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IEEE Pre-University Education Activities
Beth Babeu Kelly, Sr. Manager, Educational Programs
Douglas Gorham, Managing Director IEEE Educational Activities
2 September 2007
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Pre-University Education Focus
Objectives Increase the propensity of young people
worldwide to select Engineering as a career path
Build a sustained public awareness program, led by IEEE, with broad support of corporations and professional associations
Emphasis on programs for the adults who influence students, e.g., school counselors and teachers
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The Need
Industry representatives contacted by IEEE expressed serious worries about the decreasing propensity of young students to choose education programs that would enable future engineering studies and subsequent engineering careers.
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The Need Cont’d
The perception of young people and those who influence them is critical to the future of the engineering profession. According to the National Academy of Engineering, there are misconceptions that obscure both the contributions of engineers and the skills and competencies that define the engineering discipline. These misconceptions discourage many talented young people, especially women and other under-represented groups, from considering an engineering career.
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Percentage of Undergraduate Science Degrees Awarded
41
.83
63
2.4
18
.41
5.6
38
.43
2.5
28
.21
5.8
13
39
.53
1.5
24
.21
5.9
15
38
.43
12
5.9
15
.71
4.9
38
.93
1.1
25
16
.41
7.4
38
.53
0.8
24
.61
4.8
16
.2
05
101520253035404550
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
South Korea
Germany
Czech Rep.
USA
Norway
Science degrees include life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, computer sciences, engineering, manufacturing, and building
Source: Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development
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IEEE Pre-University Education Activities Include:
VolTS project with the NY Hall of Science
Teacher In-Service Program (TISP) Joint collaboration efforts with ASCE,
ASME and JETS An International Pre-University
Engineering Education Summit TryEngineering.org Design Squad
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IEEE Pre-University Education Activities Include:
VolTS project with the NY Hall of Science
Teacher In-Service Program (TISP) Joint collaboration efforts with ASCE,
ASME and JETS An International Pre-University
Engineering Education Summit TryEngineering.org Design Squad
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Volunteers TryScience (VolTS)
VolTS addresses the need for content experts to volunteer in informal education settings
Working with the NY Hall of Science and the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC)
Goals include: Increasing knowledge and skills of volunteer
coordinators in museums Support scientists and engineers Increase the quantity and quality of volunteer
commitments Develop a recognition program for volunteers
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VolTS Cont’d
IEEE volunteers participated in focus groups in 2006
Recognition program includes: IEEE EAB Meritorious Award in Informal
Education, approved in November 2006 Develop a VolTS Award Certificate to be
used by volunteer coordinators worldwide Generate a letter to a Volunteer’s Employer
acknowledging their contribution
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IEEE Pre-University Education Activities Include:
VolTS project with the NY Hall of Science
Teacher In-Service Program (TISP) Joint collaboration efforts with ASCE,
ASME and JETS An International Pre-University
Engineering Education Summit TryEngineering.org Design Squad
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Summary of TISP 2001-2007
57 TISP presentations have taken place, led by IEEE volunteers, in Malaysia, South Africa and the US
Over 1480 pre-university educators have participated, representing more than 160,000 students
More than 90% of the attendees indicated that they would use the concepts presented in their classroom instruction
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Sample TISP Topics
“Everything You Wanted to Know About Electric Motors But Were Afraid to Ask”
“Rocket Cars and Newton’s Laws” “Rotational Equilibrium: A Question of
Balance” “Effective Lighting” “Get Connected with Ohm’s Law” “Design and Build Your Own Robot Arm” “Learn to Program and Test Robots for
Classroom Use”
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What did we do in 2006?
5 TISP training workshops were held in 2006 for Sections in: Region 1 (Boston), Region 3 (Memphis), Region 4 (Indianapolis), Cape Town, South Africa and Putrajaya, Malaysia
Over 330 people attended these training sessions representing 36 IEEE Sections.
