Outcomes of a three-year in-service secondary teacher training program in engineering design

We have developed and implemented a comprehensive, three-year professional development program for in-service secondary teachers to prepare them to teach engineering design and problem solving, and to use design-based teaching approaches in their science curriculum. The program used a constructionist, immersion pedagogy and a three-phase learning cycle. The program consisted of intensive summer workshops followed by monthly one-day workshops, school visits, and support activities during the academic year. This paper describes the program philosophy and activities, and presents outcome results using both qualitative and quantitative data. Pre- and post-test results indicate the workshop pedagogy and program structure were successful in meeting the goals and desired outcomes of the program.