Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning Released

Jointly developed by the Advancing Excellence in P-12 Engineering Education (AE3) Research Collaborative and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), the Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning is a seminal step towards ensuring that all students have the opportunity to become engineering literate.

The Advancing Excellence in P-12 Engineering Education (AE3) research collaborative and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) announce the immediate release of the Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning (link). The framework provides practical guidance by identifying common P-12 engineering learning goals that all students should reach to become engineering literate. The document will add structure and coherence to the P-12 engineering community by serving as a foundation for the development of any and all engineering programs in schools, informing state and national standards-setting efforts, and providing the research community with a common “starting point” to better investigate and understand P-12 engineering learning. In 2016, the AE3 research collaborative initiated a “call to action” to build a community with a shared focus, vision, and research agenda to develop a coherent framework for P-12 engineering learning in an effort to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to think, learn, and act like an engineer. By 2019, a formal partnership with ASEE was established to provide a pathway for ideas and innovations in engineering education to reach school systems eager to implement engineering with fidelity. With the release of the Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning, teachers, administrators, curriculum developers, state-level personnel, and national leaders in STEM education have a foundational vision of engineering learning to draw upon, learn from, improve, and promote. Alignment with the framework will ensure an integrative, exciting and authentic P-12 engineering experience for students across the country. The Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning puts forth a number of important operational definitions vital to the P-12 engineering education community. The framework defines engineering literacy as the confluence of content knowledge, habits, and practices merged with the ability to communicate, think, and perform in a way that is meaningful within the context of engineering and the human-made world. Engineering literacy is achieved through engineering learning. Engineering learning is three-dimensional and focuses on the engineering habits of mind (e.g., Optimism, Persistence, Creativity) that students should develop over time through repetition and conditioning, the engineering practices (Engineering Design, Materials Processing, Quantitative Analysis, and Professionalism) in which students should become competent, and the engineering knowledge (Engineering Sciences, Engineering Mathematics, and Technical Applications) that students should be able to recognize and access to inform their engineering practice. The ultimate goal of engineering learning in P-12 schools is to foster engineering literacy among students in order to move towards a more engineering literate citizenship and society.

"The vision put forth in this framework has been a long time coming for many members of the ASEE P-12 Engineering Education research community. We are excited to see how the framework will impact policy and district-level decision making about engineering learning in classrooms across the country,'' said Dr. Malinda Zarske, Chair of the ASEE Board of Directors Commission on P-12 Engineering Education.

Access the Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning at https://p12framework.asee.org/. To learn more about AE3 visit www.p12engineering.org, or follow via Twitter @AEEngEdu.

Contacts:

• Tanner Huffman, AE3, AEEE@p12engineering.org

• Malinda Zarske, ASEE Board of Directors Commission on P-12 Engineering Education, malinda.zarske@colorado.edu

• Bradley Bowen, ASEE Pre-College Engineering Education Division, bowenb@vt.edu.

• Geraldine Gooding, ASEE HQ, Manager, P-12 Activities, g.gooding@asee.org

About Advancing Excellence in P-12 Engineering Education (AE3)

AE3 is a research collaborative that seeks to promote collaboration across the engineering and education communities to, foremost, pursue a vision and direction for P-12 Engineering Education; and second to develop a coherent and dynamic content framework for scaffolding the teaching and learning of engineering in P-12 schools. In 2016, AE3 launched the Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning project to establish a coherent curricular structure for the dimensions of engineering literacy and conduct research on the learning of engineering concepts/skills to better understand how to achieve engineering literacy for all. AE3 consists of researchers, teachers, industry and K-12 schools district partners, and thought leaders with a shared vision to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to think, learn, and act like an engineer.

AE3 Leadership Team

• Tanner Huffman, Ph.D., Executive Director

• Michael Grubbs, Ph.D., Director of Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships

• Jamie Gurganus, Ph.D., Director of Innovative Programs & Operations

• Amy Sabarre, Director of Implementation & Professional Development

• Greg Strimel, Ph.D., Director of Transformative Research & Development

About ASEE

Founded in 1893, the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) is a global society of individual, institutional, and corporate members. ASEE’s vision is excellent and broadly accessible education empowering students and engineering professionals to create a better world. We work toward achieving that vision by advancing innovation, excellence, and access at all levels of education for the engineering profession. We engage with engineering faculty, business leaders, college and high school students, parents, and teachers to enhance the engineering workforce of the nation. We are the only professional society addressing opportunities and challenges spanning all engineering disciplines, working across the breadth of academic education including teaching, research, and public service.