Welcome to the Chair’s Wednesday Weekly update for K-12 and Precollege Division members!  Be sure to bookmark and check in on our division website at http://k12division.asee.org/ to stay up on the latest news.

Look in this update for information about:

Welcome and new initiatives

Announcements

Get involved:  Committee Listings

Opportunity to provide feedback on new science standards

2012 Call for Papers

Welcome and new initiatives

Hello, colleagues!  I am excited to serve as your 2011-2013 K-12 and Precollege Division Chair.  We had a very productive program at the annual conference in Vancouver, despite the allure of a really beautiful setting.  At our business meeting, I spoke of my goal to establish the K-12 and Precollege Division as the center of competency for K-12 engineering education through our work, our collaborations and our research. One way to do this is to increase the opportunities for our nearly 800 members to be aware of and involved in division efforts.

One communication vehicle will be this Wednesday Weekly update.  Each week, I will send an email with any news and announcements from both the leadership and members of the division, as well as relevant postings from others.  I hope through regular communication you can stay informed about opportunities and progress while minimizing the intrusion on your inbox.

Announcements

The executive board meets on the second Wednesday of each month via conference call.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or issues for the board.

As a reminder, the 2011-12 Executive Board members are (these are also listed on our website):

Chair:  Liz Parry, eaparry@ncsu.edu

Chair-elect:  Stacy Gardner, stacy.gardner@harpethhall.org

Program Chair:  Laura Bottomley,  laurab@ncsu.edu

Program Chair-elect:  Susan Donohue,  susan.donohue@gmail.com

Secretary/Treasurer:  Paul Klenk,  pak@duke.edu

K-12 Representative:  Susan Pruet, spruet@maef.net

Publications:  Susan Walden,  susan.e.walden-1@ou.edu

Member at Large:  Monica Cardella, mcardell@purdue.edu

Member at large:  Martha Cyr, mcyr@wpi.edu

Member at large:  Tamara Moore, tamara@umn.edu

Member at large:  Christine Schnittka, christine.schnittka@uky.edu

Malinda Zarske, Immediate past Chair, malinda.zarske@colorado.edu

Mark your calendars:  The 2012 K-12 Teacher Workshop to be held on Saturday, June 9, 2012 in San Antonio will have a FALL, 2011 workshop/presentation submission schedule (aligned with the technical conference paper schedule)!  This is a change from previous years, when the submission was in late winter.

Get involved in your division:  Committee Opportunities!

We are also increasing the opportunity for member involvement through the establishment of several working committees.  I hope you will take a look at these and contact the committee chair to volunteer your expertise and experience in those areas of interest to you.

Policy (Martha Cyr, committee chair, mcyr@wpi.edu): This committee will serve as a reviewing team and coordinator for division response on matters of policy regarding K-12 engineering education.

New Member Recruitment and Retention (Christine Schnittka, committee chair, christine.schnittka@uky.edu): This committee will develop and implement strategies to increase both the number of members and the diversity of the constituencies they represent.

Publicity/Public Relations (Susan Walden, committee chair, susan.e.walden-1@ou.edu): This committee will be responsible for promoting the division’s work and research through multiple channels.

Technical Advisory Committee (Tamara Moore, committee chair, tamara@umn.edu):  This committee will work with ASEE HQ K-12 staff to promote effective engineering activities for widespread use.

Awards (Larry Richards, committee chair, lgr@cms.mail.virginia.edu):  This committee will identify and pursue recognition opportunities for the division’s members.

We need your expertise!

A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas was recently released on the National Academies Press website (read and/or download it at https://download.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13165).  ASEE will be submitting feedback to the committee.  A subset of our policy committee will coordinate our division’s response to ASEE HQ.  Please send your comments and feedback to any of the following board members:  Martha Cyr, Tamara Moore or Christine Schnittka.

2012 Annual Conference Call for Papers

The K-12 AND PRE-COLLEGE ENGINEERING DIVISION seeks papers for the 2012 ASEE Annual Conference, which will be held in San Antonio, TX June 10 – 13, 2012.  This division provides a forum where the research, development, implementation and dissemination of K-12 e engineering and/or technology education initiatives, curriculum, instruction and ideas are shared and discussed.  We invite papers related to all aspects of K-12 engineering and technology education efforts including:  (a) studies of innovative curriculum, pedagogical methods, and teacher preparation and professional development; (b) appropriately assessed and/or evaluated, effective outreach and education efforts, particularly those efforts contributing to greater diversity and access to engineering and/or awareness among key stakeholders such as teachers, principals, guidance counselors, parents and policy-makers; and (c) models for establishing, maintaining, and measuring the impacts of partnerships between universities, primary and secondary schools, industry and/or informal educational settings. Special sessions for 2012 are not yet identified.  Information will be sent out to the division membership when available.  Others should monitor the K-12/Precollege Division website.

This year’s papers will include the possibility of two tracks.  Either: papers will report the results of research or systematically collected outcomes assessment (i.e. data will be expected by reviewers) or papers can present “works in progress.”  Submissions should indicate clearly in the abstract which of these two tracks are appropriate.  Works in progress may have a higher likelihood of being assigned to a poster session and should have innovative aspects that have not been previously published by others. Papers authored collaboratively between engineering and technology education faculty, industry, outreach partners, and K-12 teachers are encouraged. Additional information about review criteria and the special sessions will be sent through the division member list-serve and will be posted along with answers to frequently asked questions on the K-12 division website (http://k12division.asee.org/). Updated information about submission processes and deadlines can be obtained at: http://www.asee.org/conferences/annual/2011/Call-for-Papers.cfm

For more information, please contact the Division’s Program Chair, Laura Bottomley, North Carolina State University, laurab@ncsu.edu.

Thank you for your membership and participation in the K-12 and Precollege Division.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Liz