2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Board 164: Engineering Interventions in My Science Classroom: What's My Role?

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

This work in progress paper draws on data from year one of a multi-year project aimed at integrating engineering into middle-school science classes. The expectation that middle school teachers integrate engineering into their science curriculum may be challenging as engineering-related content has not historically been part of teacher preparation. Particularly in rural areas, in-service teacher training relative to engineering may be absent or difficult to access due to proximity or financial or time costs. Therefore, it is important to develop effective professional development (PD) that works within the actual teaching context and makes few demands on teachers beyond their regular workload. In partnership with teachers and local industry workers in rural and Appalachian areas, the [de-identified for review] project developed extended classroom engineering activities for students that also serve as teacher PD relative to teaching engineering in locally relevant ways. As part of this work, a qualitative analysis was conducted to understand how teachers, from their perspectives, envisioned their role during the interventions. Data were collected prior to and after interventions (within an academic year) to further understand if, and if so, how, teacher perspectives of their role changed. Results reveal three initial roles; classroom manager, learner, helper, and unsure. The post intervention data revealed all teachers indicated being a “learner”.

Authors

Dr. Cheryl Carrico http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-6327-842X E4S, LLC [biography]

Cheryl Carrico is owner of E4S, LLC. E4S, LLC conducts external evaluations, engineering education research, and industry consulting. Her current research focus relates to STEM career pathways and conceptual understanding of core engineering principles. She volunteers on several boards and is president of the Appalachian Council for Innovation. Her evaluation & assessment work includes grants, workshops, and others for a variety of disciplines (>$10M in value). She has worked with over 60 small to mid size businesses to help them grow organically and commercialize products. She has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Masters in Engineering and Business Administration, and a Ph. D. in Engineering Education.
Dr. Holly M. Matusovich Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University [biography]

Dr. Holly Matusovich is the Associate Dean for Graduate and Professional Studies in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech and a Professor in the Department of Engineering Education where she has also served in key leadership positions. Dr. Matusovich is recognized for her research and leadership related to graduate student mentoring and faculty development. She won the Hokie Supervisor Spotlight Award in 2014, received the College of Engineering Graduate Student Mentor Award in 2018, and was inducted into the Virginia Tech Academy of Faculty Leadership in 2020. Dr. Matusovich has been a PI/Co-PI on 19 funded research projects including the NSF CAREER Award, with her share of funding being nearly $3 million. She has co-authored 2 book chapters, 34 journal publications, and more than 80 conference papers. She is recognized for her research and teaching, including Dean’s Awards for Outstanding New Faculty, Outstanding Teacher Award, and a Faculty Fellow. Dr. Matusovich has served the Educational Research and Methods (ERM) division of ASEE in many capacities over the past 10+ years including serving as Chair from 2017-2019. Dr. Matusovich is currently the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Advances in Engineering Education and she serves on the ASEE committee for Scholarly Publications.
Dr. Sreyoshi Bhaduri ThatStatsGirl [biography]

Dr. Sreyoshi Bhaduri is an Engineering Educator and People Research Scientist. Sreyoshi's expertise lies at the intersection of workforce development, AI and emerging technology, and engineering education. As a Research Scientist in the tech industry, Sreyoshi leverages AI for mixed-methods research on and for people at work, ensuring that organizations intentionally center the human experience. Sreyoshi has spoken at over 100+ global venues, addressing diverse audiences ranging from academics, NSF PIs, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals to students or high-schoolers starting out with Computer Sciences, helping them strategize and broaden participation, as well as explore, understand, and apply emerging technologies. Sreyoshi is committed to broadening participation among underrepresented minorities in engineering and serves as a Senator at the Society of Women Engineers. She is also part of the Advisory Board at the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech and serves as an Advisor to the leadership at Sisters in STEM. Sreyoshi frequently collaborates on several National Science Foundation projects in the engineering education realm, researching engineering career trajectories, student motivation, and learning. Sreyoshi has been recognized as a Fellow at the Academy for Teaching Excellence at Virginia Tech (VTGrATE) and a Fellow at the Global Perspectives Program (GPP) and was inducted to the Yale Bouchet Honor Society during her time at Virginia Tech. She has also been honored as an Engaged Advocate in 2022 and an Emerging Leader in Technology (New ELiTE) in 2021 by the Society of Women Engineers. Views expressed in this paper are the author's own, and do not necessarily reflect those of organizations she is associated with. Learn more about Sreyoshi's impact - www.ThatStatsGirl.com

Download paper (693 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:

Broadening Participation in Engineering and Engineering Technology
Pre-College