Department of Veterans Affairs NSF Research Experience for Teachers through the Lens of Rehabilitation Engineering Design Department of Veterans Affairs

Department of Veterans AffairsNSF Research Experience for Teachers through the Lens of Rehabilitation Engineering Design

Department of Veterans Affairs

Mary Goldberg, PhD

Jon Pearlman, PhD

Education & Outreach Project Director

Assistant Professor

Department of Rehabilitation Science and TechnologySchool of Health and Rehabilitation SciencesHuman Engineering Research Laboratories


Background: Departmental Structure

• Rehabilitation Science & Technology• Human Engineering Research

Laboratories– Veterans Affairs Research Center

– NSF ERC (QoLT)

– Education & OutreachPrograms


Guiding Framework

• Increase number of students with disabilities in STEM disciplines• Retain individuals who have re-entered the pipeline• Insert participatory action design into engineering curricula• Empower practitioners and end-users with QoLT


Background: Product Development• Resources

– Design & fabrication facilities

– 5 full-time staff

– Lots of AT users

– Close ties to AT businesses

– Multidisciplinary faculty & students

• Successes– 5 products

– 3 patents awarded; 9 pending


Technology Innovations for People with Disabilities (TIPeD) Target Populations


Background: Design Curricula

Fall

TIPeD-C: Fundamentals of

Rehab Design and Fabrication

FabLab

Spring

TIPeD-C: Rehab Design Project

FabLab

REV/T

Summer

TIPeD-P: [facilitated in collaboration with

the NSF REU program] and with business and law

students

RET

ELeVATE


RET History • Initiated by NSF in 2001 to involve middle &

high school teachers in engineering research to bring engineering & tech innovation to the classroom

• 3-5 year grants to universities • Involvement since 2007• Multiple collaborations across Pitt & CMU,

namely the Learning Research & Development Center


Integration of Veterans

• National Science Foundation supplement to support R&D experiences for veterans

• Collaborative veteran/teacher teams (REV/T)

• Supports transition to college by building and expanding upon skills learned in military


Veterans + R&D College• Preparation for the classroom• Often a non-traditional student,

student with a disability • Supports a culture of trust &

connectedness (8 Keys to Success)• Cross-mentoring opportunities

between teachers & veterans


Program Model & Philosophy• Attractive & engaging topic across populations

• End-user involvement

• Design is iterative and interdisciplinary – Product development

– Curriculum development

• Collaborative learning

• Design-based learning


Timeline• February 1: turn in application (including

support letter from school principal) • March-May: engineering design course 1

evening/week• July: 4 week curriculum workshop• Fall ‘14: design-based learning unit aligned

with standards in RET participants’ classroom

• January ‘15: student design competition• March ‘15: option for repeat participation


RET Program Flow


Spring: Research & Development Experience

• Goals– Design course

– Complete a team product design project resulting in a functioning prototype and written report to include business plan

• Participants

• Process– Flipped classroom

– Discussion based

– Experiential learning through R&D activities


RET Class Structure

• Product Design and Development Textbook complemented by short online lectures

• Required weekly class attendance (14 weeks)• Weekly assignments [Critical]• Class time devoted to activities related to

project and skill development– Computer Aided Design / Computer Aided Manufacturing– Prototyping and Fabrication Lab

• Group project – Weekly deliverables include design and prototyping &

fabrication– Business Plan/Commercialization plan– Design Brief - Introduction; background; methodology;

models; tests; futurework– Functional prototype



• Google services as a hub for all course related documentation– Drive, documents, hangout and email

• Lecture video and slides posted online, 1 week in advance

• Syllabus for class activities, assignments and pre-reading requirements

RET Class StructureSpring: Research & Development Experience


RET Material/Software Provided• Product Design & Development (Ulrich &

Eppinger, 5th edition)• Autodesk Inventor Professional

– Available for free download at http://www.autodesk.com/education/student-software

• Rapid prototyping for quick prototype fabrication– MakerBot Replicator 2X


• Project Overview – Activity Monitoring Device Case

– Adaptive Hunting Device

– Wheelchair Positioning Apparatus

– Meter Feeder



Summer: Professional Development

• Complete 4-week curriculum development workshop

• Receive Act 48 credits• Complete a design-based learning

unit– E.g. prosthetic limb

• Veterans complete research and development in college transition program


Fall: Curriculum Implementation

• Complete ~6-week design-based learning unit aligned to math & science standards – Cross-curricular

• Classroom visits by RET program staff• Prepare students for design competition

– Student teams of 4

– May include conducting individual classroom (or multi-classroom, where applicable) competitions


Fall/Spring: Design Competition

• Participate in design competition– Artifact, poster, video

– Grand prize team(s) receive internship

– Best Design, Math, Presentation, & Science

• Novel online competition format – Peer review software

– Engineers, designers, & AT expert judges


Assessment Methods


Assessment Methods & Additional Research• Design self-efficacy

– Teachers, veterans, students

• Product review

• Design canvas

• IDEATE


Outcomes• 70 teachers• 6 veterans• 1,000+ students• New approach to math & science

integration• Online design competition method


Results and Future Work • Lessons learned

– Instructor perceptions

– Feedback from RET mentor & participant surveys

• Changes for future cohorts

• Research questions


Acknowledgements & Questions• Mahender Mandala, MS• Financial support

– University of Pittsburgh

– Human Engineering Research Laboratories

– NSF Research Experience for Teachers

– NCIIA

– NSF QOLT ERC

• Our clients• RET participants and previous trainees

Documents

Department of Veterans Affairs NSF Research Experience for Teachers through the Lens of Rehabilitation Engineering Design Department of Veterans Affairs