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The Tufts University Center for Engineering Educational Outreach
(CEEO) is dedicated to re-inventing engineering education through
educational research and application of research results in
K-16 educational settings. The motivation, organization, and agenda for our
research is explained below.
Research Motivation
At the CEEO, we believe that all students can benefit from learning
about engineering. In addition to the growing need for a qualified
engineering & technical workforce, our everyday lives are becoming
more impacted by technology. We believe that hands-on,
engineering-based activities are motivational and promote creativity
and problem solving skills. We promote expanding engineering education
throughout the K-16 educational system.
While the field of engineering education has been developing knowledge
on learning at the university level, it is still growing. Currently
there is little existing research in K-12 engineering education, but
efforts to increase access to engineering for K-12 students continue to
expand. The CEEO aims to provide rigorous support to anecdotal evidence
that engineering activities benefit students and teachers. With this
knowledge, we can work to improve educational technologies, improve
learning and practice, and encourage policy makers and administrators
to expand K-16 engineering education.
Organization and Research Agenda
The research team at the CEEO is composed of graduate students from the
Math, Science, Technology and Engineering (MSTE) Education Program in
Tufts University’s Department of Education. The MSTE program prepares
students to be educational researchers through courses on research
methods and educational theory. The MSTE students who work at the CEEO
bring a unique blend of expertise in engineering content, K-12
outreach, and educational tool development to their educational
research.
As a part of the CEEO, the graduate student researchers are interested
in understanding engineering education with the ultimate goal of
affecting change in K-16 education. To do so, we approach the field of
research from multiple perspectives and work with varied populations.
We look at both teachers and students from all stages of K-16
education. We are interested in understanding how people learn and use
the engineering design process, how science and math content are
learned in engineering-based curricula, and how engineering outreach
programs impact participants. We are committed to using research to
inform our curriculum development and instructional practices.
Our research is funded from numerous sources including the National
Science Foundation, the National Instruments Foundation, and private
foundations.
Research Projects
The CEEO conducts research in three major areas: fundamental research,
intervention-based research, and program evaluation. Our current
research projects include:
Fundamental Research: Basic research in how students and teachers come to have and use knowledge
Early Elementary Engineering Design Project
How do first grade students approach engineering design problems?
How do first grade teachers develop knowledge of engineering design?
Teaching Engineering through Robotics
What subject matter and pedagogical content
knowledge do teachers use and develop as they teach middle school
engineering?
Intervention-Based Research: Applied research with a focus on how a curriculum/intervention impacts learning
Active Physics Project
How does using an engineering-based activity
to teach physics concepts affect students' conceptual understanding of
motion?
Upper Elementary Science through Engineering
How do curricula based on LEGO engineering design challenges affect
science learning in third through fifth grade classrooms?
Program Evaluation: Applied research aimed at learning how outreach programs impact participants
Student-Teacher Outreach Mentorship Program (STOMP)
How does STOMP affect engineering undergraduates' attitudes,
confidence, and understanding of the engineering design process?
Industry STOMP (I-STOMP)
How does volunteering in K-12 classrooms through
I-STOMP impact the sponsoring company and its employee mentors?
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Research