Building Bridges (but not with balsa wood) through Scalable Engineering Design Process Lessons

Betsy Chesnutt; Laura Knight

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Conference: 14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference
Location: University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee
Publication Date: July 30, 2023
Start Date: July 30, 2023
End Date: August 1, 2023
Conference Session: S2B: Workshop IV
Tagged Topic: Workshops
Page Count: 4
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--44818
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/44818
Download Count: 78

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Paper Authors

biography

Betsy Chesnutt University of Tennessee at Knoxville

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Betsy Chesnutt is a lecturer in Engineering Fundamentals at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. She is interested in understanding how to prepare pre-service teachers to teach engineering, as well as how to support current K-12 teachers so that they can implement engineering into K-12 classrooms more effectively.

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biography

Laura Knight University of Tennessee at Knoxville

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Laura Knight is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and an advocate for expanding the numbers of future engineers through education and community outreach.

Laura returned to academia after over 25 years of working in locations across the country and raising a family. She held engineering and manufacturing leadership roles with a variety of private and public companies, including President/Owner of a developing children’s discovery museum, which brought outreach programs to underserved populations.

Collaborating across communities, industries, and academic disciplines and developing innovative, effective methods of actively involving learners are both integral parts of her efforts and success.

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Abstract

Workshop Purpose: The purpose of this workshop is to expose STEM and first-year engineering educators to a greater depth and breadth of understanding of the engineering design process (EDP) in order to strengthen their self-efficacy with teaching engineering and ability to motivate student interest in learning engineering principles, and to provide educators with lesson plans and supplies to implement these skills immediately.

The goals of this workshop are to provide K-12 STEM educators with high-quality engineering lesson plans that they can utilize immediately, and to improve the self-efficacy of participants with teaching engineering in K-12. Although engineering is becoming increasingly important in K-12 education, research has demonstrated that, similar to the general population, K-12 teachers typically have limited experience with engineering and, consequently, hold inaccurate perceptions of engineers and engineering work. The perceptions that teachers hold about engineering have also been shown to affect their self-efficacy with teaching engineering. Teacher self-efficacy influences teachers’ willingness to engage with a particular topic, such as engineering, and also to influence the self-efficacy, motivation, and achievement of their students.

Workshop Outcomes: Increase self-efficacy of participants with teaching engineering Empower participants with increased confidence to motivate students in engineering Motivate participants to develop additional lessons and teaching tools Provide participants with usable classroom techniques Facilitate interaction and provide a ‘network of support’ for engineering educators

Workshop Participants: This workshop is designed for current and future K-12 teachers, first-year engineering educators, leaders of community youth development groups, and anyone interested in engineering education and outreach.

Workshop Description: This workshop will begin with an overview of the engineering design process (EDP) and how it can be used in K-12 and first-year classrooms and informal education spaces. Two lesson plans will be provided, one for a catapult project and one for a biomimetic robot project. Workshop participants will discuss how to scale these lesson plans for diverse classroom settings and age groups.

The EDP is an integral part of the curriculum of K-12 STEM and engineering classes. Several grants awarded to Tickle College of Engineering at the University of Tennessee Knoxville have addressed this curriculum component, as well as helped create and evaluate lesson plans for educators to use in their classrooms. This workshop will expand on the work of those grants and other workshops by providing K-12 teachers and first-year engineering educators to scalable EDP lesson plans that can be modified for use across multiple grade levels and abilities.

The facilitators developed these activities and have successfully implemented them with students in grades 3-12, in both formal and information educational settings, such as camps and outreach events, and in time blocks as short as a few minutes to as long as a week. The facilitators will share their experiences and the modifications that have been made to scale each activity for these diverse groups of students.

At the conclusion of the workshop, each participant will receive a kit containing all materials necessary to complete activities with a group of students, including lesson plans and supplies for two engineering design projects which can be appropriately scaled for diverse classroom settings and age groups.

Workshop Activities: EDP Content - instruction Interactive EDP lesson applications Sharing of ideas and experiences Development of future plans Creation of informal support network

Previous Educator Workshops Conducted by Facilitators: OneUT 1000s STEMs Professional Development sessions and ongoing activities: Facilitators received system-wide, multi-discipline internal university grant to identify current needs and develop innovative methods to assist STEM educators. The project transitioned to support virtual learning and conducted online professional development sessions across the state. One session was focused on utilizing the EDP in the classroom. Industrial and Systems Engineering Department Professional Development sessions for local school district STEM/IT educators: Facilitator developed and conducted two professional development sessions with local educators to share new methods of teaching the EDP in the classroom and use ISE tools. Participants created new connections within their own district and with university resources. Students and cross-campus partners also participated through supporting the workshops. TCE Student Success Professional Development session: The Office of Student Success held three teacher professional development opportunities during the fall of 2022. Two of these opportunities were at Tickle College of Engineering and incorporated lab tours with instruction on using the engineering design process to teach about biomimetics/build biomimetic robots. The third was a collaboration with the University of Tennessee Space Institute, where teachers and 4-H agents learned about hypersonics and toured different UTSI lab facilities. These opportunities were funded by a grant from the Office of Naval Research; similar opportunities will be offered this fall at UTSI and virtually.

