Engineering "Educator" Degree Programs

[Anupam Goli]

Originally Posted by ebarker

The second initiative we are working on is developing the concept of a 'head coach' teacher model, similar to high school football. The high school would have a full-time teacher that spent maybe 1/2 time teaching formal classes, and 1/2 time on robotics and other things, after school. Just like your high school football coach.

Here is my question. How many students that participate in FIRST would elect to do robotics as a career, as a high school teacher, if a) you could get a high quality engineering educator degree, and b) you could work in a 'head-coach' environment where the school system formally supported your work and team ?

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I'm doing something very similar this fall with Georgia Tech and 1648's high school, where I will be a robotics coach/teaching assistant and be paid with a stipend. I'd definitely be interested in something like this in the future.

I feel like it would be beneficial to have some experience in industry before pursuing an education degree. While I've considered teaching in engineering as a potential career, the experience I get in industry will only build my base of knowledge to teach from. Perhaps this program could be a master's-degree program for the best effect?

[Siri]

Originally Posted by Anupam Goli

I'm doing something very similar this fall with Georgia Tech and 1648's high school, where I will be a robotics coach/teaching assistant and be paid with a stipend. I'd definitely be interested in something like this in the future.

I feel like it would be beneficial to have some experience in industry before pursuing an education degree. While I've considered teaching in engineering as a potential career, the experience I get in industry will only build my base of knowledge to teach from. Perhaps this program could be a master's-degree program for the best effect?

This is how I feel about it. If you're coming at it from a teachers' college, this makes a lot of sense. You're recruiting people that want to go to a teacher's college into teaching engineering. (Which is good.)

I don't know that you'll pick up many would-be engineers this way, though. Or if you do, I'm afraid they might be disappointed. I'm not sure if this is part of your target audience, but if so, have you considered adding a master's degree program? Not immediately of course (take your time). A 2-year grad degree specifically for transitioning engineers into teacher certification could reach a very different but also good (arguably better, but I won't argue it here) audience. Or even a 5-year dual degree that finishes with a BSE and an teacher certification--that one I might've done myself.

Personally (so that you know this type of person exists): I used my undergrad to become published author in engineering curriculum development, to TA four courses, and to coach an FRC team while earning an honors dual degree in engineering and liberal arts. I'm now working for the university in engineering education development before I start teaching high school science with WorldTeach. This bachelor's is literally at the intersection of my passions and pursuits, and I never would've opted for it. I can't imagine giving up any part of my undergraduate engineering education, much less essentially half of it. I wouldn't be nearly as useful to students or society in the roles I want without those experiences. I intend to become a certified teacher as well, but not at the sacrifice of being an engineer. Whereas if you opened that master's degree program, I'd start looking for apartments in Georgia. (Is this UGA?)

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Siri

... but if so, have you considered adding a master's degree program? Not immediately of course (take your time). A 2-year grad degree specifically for transitioning engineers into teacher certification could reach a very different but also good (arguably better, but I won't argue it here) audience.

*ears prick up out here* Can I second the motion?

[gblake]

A) This feels a bit like it's a "pushing on a rope" topic.

B) Don't train people to become FIRST coaches. Train them to become STEM coaches. Those two aren't close to being the same thing. FIRST is good, but FIRST is neither everything STEM, nor proven to be best STEM.

C) When I am able to semi-retire; I look forward to doing more informal or formal teaching. An opportunity to get some high-quality training would be very welcome.

Blake

[ebarker]

Just to get the semantics correct, in general,
...Universities contain Colleges
......Colleges contain Schools
.........Schools contain Departments
............Departments contain the chair and faculty

There are two common models of creating science teachers

model 1) the College of Education teaches the science education courses to the students

model 2) the College of Education teachers educational pedagogy, and the College of Science teaches the teachers the science education courses

We use the 2nd model.

What if an engineering educator degree was created using the College of Education for pedagogy, and the College of Engineering for the engineering and technology courses ?

What if this degree had an intensive product development course, similiar to
http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mechanica...i-spring-2009/
This course gave birth to FIRST, and can be used to train a teacher in the fundamentals of what it take to design, build, and deliver a product in a hurry.

Originally Posted by wilsonmw04

What would this degree license the person to teach? How many part time teacher/part time coaches are there in your state?

I guess it boils down to: Is there a need for this? what does this do that your typical CTE teacher can't cover already?

Yes, this would lead to a teaching license. Echoing Glenn's comment, CTE teacher production is in dire straits.

Originally Posted by Anupam Goli

I'm doing something very similar this fall with Georgia Tech and 1648's high school, where I will be a robotics coach/teaching assistant and be paid with a stipend. I'd definitely be interested in something like this in the future.

Is this leading to you earning certification as a teacher ?

Originally Posted by Siri

have you considered adding a master's degree program?

The OP mentioned BS only but we are actually mapping out several pathways and possibilities.

BS Degree, MS Degree, and certificate.

The thinking for the BS is that much of the upper division courses of an engineering degree isn't necessary for K-12 teaching, and many people that might want to participate in engineering type activities do not want to complete a full engineering degree. They would be better off focusing on principle of engineering and mastering the educational pedagogy, the how to teach it and how students learn. The BS route would best be for a high school student starting as a freshman, or a transfer student in from a 2 year community technical college.

It's a free country. If a candidate wants to get the full engineering degree, then extended training to become a teacher, by all means help yourself.

Requiring teachers to have a full engineering degree where they might have taken courses in stochastic theory, or deform-able bodies, or modulation theory, only slows down and reduces the supply of teachers. You reach a point of diminishing returns.

Still mapping out what MS, Phd and certificate should look like. There are a lot of ways to recruit candidates.

It is my opinion that the vast number of K-12 engineering and technology teachers will not come from engineering schools as pure engineers nor from educator schools as pure educators.

I believe there are a LOT of people that like technology and would be glad to teach pre-engineering and principle of engineer, and technology.

As earlier posters have stated, there isn't a lot of options for a high school graduates that want to go into middle/high school engineering education.

[Anupam Goli]

Originally Posted by ebarker

Is this leading to you earning certification as a teacher ?

Technically the stipend is for a pre-teaching internship, but I was recommended by the head mentor of 1648 to the pre-teaching program director. I won't be getting a certification, but It will appear on my transcript and resume.

[Bennett548]

This does sound very interesting. It would be cool to get paid to do what I love to do anyways. Make them evening classes and I'd probably sign up.