Science and Mathematics Education Commons^™

Creating The Fleet Maker - Lessons Learned From The First Series Of Workshops On Maker Concepts For Active Duty Personnel, Karina Arcaute, Michel Albert Audette, Vukica Jovanovic, Anthony Dean, Dipankar Ghosh

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The US Navy has supported research related to the 3D printing or Additive Manufacturing area for more than 20 years. More recently, efforts like the Print the Fleet initiative and Marine Makers are exploring ways to design and create solutions to future problems with the possibility of reducing maintenance costs, increasing equipment readiness, and improving combat effectiveness. The Creating the Fleet Maker project is an effort supported by the Navy and Marine Corps Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education, Outreach and Workforce Program of the Office of Naval Research. It examines the concept of making in order to develop skills …

Incorporating Diegetic Elements To Increase Engagement In Games For Engineering Education, Katherine Smith, Yuzhong Shen, Anthony W. Dean

VMASC Publications

One of the difficulties in developing educational games is maintaining player engagement. This engagement is critical for games to provide effective learning experiences. One way to increase engagement in games is to limit interruptions during game play. In educational games, this can be accomplished by incorporating learning or problem-solving elements diegetically. Diegetic elements are those that are part of the game scene. With this in mind, a series of games for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has been developed focusing on content in courses that are prerequisites to the engineering curriculum. These games cover topics in pre-calculus, calculus, …

Improving Introductory Computer Science Education With Draco, Mike Dongyub Ryu

Master's Theses

Today, many introductory computer science courses rely heavily on a specific programming language to convey fundamental programming concepts. For beginning students, the cognitive capacity required to operate with the syntactic forms of this language may overwhelm their ability to formulate a solution to a program.

We recognize that the introductory computer science courses can be more effective if they convey fundamental concepts without requiring the students to focus on the syntax of a programming language. To achieve this, we propose a new teaching method based on the Design Recipe and Code Outlining (DRaCO) processes. Our new pedagogy capitalizes on the …

Using The Soar Approach To Teach Middle School Students About Math And Science Concepts Found In Engineering, Rachael A. Wagner

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

In order to address the lack of knowledge about the engineering profession in middle-level students, the project described in this Honors Thesis was developed. Through the creation of an afterschool program centered on engineering, students were able to apply the math and science concepts covered to design, build, and test a bridge. One particular lesson from this after-school program was highlighted in this thesis, the lesson covering the Pythagorean Theorem, to demonstrate the use of SOAR methodology in the lesson’s development and later use in the classroom. The effectiveness of the Pythagorean Theorem lesson was evaluated positively based on the …

Redshirt In Engineering: A Model For Improving Equity And Inclusion, Donna C. Llewellyn, Ann Delaney, Janet Callahan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The NSF-funded Redshirt in Engineering Consortium was formed in 2016 with the goal of enhancing the ability of academically talented but underprepared students coming from low-income backgrounds to successfully graduate with engineering degrees. The Consortium takes its name from the practice of redshirting in college athletics, with the idea of providing an extra year and support to help promising engineering students complete a bachelor’s degree. The Consortium builds on the success of three existing “academic redshirt” programs and expands the model to three new schools. The Existing Redshirt Institutions (ERIs) help mentor and train the new Student Success Partners (SSP), …

Educators’ Perceptions Of Integrated Stem: A Phenomenological Study, Brian K. Sandall, Darrel L. Sandall, Abram L. J. Walton

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

The study utilized a semistructured interview approach to identify phenomena that are related to integrated STEM education by addressing the question: What are the critical components of an integrated STEM definition and what critical factors are necessary for an integrated STEM definition’s implementation? Thirteen expert practitioners were identified and interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed for content in three different ways: by person, by interview question, and across all interviews using exploratory data analysis methods. Ten identified phenomena were grouped into two classes: structural implementation phenomena and interpersonal implementation phenomena. The structural implementation phenomena were: subject integration, project-based learning, …

Making Connections: Evaluation Of A Professional Development Program For Teachers Focused On Stem Integration, Judy Lambert, Carmen Cioc, Sorin Cioc, Dawn Sandt

Journal of STEM Teacher Education

This article reports on a 2-year evaluation of a STEM integration professional development (PD) program for 40 math, science, and special education teachers in Grades 5–9 from a large Midwestern public school district. The National Research Council’s framework for integrated STEM education (Honey, Pearson, & Schweingruber, 2014) was used to explain the goals, outcomes, nature and scope, and implementation of the program. Teachers were measured on their growth in STEM content knowledge, technology integration, teaching confidence, pedagogical beliefs, and impact of PD. Increases resulted in all these areas with statistically significant improvements in most of them, particularly in Year 2. …

Motivational Decline And Recovery In Higher Education Stem Courses, Anna M. Young, Paul J. Wendel, Joan M. Esson, Kathryn M. Plank

