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Megan Giacini
Dr. Guenzel
ENC 1102 A003
May 27, 2014

Research Dossier: Increasing Electrical engineers through high schools
Dossier Introduction
Why do we need more high school students pursuing an electrical
engineering degree? According to Brian Yoder PhD, the total number of engineers
that graduated with a bachelors degree from 2010-2011 was 83,000. Of the 83-
thousand, 2,153 were electrical engineers. Brian Yoder PhD is director of
assessment, evaluation, and institutional research for the American Society for
Engineering Education. Also, according to the United States Bureau of Labor
Statistics the employment change of electrical engineers is roughly 12,600. Taking
2,153, dividing it by two for one years worth of students, multiplying it by ten for
the next ten years, then subtracting the employment change given by the U.S.
Bureau, 12,600 the number computed would be the resulting open jobs in the next
ten years. In result, if 21- hundred graduates every two years, the United States will
be short 1,840 electrical engineers. That is more than a years graduating class. One
way to increase electrical engineers is to increase the number of high school
students who want to pursue the degree. Engineers in general have to have an
interest in STEM classes. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, engineering,
and Mathematics. By increasing student interest in STEM majors during High school,
this will help to increase students pursuing electrical engineering majors.
This research paper will address the questions: What do people define
STEM courses as? Why do we need more high school students pursuing an
electrical engineering degree? What are some programs we can add to high
schools right now? How many electrical engineers graduate every year? What is
the percentage of high school students going to college for an EE degree? and
What makes electrical engineering hard?
In this paper will inform its audience on various programs or clubs that some
schools have. The target audience of the research paper is students, teachers, school
directors, participating parents, and other people in the field of education. If people
hear about already established working ideas, they will be able to implement them
into their own communities. Students hear about engineers and what they do and
tentatively do. They hear about all of the tough, challenging courses they have to
take in collage. However, because a lot of schools do not have technology
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departments the students dont have hands on experience in STEM related fields.
They do not know the benefits or their actual feelings drawn from the experience.
This leads to a portion of students not willing to test the waters of an engineering
degree. Or, they take a few of the first semester core classes and drop the major
before they reach the hands on segment of their electrical engineering classes.

Research map
Thesis: By increasing student interest in STEM majors during High school, this will
help to increase students pursuing electrical engineering majors.
Types of sources: Internet, library
Keywords:
Electrical engineer
High school students
STEM
PLTW
Enrollment
Questions:
Why do we need more high school students pursuing an electrical engineering
degree?
What are some programs we can add to high schools right now?
How many electrical engineers graduate every year?
What is the percentage of high school students going to college for an EE degree?
What makes electrical engineering hard?
Timetable:
5/29: FD Research Dossier with annotated bibliography
5/29 test 1 differential equations
6/4: RD Rhetorical Analysis
6/5: FD Rhetorical Analysis
6/11: 1
st
draft Argumentative Research Paper
6/11-16: have my peers look over my paper and start making the prezi
6/16: 2
nd
draft Argumentative Research Paper
6/17: final draft Argumentative Research Paper
6/19: essay (into. to e-portfolio as reflection and assessment)
6/19 test 2 differential equations
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Annotated Bibliography
"Partnership Works To Develop Next Generation Of Engineers." Career & Technical
Education Advisor 39.3 (2008): 2. Supplemental Index. Web. 28 May 2014.
This article supplies with which states the PLTW program is currently in place. This
includes California, Colorado, Maryland, New York, Minnesota, and Texas.
"Lockheed Martin Teams Up with Project Lead The Way in National Partnership."
PLTW. Project Lead The Way, Inc, 18 Feb. 2014. Web. 30 May 2014.
<https://www.pltw.org/news/items/201402-lockheed-martin-teams-
project-lead-way-national-partnership>.
This is the website for Project Lead the Way. It provides information on the
PLTW program and what it does for the schools it partners with.
"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 Jan.
2014. Web. 30 May 2014. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-
engineering/electrical-and-electronics-engineers.htm>.
United States Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the information needed to
help support why increasing student interest in STEM majors during High school is
needed.
Yoder, Brian L. "Engineering by the Numbers." American Society for Engineering
Education, Washington, DC http://www.asee.org/papers-and-
publications/publications/college-profiles/2011-profile-engineering-
statistics.pdf.
This provides the information needed to help support why increasing
student interest in STEM majors during High school is needed.
