Engaging Youth Through Engineering Middle Grades Modules
Impact
Almost 3,500 middle school students in Alabama and Massachusetts middle schools are learning about engineering in their math and science classes through an innovative curriculum that exposes them to engineering design challenges: The Engaging Youth through Engineering (EYE) middle grades Teaching Modules. Students exposed to EYE earn significantly higher scores on standard tests and report much greater interest in engineering and other STEM careers. EYE is ready to expand to schools serving thousands of students in states such as Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Mississippi and Washington, DC.
Accomplished
- Need Accomplished
- Evaluation Accomplished
- Sustainability Accomplished
- Replication & Scalability Accomplished
- Partnerships Accomplished
- Capacity Accomplished
- Challenging & Relevant Content Accomplished
- STEM Practices Developing
- Inspiration Accomplished
- Under-Represented Groups Developing
They’re building their interest so they go into middle school and high school getting ready for courses geared toward college level engineering and then they get into the industry and have the background to get ready.
Teacher, Mobile Alabama
Design Principles
The programs in this database clear a high bar. STEMworks reviewed each program against the Design Principles for Effective STEM Philanthropy. Programs must be Accomplished (
) across all Design Principles, or be Developing (
) in a maximum of three areas.
Overarching Principles
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Need Accomplished
Identify and target a compelling and well-defined need.
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Evaluation Accomplished
Use rigorous evaluation to continuously measure and inform progress towards the compelling need identified.
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Sustainability Accomplished
Ensure work is sustainable.
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Replication & Scalability Accomplished
Demonstrate replicability and scalability.
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Partnerships Accomplished
Create high impact partnerships.
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Capacity Accomplished
Ensure organizational capacity to achieve goals.
STEM Principles
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Challenging & Relevant Content Accomplished
Offer challenging and relevant STEM content for the target audience.
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STEM Practices Developing
Incorporate and encourage STEM practices.
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Inspiration Accomplished
Inspire interest and engagement in STEM.
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Under-Represented Groups Developing
Identify and address the needs of under-represented groups.
Program Overview
Engaging Youth through Engineering is a workforce and economic development initiative to inspire, engage, and prepare elementary and middle school students to take the coursework needed to support the growing demand for highly skilled and technology-savvy workers for the aerospace, shipbuilding and other industries locating in the Mobile area. EYE is developing middle grades teaching modules to increase the number and diversity of middle grades students eager and able to pursue STEM careers and who choose to take more high school mathematics and science courses in preparation for high demand STEM jobs.
The eight modules are designed for grades 6, 7 and 8. Each requires 6 to 8 hours of class time, involves collaboration of both mathematics and science classes, and uses an engineering design challenge to engage students, bringing relevance and rigor to required mathematics and science content. Another purpose of the EYE Modules is to serve as a catalyst for district level STEM reform. The modules aim to influence local curriculum standards so that they integrate engineering design challenges and the design process into required mathematics and science content for all middle grades students.
Funders and Partners
The J.L. Bedsole Foundation; National Science Foundation, The Toyota USA Foundation, Mobile County Public School System, Mobile Area Education Foundation