The new UTeachEngineering program for undergraduates builds on the successful UTeach Natural Sciences program to develop two pathways to certify pre-service teachers in secondary engineering education.

Engineering Certification for UTeach Natural Sciences Students

UTeach Natural Sciences is the program for preparation of secondary mathematics, science, and computer science students at UT. Using a comprehensive approach to teacher preparation, UTeach has been very successful in attracting and graduating students in many of the scientific fields. However, the program has faced challenges in recruiting and retaining physics students, particularly those seeking certification to teach physics and math. To address this challenge, we propose to develop a new track for physics majors seeking certification in physics, math, and engineering and to offer up to 10 full, four-year scholarships per year to students entering the program.
Students seeking certification under the new physics/math/engineering track will follow the standard UTeach track for that degree plan, replacing four already identified science courses with four engineering courses. These courses, described below, will be developed and taught jointly by university engineering and education faculty and UTeach Master Teachers. They will provide an overview of secondary material taught with University depth and delivered with explicit references to teaching strategies and pedagogical content knowledge.

Teacher Preparation Track for Engineering Students

More than 30 students in the Cockrell School of Engineering are currently enrolled in UTeach Natural Sciences courses because no single degree plan exists that will lead simultaneously to an engineering degree and teaching certification. In the new teacher preparation track for engineers, we will develop an explicit track by which engineering majors may obtain a BS in Engineering with Engineering and Science Teaching Certification. We anticipate that students will complete the 18-hour UTeach professional development sequence and the four new engineering courses as a combination of elective credits, technical course credits, and an overload to their engineering requirements. To attract and retain students to complete this arduous sequence, we will offer up to 10 full, four-year scholarships per year to students entering the program.

Overview

• The UTeachEngineering program for undergraduates does not increase the time required to complete an undergraduate degree:

• In Natural Sciences, students in the joint UTeach Natural Sciences and UTeachEngineering pathway will complete the program in four years with teaching certification in science and engineering or in science, math and engineering.
   
• In Engineering, students in the UTeachEngineering program will complete the program in the length of time typically required for their engineering degree plan.

• Scholarships will be available attract and retain students from physics and engineering.
   
• Students in this track will graduate with multiple teaching certifications.

Innovative New Courses

UTeachEngineering is built on the foundation of the existing UTeach Natural Sciences program, into which it will incorporate four new courses.

• Foundations in Engineering and Design (core course) This course will introduce students with limited training in engineering to the scope of engineering, basic foundations of engineering science, and engineering design. The course will be designed to cover essential elements as defined by the State of Texas in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for engineering, and will prepare enrollees to pass the engineering teacher certification exam. A student laboratory will be dedicated to the course.
   
• Knowing and Learning in Engineering (core course) This course will improve students’ understanding of current theories of learning and conceptual development in engineering. In particular, students will examine engineering as a unique field (rather than simply as an application of math and science) and will explore pedagogical differences in these fields.
   
• Engineering Energy Systems (area survey course) In a design-centered education program, the applications of engineering become the framework for teaching, rather than groupings of underlying principles. Students learn necessary fundamental principles as they address challenges and design problems. In this course, engineering fundamentals such as thermodynamics, and mass and energy balances will be used to evaluate the energy supply systems and the efficiencies of various forms of energy demand. Challenges and design problems will examine concepts such as building energy efficiencies, using a test house available at the University of Texas.
   
• Design of Machines and Systems (area survey course) The study of machines is an approachable introduction to engineering for many people because many familiar devices and systems (e.g., appliances, toys, power tools, automobiles) are mechanical or electromechanical in nature. Likewise, existing high school engineering curriculum materials have significant mechanical engineering content (e.g., Project Lead the Way). In this course, students will learn techniques for analyzing and designing machine components (linkages, cams, springs, gears, etc.) within the context of reverse engineering and redesigning existing products. In the process, students will also gain experience in the application of structure methods for engineering design and prototyping.