49th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition
4 - 7 January 2011, Orlando, Florida
AIAA 2011-555
Aerospace Engineering in the Classroom:
The Project Lead The Way Model
G. Holt1 and D. Hughes2
Project Lead The Way, Clifton Park, New York, 12065
Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is changing the emphasis in classrooms by engaging
middle and high school students with hands-on real-world activities, projects, and problems
to solve. In the process, students learn to apply knowledge that they will retain beyond the
test and integrate academic learning into real life. This teaching methodology is applied to
the PLTW Aerospace Engineering course as part of a Pathway to Engineering (PTE)
available to high school students across the nation.
W
I. Introduction
HEN does that spark of inspiration occur for an aerospace engineer? Many will remember a pivotal
experience in a classroom where they talked to a professional engineer or worked on a related hands-on
project. The success of project-based learning is not accidental. Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is changing the
emphasis in classrooms by engaging middle and high school students with hands-on, real-world activities,
projects, and science and technology-based problems to solve.
The demand for aerospace engineers entering the workforce is increasingly acute. High school students who take
PLTW’s Aerospace Engineering (AE) course learn knowledge and skills formally identified as needed to be
successful in the aerospace profession. Through engagement in real world projects, working with mentors, and
shadowing aerospace engineers, AE students are prepared to transition from high school to a post secondary
institution’s aerospace engineering program. It is the combination of the PLTW system, the Activities, Projects
and Problems (APPB)-learning model, the overlapping of curriculum aligned to ABET standards, and the overlay
of Occupational Information Network (O*NET) ranked tasks, knowledge, skills, and abilities that make the
PLTW system an effective resource for preparing and inspiring young engineering students.
II. An Industry in Need
The demand for aerospace engineers is real and growing. There were 71,600 aerospace engineers employed in
the United States in 2008, representing 4.5% of all engineering disciplines. The aerospace engineering employment
rate is projected to increase by 10%.3 In addition, 30% of the current workforce is between the ages of 50 and 55
years old.4 This situation is creating a future demand that is already difficult to satisfy. In addition, aerospace
engineering can be a lucrative career choice since the average aerospace engineer earns $92,520 with an average
starting salary of $56,311. The industry is in need of ways to inspire young students to consider a career in the
aerospace industry.
An alarming national trend indicates that students are not choosing aerospace and defense careers. Hedden
(2010) identifies three primary reasons:
1. Lack of interest in aircraft, defense, or space
2. Perception of low salaries
1
Associate Director of Curriculum for Engineering, Engineering Curriculum, 21 Corporate Drive, Suite 105, Clifton
Park, New York 12065, Education Associate.
2
Director of Public/Private Partnerships, 2445 M Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20037, Education Associate.
3
United States Department of Labor. “Occupational outlook handbook,” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, URL:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm [cited 9 September 2010].
4
Aviation Week, “2010 Workforce Study,” Crescent Springs, KY., 2010, P. 7.
1
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Copyright © 2011 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.
3. Not knowing someone in the line of work5
After choosing to become an aerospace engineer and successfully completing the appropriate coursework, young
professionals face challenges. An advisory board of key industry leaders for Aviation Weekly determined that
15.7% leave the aerospace and defense industry at an early point in their career. To retain young professionals,
Aviation Weekly recommended that industry leaders be made aware of the need for mentoring relationships.6
PLTW’s comprehensive system not only attracts students to the aerospace field, but also seeks to educate students to
the benefits and unique characteristic associated with the profession.
The Aerospace Engineering (AE) course, taught during the academic school day to high school students, exposes
students to aerospace concepts as well as career options within the aerospace industry. AE is designed to effectively
change student perceptions of aerospace engineering careers and directly fulfill the forthcoming need for more
professional aerospace engineers. PLTW curriculum engages students through hands-on projects designed to inspire
and excite students to consider careers in aerospace engineering. Throughout the course, students complete activities
where they learn advanced engineering concepts and are encouraged to envision themselves as future aerospace
professionals, including salary research and mentoring with an aerospace engineer in the field.
III. A System to Support the Curriculum
The PLTW system provides a comprehensive network of supports for developing young aerospace professionals.
The supports provided by PLTW include: courses, curriculum development, teacher professional development,
guidance counselor training, assessment, data collection, and partnerships with business and industry. These tools
necessarily ensure student success as they transition from high school to institutions of higher learning.