Education Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works

Decline in student motivation is a concern for STEM education, especially for underrepresented groups in the sciences. Using the Science Motivation Questionnaire II, 41 foundational STEM courses were surveyed at the beginning and end of each semester in an academic year at a small primarily undergraduate university. Significant pre- to post-semester declines were observed in each of five measured motivational factors (Intrinsic motivation, Career motivation, Self determination, Self-efficacy, and Grade motivation), with effect sizes ranging from 0.21 to 0.41. However, in the second semester pre-survey, four motivational factors rebounded, including three returning to initial levels, suggesting that the observed motivational …

Exploring Possible Humanoids On Mars: A Lesson Designed For Twice-Exceptional Gifted Students, Younis Al-Hassan, Marie Adebiyi, Shehreen Iqtadar, Dana L. Atwood-Blaine

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

This practical article presents a classroom-tested pedagogical plan to assist instructors in teaching thinking skills to gifted students with disabilities in the context of science. The lesson, which focused on using Edward de Bono thinking skills to explore humanoid images that appear in NASA photos, provided accommodations for students with hearing impairment, along with disabilities associated with short and long-term memory. The instructional design team presented the arts-integrated activity of drawing scenes showing possible ways the anomalies could have been generated, and an interactive electronic game using iPads that asked participants to gather needed items for a trip to Mars. …

Faces On Mars Lesson: Incorporating Art, Thinking Skills, And Disability Differentiation Strategies For Twice-Exceptional Gifted Students, Marine Pepanyan, Mike Fisher, Audrey Wallican-Green

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

This practical article provides an example art-integrated lesson designed to serve gifted students with the exceptionalities of deficits in executive functioning and in impulse control. The lesson used the mysterious science problem of possible life on Mars as evidenced by anomalous faces in NASA photographs as a stimulus for practice in processing information through three Edward de Bono CoRT Thinking Skills. This lesson demonstrated differentiating instruction for gifted students with disabilities that included hands-on and peer-involved exercises. Examples of student work showing comic book-like stories about the famous Face on Mars are included, along with student responses to the thinking …

Exploring Mars Mysteries In Nasa Photographs: Could Some Images Be Animal Skeletons?, Laura Meyer, Rob Griffin, Dan Butler

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

The NASA photographs containing what appear to be animal skeletons have created a mystery that remains unsolved today. Because they generate questions and inquiries in many arenas, the animal skeleton pictures were used to help gifted students critically think about how these structures were created. Several additional exceptionalities common in most groups of students, including attention deficit disorder with and without hyperactivity and difficulties in executive functioning, were addressed through the lesson design. The exceptionalities were addressed through methods that could be used in any classroom while using the Mars Animal Skeletons to motivate and engage students. Incorporation of teaching …

Is There Water On Mars? A De Bono Skills Mystery For Twice-Exceptional Gifted Students, Christopher Cox, Megan Sova-Tower, Nathan Wear

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

Is there water on Mars? Gifted adult graduate students, some of whom represented the learner exceptionalities of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Slow Information Processing Speed, were asked to explore this mystery by applying Edward de Bono’s CoRT thinking skills of “Aims, Goals, and Objectives,” “Select,” and “Planning” to photographs of Mars landforms. Once they had determined the likelihood that the pictures depicted water on Mars, students were asked to develop three-dimensional models with recycled materials. Analysis of the findings revealed that in utilizing the de Bono CoRT thinking skills, students were able to identify sixteen different categories. Student responses had …

Exploring Animal-Like Images In Nasa Photos Of Mars Using De Bono’S Cort Thinking Skills: Alternatives, Possibilities, And Choices, Compare, And Decisions, Kurt M. J. Devore, Allyson Rafanello, Nicholas Rafanello

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

The use of de Bono’s CoRT Thinking Skills of “Alternatives, Possibilities, and Choices,” “Compare,” and “Decisions” create opportunities for students to critically think about ideas using a new lens of thinking. The lesson was designed to accommodate twice-exceptional students, gifted students with the disabilities of dyslexia and/or dyscalculia, through three of the de Bono’s strategies integrated with activities. Gifted graduate students in this lesson were presented with an opportunity to explore and analyze the animal-like images from Mars using the three CoRT thinking skills. The photographs used in this lesson were provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the …

Mars Mysteries: Landform Pictograms, James Zabel, Mathieu Castello, Fiddelis Blessings Makaula

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

Graphic organizers are a way for teachers to accommodate students with disabilities such as poor memory or emotional disorders. This technique allows organization of thoughts and visual representation of relationships between ideas and facts. Indeed, poor memory affects students’ reflection and retention of information while emotional disorders can cause a lack of focus in the classroom. Accommodations for students with these disabilities is important because students with emotional disorders may experience social isolation, which in turn may negatively affect their levels of academic achievement. Twenty high-achieving doctoral students participated in a teaching experience designed to introduce gifted students with learning …

