Your Child’s Passport Into Engineering

For years I have been asked the question what does an engineer actually do? It is a question often asked by youth just as the possibility of an STEM job bubbles in their thoughts.

This question is one that Celeste Baine, Director of the Engineering Education Service Center, is trying to answer with her educational platform “Passport to Engineering.” The interactive course is designed to teach students ages 12 and over about 33 engineering and 7 engineering technology jobs.

Baine says that “kids live in an instant gratification society. Media is bombarding them constantly. We wanted to make something more engaging. Something they can interact with. How can I combine my hobby with my work in the future? We want to answer how engineering can help you. We want to get kid’s attention and show them how cool, dynamic and fulfilling it is.”

The course can be purchased for online or DVD access. It is designed to be accessed in whatever setting a child finds best, from the classroom to a home PC. The classes can even be structured for a whole class to participate and discuss the engineering discipline together.

When students use Passport to Engineering they are presented with a dynamic, simple interface that keeps their attention. They can access engineering disciplines that pique their curiosity or answer questionnaires which can guide them to careers they may find interesting. They are then linked to videos, printouts and career information to help guide their path. For older students, they can even access a list of ABET accredited schools that teach each engineering discipline.

The interface has the look and feel of an airport terminal. Students access the engineering careers at gate departures where they are presented with the information, games, academic challenges (25 questions), glossary, PDF books, puzzles and quizzes.

As an incentive, students can earn stamps by answering a 4-question quiz about an engineering discipline after watching the corresponding 2-4 minute video. The stamp is then added to their virtual passport which can be printed to show off their knowledge. For big bragging rights, students can earn a “Certificate of Travel” by collecting all 33 stamps, proving that the sky is the limit for their engineering career.

“I started working on this 4 years ago. It is when the idea hit me,” explains Baine. “One of my son’s friends said ‘I want to be an engineer’ and I gave him a copy of my book, Is There an Engineer Inside You? His response was ‘I don’t read.’ So I wanted to get a hold of those students in a fun way.”

As far as professions go, people, and especially youth, are better versed to the daily grind of doctors, lawyers and even accountants than they are to engineers. Engineers tend to be behind the scenes. They’re making the decisions that ensure public safety and better our lives, but if an engineer does his or her job right, typically you never hear about them. This course should do much to bring to light for our children what engineering does for our society and how they can take part.

For the Online Version click here.

For the DVD Version click here.