Assessing the effectiveness of an engineering summer day camp

Abstract

This paper describes a five session summer camp, for rising seventh-grade students, which employed an engineering design process in basic circuitry and laser cutting projects. This document discusses results from an assessment of the camp's effectiveness in increasing general engineering knowledge and fostering an affinity towards the engineering fields. The 2015 camp targeted females for the first three sessions, and both males and females for the last two sessions. This camp was a collaboration between the University of St Thomas and St. Paul Public Library system. This camp model emphasized hands-on learning experiences and featured lessons on circuitry, computer design, and machining. Data was gathered through formative assessments, where nearly 80% of camp participants filled out pre- and post-surveys inquiring about their individual attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with engineering. For example, 88.5% of students noted either no change or an increase in confidence in their engineering skills from the pre- to post-surveys. The following paper will present the lessons taught at the camp, a detailed demographic of the camp and the results from the participant surveys.