Building Capacity for Preparing Teacher-Engineers for 21st Century Engineering

该能力建设项目是教育学院、工程学院和科学学院之间的合作伙伴关系，并正在建立一个工程本科课程，以培养了解当前人们如何学习的知识并利用这种理解在课堂上实施有效教学方法的教师工程师。为了实现预期的结果，该项目正在努力实现两个近期目标：(1)建设基础设施，培养将在K-12环境中任教的高效率、高知识的教师工程师；(2)加强三所UTEP学院和当地学区之间的伙伴关系，以支持成功培养教师工程师。该项目正在重新设计有针对性的工程课程课程，将这些课程与现有的教育课程结合起来，并将它们与K-12课堂的实地经验结合起来。这些行动正在向教师和工程师注入一种以实践为基础的学习方法，并使他们对教、学和工程的教学和技术内容有了深刻的理解。该项目正在扩展现有的诺伊斯学者计划，并正在建设一个独特的基础设施，在理论和实践上都结合了基于探究的学习。教育课程提供了探究性教学的理论基础，重新设计的工科课程提供了理论实践。正是这种理论-信息-实践模式为诺伊斯工程学者提供了以探究式教学的知识和经验，既吸引了K-12学生的学习，又使他们对工程作为职业选择感到兴奋。该项目正在向更广泛的社区提供一种模式，以培养具有数学和科学教学知识、技能和能力的教师-工程师，包括工程和技术应用。围绕探究式教学模式重新设计的工程课程也使所有在校学生受益于对内容的概念理解的加深。作为一家为少数群体服务的机构，该项目正在积极影响高素质的K-12 STEM教育工作者的多样性。

This Capacity Building project is a partnership between the College of Education, College of Engineering, and College of Science, and is establishing an undergraduate program in engineering to produce teacher-engineers who understand current knowledge of how people learn and who implement effective pedagogical approaches in their classroom using this understanding. To achieve the desired outcome, the project is working to achieve two immediate goals: (1) building the infrastructure for producing effective and knowledgeable teacher-engineers who will teach in K-12 settings; (2) strengthening partnerships among the three UTEP colleges and local school districts to support successful development of teacher-engineers. The project is re-designing targeted engineering course curricula, is coupling those with existing education courses, and is integrating them with field experiences in K-12 classrooms. These actions are infusing a practice-based approach to learning in the teacher-engineers, and are providing them with deep understanding of the pedagogical and technical content of teaching, learning, and engineering.The project is extending an existing Noyce Scholars Program and is building a unique infrastructure that incorporates inquiry-based learning both in theory and in practice. The education courses are providing the theoretical underpinnings of inquiry teaching and learning, while the re-designed engineering courses are providing the practice of the theory. It is this theory-informs-practice model that is providing Noyce Engineering Scholars with the knowledge and experience to teach in an inquiry-based manner that both engages K-12 students in their learning and excites them about engineering as a career option.The project is informing the broader community of a model for preparing teacher-engineers who have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to teach in mathematics and science including engineering and technology applications. The engineering courses re-designed around inquiry models of teaching and learning also are benefitting all enrolled students from the deepened conceptual understanding of the content. As a minority serving institution, the project is positively impacting the diversity of highly qualified, K-12 STEM educators.