Collaborative Research: An Engineering University Partnering with a Teacher Preparation University to Produce Highly Qualified Secondary STEM Teachers

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With funding from the Capacity Building track of the National Science Foundation's Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, this project will build the framework for a new STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) teacher preparation partnership program between the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) (a strong engineering school) and the University of Northern Colorado (UNCO) (a strong teacher education school). The new teacher preparation program will produce more highly qualified STEM teachers in Colorado, with special emphasis on middle and high school teachers. This program will provide an alternative path for CSM students who may wish to become a science or mathematics teacher. The project will provide insight in how to increase recruitment and retention of STEM majors while also addressing the shortage of STEM teachers.The collaborating institutions will develop new and revised courses that will best address the integrative nature of STEM learning that is emerging in K-12 education by preparing secondary science and mathematics teachers with the skills to integrate scientific inquiry, technological design, engineering problem solving and mathematical analysis into cohesive and meaningful learning experiences for their students. The program design will focus on recruitment and effective preparation of future teachers by providing the teacher candidates with strong content knowledge, early field experiences, and supervision of their student teaching by content faculty. This ultimately will have a positive impact on the students of these future teachers and an increase in science literacy within the greater community. The innovative model for collaboration between these two universities will be transportable to other similar situations where engineering schools are looking for ways to enable their students interested in teaching as a career to complete their training and certification. Project evaluation will be conducted primarily through tracking forms developed for each project goal and its corresponding objectives.