A Pre Engineering Program To Motivate High School Students Towards Engineering

A pre-engineering program has been developed by The University of Michigan-Flint for high school students in the Lapper County Intermediate School District (LCISD) to motivate students‟ towards engineering or other STEM disciplines during their undergraduate study. A cohort of approximately twenty students from five different high schools was enrolled in four different engineering and computer science courses. These courses, offered at Lapeer Technology Center, provided a classroom environment similar to high school, using instructional materials relating students‟ prior knowledge of science and math that are relevant in engineering education. A survey questionnaire was used to evaluate students‟ backgrounds in science and mathematics, perception and motivation towards engineering, and whether the pre-engineering program motivated them towards engineering or other STEM disciplines. Classroom observation and changes in participation were also made during the courses, to evaluate the level of motivation. The number of students from the first year pre-engineering cohort that pursued engineering or STEM undergraduate education is also presented in this paper demonstrating the impact of the program.