An Engineering Summer Program for Underrepresented Students from Rural School Districts

AbstractA two-week summer program designed to promote interest and learning in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields is documented. The program included a week-long engineering emphasis. Students and teachers from ten rural and financially disadvantaged school districts participated in the program. Three middle school and three high school students were chosen from each district. Students were selected by their districts based upon interest and/or perceived potential in STEM fields, with an emphasis placed on underrepresented and first-generation college students. Additionally, one middle school and one high school mathematics or science teacher from each district participated in the program, enabling the program's curriculum to be transferred back to the secondary classrooms. Pre- and post-student surveys and parent surveys were administered to assess the success of the program. Results indicated the program had a positive impact on students' attitudes towards engineering.KEYWORDSengineering summer program, pre-college students, underrepresented students, rural schoolsIntroductionThe growing concern for the shortage of engineers in the United States has led to a heightened awareness for the need for engineering education in secondary schools. This is evident in a National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and National Research Council (NRC) report underscoring the critical need for engineering education in K-12 classrooms (NAE & NRC, 2009). This report communicated that engineering education could result in improved student achievement in science and mathematics, increased awareness and interest in engineering, and an increased level of technical literacy (NAE & NRC, 2009). This has resulted in the development and implementation of specialized high school programs such as the STEM academies established in Texas under the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (T-STEM) Initiative (Texas High School Project, 2011). With the high success rate of the approximately three dozen academies, as measured by the state's academic standards, additional funding is being made available to double the number of academies over the next few years (Office of the Governor, 2011). Universities and educational-based companies are actively engaged in developing curricula for secondary programs. Examples include Project Lead the Way (Project Lead the Way, 2011), The Infinity Project (The Infinity Project, 2011), and Engineering Your Future (Gomez et al., 2006). Despite the continued growth in this area, participation and accessibility to these programs remain a concern. This is evident from a 2009 federal initiative's goal to improve participation and performance in the STEM areas, especially for underrepresented groups (The White House, 2011). The focus of this paper is on these groups in rural areas. It is reported that 56% of public school districts are in rural areas, which serve 21% of all public K-12 students (Provasnik et al, 2007). Student population and available resources often limit courses and programs available to rural students. An example of this is that 69% of rural students were enrolled in schools offering Advanced Placement (AP) courses compared to 96% and 93% of the students at suburban and city schools, respectively (Provasnik et al, 2007). Rural school districts will face similar challenges implementing specialized engineering programs (Provasnik et al, 2007). Research indicates students' educational and occupational aspirations are shaped in part by their experiences and exposure to given career fields (Haller & Virkler, 1993, McCracken & Barcinas, 1991, Reid, 1989, Roscigno & Crowley, 2001). One study showed no differences in occupational aspirations between rural and non-rural students except in the areas of professional and technical careers (Haller & Virkler, 1993). A similar study concluded that students pursuing a higher education seemed to choose areas they had been able to observe or experience (McCracken & Barcinas, 1991). …