H.S. Engineering Pilot Course
A five-year effort spearheaded by ASEE’s engineering deans to create a nationally recognized precollege engineering course just got a major boost from the National Science Foundation. The three-year, $4 million pilot is expected to involve 1,400 students in 40 U.S. high schools and includes teacher professional development.
Filed under: Grades 9-12, K-12 Education News | Comments Off on H.S. Engineering Pilot Course
Tags: Advanced Placement, American Society for Engineering Education Prism magazine, Curriculum, design thinking, Education Policy, Engineering, Engineering Design, Grades 9-12, high school engineering course, National Science Foundation, Professional Development, STEM education, University of Maryland A. James Clark School of Engineering
A “personalized assistant” for your classroom is how David Coleman, president of the College Board, described a new partnership with the nonprofit Khan Academy to create free online Advanced Placement test-preparation and course materials for teachers and students in every AP subject.
In this activity, high school juniors and seniors learn such core chemistry concepts as reaction rates and thermodynamics by making and demonstrating their own Harry Potter-style “magic wands” (sparklers). The lab, which also can serve as a fun Advanced Placement course review, concludes with a class duel between wands of two different chemical compositions. 
Whether seeking to prepare for Advanced Placement® Biology exams or take engineering math, high school students now can access 27 free online courses from the MIT-Harvard edX consortium designed to help boost their chance of college STEM success.
Can cash incentives boost student interest and achievement in science, technology, engineering, and math? The U.S. Navy must think so, for it has signed onto a White House effort to support military families that includes a public-private national STEM initiative that, among other things, pays bonuses to those who score well on Advanced Placement exams.
