No: EE 406
Title: Engineering Design for K-12 Outreach
Credits: 3
Goals: This course creates a bridge between service learning and engineering by providing a meaningful opportunity to generate at a moderately technical level, designs that are attentive to the audience at hand (a subset of the K-12 community). The engineering design component provides students with an opportunity to focus on design process and on design definitions that are matched to the needs of the audience (customer) through formalized specification procedures. Detailed instruction on the types of audiences (customers) to which specifications should be targeted are provided as part of the course instruction (how children learn, classroom structure, etc). The course also gives the student an opportunity to explore and understand how he/she can be a long term presence in the K-12 community. Exposure (demonstration) to the K-12 community is part of course completion.
The course addresses goals of (a) audience/customer-based design experience within (b) an overarching need to communicate a fundamental concept of science or engineering to the K-12 community, while also (c) allowing the student to evaluate broader reaching service opportunities for applying his/her expertise to K-12 in the longer term career.
Learning objectives: At the end of this course, students will be able to:
Textbook:
Endangered Minds (Healy);
Class notes, supplemental reading from a variety of reference
textbooks.
Prerequisites by Topic:
Class topics:
Course structure: The class meets for two lectures a week, each consisting of 80-minutes each or one session of 140 minutes. Weekly reflection assignments emphasize in-depth understanding of the reading assignments. A Design project and bi-monthly milestones (5 total, including oral and written effort) focus on the definition of design specifications in consider of audience and the accurate implementation and delivery of the design.
Computer resources: Homework and design project preparation/demonstration can be done on a PC.
Grading: Weekly reflections account for approximately 35% of the final grade. Milestones of class (at UW and in K-12 classroom) presentation of design; written report of the design; summary and justification of specifications account for 15% each; Two additional milestones (project proposal and draft report with peer review) account for 10% each.
Outcome coverage:
This course addresses basic ABET outcomes as follows (all outcomes not listed below are Low in coverage):
(a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering. The course requires the development and application of fundamental physical principles (of science and engineering) to the effective design and evaluation of a science/engineering activity for K-12. (M)
(c) an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs. Students are required to design a science/engineering activity that meets the needs of a specific K-12 audience at a cognitive level appropriate to the audience. (H)
(g) Ability to communicate effectively. Teams of two to three students are required to work in design teams together, communicating the design in milestones using both oral and written communication. Teams of four to six students also lead and facilitate weekly discussions on the background readings during each class session. (H)
(j) a knowledge of contemporary issues. Current issues in cognitive development and engineering/science education are emphasized in 60% of the course reading and lecture/discussion material. Student comprehension is evaluated in the weekly reflections (with an emphasis on depth of understanding). (M)
(k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice. Students are expected to use spreadsheets and mathematical analysis programs (e.g. Matlab) to analyze, simulate, present, and justify design decisions and demonstrate basic (first) concept goals of the educational activity designs. (M)
Prepared by: D.M. Wilson
Last revised: 9 May 2007