Advances in Engineering Education - Vol 4 - Teaching STEM by Design - Winter 2014

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Terk

Developing innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) curricula that motivate K-12 students is a continuous challenge for teachers. This paper proposes using the engineering design process (EDP) as an instructional development model to formalize curriculum and lesson creation under constraints of time, content, and cost. Guided by learning literature, EDP-based design supports learner-centered and problem-based learning. The authors collaborated with 15 middle school teachers over three years to create active-learning modules for 2,000+ students and report evaluation results.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Need for innovative STEM curricula

Policy-driven changes and teacher professional development

Why middle school matters

Engineering design process as a framework

| Ad | vances in Engineering Edu | cation | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | VOLUME 4 NUMBER 1 – wiNtER 2014 teaching StEM by Design KRISTEN BILLIAR Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA JEANNE HUBELBANK Independent Program Evaluation Consultant Sudbury, MA THOMAS OLIVA Forest Grove Middle School Worcester, MA and TERRI CAMESANO Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA ABStrACt Developing innovative science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curricula that elicit student excitement for learning is a continuous challenge for K-12 STEM teachers. Generating these lessons while meeting conflicting pedagogical objectives and constraints of time, content, and cost from various parties is truly a challenging task for any teacher. Recognizing the parallel between curricular design and engineering design, we posit that the engineering design process (EDP) can be used as an innovative, effective, and logical means for formalizing the development of K-12 STEM lessons. The use of the EDP as an instructional development (ID) model is firmly based on the existing literature theory of how people learn; in particular, identifying the students and teachers as clients for the design process is a learner-centered approach, and problem-based learning (PBL) encourages active learning of STEM concepts in the context of authentic problems. To develop this process in practice, we collaborated with 15 middle school teachers over three years to create active learning curricular modules to teach over 2,000 students difficult STEM concepts. This article describes the practice of how teachers can utilize the EDP to develop problem-based curricular units and in doing so become more comfortable with the EDP themselves. We also report on the evaluation of this project. Key words: Curriculum development, K-12 outreach, Middle School, Active learning, Engineering design process, Evaluation winter 2014 1 advances in engineering education teaching steM by design intrODUCtiOn Our society is increasingly dependent on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) knowledge, yet students who fail to take preparatory STEM courses limit their future abilities to pursue technological careers. The percentage of top American students entering science and engineering fields has declined in recent years, and underrepresented minorities and women are disproportionately absent in STEM fields (NSB National Science Board May 5, 2010) . It is becoming clear that not enough students are pursuing STEM to meet the nation’s technological needs (Rockland, et al. 2010, Douglas, Iversen and Kalyandurg November 2004) . To counteract the lack of interest in STEM by many students, there is a pressing need for innovative STEM curricula that elicit student excitement for learning (Rockland, et al. 2010) . Recent efforts to improve STEM education, and education in general, launched by national, state, and local policymakers, have created a fundamental shift in what is expected of teachers. New high standards of performance adopted by states and districts require new educational paradigms and professional development for teachers (Garet, et al. 2001) . In response, many K-12 STEM teachers strive to develop interactive and engaging STEM programs to provide their students with deeper understanding of subject matter and problem-solving skills. In our particular case, middle schoolteachers who participate in our NSF-funded Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program are required to design a lesson plan incorporating engineering design to teach an aspect of their STEM curriculum. Generating these lessons, while meeting conflicting pedagogical objectives, such as preparation for standardized tests versus mentored exploration, is truly a difficult task especially considering the constraints of time, content, and cost from various parties. While all grades benefit from STEM instructi

FAQs

What challenge does the paper address in K-12 STEM curriculum development?

It addresses the difficulty of creating STEM lessons that generate student excitement while meeting conflicting pedagogical objectives under time, content, and cost constraints.

How does the paper propose to use the engineering design process (EDP)?

It proposes using EDP as an instructional development model to structure the development of problem-based STEM curricular units and to help teachers build competence and confidence in using EDP.

What was the scope of the collaboration with teachers and students?

The authors collaborated with 15 middle school teachers over three years to create active learning curricular modules teaching difficult STEM concepts to over 2,000 students.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Terk