Texas Pre-freshman Engineering Program Challenge-based Instruction Curriculum Development and Implementation (RTP, Strand 5)

The Texas Pre-freshman Engineering Program (TexPREP), founded in 1979, is a 7 week-long, 4 year summer program that provides academic training, mentorship, and hands-on experience for middle and high school students that are interested in pursuing STEM careers. A series of new courses that are to be offered as standardized courses at participating TexPREP institutions throughout the state are being developed by undergraduate engineering students. Nine undergraduate students majoring in mechanical and civil engineering and computer science were hired to write the TexPREP course curriculum with the idea that students would be able to develop course content that the participants could easily relate to. Following development of the curriculum, undergraduate students actively participated in the implementation and review process. The primary teaching methodology of the courses is Challenge Based Instruction (CBI) because of its proven effectiveness over traditional lecturing. The course subjects developed included Water Science, Computer Aided Design (CAD), and Systems Modeling. All three courses were administered to returning TexPREP fourth year students. At the beginning of each course, students were given the challenges of building a Stirling engine using items that can be found at home, designing and constructing a solar car, and creating a water theme park for the Systems Modeling, Computer Aided Design (CAD), and Water Science courses respectively. They were then guided through a series of lectures, mini projects, and assessment exercises to help them obtain the necessary knowledge to complete their challenges. The interactive and appealing nature of the courses and their respective challenges was expected to result in increased participation, improved academic performance, and greater self-motivation of the participants compared to their overall performance during the prior three years of participation in the program. Students and instructor surveys were used to help determine the effectiveness of the curriculum and pedagogy. The paper discusses the impact on the TexPREP and undergraduate students involved in curriculum development and the process for successful implementation.