Exploring Mars Glass Tube Anomalies, Kimberly S. Mccoy-Parker, Gary Benda, Stanley Ebede

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

This practical article provides information regarding the use of Edward de Bono CoRT thinking skills to broaden and enhance critical and creative thinking skills in twice exceptional students using the Mars Glass Tube Mystery as a vehicle to explore possibilities and spark creative thinking. The exceptionalities addressed in this lesson plan are gifted learners who have one or more additional exceptionalities of slow processing speed and / or poor fine motor skills. Throughout the lesson, the Mars Mystery photos leveraged both prior knowledge and student curiosity to create an engaging activity for the participants. CoRT thinking skills provided a robust …

How Did Those Get There? Exploring Structures And Pyramids On Mars, Abby Rau, Brooke Becker

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

The makeup of students in our classrooms is becoming more diverse. With this change comes the need for educators to provide accommodations for students and to employ a range of instructional strategies. Arts integration in the content areas is one way to engage students and to encourage individual expression. The purpose of this practical article is to highlight a lesson incorporating the arts and Edward de Bono’s CoRT Thinking Skills to support twice exceptional learners, specifically English Language Learners and students with Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Doctoral students considered the formation of pyramids and structures on Mars using …

Spotlight On Edward De Bono Thinking Skills And Twice-Exceptional Gifted Learners Applied To Mars Mysteries In Nasa Photographs, Ksenia S. Zhbanova, Audrey C. Rule

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

This editorial provides background information concerning the lessons presented in the eight practical articles of this issue. All of these lessons address Mars Mysteries, anomalous features found in NASA photographs of the Martian surface. These unusual and thought-provoking features are explored by using Edward de Bono CoRT thinking skills to broaden perceptions enhancing critical and creative thinking. The lessons are intended to explore possibilities, but not to provide a definite final answer as to what the anomalies represent. These lessons were designed as enrichment lessons for gifted learners and support Renzulli’s Type I general exploratory experiences that expose students to …

Anatomy Of Stem Teaching In North American Universities, Paul J. Wendel, Joan M. Esson, Kathryn M. Plank, Anna M. Young

Education Faculty Scholarship & Creative Works

A large body of evidence demonstrates that strategies that promote student interactions and cognitively engage students with content lead to gains in learning and attitudinal outcomes for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. Many educational and governmental bodies have called for and supported adoption of these student centered strategies throughout the undergraduate STEM curriculum.

Choosing Stem College Majors: Exploring The Role Of Pre-College Engineering Courses, L. Allen Phelps, Eric M. Camburn, Sookweon Min

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Despite the recent policy proclamations urging state and local educators to implement integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curricula, relatively little is known about the role and impact of pre-college engineering courses within these initiatives. When combined with appropriate mathematics and science courses, high school engineering and engineering technology (E&ET) courses may have the potential to provide students with pre-college learning experiences that encourage them to pursue STEM college majors. Our central research question was: What is the nature and extent of any relationship between high school E&ET course completion and subsequent selection of a STEM major in a …

Epics: Children's Educational Demonstrations, Aaron P. Kreuter, Ruby A. Wellen, Alexander D. Falkenberg, Jamie M. Arabshahi

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

No abstract provided.

Ten Years Of The Real World Design Challenge, Robert W. Deters, Brent Terwilliger, S.C. Kleinke, Ralph K. Coppola, Jeff Coppola

Publications

Preparing students to be successful in STEM careers is important to foster continued growth in the US and the world. The Real World Design Challenge is a high school design competition focused on the area of aviation. Students work in teams to solve a real world problem using professional tools. The 2018 challenge marks the tenth anniversary of this program. The first students to compete in this competition are now in the work force. This paper describes the background of RWDC, the different challenges that have been used throughout its ten years, the current precision agriculture challenges using UAS, and …

Astrobee: Air Sampling Device And Zero Robotics Game, Bryce Van Ross

STAR Program Research Presentations

Astrobee is a free-flying, 1'x1'x1' cuboid robot that is planned to be onboard the International Space Station (ISS) by February 2019. Astrobee will be the successor of the current ISS free-flyer, SPHERES. Free-flying robots possess a range of potential. They can facilitate work for astronauts aboard the ISS by performing rudimentary tasks and housekeeping (e.g., record-keeping, sensor analysis, etc.) efficiently. Free-flyers also act as innovative testbeds for guest scientists to perform zero-gravity control theory research. In recent years, SPHERES has hosted annual Zero Robotics (ZR) programming competitions in collaboration with MIT, challenging middle and high school students to write code …

Test 2190: Case Ih Farmall 50a, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2206: Challenger Mt740, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2204: John Deere 5090m, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2201: John Deere 6195r Autoquad-Plus, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2199a: New Holland Workmaster 60, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2203: John Deere 9420rx, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2198: John Deere 5125r Pfc, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Test 2195: John Deere 5115r Oc, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …