This funding establishes a new Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Site at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The primary objective of this RET site is to engage high school teachers in summer research experiences in computer vision and bio-medical engineering. The teachers will develop classroom modules and materials which will be implemented in their classrooms during the academic year. The UCF RET team has an outstanding track record of achievements in computer vision research, education, outreach, and K-12 educational initiatives, including hosting the longest continually active CISE Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site. The team plans to provide research and professional development opportunities to high school teachers from the greater Orlando area. They particularly focus on teachers teaching Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus, AP Computer Science, AP Statistics, AP Physics, and AP or IB Biology, and the teachers interested in promoting Science Fair activities in their schools. The project will develop a community of teachers who are passionate about computer vision and imaging and who can translated this excitement to their students through engaging, high-quality inquiry learning experiences.
The project is anchored by a research area this is compelling and exciting for teachers and K-12 students and by an exceptional faculty team that has demonstrated expertise in both research and K-12 outreach. The site features projects that are teacher accessible as well as connected to current research and practice. The RET site includes sound evaluation and dissemination plans that may provide models for integrating computing and computer vision fundamentals and research into advanced high school subjects, filling an important disciplinary gap. The project will provide professional development to teachers from a local metropolitan region. Teachers will develop and hone their research, communication, and presentation skills, all of which are essential to their professional growth and success. The project will build the technical capacity of teachers so they are capable of developing and implementing new, exciting inquiry-based learning activities at their schools. The project team will disseminate the project materials through the TeachEngineering digital library and build a local Curriculum Web that will be shared with a wider audience of teachers and annual workshops. The team will also disseminate project results through high-quality journals and professional meetings.
