital Library• Hands-on engineering curricula for grades 3-12• Web-enabled• Standards-based• Searchable• Dynamic• Consistent look and feel• See teachengineering.com

Engineering as a vehicle to integrate math and science through inquiry-based

K-12 curricula and hands-on activities relevant to the lives of youth

Search example:

Find engineering lessons about the laws of motion

that address national science standard 2 for

5th grade…