Connected STEM - Promoting STEM Education through Connected Devices and Building Automation

该项目将推进“面向学生和教师的创新技术体验”（ITEST）项目的努力，以更好地理解和促进提高学生在科学、技术、工程、科学和技术领域追求职业的动机和能力的实践。通过提供实证研究结果和/或研究工具，帮助了解K-12学生和教师的哪些模型和干预措施最有可能提高未来STEM和STEM相关密集型劳动力的能力。该项目将回答以下问题：1)提高能力、动机和持久性的经验的有效性，以促进STEM的生产性参与；2)如何让教师使用和整合与STEM职业相关的技术；3)行业在激励学生追求STEM职业和培养教师支持STEM职业意识方面所起的作用。该项目将通过与楼宇自动化相关的真实工程设计活动，促进初中生和高中生对工程的兴趣、技能、知识和职业抱负。方法是使用连接设备（称为物联网）和增材制造（3D打印）作为初中和高中学生使用的基本技术学习工具。该项目将使学生熟悉这些新技术，未来的劳动力将需要舒适地使用这些连接设备，新的制造工艺如何工作，并了解这些技术在现代企业中可以发挥的作用。该项目将结合教师培训、社区外展、行业支持和社区大学合作，促进初中和高中学生从事STEM职业。项目计划包括三个主要活动：1)将建筑自动化相关的真实设计活动纳入初中和高中课程，并得到行业专业人士的支持；2)为初中生创建连接设备的暑期课程；3)创建一门双学分课程，在高中提供社区大学学分，以建筑自动化为例。该项目将系统评估与工程设计相关的真实体验式学习活动对学生的兴趣、技能、知识和职业抱负的影响。这项工作还将检查教师专业发展计划在准备教师实施真正的工程设计活动方面的有效性。作为合作伙伴的大学教师和行业代表，该项目将考察这些专业人士在帮助教师克服他们在工程设计教学中遇到的任何疑虑或忧虑方面所发挥的作用。该项目将允许不同群体的学生通过真实的体验式学习活动了解新技术和STEM职业，而行业的参与将使学生更好地了解工程师的工作以及为什么数学和科学对这些技术职业至关重要。该项目与休斯顿独立学区（HISD）合作，这是德克萨斯州最大的学区，也是美国第七大学区，拟议的工作将对HISD及其62%的西班牙裔和25%的非洲裔学生群体产生重大影响，使服务不足的人群能够了解STEM领域的潜在职业。

This project will advance efforts of the innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) by producing empirical findings and/or research tools that contribute to knowledge about which models and interventions with K-12 students and teachers are most likely to increase capacity in the STEM and STEM cognate intensive workforce of the future.The project will answer questions about: 1) the effectiveness of experiences to promote competency, motivation, and persistence for productive participation in STEM; 2) how to engage teachers to use and integrate technology related to STEM careers; and 3) the role industry plays in motivating students to pursue STEM careers and preparing teachers to support STEM career awareness. The project will promote junior high and high school students' interest, skills, knowledge, and career aspirations in engineering through authentic engineering design activities related to building automation. The approach is to use connected devices (known as the internet of things) and additive manufacturing (3D printing) as the basic technological learning tools to be used by the junior high and high school students. The project will acquaint students to these new technologies in which the workforce of the future will need to be comfortable working with these connected devices, how new manufacturing processes work, and understanding the role these technologies can play in the modern enterprise. The project will use the combination of teacher training, community outreach, industry support, and community college partnership to promote STEM careers among junior high school and high school students. The project plan consists of three main activities: 1) the incorporation of authentic design activities related to building automation and supported by industry professionals into junior high and high school classes; 2) the creation of summer programs for junior high school students to create connected devices; and 3) the creation of a dual credit course to be offered in high schools for community college credit using examples from building automation. The project will systematically evaluate the effect of authentic experiential learning activities related to engineering design on students' interests, skills, knowledge, and career aspirations. The work will also examine the effectiveness of a teacher professional development program in preparing teachers to implement authentic engineering design activities. Both the university faculty and industry representatives as collaborators, the project will examine the role these other professionals play in helping teachers overcome any doubts or apprehension they have in engineering design instruction. The project will allow a diverse group of students to learn about new technologies and STEM careers through authentic experiential learning activities and the participation of industry will allow students to better understand what engineers do and why math and science are critical to these technical professions. The project partners with the Houston Independent School District (HISD), the largest school district in Texas and the 7th largest in the United States, and the proposed work will have significant impact with HISD and their 62% Hispanic and 25% African-American student population, allowing an underserved populations to learn about potential careers in STEM.