| NSF Org: |
EEC Division of Engineering Education and Centers |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | July 16, 2021 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 16, 2021 |
| Award Number: | 2055716 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Matthew A. Verleger
mverlege@nsf.gov (703)292-2961 EEC Division of Engineering Education and Centers ENG Directorate for Engineering |
| Start Date: | July 15, 2021 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2025 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $586,645.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $586,645.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
2385 IRVING HILL RD LAWRENCE KS US 66045-7563 (785)864-3441 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
2385 Irving Hill Road Lawrence KS US 66045-7568 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
RES EXP FOR TEACHERS(RET)-SITE, EPSCoR Co-Funding |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.041 |
ABSTRACT
The RET SITE IDEA-BioE at the University of Kansas will provide middle school mathematics and science teachers an opportunity to participate in research focused on bioengineering at KU. It will also provide guidance on how to translate this experience into engineering design modules that enable teachers to reach and motivate students from all backgrounds to consider engineering as a career choice. By developing long-term relationships with a middle school community of this targeted district, this project will expand the population of future engineering students. The RET SITE will also integrate educational psychology constructs, to reach a broad demographic. The effort will have a significant impact on enhancing the engineering student body in Kansas, a midwestern state that typically has a homogeneous engineering student body. Partnering with the pre-service teaching candidates in KU?s STEMTeachKU program will allow the project to reach beginning science and mathematics teachers early in their careers. Dissemination efforts will be focused on publishing lesson modules, and translating modules and evaluation into research articles and case studies in various engineering education and educational psychology journals. Dissemination will also be possible via a Virtual Learning Network (VLN).
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) emphasize the incorporation of engineering design principles and practices into the pre-college curriculum. However, interest in engineering among pre-college students is often low relative to other STEM fields such as medicine, in part due to students? lack of understanding as to the nature of engineering. The RET SITE will present a group of 36 pre-service and in-service middle school science teachers with research opportunities that connect complex principles in engineering design (ED) with phenomena and applications from everyday life, in order to engage middle school students with engineering principles while also designing curricular modules with broadening participation in mind. Engineering faculty will provide research experience in various biomedical problems. Through partnerships with researchers and educators in the School of Education and Human Sciences, IDEA-BioE RET participants will also gain knowledge on how their ED modules and lesson plans can be designed to address a range of issues associated with making engineering welcoming to all students. Final ED modules will also focus on including the promotion of self-efficacy, the provision of relevant models, and incorporation of messages relevant to occupational values. Recent research also shows that teachers need additional support and professional development opportunities in order to integrate engineering design practices into their classes, particularly those practices that bridge traditional domains. Therefore, this RET SITE also focuses on presenting Bioengineering as an independent discipline which will showcase rationale design and implementation while also highlighting innovation, patenting, and engineering economics, topics which are more specific to engineering disciplines.
This project is jointly funded by the Division of Engineering Education and Centers (Directorate for Engineering), and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.
