ERIC Number: EJ1141062
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1557-5284
EISSN: N/A
Long-Term Impact of the Enrichment Experiences in Engineering (E[superscript 3]) Summer Teacher Program
Autenrieth, Robin L.; Lewis, Chance W.; Butler-Purry, Karen L.
Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, v18 n1 p25-31 Jan-Mar 2017
The Enrichment Experiences in Engineering (E[superscript 3] ) summer teacher program is hosted by the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University and is designed to provide engineering research experiences for Texas high school science and mathematics teachers. The mission of the E[superscript 3] program is to educate and excite teachers about the field of engineering so that they can introduce engineering concepts to their students and encourage them to consider a career in engineering. The E[superscript 3] program received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program from 2003 through 2013, and during that time, a total of 150 teachers participated in the program. Most of the teachers were from schools with large minority-student populations (average 83% Hispanic and/or African American; average 69% economically-disadvantaged). This paper presents evaluation findings to assess long-term impact of the E[superscript 3] program on teachers who participated in one of the NSF-funded E[superscript 3] programs during the 2003-2012 timeframe. The two research questions central to the study design were: (1) What is the long-term impact of the E[superscript 3] summer program on teachers who participated in the program? and (2) To what extent did the teachers who participated in the E[superscript 3] summer experience impact student understanding, awareness and perceptions of the engineering field? The assessment tools included a series of focus group interviews and an anonymous online survey. The focus group sessions were conducted by the E[superscript 3] external evaluator during annual E[superscript 3] workshops where teachers from previous E[superscript 3] cohorts were invited to attend. The anonymous online survey was administered in Fall 2013 by the external evaluator. Evaluation findings document that the E[superscript 3] program has been successful in educating teachers about the engineering field and that, in the long term, teachers continue to promote engineering to their students as a career option. However, the teachers have experienced challenges when trying to implement their E[superscript 3]-developed classroom lessons in subsequent academic years. Recommendations to remediate this issue are provided. Although NSF funding concluded in 2013, the College continues to offer E[superscript 3] research experiences to high school mathematics and science teachers using other financial resources.
Descriptors: Summer Programs, Engineering Education, Faculty Development, Mathematics Teachers, Science Teachers, High Schools, Secondary School Teachers, Minority Group Students, Disadvantaged Youth, Program Evaluation, Program Effectiveness, Vocational Interests, Focus Groups, Surveys, Statistical Analysis, Barriers, Student Interests
Institute for STEM Education and Research. P.O. Box 4001, Auburn, AL 36831. Tel: 334-844-3360; Web site: http://www.jstem.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: EEC0227681; 0601776; 0908431