EPICS in K-12: An Innovation to Encourage SMET in K-12

本项目提出通过纵向整合伊利诺斯大学EPICS本科团队与香槟-厄巴纳大学K-12学生，扩展EPICS工程项目社区服务模式。根据项目的性质，K-12学生将在为社区服务的真正的科学和工程项目中担任本科生的顾问、客户或队友。基于问题的学习和合作学习将成为促进学生学习的关键教学方法。通过向K-12学生展示一个开放式的问题，并挑战他们一起寻找和实施一个解决方案，学生将在学习新信息、分析数据和替代方案、综合和创造解决方案以及评估替代方案的过程中获得认知发展。此外，让K-12学生与工程本科学生一起参与大型的、现实世界的“动手/思考”问题，将增加年轻学生对SMET的动力、信心、兴奋和兴趣。

This project proposes to extend the EPICS Engineering Projects in Community Service model by vertically integrating select University of Illinois undergraduate EPICS teams with K-12 students in the Champaign-Urbana. Depending on the nature of the project, the K-12 students will work as consultants for, clients of, or teammates with undergraduate students on real science and engineering projects that serve the community. Problem-based learning and cooperative learning will be the key pedagogical approaches to enhancing student learning. By presenting K-12 students with an open-ended problem and challenging them to work together to find and implement a solution, the students will development cognitively as they learn new information, analyze data and alternatives, synthesize and create solutions, and evaluate alternative. Further, engaging K-12 students in large, real-world "hands-on/minds-on" problems in teams with undergraduate engineering students will increase the motivation, confidence, excitement and interest of younger students in SMET.