An Analysis of Engineering Educational Standards and Outcomes Achieved by a Robotics Summer Camp Experience

Summer camps can be an effect method of encouraging children and teenagers to learn about career options and grow interest in careers for which there is a national shortage of young professionals, such as engineering. These camps can offer opportunities beyond what a normal school can offer, and achieve specific educational goals that would be difficult to realize in a traditional classroom setting. A robotics summer camp curriculum was developed in accordance with the age specific standards from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the National Science Education Standards (NSES). To link this to the engineering skills that are developed in college, the resultant student experience was evaluated in the context of the engineering outcomes for a four year engineering degree defined by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET). The robotics summer camp was evaluated for its effectiveness building a foundation and supporting the skills that a student should develop in a college engineering program. Pre and post tests were given and scored with a standard rubric. The questions were mapped to the specific ABET outcomes which best align with the goals of the summer camp. The test scores will show the degree of improvement in various areas of engineering and problem solving. The resulting data shows the strengths of the summer camp and identify areas that can be targeted for improvement, to make a larger impact on the attendees.