Improving Engineering Education Outreach in Rural Counties through Engineering Risk Analysis

Abstract

Hands-on engineering education is an upcoming trend among K-12 schools throughout the United States to stimulate interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This study used unconventional methods to stimulate interest in STEM fields among high school students in a rural county of Tennessee. First, the study began by assessing enrollment data from each of Tennessee’s 95 counties to determine the factors that influenced the decision by high school applicants to choose engineering at Tennessee Technological University (TTU). The findings revealed that, while there were no significant differences between the aptitude scores of applicants from rural and urban counties, TTU had a higher representation of freshmen from urban areas. This indicated that motivational programs targeted at counties with low population, income level, and education level were needed to boost enrollment from rural counties. As a response, we introduced next a hands-on engineering class at Jackson County High School (JCHS) that was tied to the national-level program called “Project Lead the Way.” With JCHS lying in a rural setting right along the Cumberland River, an engineering risk study was completed in front of the class to demonstrate the risk of failure of the Wolf Creek Dam (in Kentucky), which lies upstream. The idea was to leverage a real-world engineering infrastructure and a natural hazard phenomenon (overflooding) that had direct and visible implications on the lives of the county, as a way to promote the societal value of STEM disciplines to students at JCHS. These efforts were monitored through a series of pre- and posttests to determine the effectiveness of the hands-on teaching methods and engineering risk analysis of a real-world infrastructure. The testing efforts showed a significantly positive impact on student perception of STEM fields in pursuit of engineering innovation. Student assessment of perceptions of engineering proved that the use of real-world water risk analysis of a nearby infrastructure as a motivational tool in a rural high school setting is very effective to boost awareness of STEM fields and engineering.