Leveraging Public Private Partnerships to Strengthen the Manufacturing Engineering Pipeline
Abstract
With the support of the Office of Naval Research, Battelle Education seeks to pilot in Tennessee a national model for leveraging industry partners to administer manufacturing focused externships for teachers that will guide Project/Problem Based Learning (PBL) curricular development. Following the pilot of the program in Tennessee through the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network (TSIN), Battelle Education will expand the program to Ohio through the Ohio STEM Learning Network (OSLN). Through this model, Battelle Education seeks to enhance student interest and skillsets to successfully enter the manufacturing workforce. This program will: 1. Measurably improve student engagement and interests around advanced manufacturing and encourage traditionally underserved populations to consider this growing field. 2. Engage students through the Engineering Design Process (EDP) and prepare the future workforce to use this process to address manufacturing challenges. 3. Increase teacher knowledge of the skills and technologies used in manufacturing careers and provide PBL framework for incorporation into classroom instruction. 4. Foster sustainable partnerships with manufacturing organizations to provide externship opportunities for educators and mentorship opportunities for students. The proposed model of implementation will ensure that educators have the tools necessary to effectively develop and implement project-based curriculum to enhance student understanding of advanced manufacturing and improve perception of the field. In the summer, teachers will engage in three days of professional development to enrich their understanding of PBL design, including the incorporation of the EDP. Teachers will learn how to effectively incorporate state learning standards while engaging the students in inquiry-based lessons and design challenges. Moreover, Battelle’s experienced faculty will share a framework for incorporating community partners in the learning environment that will shape the unit development for their classroom. Following the three-day PBL training over the summer, teachers will return to their home communities and participate in a week-long externship experience with a public or private manufacturing organization. During this externship, teachers will engage in a comprehensive learning experience in which they will identify the following: 1. The manufacturing technologies of the present and future and the skills necessary to successfully manage these tools. 2. The soft skills, such as communication or problem solving, that will promote success in an advanced manufacturing field. 3. The types of available careers in the advanced manufacturing sector and the typical career pathway of someone in those roles. Teachers will reconvene with the Battelle faculty for a two-day follow up to unpack their externship experience collectively and develop curricular units that will expose students to the identified skills and career experiences in the advanced manufacturing field. During the school year, teachers will implement these PBL curricular units with their students, which will include an introductory experience to advanced manufacturing, a Problem or Project Based unit and a tour of their externship site. Students will also be provided the opportunity to connect with local female and minority industry mentors. Finally, in the summer after the experience, the cohort will reconvene with the Battelle faculty to reflect on the experience and provide feedback to enhance the experience for future cohorts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Oct 17, 2018
- Source ID
- N000141812887
Entities
People
- Evan Curran
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy