Implementing pre-engineering curricula in high school science and mathematics

The demand for engineers is increasing but the number of students pursuing careers in engineering is not. The Pre-Engineering Instructional and Outreach Program was established to inform students, teachers, parents, and school counselors about careers in engineering and provide teachers with pre-engineering curriculum to better prepare students to enter engineering degree programs. The curriculum focuses on pre-engineering skills and teachers learn to use instructional strategies that support the connections between standards-based science, mathematics and real world engineering. Besides increased enrollment in college engineering programs, successful outcomes include increased knowledge about engineers and more positive attitudes to engineering. Survey instruments to measure attitudes to engineering, and knowledge about engineering careers have been developed. The current paper describes the development of the teachers' survey and reports the programs' effect on high school teachers' attitudes to and knowledge about engineering, their concerns about implementing the new curricula and their self-reported preparedness to teach the new curricula and the programs' effect on their students