The impact of introducing robotics in middle and high school science and mathematics classrooms

The Center for Pre-College Programs at the New Jersey Institute of Technology was established to provide students with high quality science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and mentorship activities, in an effort to help students see the rewards of careers in STEM and increase students' interest in pursuing a career in these fields. Students who participate in the centers' programs are better prepared to pursue and successfully graduate in STEM majors, especially engineering. The Center also conducts training institutes that provide teachers with pre-engineering curriculum to better prepare students to enter engineering degree programs. The curriculum focuses on pre-engineering skills and teachers are trained to use instructional strategies that support connections between standards-based science, mathematics and real world engineering. The current paper describes 1) a new training program to introduce students and teachers to engineering and information technology through the use of robotics, 2) the curriculum developed to train middle and high school Science and Mathematics teachers to use robotics and 3) results of data collected during the first year including students' and teachers' attitudes toward engineering, teachers' concern about using robotics in their classroom and their preparedness to teach the robotic curriculum.