IEEE-USA Among Groups Pushing to Improve Technical Education for Youngsters

by Terry Costlow

Though engineering periodically goes through cyclical downturns, there’s long been a concern that there aren’t enough engineering graduates to satisfy the growing need for skilled workers. A number of groups are addressing this need by working more closely with elementary, middle and high schools, getting students interested in math, science and other coursework that may spur them to pursue engineering in college.

In past years, high schools and colleges got a lot of attention. More recently, however, groups have shifted their focus more to the junior high level. “To keep the engineering pipeline filled, we’re working more at the middle schools, where people — especially women — are often left behind,” said Hardy Pottinger, chair of IEEE-USA’s Precollege Education Committee, and a professor at the University of Missouri-Rolla. “Middle school is when kids begin making some basic decisions that impact career choices.”

Contests are Valuable Interest-Building Tools

Contests are popular tools for getting students involved. The Future City Competition, a program IEEE-USA launched in 1993 with National Engineers Week, has for years successfully piqued middle school students' interest in the social impact of technology. Contests also provide visibility for the companies that sponsor them, which helps justify the time and expense the companies invest in the programs, and adds to the programs’ popularity and overall success.

This link with corporations is becoming increasingly important as funding becomes more critical to the future of programs created to reach students. “We are starting an initiative to work more with business and industry,” said Rosanne T. White, executive director of the Technology Student Association. “We already have several contests that are engineering-based, with judges from local companies.” The organization, which has 200,000 high school-age members, is also recruiting students who will go to college to become technology teachers at the K-12 level.

And while older, established programs, such as Future City and the National Society of Professional Engineers’ MATHCOUNTS competition, are retaining their popularity among students, teachers and corporate sponsors, new contests continue to emerge. For example, IEEE-USA is working with the Electronics Industries Foundation, supporting the TechXplore project, an online mentoring program that links engineers and student teams. Mentors and students pick a problem and work together to create a solution that can they can enter into regional contests. “We’re working with [the Electronics Industries Foundation] to help recruit members — EEs and CEs — for this mentoring project,” said Pottinger.

Everyday Exposure is Critical

To be sure, contests and other outreach programs bring excitement to math, science and technology. But observers stress that to attract the talent necessary to keep the engineering pipeline full, the key will be to upgrade math and science education on a daily basis. Engineers have long volunteered to make classroom presentations, but many groups are re-examining this practice and considering other possibilities.

“I think industry is learning that it is not a good idea to ‘release engineers into the wild’ of the American classroom,” said Rich Taber, a consultant in the National Science Foundation’s Education and Human Resources Directorate. “They have to have some idea about teaching and about connecting to education standards.”

Instead, experts want to find ways to help teachers and school boards make longer-lasting impacts. “We’ve done a number of studies, but a big question is always how to make changes that are permanent,” said Margaret Hilton, senior program manager at the National Academy of Sciences.

She suggested that one way to make permanent changes is to alter states’ education standards. In addition, a growing number of universities now offer summer courses aimed at improving teachers’ understanding of math, science and technology, and at designing more creative ways to teach these subjects.

As they are doing for the student competitions, corporations and organizations are supporting these teacher programs as well. “Industry personnel are moving into a role that is more supportive of teachers’ understanding of math, science and engineering concepts and fundamentals,” Taber said. “They want to raise educators’ capabilities permanently, rather than going in and doing a whiz-bang presentation that is disconnected from the class’ total experience and leaves the teacher looking like an amateur of sorts.”

Hands-On Vs. Simulated Experiences

A major facet of teaching science is to provide hands-on experiences. The National Science Foundation is currently conducting a study to determine how students learn in high school laboratories. Personal computers have taken hold, enabling students to see molecular simulations, for example. However, the study will address the prevalent concern about what computers can do and what students should do. “We’re asking how much hands-on they need and what we can do in simulation,” Hilton said.

Another aspect of the NSF study is to help schools get the tools they need to make the PCs useable. “We want students to concentrate on what they’re trying to learn, not worrying about instrumentation and set-up problems,” Hilton added. After the report is released in May 2005, NSF will re-examine funding for high school labs.

For More Information

• IEEE Educational Activities' Teacher-in-Service Program features engineers from IEEE Sections developing and presenting technologically oriented subject matter to local precollege educators in an in-service or professional development setting. The focus on local school districts is a key feature to this program, as local engineers and educators can develop long lasting collaborations. For more information on IEEE precollege activities that enhance the technology, science and math literacy among precollege educators and their students, visit: www.ieee.org/organizations/eab/precollege.

• For more information on K-12 math, science and technology education initiatives, visit www.ieeeusa.org/COMMITTEES/PEC.

Other Resources

• Future City Competition - www.futurecity.org
• MATHCOUNTS - http://mathcounts.org
• TechXplore - www.techxplore.org

Terry Costlow has written about the electronics industry for more than 20 years, covering a wide range of technologies and topics. He can be contacted at todaysengineer@ieee.org.