2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Role of Teacher Feedback in Shaping the Curriculum of a Pre-College Engineering Program (Evaluation)

The demand for engineering professionals has fueled an expansion in pre-college engineering education programs in recent years. Despite their proliferation, there is a significant lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the evolutionary dynamics of these curricula over time. Existing research has predominantly focused on student perceptions, teacher beliefs, and general program evaluations, often overlooking how curricula respond and adapt to the specific needs and experiences of teachers and students. This paper explores the evolution of a pre-college engineering curriculum, drawing on evaluative data over the years from participating teachers. The methods and results highlight how teacher feedback has shaped the curriculum's components, including lessons, activities, student materials, and teaching guides, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the course. This iterative refinement, grounded in real classroom feedback, not only demonstrates the program’s commitment to responsive curriculum design but also provides valuable insights that could influence future pre-college engineering education development efforts.

Authors

Dr. Medha Dalal http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5705-1800 Arizona State University [biography]

Medha Dalal, Ph.D., is an Associate Director of Scholarly Initiatives and Assistant Research Professor of Engineering Education Systems & Design within the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. Her career as an engineering educator and researcher focuses on addressing complex engineering education challenges by building capacity for stakeholders at the grassroots, while also informing policy. Specifically, her research seeks to transform and democratize engineering education by exploring ways of thinking, identifying effective professional development approaches, and uncovering pedagogical techniques to enhance students’ engineering curiosity, engagement, and learning.
Dr. Cathy P. Lachapelle http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8487-6071 STEM Education Insights [biography]

Cathy is particularly interested in how collaborative interaction and scaffolded experiences with disciplinary practices help children learn science, math, and engineering. Her work on STEM education research projects includes design, evaluation, and effi
Dr. Kenneth Reid http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2337-7495 University of Indianapolis [biography]

Kenneth Reid is the Associate Dean and Director of Engineering at the R. B. Annis School of Engineering at the University of Indianapolis. He and his coauthors were awarded the Wickenden award (Journal of Engineering Education, 2014) and Best Paper award, Educational Research and Methods Division (ASEE, 2014). He was awarded an IEEE-USA Professional Achievement Award (2013) for designing the B.S. degree in Engineering Education. He is a co-PI on the “Engineering for Us All” (e4usa) project to develop a high school engineering course “for all”. He is active in engineering within K-12, (Technology Student Association Board of Directors) and has written multiple texts in Engineering, Mathematics and Digital Electronics. He earned a PhD in Engineering Education from Purdue University, is a Senior Member of IEEE, on the Board of Governors of the IEEE Education Society, and a Member of Tau Beta Pi.
Vedika Vinayak
Katie McKeown

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025

For those interested in:

engineering
Pre-College