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|\n|  |  |  |  |  |\n\nsuMMEr 2008  \nFuture Cities Engineering: Early Engineering Interventions in the Middle Grades  \nCAMILLE MCCUE  \nThe Alexander Dawson School Las Vegas, Nevada  \nDAVID JAMES, PHD, PEThe University of Nevada, Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada  \nAbstrAct  \nThis paper describes qualitative and quantitative research conducted with middle school students participating in a Future Cities Engineering course. Insights were sought regarding both affective and cognitive changes which transpired during the one semester schedule of activities focused on modeling the infrastructure of a city built 150 years in the future. Modeling activities consisted of both a computer simulation, SimCity 3000 Unlimited, and the construction of a physical scale model depicting student visions. To determine the efficacy of SimCity in serving as a realistic modeling tool, the software was “ground-truthed” by comparing Sim dimensions to the dimensions of analogous objects (roads, water pipes) in the real world. An age-appropriate attitude survey was developed and administered with the goal of measuring student disposition towards the engineering profession. Additionally, a multiple-choice content test was developed and administered both pre and post instruction to obtain a quantifiable measure of student learning. Findings show that student participation in such a course can lay favorable foundations for appreciation of and participation in the engineering profession.  \nKeywords: middle school, engineering interventions, future cities engineering  \nbAcKGrOUND  \nThe booming world population and the necessary evolution to cleaner, more environmentallysound methods of living daily life are creating a need for improved planning and innovation in city infrastructure and operations. Civil engineering is at the heart of this challenge, with the United States and the world as a whole experiencing a growing need for well-prepared, enthusiastic students to pursue undergraduate degrees and work as professional engineers. While bachelor’s degrees  \nsUmmer 2008 1  \nawarded in engineering at American universities have been increasing slightly over the past several years, civil engineering enrollment has not enjoyed the same percentage growth as aerospace, biomedical, electrical/computer and mechanical engineering fields [1], making it all the more difficult to meet the national and international need.  \nPre-college institutions may provide students at the middle school and high school level (Grade 6–12) the only formal instruction they will encounter in engineering-related activities. The extent of these engineering experiences, however, is often limited and consists mainly of projects embedded in science courses—usually middle school physical science and high school physics—or in vocational classes. Most teachers are not trained in the distinction between “science” and “engineering” and thus do not transfer an appreciation of the problem-solving aspect of engineering to their classes. Students, through laboratory experiments and book study, come to believe that science is about following a sequence of established patterns, working as,“consumers of science, rather than inquirers in science” [2] .  \nInformal engineering encounters including FIRST LEGO League robotics competition, the West Point Bridge Design contest (  [http://bridgecontest. usma.edu/](http://bridgecontest. usma.edu/)) and the Design Squad ([http://pbskids. org/designsquad/](http://pbskids. org/designsquad/)) television series (broadcast on PBS) provide excellent early exposure to the engineering field. However, if exposed only to typical school resources, teachers and curricula, most American K-12 students head towards college with poorly-formed concepts about what engineering is, and what engineers do. Such limited understanding about the engineering field makes it unlikely that students will choos","cbCainVSFPcuWkWs","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCainVSFPcuWkWs","pdf",6316859,24,"English","# Abstract\n## Background\n## Overview: Future Cities Engineering course","[{\"question\":\"What is the main purpose of the Future Cities Engineering course studied in the paper?\",\"answer\":\"The course aims to provide middle school students authentic experiences working as junior civil engineers by tackling real problems similar to those faced by professional civil engineers.\"},{\"question\":\"How did the study evaluate SimCity as a realistic modeling tool?\",\"answer\":\"The software was evaluated by ground-truthing: SimCity dimensions were compared with the dimensions of analogous real-world objects such as roads and water pipes.\"},{\"question\":\"How were student learning and attitudes measured?\",\"answer\":\"An age-appropriate attitude survey assessed students’ dispositions toward engineering, and a multiple-choice content test was administered before and after instruction to quantify learning gains.\"}]","Future Cities Engineering - Early Engineering Interventions in the Middle Grades | PDF",1792067139]