GK-12: Creating an Integrated Engineering and Technology Education Continuum

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This project builds on successful reforms in hands-on engineering education that are the core of the Integrated Teaching and Learning (ITL) Program in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Twenty graduate and 8 undergraduate GK-12 Fellows, comprehensively trained as "engineering ambassadors," are delivering the pedagogy and engineering content pioneered in the ITL Program over the past seven years. Each Fellow is paired with a faculty mentor selected for his/her demonstrated interest in engineering outreach.The GK-12 program is creating a significant partnership between the College and K-12 schools to extend the success of the ITL undergraduate engineering program by providing a unique graduate student learning and mentoring experience that impacts the K-12 community of learners. The Fellows serve as classroom agents to help teachers better prepare students for a world increasingly dependent on engineering and technology through the integration of technology-enhanced, hands-on learning components with math, physical science and technology curricula. Fellows impact K-12 students with diverse learning styles through the use of project-based, hands-on learning, while assisting K-12 teachers in gaining content knowledge on engineering and technology as vehicles to address appropriate state educational standards. A number of formative and summative evaluation methods are being used to assess and continuously refine the many facets of the program. In addition to providing classroom support and encouraging more K-12 students to pursue technical careers, the project helps legitimize outreach as a valid and worthwhile academic endeavor for graduate students and engineering faculty.