Designing a graduate education course for design, engineering, and technological concepts for k-12 teachers

Abstract

Arizona State University has had several programs for in-service training of teachers, counselors, and administrators to better understand design, engineering, and technology (DET). However, a need was identified to develop pre-service or graduate courses for education majors that addressed DET concepts and linked them to science and technological standards. A team of educators from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the College of Education designed a pilot graduate education course for DET Concepts for K-12 teachers. Sponsored by a National Science Foundation planning grant, the team formulated a needs assessment questionnaire during Fall 2002 with K-12 teachers to evaluate teachers' perceptions, knowledge, and need of DET. The results of this survey were incorporated in the designing of the graduate course Bridging Education and Engineering. This paper describes the course objectives, the course content, the labs, and the assessment. Some preliminary observations are also offered.