Thoughts from the Chair
As the new chair of the PCEE division, I consider it an extreme privilege to be able to work with such a wonderful group of P-12 stakeholders. I want to begin by thanking Martha Cyr for her leadership and dedication to the division the past two years. Thanks Martha! As a new academic year is underway, I am looking forward to hearing about all your current and new endeavors taking place in P-12 Engineering Education. Please read below for exciting events and opportunities to become involved with division activities. Bradley Bowen (bowenb@vt.edu)
2020 ASEE Annual Conference – Abstract submissions due October 14th
Abstract submission is now open and due on Monday, October 14, 2019. Please consider consider submitting a paper or poster to the division.
2019 PCEE Conference
On Saturday, June 15th, over 70 P-12 educators from the Tampa area attended the PCEE Conference at Stewart Middle Magnet School. During the day, 28 sessions were offered, packed with hands-on activities that actively engaged participants in authentic engineering education activities. A lunchtime speaker offered a dynamic view of the current challenges and needs of industry to remain competitive in the global economy. I want to offer a huge thank you to everyone that attended and was part of that planning and implementation process; it was truly a team effort. To provide time for reflection and improvements to the new model, we will not be offering the PCEE Conference in Montreal in 2020. However, we will be offering the conference in Long Beach in 2021. Please consider offering an interactive session or being part of this planning process by joining the PCEE Conference committee.
Division Opportunities
There are many opportunities to become involved with PCEE division activities. Listed below are some of the existing committees that support the efforts of the division. I am also open to any new ideas you feel would contribute to the mission and vision of the division. Review the following list of committees in which you can participate and please contact me (bowenb@vt.edu) if you are interested in serving or have questions about the purpose of a particular committee.
- PCEE Conference Committee
- ASEE Annual Conference Sunday Workshop Committee
- ASEE Annual Conference Program Committee
- ASEE Distinguished Lecturer Committee
- ASEE National and PCEE Division Awards Committee
- Teacher Grant Program Committee
- Division Brochure Committee
- Collaboration and Outreach Committee
PCEE Division – Bylaws
Last year the Executive Committee voted to approve changes to the bylaws. They are currently at ASEE Headquarters undergoing the approval process. You can read the current proposed version at the following links. You are welcome to read either the full version, or the ‘Cliff Notes’ version that only includes details about the sections where changes were proposed.
Click here for the full version with modifications
Click here for the ‘Cliff Notes’ version
Job Postings
Assistant or Associate Professor of Engineering Education – School of Engineering Education, Purdue University For more information and to apply, please visit: https://careers.purdue.edu/job/West-Lafayette-Assistant-or-Associate-Professor-of-Engineering-Education-IN-47906/585050900/
Dale and Suzi Gallagher Professorship of Engineering Education – School of Engineering Education, Purdue University.
For more information and to apply, please visit: https://careers.purdue.edu/job/West-Lafayette-Dale-and-Suzi-Gallagher-Professorship-of-Engineering-Education-IN-47906/585458300/
Other Opportunities and Announcements
E4USA Project
The course, Engineering For Us All (E4USA), empowers, engages, and excites students to use what they know and find what they are passionate about to take control and boldly influence the world. Empowerment is built through an awareness of engineering in everyday life, the diversity of engineers, and by interrogating and emphasizing how engineering is embedded in society. Read more about it on this project summary document. For more information contact e4usa@umd.edu. More information is also available at https://e4usa.umd.edu/.
AAAS STEM Volunteer Program
The AAAS STEM Volunteer Program (stemvolunteers.org) has placed retired and still working STEM professionals in DC area K-12 classrooms for 15 years. The program began in 2004 when a group of retired AAAS members approached the science supervisor in Montgomery County Public Schools to ask how they could assist teachers in the classroom. The key word is “assist.” Our volunteers develop partnerships with teachers to give them support teaching STEM. This can include giving presentations about STEM topics, being a content resource for students, helping design and evaluate experiments, helping with science fairs, and so on. They commit to the entire school with retirees typically in classrooms a couple of hours a week and volunteers still working a few hours every 2-3 weeks. They are currently recruiting new volunteers for the 2019-2020 school year. Around 200 volunteers supported teachers in 10 school districts in the 2018-2019 school year. Please contact Betty Calinger, Project Director American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) at bcalinge@aaas.org for more information and to volunteer.
