Building an Engineering and Education Partnership Smith College Proposal to Bridges for Engineering Education, NSF-02-092
The Smith College Picker Engineering Program, Department of Education and Child Study, and Office of Educational Outreach propose to build upon an innovative partnership they have already established to enhance the quality and expand the reach of engineering education preK-16. The first goal is to integrate engineering into the Smith Department of Education and Child Study program by a) developing a certification program in technology/engineering, and b) designing a certificate program for elementary school engineering education. The second goal is to develop best educational practices in the Picker Engineering Program by expanding the role of an expert educator in the curriculum development process. The third goal is to enhance engineering educational outreach at Smith College by developing engineering education teacher resources and by expanding the engineering education course for teachers. These goals respond to national calls for science education reform (preK-12) and for the integrating engineering education into the preK-12 curriculum; to the call for engineering education reform at the college and university level; and, to the grave need to recruit and retain women and underrepresented minorities in science, engineering, and technology fields in our nation's workforce.
