Introducing middle school students to engineering principles and the engineering design process through an academic summer program

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2017

Abstract

Forty-seven 5th, 6th and 7th grade students from traditionally underserved and typically underrepresented populations participated in a two-week residential engineering program, The ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp at New Jersey Institute of Technology during the summer of 2015. Working in small cooperative groups, students were introduced to the Engineering Design Process, taught how to apply the process in developing and testing a prototype and received instruction in how to keep an engineering logbook. Results of evaluations indicate that, in addition to significant increasesinScience,Technology,EngineeringandMathematicscontentknowledge,studentsshowedsignificantincreases in their attitudes toward science, mathematics and engineering and demonstrated increased knowledge about careers in engineering and an understanding of the engineering design process at the conclusion of the program. A rubric has been developed to evaluate students' understanding and application of the engineering design process. Correlations among students' responses to content knowledge pre/post tests and the rubric have been found. The Draw an Engineer Test was alsousedasamorequalitativeassessmentofwhatstudentsthinkengineersactuallydoandtocapturecognitivechangesin their perceptions of engineers as a result of attending the camp.

Identifier

85015209152 (Scopus)

Publication Title

International Journal of Engineering Education

ISSN

0949149X

First Page

398

Last Page

407

Issue

1

Volume

33

Fund Ref

Harris Foundation

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