Connecting K-12 Teachers to STEM Careers through Industry Collaboration

Transcription

1 Connecting K-12 Teachers to STEM Careers through Industry Collaboration Daphene Koch, PhD, Mary E Johnson, PhD & Brandeis H Marshall, PhD Purdue University West Lafayette, IN Abstract Classroom to Careers - Applied Computational Thinking in Middle Schools, or C2C, is an NSF grant that was submitted in April 2012 to connect STEM teachers to careers. The belief of the researchers is that kids would be more engaged and excited about Math or Science if they understood careers that aligned with the problems they are solving. The proposal developed a team comprised of researchers, industry and 7 th 9 th grade educators; and included technologists and career specialists who recognized the need to tackle these challenges and committed to working together to advance computational competencies in middle school students. C2C was developed to address the issue of teaching computational literacy by a focused effort to expand those skills. The model used was to educate a team of 7 th -9 th grade teachers and their students in a tri-state area. The teams would increase the understanding and use of several modules including applications, tools, technologies, career information, visualizations, curriculum, lesson plans, and objectives for lesson plans--that would be carefully researched and selected for their relevance and usefulness. This paper outlines the C2C concept and demonstrates the alignment with industry to expand STEM education and careers. Introduction and background The Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology 1 that U.S. STEM workforce needs to continue to grow and yet there is a significant deficit in the supply side of the STEM workforce due to lack of interest in these areas. Workforce shortages in STEM fields have been described in numerous other reports, including those by the NAS 2, National Academy of Engineering 3, National Science Board 4 and President s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology 5. The national workforce shortage in STEM is the result of many factors, including an individual s confidence in choosing a career path. This confidence in choosing a career path is impacted by personal interest 6,7, relevance, awareness, and self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is described as people s beliefs about their capabilities to produce effects, including results and understanding. Self-efficacy increases through modeling the successful behavior of others and through mastery experiences 7,8. Furthermore, it has been shown that external influences and experiences, including instructional practices and academic experiences, can positively impact STEM career awareness, selfefficacy, and engagement 9,10,11.

2 Session ETD 455 A student s choice to pursue STEM careers is also impacted by an awareness of career opportunities. Dorssen, Carlson, and Goodyear 12 reported that students in general have a limited understanding of available careers and requirements for success. In examining informal and formal education, they found that several factors that influence decisions to pursue STEM careers, including: academic preparation and achievement; identification with STEM careers; self-efficacy; and motivation, interest and enjoyment. There is also an important need for teachers to understand the range of career opportunities in STEM, so they can share those opportunities with their students and inspire them to succeed. Hall, et al., 2011 reported that school personnel having limited knowledge of STEM careers; of special concern from the student perspective is the limited knowledge of science and math teachers and counselors with respect to STEM careers. 13 Partners for the grant The development of this grant was formulated by three college professors from different Technology related majors who are women in male dominated technical fields. They partnered with three schools to propose developing a team of master teachers in the public schools. Table 1 shows some of the student demographics from the three schools that agreed to partner on the proposal. Table 1. 7 th 9 th grade school partners Jr. Sr. High School Partners State Demographics Indiana 62% White, 12% Black, 19% Hispanic Michigan 34% White, 60% Black, 4% Hispanic Illinois 47% White, 43% Black, 2% Hispanic Other partners include academic groups to be used for references, feedback, and dissemination. These include, but are not limited to: American Society for Engineering Education Associated Schools of Construction Association of Career and Technical Educators (national and regional) Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration National Science Teachers Association Michigan Association of Science Teachers Illinois Association of Science Teachers.

