Work in progress: research experience for teachers (RET) program in the College of Engineering (CoE) at the University of South Florida (USF)

The USF College of Engineering (CoE) is fully committed to working together with school districts, community colleges, and the USF College of Education toward the improvement of education from the K-12 level to the community college level. One of the cornerstones for successful integration of engineering into the K-12 environment is the development of relevant and sustainable partnerships between engineering faculty, and teachers/faculty in the K-12/community college environment. Toward this end, CoE instituted the research experiences for teachers (RET) program two years ago in order to help math and science teachers from both middle and high schools learn about engineering research at the university level and how to better pass this knowledge on to their students, instilling an interest, and thus a desire to potentially pursue higher education in science, math, and engineering related fields. The objectives of the program include: (i) exposing teachers to engineering research in which science and math backgrounds are used; (ii) revealing the necessary integration of science and math disciplines when conducting engineering research; (iii) providing teachers with real life examples in which science and math are used in this way; (iv) enhancing teacher self esteem and confidence in science as a discipline. This program makes the K-12 teachers and community college faculty full partners in engineering research. The experience provides these individuals with enhanced teaching skills/methods, the ability to motivate students in science and math disciplines, and a higher level of credibility and knowledge to apply when advising/guiding students toward engineering disciplines.