Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
The Impact of Engineering
Focused Modules on the
Engineering Design Knowledge
of 8th Graders
James P. Van Haneghan & Jessica M. Harlan
University of South Alabama
Melissa D. Dean
Mobile Area Education Foundation
This material was partially supported by NSF Award DRL- 0918769. Any opinions,
findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the
authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Engaging Youth through Engineering
Classroom-based
integrated STEM
experiences
Implemented by math and
science teachers
6th Grade Module
8th Grade Module
Engineering Design Process
Theoretical Foundations
Bailey & Szabo, 2006
Critical analysis of the design process
Atman, et al., 2008
Depth and breadth of thinking about
complex environmental problems
Bransford & Schwartz, 1999
Transfer as preparation for future
learning
8th Grade Task
How could this happen?
Common injury
New kind of seatbelt?
Julie’s grandmother is in a car accident and breaks
several ribs
Depth &
breadth of
thinking
Team skills
& expertise
needed
Critique of
another’s
design
Use of
research &
data
Engineering
Habits of
Mind
Rubric Scoring
0 1 2 3
No response or
irrelevant response
Integrates &
applies engineering
design principles
On 3 of 4 dimensions, participating students scored
higher than comparison students
0 1 2 3
Use of research & data**
Critique of another’s design**
Team skills & expertise needed
Depth & breadth of thinking*
Comparison
Participating
*p < .02 **p < .005
Overall, participating students performed better
on the task
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Total Score Comparison
Participating
*p = .011
Other findings
Importance of teaming
skills
Gender and ethnicity
differences
Critiquing design
Ethnicity difference
Conclusions
Curriculum creates
experiences that transfer
to novel situations
Notion of transfer of
learning to new tasks
seems to be of value
Transfer of Learning
Need further development & investigation
Multi-site study
New administration methods
Examine across age & experience
Questions?
James Van Haneghan: [email protected]
Jessica Harlan: [email protected]
Melissa Dean: [email protected]
