Igniting Student Interest in STEM, Especially Girls, with IEEE REACH, a Novel OER Program for Pre-University Educators

This paper presents ideas about how to engage students, especially girls, in STEM through IEEE REACH, a novel open education resource (OER) program that provides pre-university teachers with free resources that empower educators to incorporate the social relevance of technology in the classroom. Managed for IEEE by the IEEE History Center, the REACH program does this through the lens of history. The paper will also share a successful international implementation of the REACH resources in Uganda, Africa. The project was a collaboration among the IEEE History Center, UNESCO, the IEEE Uganda Section, the IEEE Africa Council, and the Uganda Ministry of Education. The goal was to engage girls in STEM both in the classroom and via a classroom trailer to reach rural areas. It has expanded and is currently being scaled up to STEM teachers by the Uganda Ministry of Education via a top-down approach. REACH is also being positioned for expansion in other African countries. Understanding the social relevance of technology and engineering is an essential part of technological literacy and a catalyst for engaging students in STEM in the pre-university environment. ITEEA defines technology literacy as “… a person who understands, in increasingly sophisticated ways that evolve over time, what technology is, how it is created, and how it shapes society, and in turn is shaped by society,” while the ASEE similarly defines the Engineering-literate student as “appreciating and recognizing the influence of engineering on society and society on engineering.” Yet there are few programs that provide resources necessary to include the social relevance of technology in the pre-university classroom. Additionally, recent research shows that “perceiving science as more socially relevant is associated with… a substantial increase in girls' expectations to major in a STEM field”, including in the specific field of engineering. Through the lens of history, IEEE REACH offers pre-university educators resources that that empower them to incorporate the social implications of technology in the classroom and enhances critical thinking and problem-solving skills, while boosting cultural and technological literacy. The program provides a unique lens through which students may view engineering and technology as relevant to their lives and their future, providing a new STEM education pathway. The paper will describe the REACH Program in more detail, indicate its alignment with global standards, and demonstrate how the combination of an inquiry designed format and historical narratives are being used to link abstract concepts, such as how problems have been solved in the past, with real-life situations today.