The PLTW engineering pathway is a flexible program which schools may tailor to their local needs. Schools can
choose to offer a combination of any of the eight full year (170 instructional days) courses. Typically students begin
their pathway with two foundation courses: Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) and Principles of Engineering
(POE). Students who successfully complete these two courses have the option to choose from at least one of five
specialty courses, including Aerospace Engineering. The pathway concludes with a capstone course, entitled
Engineering Design and Development (EDD). EDD requires students to apply the skills they have gained from their
previous coursework. Students focus on solving a real world problem through the application of the design process,
culminating with the creation of a working prototype. Students who have completed AE compound the skills they
previously gained by applying the concepts in a real world scenario.
PLTW collaborates with industry leaders to align its curricula with crucial industry needs. PLTW convenes a
panel of practicing teachers, university professors, and business and industry stakeholders to address the question of
what students should know at the completion of each course. The panel then uses this information to develop core
content and performance objectives. From this listing, the concepts and principles are mapped to the current version
of each individual state’s standards for sciencei, technologyii, mathematicsiii, and English language artsiv. These
standards are placed in the front of each lesson, allowing teachers easy access to what is being presented in each
lesson. Each subject matter standard is mapped within each course lesson. A matrix is used to depict the rigor,
knowledge, and skills students are expected to develop through each course. An example of a matrix identifying
how each unit is mapped to the National Science Education Standards is presented in appendix A. This thorough
identification of standards guides the curriculum developer to ensure that the lesson is in full alignment with the
stated standards and related benchmarks. The concepts and performance objectives are thus in direct alignment.
As of August 2010, PLTW has trained 225 AE teachers. The teacher professional development system has two
primary components: core training and ongoing professional development. The core training is an intensive 80-hour
hands-on learning experience designed to build confidence amongst the teachers teaching PLTW’s courses. A
teacher’s core training is a required step for bringing any course to their school. This instruction is conducted by
experienced master teachers, who are active classroom teachers, and knowledgeable affiliate professors. The
teachers perform all of the activities, projects, and problems that their students will complete. This has the added
benefit that each teacher will build a network of colleagues from across the nation to collaborate with upon returning
to their own classrooms. Each classroom teacher’s ongoing professional development is facilitated through PLTW’s
Virtual Academy (VA). The PLTW VA is an easily accessible web platform that provides detailed materials for
each lesson in every PLTW course, videos of best practices, and collaboration tools for teachers to use.
5
Hedden, C.R., “Leader Board: Aviation Week and Space Technology,” Aviation Weekly, Vol. 172 Issue 31, 16
Aug. 2010, pp 45-45, 1p.
6
Hedden, C.R., “2010 Young Professionals/University Student Survey,” Aviation Weekly. July 20, 2010.
2
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Since its inception in 1996 PLTW has trained more than 10,000 high school guidance counselors. High school
guidance counselors play a crucial role in assisting a student’s course selection. PLTW recognized this role and
developed workshops to support counselors in understanding the PLTW system. These workshops provide
counselors with the fundamental knowledge of how the PLTW program is structured and the powerful effect that it
has on motivating students and preparing them for a future professional career. Counselors are presented with AE
course information and how this course fits within the PLTW engineering pathway.
The results of this program are significant. Many academic institutions have released reports highlighting Project
Lead The Way’s success in engaging students through STEM education. The following demonstrate some of the
successful results that PLTW produced.
A control group study in 16 states that compared PLTW student results on the 2008 High Schools That Work Assessment
test with the results of students in other pre-engineering programs and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs finds
that: Significantly more Project Lead The Way students met the readiness goals on the 2008 High Schools That Work
(HSTW) Assessment tests in reading, mathematics, and science compared with HSTW students in similar
career/technical fields and HSTW students in all career/technical fields (2009 Southern Region Educational Board
7
Report).
The Milwaukee School of Engineering noted that PLTW students have a higher probability of continuing with
an engineering course of study and an average of 76% of the freshman population returns for sophomore year.8 This
statistic re-emphasizes the role PLTW plays in transitioning students from high school engineering to engineering
programs in institutions of higher learning.
