2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This paper describes the construction, validation, and testing of a custom evaluation instrument to gauge high school and community college teachers’ semiconductor knowledge and literacy before and after participation in a chip design Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program. The RET site is the first in the US to focus on chip design and K-14 semiconductor education. One of the goals of the RET program is to increase teachers’ semiconductor knowledge and literacy on contemporary issues related to the Chips Act.

However, how do we measure this? Unlike other aspects of teachers’ performance, such as the level of agreement with Design, Engineering, and Technology (DET), there is no existing survey or questionnaire that can capture an average adult’s semiconductor content knowledge. A Physics of Semiconductor Concept Inventory (PCSI) aimed at assessing undergraduate students’ content knowledge on the physics of semiconductors and the ability to interpret content was proposed by Ene and Ackerson (2018). However, the PCSI instrument focused exclusively on semiconductor physics and not enough on chip design or semiconductor literacy regarding the economic and societal issues surrounding the recent Chips and Science Act (2022).

This paper proposes a Semiconductor Knowledge and Literacy Test (SKLT) designed for teacher education. The fifteen-question test was conceived by the RET faculty specialized in analog and digital IC design research. The technical questions cover semiconductor materials, design, manufacturing, and measurements. Non-technical questions include semiconductor literacy quizzes on major US semiconductor companies, economics, and federal policy. In addition to multiple choice questions, the survey features show answers, where the instructor can further gauge the respondent’s semiconductor knowledge.

The proposed SKLT tests and their proper interpretation were reviewed by multiple practicing engineers in the semiconductor industry to validate the instrument. Pre- and post-RET survey data using this instrument on the first cohort of the RET training site will also be shared.

The complete questionnaire will be posted on GitHub for everyone to use for free. Public feedback from academic, industry, and other sources is sought to refine the instruments further.