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For the first time ever, nearly 50 pairs of university deans of education and engineering met to explore collaborations to enhance teacher preparation, curricula reform, and community outreach. The resulting partnerships will open channels of communication and encourage specific on-campus partnerships to improve the level of technological literacy among pre-service teachers and to enhance the delivery of instruction.
Pairs of deans initiated or expanded on-campus collaborations at the IEEE Educational Activities Board-hosted "Taking the Lead: A Deans Summit on Education for a Technological World," held 1-2 October 2001, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Support was granted in large part from the National Science Foundation, the United Engineering Foundation, and the IEEE Life Members Committee. Additional funding came from the Semiconductor Industry Association, the IEEE Education Society, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, and the American Society for Engineering Education. Letters of support came from 15 engineering and education societies. The Deans Summit fulfilled a recommendation from the IEEE "Technological Literacy Counts" conference, held in 1998.
The growing complexity and influence of technology has made learning the fundamentals of engineering an urgent public matter. The public must have a core understanding of technology in order to make informed decisions as citizens, consumers, and members of the workforce.
The deans summit was able to provide a focused atmosphere for those most able to influence program changes in the preparation of future teachers as well as making improvements in curricula and pedagogy. Speakers, panels, a poster session, and breakout groups presented a rich variety of best practices highlighting programs that have succeeded.
Leaders
Pairs of university and community college deans attended the summit from all parts of United States as well as from Indonesia, South Africa, and Turkey. They agreed that the opportunity to interact with their campus colleague and to form collaborations was provided by the summit.
Wm. A. Wulf, President of the National Academy of Engineering, and Nancy Zimpher, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, provided motivational and challenging keynote addresses. Panels on "Collaborating to Enhance Teacher Preparation," "K-16 Community Outreach for Engineering and Education," and "Programs in Interactive Teaching and Learning" were lead by David Imig, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; Janet Johnson, Virginia Tech; and George D. Nelson, American Association for the Advancement of Science, respectively, and set the stage for breakout group work.
Further remarks from Dr. James Lightbourne, Senior Science Advisor, Division of Graduate Education, National Science Foundation, and Dr. Belle S. Wheelan, President, Northern Virginia Community College, provided support and encouragement for the summit and the resulting collaborations.
Results
The engineering and education deans learned that each group faces similar constraints and opportunities. They had no difficulty identifying a plethora of ideas to address these challenges. They were united in their agreement that improving the science, mathematics, and engineering knowledge of pre-service educators would materially improve the level of technological literacy. Collaborations started at the deans summit will facilitate curricular reform efforts in teacher and engineering education. The deans realized that each of their pedagogical methods was applicable and of value to the other. Each pair of deans committed to a customized plan that will be used to guide their future partnership.
Key areas of future efforts include:
- appreciation of engineering by the general undergraduate populations
- improvement in the pedagogy of engineering educators
- an increase in the level of engineering concepts included in the curricula for pre-service and in-service teachers
- strengthening ties with the local community colleges and pre-college institutions
Themes identified
Some of the main themes identified by the breakout groups for future action were:
- hold a major conference for educators and engineers featuring best practices and sessions on successful collaborations
- encourage all engineering schools to establish or become affiliated with a center for teaching and learning
- support reform of pre-college educational curricula to include design and engineering
- develop a recognition program for outstanding collaborations
- promote schools of engineering and schools of education jointly developing courses in general education that focus on pedagogy and technological literacy
- establish an on-line community for deans to communicate about their programs and progress
- develop a broad-based dissemination plan for the conference proceedings
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