PLTW developed a curriculum to inspire future aerospace engineers and a system to support students and
teachers. An organization that is focused on improving itself, such as PLTW, needs data to diagnose what is
functioning well and opportunities for improvement. PLTW recently partnered with Northwest Evaluation
Association (NWEA), a global not-for-profit educational services organization, to develop and implement a
powerful assessment system. This will assist individual teachers and PLTW as an organization. Teachers now have
access to easy-to-use classroom assessment tools. Teachers also have access to real-time reports and evaluations to
make adjustments during the school year to help individual students reach their achievement goals. The NWEA
program will allow PLTW to evaluate student outcomes and longitudinal growth in math, science, and English
language literacy standards as well as in PLTW engineering and biomedical courses through pre and post
assessments. The program will compare PLTW students to non-PLTW students within the same school as well as
students across the country; national graduation rates of PLTW students; and PLTW’s success in preparing students
to pursue post-secondary education with emphasis on STEM. This will benefit AE students in several ways. This
will provide the AE teacher with better diagnostic tools to adjust future instruction to match students’ learning
styles. In addition, the process will provide insight for teachers to improve instruction from one year to the next.
IV. Aerospace Engineering Curriculum
A national standard for high school AE curriculum content does not currently exist. In the absence of specific
standards for high school AE content, PLTW adapted ABET post secondary criteria for guidance in the curriculum
development process in addition to the process described previously. ABET requires post secondary institutions
offering aerospace engineering programs to demonstrate that graduates have a knowledge of aerodynamics,
aerospace materials, structures, propulsion, stability and control, orbital mechanics, space environment, space
structures, rocket propulsion, attitude determination and control, telecommunications, and flight mechanics.9. The
AE curriculum prepares students for postsecondary education in aerospace by aligning the majority of the twelve
ABET subject areas. The topics of flight physiology, remotely operated rovers, and alternative applications of
aerospace engineering are also included.
The PLTW AE curriculum is a year-long class consisting of 170 days of 40 minute periods. The outline of the
course is shown below.
UNIT 1 Introduction to Aerospace
Lesson 1.1 Evolution of Flight
Lesson 1.2 Physics of Flight
7
Southern Regional Education Board, “The Next Step for Career/Technical Programs,” High Schools That Work,
Atlanta, GA, July 2009.
8
Misko, T., “Project Lead The Way: Creating a New Caliber of Engineering Students,” Milwaukee School of
Engineering, Milwaukee, WI, 11 January 2008.
9
ABET, Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs, ABET, Baltimore, MD, 2010.
3
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Lesson 1.3 Flight Planning and Navigation
UNIT 2 Aerospace Design
Lesson 2.1 Materials and Structures
Lesson 2.2 Propulsion
Lesson 2.3 Flight Physiology
UNIT 3 Space
Lesson 3.1 Space Travel
Lesson 3.2 Orbital Mechanics
UNIT 4 Alternative Applications
Lesson 4.1 Alternative Applications
Lesson 4.2 Remote Systems
Lesson 4.3 Aerospace Careers
The curriculum is based on applying the concepts through Activities, Projects, and Problems and is known as the
APPB-learning model. Students are engaged by varying the levels of thinking through three modalities: the
cognitive, the novice metacognition, and the expert metacognition. This application approach is crucial to the skill
building of students. Activities provide a foundation though a method of directed teaching of a particular process or
procedure. In PLTW courses, activities engage students at a cognitive level to learn skills that are later applied in
more complex situations. Building upon activities, Project-based learning encourages the novice metacognition level
of thinking. It is a comprehensive approach to instruction that presents a project enabling students to synthesize
knowledge and to individually resolve problems in a curricular context. At the expert metacognition level, Problembased learning is both a tool used to organize curriculum as well as an instructional strategy that presents a relevant
problem where students are the stakeholders. Students synthesize and construct knowledge that enables them to
actively grapple with the complexities of the problem while they develop strategies to enable and direct their own
learning. This expert metacognition allows students to experience a problem in context. Through contextual
learning, students are more likely to make connections and thus see the value in what they are learning. The APPBlearning prepares students for a career as an aerospace engineer in several ways. It helps students develop skills for
living in a knowledge-based, technological society. This approach adds relevance to the learning and develops
critical thinking skills by putting the knowledge in real-world context. This approach also challenges students to
higher rigor through requiring a multi-disciplinary approach. It promotes lifelong learning by empowering students
to take ownership of their learning. This model reaches more students by providing varied opportunities for students
with varying learning styles.
