Integrating Courses Through Design Projects In A High School Engineering Summer Program

Introducing real-life engineering design projects and integrating five courses into the Engineering Summer Program (ESP) for high school students made a difference in student learning, according to data collected during the summer, 2005. While the program at University of Wisconsin – Madison has existed since 1977, 2005 was the first summer that integration through engineering design was a central theme. The goal was to encourage the eighteen students to better appreciate a) why their math, chemistry, physics, technical communication and introduction to engineering courses are important in engineering studies and b) how these courses work together to help students develop engineering skills. Assessment instruments included beginning, middle, and end-of-design experience questionnaires, videotapes of student presentations, and a reflective letter to their parents. Through the data collected, the paper answers the following questions: a) Are real-life student design projects an effective means of integrating different courses? b) Did the real-life student design projects provide better student understanding of engineering in general? c) Did the exercise of designing and presenting projects, stimulate student interest in science and engineering careers? This pilot assessment plan will be used to improve the program as well as to assess student learning even more effectively during 2006. The paper describes a brief background of ESP, each of the five courses, the design projects, the assessment instruments, the results and analysis, and recommendations for the 2006 Engineering Summer Program. Program Overview: Engineering Summer Program (ESP) The University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering hosts ESP, a seven-week residential program for high school sophomores and juniors. It is a pre-college educational enhancement outreach—a summer bridge program for underrepresented high school students. The ESP program is the oldest of the diversity programs in the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It has served as the primary recruitment tool for the college for more than twenty years. The goal for ESP is to prepare high school students for college study in the field of engineering and science, and to attract these students to the UW-Madison. The program targets students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds including African American, Latino, Native American, Cambodian, Laotian, Hmong or Vietnamese. We also select female students who would be first generation college students. The students are exposed to basic foundational courses that are fundamental to the engineering discipline: pre-calculus or calculus depending on the background of the student, physics, chemistry, computer science, and technical writing. Students are exposed to various engineering fields through short discipline specific laboratories and faculty presentations in a course called Introduction to Engineering. Approximately two to three industry tours are planned during the course of the summer, so that students can see engineering in action. Companies that have offered tours in the past are Kimberly Clark, General Motors in Janesville, Harley Davidson and GE Medical Systems. Refer to Appendix A for the program description sent to the students. P ge 11782.2 The students enjoy the activities in this course and plans are to enhance and incorporate additional hands-on laboratories for the students in coming years. In 2002, a laboratory course in physics was added to the curriculum. Over the past few years enrollment during the summer ranged from as low as 16 to as high as 24 students. We currently accept 23 participants. The program recruits students from across the country. Applications are sent to math teachers, physics teachers, and guidance counselors at high schools, and are due in mid to late April. The students must pay for their transportation to the University and a $50 application fee. The program pays all other expenses. The program, though sponsored by the UW College of Engineering, has been funded entirely by private and corporate donations. GE Medical Systems has been the main sponsor of the program from 1996 through 2000. The five-year funding cycle ended last spring and we are currently pursuing other avenues of support for the coming years. The program typically costs $ 82,000 of which around 50% is dedicated towards student expenses, around 40% towards instructional expenses and the remaining towards operational and miscellaneous expenses. The budget per student is around $4000. Refer to Appendix B for a detailed description of a sample budget. Metrics/ Measurement of Success In 2002 the Diversity Affairs Office set out to track the results of four minority outreach programs for graduate and undergraduate students. Of the four programs run by the College, the ESP program is our most successful recruitment program. From 1996 through 2000, over 31% (30 out of 95) of all ESP participants enrolled in the University (UW). From 2001-2003 we have been able to recruit 50% of the ESP participants to the UW. Of all the engineering summer programs, the ESP had the most clearly defined mission: the educational enhancement and recruitment of target underrepresented students in engineering. See Appendix C that shows the number of ESP participants that apply and are accepted to the UW-Madison, and are currently enrolled. The College of engineering continues to measure the results of the program by tracking the following data. Of the high school senior participants: 1. How many choose to enroll in the UW Madison College of Engineering? 2. How many enroll in other colleges at the UW Madison? 3. How many enroll in science and engineering colleges outside of the UW? 4. How many successfully graduate from college, and how many enter the technical fields? Refer to Appendix D for the above information. The Engineering Summer Program has been offered for 28 years. During this time, the program has changed in its goal, from producing college graduates to producing UW College of Engineering graduates, but one thing has remained consistent: ESP and its long-standing effort to create a more diverse technical workforce is supported by investment of industries who are committed to this goal.