Workshop Facilitators and Qualifications: Betsy Chesnutt - Lecturer in Engineering Fundamentals,member of the Tickle College of Engineering outreach committee and professor of a course on K-12 engineering education Anne Skutnik - Director of Student Success for Tickle College of Engineering; previously classroom teacher and outreach coordinator for NSF-ERC CURENT. Laura Knight - professor of practice and coordinator of outreach and engagement for the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department. More than 25 years of industry and community outreach experience.

Citation
Format

Chesnutt, B., & Knight, L. (2023, July), Building Bridges (but not with balsa wood) through Scalable Engineering Design Process Lessons Paper presented at 14th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference, University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--44818

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Workshop Purpose:
The purpose of this workshop is to expose STEM and first-year engineering educators to a greater depth and breadth of understanding of the engineering design process (EDP) in order to strengthen their self-efficacy with teaching engineering and ability to motivate student interest in learning engineering principles, and to provide educators with lesson plans and supplies to implement these skills immediately.

The goals of this workshop are to provide K-12 STEM educators with high-quality engineering lesson plans that they can utilize immediately, and to improve the self-efficacy of participants with teaching engineering in K-12. Although engineering is becoming increasingly important in K-12 education, research has demonstrated that, similar to the general population, K-12 teachers typically have limited experience with engineering and, consequently, hold inaccurate perceptions of engineers and engineering work. The perceptions that teachers hold about engineering have also been shown to affect their self-efficacy with teaching engineering. Teacher self-efficacy influences teachers’ willingness to engage with a particular topic, such as engineering, and also to influence the self-efficacy,  motivation, and achievement of their students. 

Workshop Outcomes:
Increase self-efficacy of participants with teaching engineering
Empower participants with increased confidence to motivate students in engineering
Motivate participants to develop additional lessons and teaching tools
Provide participants with usable classroom techniques 
Facilitate interaction and provide a ‘network of support’ for engineering educators

Workshop Participants:
This workshop is designed for current and future K-12 teachers, first-year engineering educators, leaders of community youth development groups, and anyone interested in engineering education and outreach. 

Workshop Description:
This workshop will begin with an overview of the engineering design process (EDP) and how it can be used in K-12 and first-year classrooms and informal education spaces. Two lesson plans will be provided, one for a catapult project and one for a biomimetic robot project. Workshop participants will discuss how to scale these lesson plans for diverse classroom settings and age groups. 

The EDP is an integral part of the curriculum of K-12 STEM and engineering classes. Several grants awarded to Tickle College of Engineering at the University of Tennessee Knoxville have addressed this curriculum component, as well as helped create and evaluate lesson plans for educators to use in their classrooms. This workshop will expand on the work of those grants and other workshops by providing K-12 teachers and first-year engineering educators to scalable EDP lesson plans that can be modified for use across multiple grade levels and abilities. 

The facilitators developed these activities and have successfully implemented them with students in grades 3-12, in both formal and information educational settings, such as camps and outreach events, and in time blocks as short as a few minutes to as long as a week. The facilitators will share their experiences and the modifications that have been made to scale each activity for these diverse groups of students.  

At the conclusion of the workshop, each participant will receive a kit containing all materials necessary to complete activities with a group of students, including lesson plans and supplies for two engineering design projects which can be appropriately scaled for diverse classroom settings and age groups. 

Workshop Activities:
EDP Content - instruction
Interactive EDP lesson applications
Sharing of ideas and experiences
Development of future plans
Creation of informal support network

Previous Educator Workshops Conducted by Facilitators:
OneUT 1000s STEMs Professional Development sessions and ongoing activities: Facilitators received system-wide, multi-discipline internal university grant to identify current needs and develop innovative methods to assist STEM educators. The project transitioned to support virtual learning and conducted online professional development sessions across the state. One session was focused on utilizing the EDP in the classroom.
Industrial and Systems Engineering Department Professional Development sessions for local school district STEM/IT educators: Facilitator developed and conducted two professional development sessions with local educators to share new methods of teaching the EDP in the classroom and use ISE tools. Participants created new connections within their own district and with university resources. Students and cross-campus partners also participated through supporting the workshops.
TCE Student Success Professional Development session: The Office of Student Success held three teacher professional development opportunities during the fall of 2022.  Two of these opportunities were at Tickle College of Engineering and incorporated lab tours with instruction on using the engineering design process to teach about biomimetics/build biomimetic robots.  The third was a collaboration with the University of Tennessee Space Institute, where teachers and 4-H agents learned about hypersonics and toured different UTSI lab facilities. These opportunities were funded by a grant from the Office of Naval Research; similar opportunities will be offered this fall at UTSI and virtually.

Workshop Facilitators and Qualifications:
Betsy Chesnutt - Lecturer in Engineering Fundamentals,member of the Tickle College of Engineering outreach committee and professor of a course on K-12 engineering education
Anne Skutnik - Director of Student Success for Tickle College of Engineering; previously classroom teacher and outreach coordinator for NSF-ERC CURENT.
Laura Knight - professor of practice and coordinator of outreach and engagement for the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department. More than 25 years of industry and community outreach experience.


AU  - Betsy Chesnutt
AU  - Laura Knight
CY  - University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee
DA  - 2023/07/30
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Building Bridges (but not with balsa wood) through Scalable Engineering Design Process Lessons
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/44818
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--44818
ER  -