Suzanne W. Soled

Work in Progress: Introducing Electrical and Computer Engineering to High School Math and Science Students

This paper describes the recent activities of electrical and computer engineering doctoral students in the design, development, and implementation of lessons for high school mathematics and science classes. The graduate students, called fellows, worked in secondary classrooms in the Cincinnati Public Schools District as a part of Project STEP at the University of Cincinnati, which is funded by the National Science Foundation GK-12 Program. The fellows formed partnerships with secondary math and science teachers to generate new lessons, activities, and resources to enhance the STEM skills of high school students. Additionally, the Fellows used their engineering expertise to bring authentic learning experiences into the classroom and introduced concepts in their field of engineering to underserved student populations. This paper discusses observations and reflections by the fellows regarding aspects of the activities that had the most impact on student learning and interest in engineering, which was measured by self-reported student surveys

Computer Science and Computer Information Technology majors together: Analyzing factors impacting students' success in introductory programming

In 2004 Northern Kentucky University began offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Technology. As these new majors began to enroll alongside Computer Science majors in the required and standard Computer Science 1 (CS 1) course, the context of CS 1 shifted. Accordingly, we made curriculum changes to adapt the introductory programming sequence to this new context. These changes included: creating a “CS 0.5” preparatory programming course taught in a variety of languages; allowing the scheduled laboratory component of CS 1 to be optional; and lowering the mathematics prerequisite for CS 1 from Pre-Calculus to College Algebra. We have studied the impact of these changes on student success. Because many Computer Science Departments in the U.S. began offering Information Technology degrees since 2000, in part to offset the downturn in CS enrollment, our results may be of broader interest. We found that gender, major, the programming language used in CS 0.5 and student attitudes toward technology (as revealed by surveys) did not affect student success in CS 1. Factors that were positively correlated with CS 1 success included mathematics ACT score, completing CS 0.5, and enrolling in the optional CS 1 laboratory section.

Work In progress - How elementary programming impacts student’s attitude in computer science

This paper describes the impact of a new course in elementary programming on retention and recruitment of technology majors. This new course, elementary programming (EP), was added as a precursor to a computer science course, object oriented programming (OOP), in order to recruit and retain technology majors. This study evaluates the courses effectiveness of its mission by analyzing students success rates in both courses and examining factors known to contribute to declining enrollment. The cause of recruitment and retention issues are examined using computer attitude and computer experience surveys that are made available to all students enrolled in the EP course and the OOP course. The results from the fall 2006 surveys and enrollment results for the past five years support the need for the EP course and continued evaluation.

Work In Progress: Life after National Science Foundation Fellowships: The Implications for a Graduate Students' Professional Endeavors

Each year hundreds of fellows participate in National Science Foundations (NSF) GK-12 grants throughout the country. These fellowship opportunities provide professional training for university students in order to improve their communication skills, teaching proficiency, team building skills, and expand their interest in community outreach efforts within K-16 education. Project STEP (Science and Technology Enhancement Program) has funded 18 graduate and undergraduate fellows. This study examines the long term impact of participation in an NSF Fellowship and impact that it has on their educational and professional choices once fellows leave the program. The theoretical framework surrounding this study is framed around preparing future faculty literature, sociocultural cognition, and other GK-12 projects. Interviews, historical tracking documents, and attitude surveys are being used in order to ascertain themes that will be further studied as the work in progress develops. The expected date of completion is December of 2006

Work in progress: successes and lessons learned from a GK-12 NSF Grant project

This paper presents the lessons learned as a result of the NSF funded GK-12 fellows project STEP -science and technology enhancement program, which is designed to educate, nurture, and encourage university engineering, science, mathematics, and education students in secondary math and science instruction. The students are trained and expected to bring their experiences and knowledge as well-developed activities into urban and sub-urban schools in the greater Cincinnati area. This paper presents the lessons learned related to the training, recruitment, and selection of the graduate fellows.

Relationship of Age and Sex-Role Conflict for Professional Women in Human Services

This study provides external validation of the Sex-role Conflict Scale. The relationship between age and sex-role conflict among women with educational interests was investigated. 128 female students in education were assessed on the conflict they experienced in various settings. The mean sex-role conflict scores, although hypothesized to be significantly different, were not among women ages 25 yr. and below, ages 26 to 39 yr., and ages 40 yr. and over. Also investigated was the relationship between age and sex-role conflict in dual-career respondents. Of the 29 respondents who met the criterion for classification, mean sex-role conflict scores were not significantly different for the three age groups. The nonlinear relationship between sex-role conflict and age does not have support for professional women who work in fields other than business.

Partnering Engineering Graduate Students and Secondary Science Teachers to Teach Water Quality

This paper discusses several lessons concerning drinking water treatment both locally and internationally, that were developed through the collaborative efforts of Project STEP and RET. These lessons were implemented in eight environmental science classes by two STEP fellows and one secondary science RET teacher. Locally, students explored drinking water treatment in Cincinnati and the processes that treatment plants perform. Internationally, students explored drinking water issues in South Africa as well as participated in a UC Research project that brought drinking water treatment to a small village in Tanzania. Students discussed issues of water quality and quantity, global water sustainability/reuse, and protection of public health. In addition, students constructed sifting screens which were then transported to Tanzania and used to make a water filter at an elementary school