Aschbacher, P. R., Li, E. and Roth, E. J. (2010), Is science me? High school students'
identities, participation and aspirations in science, engineering, and
medicine. J. Res. Sci. Teach., 47: 564582. doi: 10.1002/tea.20353
This study follows an ethnically and economically diverse sample of 33 high
school students to explore why some who were once very interested in science,
engineering, or medicine (SEM) majors or careers decided to leave the pipeline in
high school while others persisted. Through longitudinal interviews and surveys,
students shared narratives about their developing science identities, SEM
participation and aspirations. In analysis, three groups emerged (High Achieving
Persisters, Low Achieving Persisters, and Lost Potentials), each experiencing
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different interactions and experiences within science communities of practice in and
outside of school and within the extended family. These different microclimates
framed students' perceptions of their SEM study, abilities, career options, and
expected success, thereby shaping their science identities and consequent SEM
trajectories. School science was often hard and discouraging; there were very few
science advocates at school or home; and meaningful opportunities to work with
real science professionals were scarce, even in schools with science or health
academies. Students expressed positive attitudes toward science and non-science
pursuits where they experienced success and received support from important
people in their lives. Results underscore the key role communities of practice play in
career and identity development and suggest a need for interventions to help
socializers better understand the value and purpose of science literacy themselves
so as to encourage students to appreciate science, be aware of possible career
options in science and enjoy learning and doing science. 2009 Wiley Periodicals,
Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 564582, 2010
This article will give some perspective on why and how students lose interest
in STEM
Breiner, J. M., Harkness, S. S., Johnson, C. C. and Koehler, C. M. (2012), What Is STEM?
A Discussion About Conceptions of STEM in Education and Partnerships.
School Science and Mathematics, 112: 311. doi: 10.1111/j.1949-
8594.2011.00109.x
Educational reformation has proceeded slowly despite the many calls to
improve science and mathematics for our students. The acronym STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics) has been adopted by numerous
programs as an important focus for renewed global competitiveness for the United
States, but conceptions of what STEM entails often vary among stakeholders. This
paper examines the conceptions of STEM held by faculty members from a public
Research I institution in the middle of a regional STEM movement. Faculty
members responded to two open-ended questions: (1) What is STEM? and (2) How
does STEM influence and/or impact your life? Although 72% of these faculty
members possessed a relevant conception of STEM, the results suggest that they do
not share a common conceptualization of STEM. Their conception is most likely
based on their academic discipline or how STEM impacts their daily lives. STEM
faculty members were likely to have a neutral or positive conception where non-
STEM faculty members often had negative feelings about STEM.
This document will give perspective on the teachers, or the scholars outlook
how STEM is defined.
"Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics." - Science (CA Dept of Education).
California Department of Education, 2 May 2014. Web. 30 May 2014.
<http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/stemintrod.asp>.
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This website will give perspective on the State of Californias outlook how
STEM is defined.
Trajectories of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering Students by Race
and Gender By: Lord, S. M.; Layton, R. A.; Ohland, M. W.. IEEE Transactions
on Education
Electrical engineering (EE) is one of the largest engineering disciplines.
Computer engineering (CpE) has a similar curriculum, but different demographics
and student outcomes. Using a dataset from universities in the U.S. that includes
over 70 000 students who majored in engineering, this paper describes the out
comes for students matriculating in and migrating into EE and CpE so as to inform
the decision making of faculty, department heads, and deans. Although men
consistently outnumber women in EE and CpE, the rates of matriculation and six-
year graduation vary by race and gender. EE is the most popular choice for Asian
and Black students (males and females) at matriculation, but while Asians graduate
at high rates, Blacks (particularly males) are not retained. Retention is higher in EE
than in CpE despite the similarity of the curricula. Graduation rates are lower than
expected for women of all races in CpE and for Hispanic women in EE. By the third
semester, some students of all races and genders have left their matriculation major,
but others have migrated in from other majors, compensating for some of this loss.
CpE students are more likely than EE students to switch to another major.
Trajectories of EE and CpE students are racialized and distinct. CpE loses more
students and attracts fewer students than EE. These findings il lustrate the
importance of disaggregating by engineering major as well as race and gender to
improve recruitment and retention overall.
This talks about the trajectories of electrical engineers in collages.
Davidson, Cliff I., et al. "Preparing future engineers for challenges of the 21st
century: Sustainable engineering." Journal of cleaner production 18.7 (2010):
698-701.
The field of engineering is changing rapidly as the growing global population
puts added demands on the earth's resources: engineering decisions must now
account for limitations in materials and energy as well as the need to reduce
discharges of wastes. This means educators must revise courses and curricula so
engineering graduates are prepared for the new challenges as practicing engineers.
The Center for Sustainable Engineering has been established to help faculty
members accommodate such changes through workshops and new educational
materials, including a free access website with peer-reviewed materials.
Allen, Phil, Julien Epps, and Jayashri Ravishankar. "Sparking the next generation:
Exposing, engaging and enrolling students in electrical engineering."
Teaching, Assessment and Learning for Engineering (TALE), 2013 IEEE
International Conference on. IEEE, 2013.
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It is widely understood that engineering education depends heavily on the
ability to inspire students from kindergarten to year 12 to undertake tertiary
engineering study. Although activities to spark an interest in engineering are
common at university recruitment events, it is reasonable to examine the
fundamental aims and attributes of such activities. In this paper, these aims are
investigated under three broadly identified phases of engineering student
recruitment - exposure, engagement and enrolment. The means by which these are
achieved in specific activities within the School of Electrical Engineering and
Telecommunications at The University of New South Wales (UNSW) are discussed,
as case studies. Results from surveys suggest that positive experiences in the
engagement phase, including direct hands-on experiences, are important precursors
for prospective students in their path towards tertiary engineering study.
This study informs on how Australia is handling the problem.