STEM Programs in NH’s Primary and
Secondary Schools
15 years of progress in Technology and
Pre-Engineering educational programs
you probably never knew existed
What about the T and E in STEM?
• There’s a lot of talk about Technology and Engineering
at the Community College and University levels.
However, there is little discussion or understanding
about how or where Technology and Engineering fit in
secondary education.
• We will need to more than double incoming STEM
oriented students to double the post secondary
graduation rate.
Quick History of NH Pre-Engineering Education
• Early 1990s - Nationwide alarm on the high attrition
rates and declining college engineering enrollments
• 1997 - Project Lead the Way (PLTW) developed in NY
state
• Best practices based, rigorous, pre-engineering curriculum
for high school students to prepare them for college level
engineering programs
• 1998 – Two NH high schools become the first outside of
NY to use PLTW.
• More schools begin to adopt PLTW.
• NH PLTW Advisory Council formed.
• 2001 – NHTI designated as the first institution outside of
NY certified to train teachers for PLTW courses
Quick History of NH Pre-Engineering Education
• 2002 – Legislation passed for NH DOE to provide matching
grants to schools and CTE centers for pre-engineering labs and
equipment.
•
Governor’s Pre-Engineering Technology Advisory Council (PETAC)
established to promote and approve pre-engineering curricula.
• 2003 - 2010 – PETAC approves Engineering by Design (EbD) as
an additional pre-engineering curriculum. More schools added.
• By 2013 - $1.6 million granted to 19 high schools, 5 middle
schools, and 20 CTE centers to establish pre-engineering
curricula.
• Over 2000 students actively involved in PLTW, EbD, and other preengineering courses.
• PLTW courses are now offered in all 50 states and serve over 400,000
students. Many high school pre-engineering students are eligible for
college credit at engineering schools throughout the US.
What’s Taught in Pre-Engineering Classes?
• Introduction to Engineering Design
• Using 3D CAD modeling software to design solutions
to engineering and design problems
• Principles of Engineering
• Introduction to major engineering concepts
(mechanisms, energy, statics, materials, and
kinematics).
• Developing problems solving skills and applying their
knowledge to projects
What’s Taught in Pre-Engineering Classes?
• Specialization Courses - vary with school
•
•
•
•
•
Aerospace Engineering
Biotechnical Engineering
Civil Engineering and Architecture
Computer Integrated Manufacturing
Digital Electronics
What’s Taught in Pre-Engineering Classes?
• Capstone Course
• Engineering Design and Development
• Teams work to design and develop an original solution to
a valid, open-ended technical problem by applying their
accumulated knowledge of engineering principles.
• Requires project definition, research, design, fabrication,
testing, presentation and defense.
• All these classes take place during the school
day and are taught over a period of several
years
Are These Programs Working? Are There More
Engineering Students?
From the dean of the engineering school at Lehigh University:
“The new academic year brought to campus yet another recordsetting class of first year Lehigh Engineers. For the first time in
over 30 years, the undergraduate engineering enrollment
has exceeded arts and science, and business, representing
44.5% of the incoming class. Quality indicators such as SAT
scores and high-school rankings also continue to rise. Our
graduate programs are seeing healthy growth in enrollment as
well, with notable increases in both professional master’s and
research-track programs.”
UNH Incoming STEM Class – Fall 2013
( Survey 0f 342 primarily engineering and undeclared
students – 25% response rate )
• Total Durham freshmen STEM enrollment of 474, up
18% over last year
• 225 declared engineering majors
• 90 undeclared (most will end up in engineering)
• Balance physical sciences, math, computer science
• Freshmen who had pre-engineering classes in
secondary school – 53.5%
• Freshmen who took PLTW courses – 22.1% (41% of
those who took pre-engineering classes)
• Freshmen who participated in FIRST Robotics – 19.8%
NH Pre-Engineering Enrollment
( CTE 2011, 2012, 2013 and HS 2011 only )
School Year
Enrollment
Concentrators Completers
(2 courses)
(4 courses)
2012
735
1314
738
141
?
138
109
?
77
2013
720
147
86
2011
(CTE)
(HS Pre-Eng)
Issues
• Rigorous classes eligible for college credit, yet
not given proper academic recognition in New
Hampshire
• Not recognized for NH Scholars Program
• Students are counseled out of Pre-Engineering for
AP classes.
• General misunderstanding that the Pre-Engineering
courses comprising an approved program are a
viable and desirable pathway for students.
• Awareness
• Even after 15 years in NH and in 43 school districts
and regional CTE centers, many educators are not
aware of these programs.
Issues
• CTE Centers
• Play a vital role in Technology, Engineering, and Career
oriented education
• A key, but non-traditional component of the T&E portion of STEM for
college bound students
• Have an image and awareness issue
• Engineering programs are expensive to maintain
• Lab equipment and computers, software, licensing, facilities,
teacher training
• Statewide EbD license at risk
• Granite State K-12 Engineering Education Fund has been
established by PETAC
• Donor advised fund in NHCF
• Will help support school districts to fund their programs
• Needs pledges of $25,000 to get started.
What Can the Coalition Do?
• Help increase awareness of existing, approved preengineering programs
• Reduce time and money spent on re-inventing the preengineering wheel
• Help pre-engineering programs get the proper
academic recognition
• Should improve the number of concentrators and completers
to give a quick boost to STEM graduates
• Break down the educational “silos”
• Help increase awareness of the pre-engineering
education fund to allow us to reach a funding level
where we can help schools maintain their existing preengineering programs