Building on their experience of developing and testing four hands-on, inquiry-based modules for the study of engineering/technology education at the high school level, an established, multidisciplinary team extends their work with a professional development model that implements those modules. A module on medical technology is added that addresses the Standards for Technological Literacy. The module uses real-world examples and practicing engineers and technicians to introduce students to engineering design, analysis and decision-making processes. This project advances knowledge about effective instruction and curriculum design in engineering/technology education in order to achieve public literacy and better preparation for the next generation of engineering and technology professionals, including teachers. A model is designed, developed and tested that delivers effective teacher professional development to both inservice and preservice teachers to enable the successful implementation of engineering curricula. Hypothesis-driven research is performed to evaluate the individual and combined impacts of the curricular materials and the teacher professional development framework on classroom instructional practices and student learning, interests and attitudes and to evaluate which curriculum components are most effective in promoting student learning and interest as a function of gender and ethnicity.
