9354482 Miaoulis This project proposes to develop a novel curriculum that will stem from a strong partnership between the College of Engineering and the Department of Child Study and will provide a common solution to two separate major problems: the inadequate preparation of early childhood teachers in understanding and teaching science and technology, and the enthusiasm generation and retention of engineering students. Teams of engineering faculty members, and graduate and undergraduate students will develop a coordinated pool of mini-courses that focus on exciting topics of applied science and technology. These courses will be interdisciplinary in nature, will include open-ended laboratory and/or field experiences, will involve semester-long team projects and will be designed to allow students with no previous college-level background to participate. Although the courses will be rigorous and emphasize depth versus breadth, special attention will be given to creating an understanding and appreciation for the scientific and engineering process. Engineering freshmen and Child Study majors will each select and take two of these courses. In addition to these courses, Child Study majors, the future K-3 teachers, will take a Science and Technology Curriculum Development seminar-course that will train them to transfer technical knowledge to the development of teaching units appropriate for young children. The focused nature of the courses will allow the proposed program to grow from the roots, since courses will be proposed and developed following personal research and other interests of individual faculty members, while being supported from the top, by a strong institutional commitment. The project, which will be cost-shared by the university, can be easily disseminated to numerous colleges and universities that combine science and/or engineering departments with teacher preparation units. ***
