A junior level engineering course EM322x Engineering Mechanics for Teachers, acceptable as graduate credit for college of education students, is designed for web delivery using WebCT3. A companion course CI 522x Pedagogical Applications of Engineering Mechanics is designed to build off of the material in EM322x. The CI 522x is conducted live over the Iowa Cable Network, ICN, which is a fiber cable network established by the state to connect local schools, state universities, and government agencies.

With the help of the State of Iowa Department of Education information was sent to every math & science teacher in Iowa of grades 6-12. The response to the course was overwhelming. We had announced 20 openings, and we received more than 150 telephone calls from teachers wanting take the courses. It seems to us that there is a large need for this service in both our rural and urban schools.

Through hands-on classroom experiments, teachers connect engineering concepts with K-12 mathematics and science curricula. EM 322x course content includes definition of equilibrium through the use of levers and truss (bridge) structures plus the exploration of material properties useful in the design of structures. Experiment kits were developed and shipped to the teachers. Experiments are conducted to develop fundamental understanding of material behavior and to provide the basis for understanding a simple but meaningful engineering design effort. Streaming video is used in the web course to illustrate how to conduct the experiments.

For the presentation, portions of the EM22x course will be placed on a CD and demonstrated. It will show that distance education can still use hands-on experiments. A discussion of future distance education efforts will be held. Is it possible to conduct a course using just a CD, and on-line communication, and the experiments? Currently we are confined to the State of Iowa because of the ICN network. Advanced web methods in the next couple of years will open up the possibility of allowing enrollment of teachers world wide. Preliminary results from on-line surveys and feedback will be presented.

As part of the CI522x course, the focus is to analyze the mathematical thinking required to complete an engineering project. The goal of the course is to develop corresponding classroom kits, lesson plans and activities for use in the K-12 classrooms. Discussion of methodology and learning theories for guiding classroom discourse and explorations about engineering concepts are held. The teachers develop an engineering unit appropriate for the grade level/subject that they teach. After presentations in k-12 classrooms, teachers will evaluate the lesson effectiveness. Below is a topic list for CI522x.

Date	Topic
Jan 10	Introduction to geometric thinking Connecting Engineering to the existing curriculum
Jan 24	The importance of concrete experiences The van Hiele theory of learning geometry
Feb 28	Identifying Outcomes. Is that possible in constructivism? Using projects
Mar 3(Saturday)	Discussion of Student learning/Engineering ideas
March 28	Continued discussion of integrating engineering ideas
Apr 18	Wrap up / Discussion
Apr 28(Saturday)	Project Presentation/description