PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SUMMER INSTITUTE: TRANSPORTATION CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT USING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION AND STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN STEM

摘要

Not every student in the United States receives the math and science education which will enablethem to achieve the skill needed to interact and progress within 21st century transportationprofessions. This is especially true for positions in transportation and logistics, an ever-growingfield that attracts academics and professionals with significant expertise in science, technology,engineering, and math (STEM). Reflective of this, the Mid-America Transportation Center andthe Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools, both located at theUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, have partnered together, since 2006, to create the ProfessionalDevelopment Summer Institute, which helps teachers revitalize their expectations of math andscience education. An interdisciplinary team of faculty with expertise in transportation researchand education collaborate with teachers to design innovative lesson plans, using multimedia toolsand state-of-the-art transportation research. As a result, teachers return to their full-timeclassrooms, ready to strengthen students’ achievement and to fuel their interests in transportationcareer pathways. To date 79 teachers and over 3,500 students have been positively impacted bythe program in the development of 77 engaging STEM lesson plans. One of the most significantlong term outcomes was the establishment of a new culture of collaboration among educators,engineers, and industry professionals. In addition, the results from the summer institute have andwill continue to contribute to the growing body of STEM literature on effective teacherprofessional development practices and effective instructional practices for students.