High School Students Modeling Behaviors During Engineering Design

Abstract

is a research assistant and Ph.D. candidate in the Technology, Leadership and Innovation department at Purdue University. Additionally, he is an engineering and technology instructor at Richland Senior High School (7-12) in Johnstown, Pa. Tanner has experience writing integrated STEM curriculum and delivering professional development workshops on ITEEA's Engineering by Design program. His research interests include modeling and design in STEM education, as well as STEM teacher professional development.

Full Paper: Where’s the Math? A Case for Reconsidering Math in K-12 Engineering

“…Moreover, engineering activities that do include math often do so minimally and/or simplistically. In one study of high school students in an engineering class, 36% of their time was spent on math-related tasks, a significant time allotment (computer-aided design and sketching consumed the remaining time) [27]. Yet of this dedicated math time, 23% was categorized as "description" (quantifying dimensions and calculating costs), 9% as "function" (typically simplistic, such as calculating area), and just 4% as "explanation" (informing design decisions).…”