The University of Texas (UT) Cockrell School of Engineering is joining with Skillpoint Alliance, a Central Texas education and workforce development agency, and Round Rock ISD, a rapidly growing district serving a diverse population of more than 40,000 students, to deploy an integrated approach to engaging middle school students, teachers, counselors, administrators, parents and caregivers in activities that improve awareness and understanding of a range of STEM career and college pathways. The project builds on the successful DTEACh program that provides teachers professional development in engineering education using design and empowers educators and caregivers to engage students in STEM activities that guide them toward considering careers in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The program comprises five essential steps: training teachers; providing after-school programs for students; training counselors, administrators and other educators; offering intensive summer camps for students; and reaching out to caregivers. The project supports teachers with multiple professional development opportunities and field experiences, coaching sessions with master teachers, support from UT engineering students and industry mentors, and numerous other resources. Evaluation of the program's impact on students depends not only on student-reported interest in STEM subjects and careers, but on assessment of student performance in STEM subjects and analysis of their high school course selections. Evaluation of the program's impact on teachers focuses on an assessment of participants' curricula and pedagogy and impact on teacher networks. The project produces research tools and research findings that build the knowledge base about approaches, models, and interventions with middle school students from underrepresented and economically-disadvantaged populations and their teachers - the population most likely to increase United States capacity in the STEM workforce, including ICT fields.
Beyond Blackboards offers an integrated approach to engaging middle school students, teachers, administrators, parents and caregivers in activities that improve awareness and understanding of a range of STEM college and career pathways. Beyond Blackboards is framed within the Grand Challenges of the 21st Century identified by the National Academy of Engineering. We connect the K-16 community by facing those Grand Challenges through engineering pedagogy. This project focused on developing an interdisciplinary, inquiry-based engineering program and evaluating effective strategies for developing a culture of engineering education in a high-needs school district in Central Texas. To comprehensively develop a culture of engineering education, Beyond Blackboards employed a three-pronged approach of: 1) engaging students in inquiry-based learning opportunities that encourage practice of key STEM concepts, development of analytical skills, and increased awareness of STEM college and career pathways; 2) professional development and support for teachers to guide students in meaningful robotics-based engineering design activities and targeted STEM college and career pathway investigation in the context of afterschool Innovation Clubs and summer engineering camps; and 3) connecting parents and caregivers to the full range of STEM college and career pathway options so that they may support and encourage their students' pursuit of STEM-related educational and professional goals. To implement this strategy, we developed a series of curriculum modules on topics with themes of alternative energy, improving/restoring urban infrastructure, and scientific exploration. These curriculum modules use robotics kits as the vehicle for prototyping solutions to the design challenges posed to the participants. Participants completed the curriculum modules in afterschool Innovation Clubs and overnight summer camps held on the University of Texas campus. We also created a series of STEM modules that were used in special events held at our target schools and at the university campus, as well as materials to inform parents/caregivers of possible paths to STEM careers for their children. Evaluation of the program showed that program participants demonstrated a higher level of enjoyment in learning how things work and a more accurate perception that engineering involves collaboration. Program participants also demonstrated more certainty in their educational expectations and increased educational expectations to go beyond high school and complete a bachelor’s degree or higher. Evaluation of data from focus groups indicated that program participants not only enjoyed the creative and engineering-related aspects of Beyond Blackboards, they also reported improvement in school performance and acquisition of communication, analytical, and teamwork skills.