3 Partners from industry that have agreed verbally or in writing to be advisory board members include, but are not limited to: Mechanical Contractors Association of America National Association for Workforce Improvement Women in Aviation Victaulic Corporation National Association of Women in Construction Construction Advisory Board at xxxx university. Through the instruction by the teachers and the use of the C2C modules, problem solving skills can be taught to 7 th through 9 th grade students in ways that show alignment with careers. It is important that all students have the opportunity to develop the skills to gain confidence and embrace new ways of solving problems. This is particularly true of students from groups who have been underrepresented in careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Often these students are not given the opportunities, lack the confidence or are discouraged in doing so due to a lack of resources, role models, or the ability to envision careers in STEM 14, 15, 16, 17. Project Summary The mission of C2C is to increase the competence and confidence of 7th-9th grade educators and by building classroom modules that align existing course materials to STEM career options. These course materials make use of applications, innovative technologies and visualization tools. The 7th-9th grade level is an opportune time to impact the perceptions of students. By appealing to real-world societal needs, the students will gain insight about a range of STEM career opportunities. Aviation, construction, and information technology have been selected as the disciplines which will be targeted due to the need to add to these areas. The goals of C2C s work are to evaluate the modules for their effectiveness, disseminate successful modules, and to address research questions related to an increase in teacher's confidence and competence in teaching, student's understanding and confidence in pursuing STEM careers, applications and tools best suited for middle schools, and the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in STEM. Conclusions The goals of these authors are to spread the word of the possible ways to connect to industry and train teachers. This format, in the researchers views, is working toward recruiting students into areas of need for the STEM workforce. This may be accomplished by appropriately teaming the industry professionals who understand the actual career paths with educators. As K-12 students understand possible career paths, they can make more informed decisions about college majors. The college professors work to understand not only the K-12 teachers and how they can be given better resources to prepare kids, but also how to better prepare college students for careers. This is a win-win for all of the collaborators to build a program which help connect young adults into careers of their dreams.

4 Session ETD 455 Bibliography 1. Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology (CPST), Is US Science and Technology Adrift?, STEM Workforce Data Project: Report No. 8, Washington, DC. 2. National Academy of Sciences, Committee on Underrepresented Groups and the Expansion of the Science and Engineering Workforce Pipeline, Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads. Prepublication copy From ttp:// 3. National Science Board, 2010, Next Generation of STEM 4. National Academy of Engineering (NAE), Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America's Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads. 5. National Science Board, 2010, Next Generation of STEM Innovators, National Science Foundation. 6. President s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology; Report to the President; Prepare and Inspire: K-14 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) for America s Future; September Beggs, J. M., J. H. Bantham, S. Taylor, Distinguishing the Factors Influencing College Students Choice of a Major, College Student Journal, Vol. 42, Kuechler, W. L., A. McLeod, M. G. Simkin, Why Don t More Students Major in IS? Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, Vol. 7, Bandura, A., Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaduran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Human Behavior (Vol. 4, pp ). New York: Academic Press. 10. Bandura, A., Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: W. H. Freeman & Company. 11. National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Understanding Interventions that Encourage Minorities to Pursue Research Careers: Summary of a Workshop. 12. Olszewski-Kubilis, P., The role of summer enrichment programs in developing the talents of gifted students. In J. VanTassel Baska (Ed.), Serving Gifted Learners Beyond the Traditional Classroom. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press. 13. Koch, D., J. Greenan., K. Newton, 2009, Oct-Dec) Factors that Influence Students? Choice of Careers in Construction Management, International Journal of Construction Education and Research (5,4) pp Dorssen, J., B. Carlson, L. Goodyear, Connecting Informal STEM Experiences to Career Choices: Identifying the Pathway. ITEST Learning Resource Center. 15. Hall, C., J. Dickerson, D. Batts, P.Kauffmann, M. Bosse, Are We Missing Opportunities to Encourage Interest in STEM Fields? Journal of Technology Education, Vol. 23, No Pauldy, L No Time for Complacency. Journal of College Science Teaching, 35 (3), 4-5. Congressional Research Service, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Issues and Legislative Options. CRS Publication No. RL33434, Washington, DC. 17. Gilmer, T., An Understanding of the Improved Grades, Retention, and Graduation Rates of STEM Majors at the Academic Investment in Math and Science (AIMS) Program of Bowling Green State University (BGSU). Journal of STEM Education, 8, Lam, P., T. Srivatsan, D. Doverspike, J. Vesalo, P. Mawasha, A Ten Year Assessment of the Preengineering Program for Under-represented, Low-income, and/or first Generation College Students at the University of Akron. Journal of STEM Education, 6, Biographical Information DAPHENE KOCH, PhD is an associate professor in the Building Construction Management Department in the College of Technology at Purdue University. She has over 10 years of teaching and over 10 years of industry experience.

5 MARY E. JOHNSON, PhD is an associate professor of Aviation Technology at Purdue University. She serves as assistant department head for research. She has extensive experience in aerospace manufacturing, applied research, and graduate and undergraduate teaching. BRANDEIS MARSHALL, PhD is an assistant professor in the Computer and Information Technology Department in the College of Technology at Purdue University. Her research lies in the areas of information and image retrieval, knowledge management and data mining. She teaches undergraduate and graduate data management related courses.