Mark Casto, Amesbury High School CAPSULE Participant 2011 Mark Kobel, Whitcomb School – Marlborough Mass. CAPSULE Participant 2012 EBL – Providing the S.T.E.A.M. that drives innovation.

Who we are...  This guide / site was created by classroom teachers. Each of the contributors to this website were also participants in the CAPSULE summer professional development program at Northeastern University. CAPSULE is a two-week Engineering Project-Based professional development experience for high school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers funded by the National Science Foundation. CAPSULE  Teachers realized, by participation in the program, the added value to the classroom of embedding EBL strategies into their curricula. There exists a limited amount of information on best practices supported by EBL, teachers decided to produce an implementation guide that could be used by the novice teacher up to teachers that have fully-developed STEM curriculum.

The CAPSULE Program (Summers )  two-week Engineering Project-Based professional development experience for high school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers  funded by the National Science Foundation, Northeastern University and the Museum of Science in collaboration with the Boston Public Schools  provides examples of capstone experiences used by high school teachers who have previously participated in the program.  immersion in a variety of engineering experiences supporting the development of a menu of engineering capstone experiences for the high school classroom.

Northeastern University

How does the CAPSULE experience benefit the teacher?  Actively engages the participant in activities that fosters problem-solving skills that can be replicated with students in the classroom  Introduces the participant to new strategies and approaches to effectively utilizing the engineering design process (EDP) within the classroom  Emphasizes real-world connections and makes STEM applicable across all disciples  Provides on-going support in the classroom through classroom visits by engineering graduate students, maintaining a website with a listserv set up to keep participants aware of STEM opportunities and future callbacks, and providing classroom funding for teachers who seed money to introduce

The RET Program  a six-week summer research experience for middle and high school mathematics and science teachers and Community College STEM faculty.  Participants work in research laboratories affiliated with the Colleges of Sciences and Engineering. Supporting professional development is led by program alumni and partner faculty affiliated with the Center for STEM Education.  Funding for the RET program has been provided by federal and private sources, including the National Science Foundation.  The program includes a paid stipend, additional funding to supplement classroom materials, callbacks to monitor and evaluate classroom implementation of research, and possible involvement in additional University opportunities.

Northeastern University

Problem / Engineering Based Learning  ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS (EDP) The engineering design process is a well-established and time-honored means of solving problems. The engineering design process is a roadmap that engineers use to guide them as they solve problems. Engineers use science and mathematics to explore all possible options and to compare competing design ideas. This is an open-ended, iterative, and circular process. The circular nature of the process allows anterograde and retrograde iterations to serve precise problem definition and design refinements.

Why use EBL?  EBL combines well-known tools from science and engineering to create a pedagogical process to enhance student-centered learning across multiple STEM disciplines

Students benefit from EBL strategies