Project Profile

The Literacy for Engineering Access and Participation Conference (LEAP) would convene researchers and teachers from the engineering education, literacy education, equity and other stakeholder areas to establish a research agenda and gather resources related to the literacy considerations for informal and formal learning settings. The conference participants will learn about engineering and literacy perspectives that impact students' learning with a particular emphasis on multi-lingual students and engaging a more diverse student population in engineering. The conference activity will focus on four themes: (1) engineering and literacy education for broadening participation; (2) engineering literacies in K-16 settings; (3) engineering literacies in informal settings; and (4) preparing students for the workplace. The conference will share findings with a range of audiences in engineering education, science education, literacy education and includes the sharing of resources for schools, teachers, and informal learning settings. This project will advance efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM).

The outcomes for the conference include new direction for research, expansive instructional strategies for broadening participation in formal and informal settings, knowledge about the systemic and social factors of teaching and learning that affect possibilities for broadening participation in the engineering workforce and interdisciplinary partnerships. The project has identified participants from engineering, engineering education, literacy education, multicultural education, bilingual education and other disciplines in order to inform the creation of the research agenda and examination of theory in this area.