Research
What I need to know...
How does the implementation of competition robotics into engineering education help inspire interest in STEM, as well as improve overall student engagement, creativity, and satisfaction? My high school engineering classes have been some of the most influential. They have helped me find my passion and develop myself both inside and outside of the classroom. Unfortunately, many schools cannot provide their students with this same opportunity. The United States ranks 23rd in science and math literacy, which raises the question: what can we do to fix this? I set out in my research to figure out how to better engage students in the classroom and culminate an interest in STEM subject areas overall. I need to know what exactly sets an engineering classroom apart; what exactly does it take to get students invested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics?
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What I know…
In my experience, I have found competition robotics to be a wonderful outlet for creativity, and a motivator for student success. However, it is not often part of state standards or curriculum. In many cases around the country, state standards are outdated and do not foster a positive classroom experience. Engineering is all about the application of math, science, and problem solving skills. if students are to succeed in their engineering classes, they must be able to work hands-on, on projects that captivate their attention and excite them. I believe robotics is becoming much more accessible to students, and is a great vehicle for teaching students the fundamentals of engineering from a hands-on approach.
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The search…
To observe what exactly it is that sets an engineering classroom apart, I job-shadowed one of the best teachers I had in my high school career. His class helped provoked my interest in competition robotics and engineering, so I set out to see how he did it for so many students. He now works at the middle school level, so every Monday and Wednesday, I came for a few class periods and stayed after school for robotics. I got to know some of the students, and observed Mr. Welsch as he led one of the most successful engineering programs in the State. In my time with North Forsyth Middle School Engineering, I learned from and interviewed my mentor to figure out the role of robotics in the classroom, as well as other important characteristics of a successful program. All the while, I spent time outside of the classroom consulting case-studies nationwide on the status of engineering education. I read through page after page describing successful and not so successful programs nationwide, and noticed trends regarding the characteristics of each.
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My Discoveries…
I found that robotics does seem to play very positive role in the classroom. However, not all the students seemed completely invested. Some students just simply ended up in the class and did not particularly care about competition robots or engineering, they just simply wanted a good grade or an easy elective. However, I was very impressed by the creativity of most students when they were given the opportunity to work hands on rather than just take notes from a lecture. I found that there is a very significant trend between school funding and engineering classroom success. Most of the underfunded schools had very little to no engineering program participation or resources. While robotics is becoming less expensive, it is likely that robotics is not even an option quite yet for these schools. Overall, my hypothesis was mostly confirmed, but competition robotics is not necessarily the only key to success in the classroom. It is about giving the students the chance to see firsthand how they can apply math and science to real world applications, and giving them an outlet for creativity.