https://youtu.be/I5LcNk0OymY (Fairfax County)
https://youtu.be/HP4vvqKf4bQ (Montgomery County)
Research Participation Opportunity – Survey to bridge the researcher-practitioner divide
Existing studies suggest that researchers and practitioners view the role of research in education differently; and this difference partly explains the disconnect between research and practice. Though reasonable argued, this idea has not been empirically investigated. In an effort to take steps toward bridging this gap between research and practice in engineering education, a survey was developed to test this idea (http://tinyurl.com/y3xkqjjz). Complete this brief survey today and enter for a chance to win a $25 gift card. Feel free to contact Drs. Jeremi London (jslondon@vt.edu) or Bev Watford (deuce@vt.edu) if you have questions. This work is supported by NSF Award #1911331.
Advancing Excellence in P-12 Engineering Education (AE3) Research Collaborative Partners with the American Society for Engineering Education to Establish a Defined and Cohesive Educational Sequence for P-12 Engineering
The Advancing Excellence in P-12 Engineering Education (AE3) research collaborative (www.p12engineering.org) announces a partnership with the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) to establish a defined and cohesive educational sequence to serve as the foundation for P-12 Engineering Standards. National educational content standards in science and technology have included engineering practices and content as way to facilitate design-based, engineering learning experiences in the classroom. Previous standards, however, may provide a too narrow of a view to adequately describe authentic engineering, specifically with concern to engineering content and competencies beyond design.
In 2016, the AE3 research collaborative initiated a “call to action” to build a community with a shared focus, vision, and research agenda to develop a coherent framework for P-12 engineering learning in an effort to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to think, learn, and act like an engineer. “It is clear through curricula efforts such as Engineering is Elementary, Engineer Your World, and Engineering 4 Us All that P-12 schools are eager for engineering learning experiences developed by the engineering community,” said Michael Grubbs, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships at AE3. “Our partnership with ASEE will enable us to better leverage the knowledge generated through those efforts and experts from the educational and engineering fields to develop a Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning. This foundational work will serve as a launching point to advance the quality and reach of P-12 engineering programs throughout the country and will, inevitably, set the foundation for the nation’s first P-12 educational standards for engineering.”
The partnership with ASEE will provide a pathway for ideas and innovations in engineering education to reach school systems eager to implement engineering with fidelity. ASEE Executive Director Dr. Norman Fortenberry said, “There is an increasing proliferation of products and activities that claim to provide either an understanding of engineering work or to prepare students for the collegiate study of engineering. At ASEE, we think it critical that these products and activities be part of an age-appropriate cohesive education sequence and, ideally, consistent with national P-12 Engineering Standards. We want students to understand what engineering is and what it is not.” Fortenberry elaborated, “We view ‘truth in advertising’ as an ethical obligation to ensure that students make informed choices about whether and how studying engineering contributes to their long-term career goals. Our collaboration with AE3 is a crucial first step in providing quality assurance for P-12 engineering programs.”
AE3 is a research collaborative that seeks to promote collaboration across the engineering and education communities to, foremost, pursue a vision and direction for P-12 Engineering Education; and second to develop a coherent and dynamic content framework for scaffolding the teaching and learning of engineering in P-12 schools. In 2016, AE3 launched the Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning project to establish a coherent curricular structure for the dimensions of engineering literacy and conduct research on the learning of engineering concepts/skills to better understand how to achieve engineering literacy for all. AE3 consists of researchers, teachers, industry and K-12 schools district partners, and thought leaders with a shared vision to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to think, learn, and act like an engineer.
Any question or comments regarding this partnership can be forwarded to your ASEE P12 Board of Directors Representatives; Bradley Bowen (bowenb@vt.edu) or Stacy Klein-Gardner (stacy.klein-gardner@vanderbilt.edu).