2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Board 186: Work in- Progress: Scaling STEM-ID—Research Strategies to Inform Initial Scaling of Middle School Engineering Curricula

Presented at Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE) Poster Session

This work-in-progress paper discusses ****, a three-year middle school Engineering and Technology course sequence that integrates foundational mathematics and science in an engineering context through challenges that introduce students to advanced manufacturing tools such as computer aided design (CAD) and 3D printing and incorporate engineering concepts such as pneumatics, aeronautics, and robotics. The paper will describe research strategies informing the initial scaling of the **** curricula following its iterative development over several years in a previous large-scale project. Specifically, we will describe an array of data sources the project is utilizing to inform refinement of curricula materials and the project’s professional development (PD) model to support scaling of the curricula. Funded by a National Science Foundation (NSF) *** grant, the project seeks to scale the **** curricula in a large urban school district. Utilizing Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR) as a guiding framework, the project seeks to use analyses of implementation to iteratively refine strategies for improving and supporting implementation of the **** curricula. Consistent with the tenets of DBIR, the project strives for an iterative, collaborative design process that prioritizes practitioner involvement and the consideration of multiple stakeholders’ perspectives. In the first year of the project, data collected from six teachers at five schools includes surveys, observations of teacher professional development, interviews, and focus groups. Drawing on this data, we will present illustrative findings showing how teachers leveraged resources from the **** professional development sessions, input and advice from fellow participants, and their prior STEM backgrounds as they implemented the **** curricula in 6 – 8th grade engineering classrooms. We will also describe processes the project has developed for collecting and synthesizing implementation data and teacher feedback to inform scaling efforts. The findings have practical implications that will help teachers and researchers in the engineering education community identify specific strategies and practices for scaling engineering curricula and teacher professional development models.

Authors

Dr. Dyanne Baptiste Porter http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5693-1571 Georgia Tech Center for Education, Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Engineering (CEISMC) [biography]

Dyanne Baptiste Porter is a postdoctoral research fellow at Georgia Tech Center for Education Integrating Mathematics, Science, and Computing (CEISMC). Prior to earning her Ph.D. in Mathematics Education, she taught high school mathematics for eight years. Her research interests include interdisciplinary mathematics teaching and learning, equitable teaching and learning practices in STEM, and increasing representation in advanced mathematical sciences.
Dr. Jessica D Gale http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7361-3612 Georgia Institute of Technology [biography]

Dr. Jessica Gale is a Senior Research Scientist at Georgia Tech's Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC). Her research focuses on innovative approaches to K-12 engineering and STEM integration.
Dr. Meltem Alemdar Georgia Institute of Technology [biography]

Dr. Meltem Alemdar is Associate Director and Principal Research Scientist at Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC). Her research focuses on improving K-12 STEM education through research on curriculum development, teacher professional development, and student learning in integrated STEM environments. Dr. Alemdar is currently PI and co-PI on various NSF funded projects. Her expertise includes program evaluation, social network analysis and quantitative methods such as Hierarchical Linear Modeling, and Structure Equation Modeling. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Policy, with a concentration in Research, Measurement, and Statistics, from Georgia State University.
Dr. Sunni Haag Newton http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2331-1349 Georgia Institute of Technology [biography]

Sunni Newton is currently a Senior Research Scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC). Her research focuses on assessing the implementation and outcomes of educati
Abeera P. Rehmat http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4977-5830 Georgia Institute of Technology [biography]

Abeera P. Rehmat is a Research Scientist II, at Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Education Integrating
Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC). She has experience conducting research in engineering education that
spans pre-college up to the collegiate level. Her research interest involves investigating how engineering and computer
science education can foster students critical thinking and problem-solving skills to prepare them for the challenges of this
evolving world.
Talia Capozzoli Georgia Institute of Technology
Mr. Jeffrey H Rosen Georgia Institute of Technology [biography]

After 14 years in the middle and high school math and engineering classroom where Mr. Rosen was working on the integration of engineering and robotics into the teaching of the core curricula classrooms. He has now been at Georgia Tech's CEISMC for the pas
Jasmine Choi Georgia Institute of Technology [biography]

Jasmine Choi is a Research Scientist II at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC). Her research focuses on investigating evidence-based teaching and learning approaches and the impact of learning technologies in STEM K-12 classrooms.
Roxanne Moore http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0536-4957 Georgia Institute of Technology [biography]

Roxanne Moore is currently a Research Engineer at Georgia Tech with appointments in the school of Mechanical Engineering and the Center for Education Integrating Mathematics, Science, and Computing (CEISMC). She is involved with engineering education inno

Download paper (794 KB)

Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.

» Download paper

« View session

For those interested in:

Pre-College