More than 900 teachers have participated in an IEEE volunteer led TISP presentation in 2006
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What we are doing in 2007? Expanding to
Region 2 (Baltimore) 7-8 September
Region 5 (Dallas) 13-14 July 70 attendees
Region 9 (Rio De Janiero) 17-18 August 100 attendees from 13 countries
Region 9 (Piura, Peru) 4-5 August tudent Branch model 105 attendees from 3 countries
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IEEE Pre-University Education Activities Include:
VolTS project with the NY Hall of Science
Teacher In-Service Program (TISP) Joint collaboration efforts with ASCE,
ASME and JETS An International Pre-University
Engineering Education Summit TryEngineering.org Design Squad
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ASCE/ASME/IEEE/JETS Partnership
We have formed a partnership with NACAC and ASCA to assist school counselors
We have developed print materials for educators outlining the resources of each society
Since 2000 we have directly impacted over 13,000 engineers and more than 7000 educators in workshops, exhibits, webinars and presentation sessions at engineering and educator meetings
In 2007 we will: develop professional development modules for school
counselors focusing on engineering as a career option Conduct training workshops for volunteers Conduct professional development workshops for
educators Make presentations and sponsor exhibits at educator
conferences
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IEEE Pre-University Education Activities Include:
VolTS project with the NY Hall of Science
Teacher In-Service Program (TISP) Joint collaboration efforts with ASCE,
ASME and JETS An International Pre-University
Engineering Education Summit TryEngineering.org Design Squad
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“Meeting the Growing Demand for Engineers and Their Educators
2010-2020” First time event To be held on 9-11 November 2007 in
Munich, Germany 100-125 attendees is our goal Attendees from industry,
government, professional societies, pre-university education and academia
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Objectives and Outcomes
Objectives bring together
representatives of the various organizations with decision making ability;
understand who are the customers and constituents;
understand pre-university education trends in various areas of the world, and
generate an “inventory” of effective activities.
Outcomes identify and agree on a set
of action items; identify opportunities for
collaboration; develop an action plan to
accomplish the purposes of the Summit;
institutionalize identified practices; and
disseminate opportunities for collaboration.
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Planning CommitteeArthur Winston, chair Moshe Kam
Fanny Klett David Janosz (Pre-University teacher)
Rolf Remshardt Volker Schanz (VDE)
Victor Fouad Hanna (SEE)
Gerald Anleitner
Andreas Luxa Douglas Gorham
Michael Schanz (VDE) Jessica Czeczuga
Charles Turner
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IEEE Pre-University Education Activities Include:
VolTS project with the NY Hall of Science
Teacher In-Service Program (TISP) Joint collaboration efforts with ASCE,
ASME and JETS An International Pre-University
Engineering Education Summit TryEngineering.org Design Squad
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On Line Portal
TryEngineering.org
“Strong On-line presence”
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TryEngineering.org– summary
Overall a major success story
Biggest advantage: a tangible public service by IEEE to the pre-university community
Biggest surprise: success of “ask an engineer”
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TryEngineering.orgA portal for students, parents, school counselors and teachers
School searchBy location, program, environment
Day in the life of an engineer
Hands-on and virtual projects
Lesson plans for teaching engineering design
Ask an engineer:Brought to you by SAE
Ask an undergraduate student:Brought to you by JETS
Games Summer camps, internship opportunities
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TryEngineering.orgCurrent Status
TryEngineering.org has been on-line since June 2006
Available in seven languages Please visit and provide us with feedback
Some statistics (as of 1 August 2007) 28,800 = average # of visitors per month 25-47 minutes = average time a visitor spends on the site 126,835 = average # of page hits per month 4,727 = average number of university searches per month 10,223 = average # of lesson plans downloaded per month 1,821 = # questions submitted to Ask an Expert Top 5 countries based on visitor percentage = US, India,
China, Canada, UK
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TryEngineering.orgStatus of Non-English Versions
Language Hits VisitorsChinese 17,608 2834
Spanish 21,866 2693
Russian 24,763 2589
French 23,230 2498
German 21,835 2237
Japanese 20,704 2091
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IEEE Pre-University Education Activities Include:
VolTS project with the NY Hall of Science
Teacher In-Service Program (TISP) Joint collaboration efforts with ASCE,
ASME and JETS An International Pre-University
Engineering Education Summit TryEngineering.org Design Squad
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Design Squad
Education Outreach to Introduce Young Students to Engineering
a new, live-action reality TV series that debuts nationwide on PBS stations during Engineers Week 2007, aims to introduce nine- to 13-year-olds and their families to the engineering design process.
Two teams of high school students use their problem-solving skills to design, construct, and test an intriguing, fully operational and unique engineering project.
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Design Squad Cont’d
Hands-on activities that work in conjunction with each episode will play an integral role in the outreach campaign.
EA is working with IEEE USA to organize “train the trainer” workshops
Major funding provided by IEEE, Intel and the National Science Foundation