V. Aerospace Engineering Knowledge and Skills
The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) ranked tasks, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other criteria
required to be a competent aerospace engineer. The knowledge required includes engineering and technology,
design, physics, mathematics, mechanical, computers and electronics, and English language.10 The list of skills that
O*NET identifies for an aerospace engineer to be successful includes critical thinking, reading comprehension,
active listening, complex problem solving, operations analysis, speaking, mathematics, science, writing, and
monitoring. A description of each skill is presented in appendix B. PLTW’s AE curriculum teaches the knowledge,
skills, and abilities listed by O*NET.
The AE curriculum prepares students by developing these skills through learning the content and applying this
knowledge through activities, projects, and problems. For example, students learn about lift theory and then apply
this knowledge in a series of activities designed to build their knowledge and experience. Students develop critical
thinking skills while designing an airfoil according to specifications (e.g., maximize lift or efficiency). Students
design and construct a glider and then test the glider to compare its performance to predicted results. Students also
learn about aircraft construction materials. Students apply this knowledge by building a fiberglass reinforced foam
block. The composite is then plastically deformed with a material test device while force and displacement are
recorded. This data is used to calculate Young's modulus.
The design and build of a planetary rover is one of the final lessons of the AE curriculum. Students begin
building a foundation of unmanned systems knowledge through an investigation activity. Students then simulate the
10
Occupational Information Network, “Details report for 17-2011.00 - Aerospace Engineers,” Occupational
Information Network, URL: http://online.onetcenter.org/link/details/17-2011.00 [cited 9 September 2010].
4
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
communication challenges of an unmanned rover through an activity where students act out the roles of the
command center and the rover itself. During the following activity, students build and program a robot to navigate
through a course autonomously. Students then navigate a robot through a terrain filled with obstacles with the
objective of identifying simulated water sources. This project begins with students remotely operating the robot
while observing the robot with an overhead camera. In the next phase, students navigate the course using only a
camera mounted on the robot for a more challenging perspective. In the final phase of the project, students program
the robot to navigate the terrain autonomously. This project incorporates many of the skills and knowledge identified
in the O*NET criteria.
Engineering and technology knowledge is foundational to the AE curriculum. This is learned through concepts
such as physics of flight, use of materials and structures in aircraft design, propulsion systems, and orbital
mechanics. Students learn how to apply the engineering design process in the IED and POE foundation courses. The
process is then refined in AE. Examples of AE design projects include the design of a space junk mitigation system.
Another hands-on project tasks the students with designing a rover vehicle using a robotics platform to complete the
assigned tasks.
Applied Physics is naturally a part of an AE curriculum. As an example, students learn about the forces acting on
aircraft, the forces and reactions of propulsion systems, how fluid flow generates lift, and how the dynamics of the
atmosphere impact aircraft design. Mathematics is applied throughout the curriculum when computing vectors to
resolve simulated air traffic control situations, calculating Young's modulus of a composite beam, resolving weight
and balance problems, and calculating rocket engine performance.
Mechanical knowledge focuses mainly on tools used in the construction of various models such as fiberglass
beams, aircraft model construction, and assembling the rover vehicle using a robotics platform.
Computers are integrated in the curriculum through the use of several simulators including Satellite Tool Kit
(STK), airfoil simulation, and atmospheric modeling. English and communication skills are developed through the
research written report and presentation of projects like the evolution of aerospace and aerospace careers.
PLTW has established a successful partnership with Lockheed Martin. This relationship showcases the AE
students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities to industry professionals. Through the “Engineers in the Classroom”
initiative, Lockheed Martin works with PLTW schools in communities near the corporation’s major business
locations by supplementing the PLTW aerospace curriculum with hands-on extracurricular activities. Lockheed
Martin engineers help students connect what they are learning in the classroom to real world careers and projects by
guest lecturing, coaching extracurricular teams, and by serving as role models and mentors. Such partnerships drive
home the connection of PLTW’s coursework to the real world.
VI. Conclusion
Future aerospace engineers need inspiration now. There is an identified need to spark student interest, educate on
the financial rewards of an AE career, and foster relationships between students and practicing professionals. To
influence positive change in the aerospace industry, PLTW uses a hands-on project-based learning approach. The
aerospace engineering course is anchored in recommendations produced by respected organizations such as
ABET, O*NET, and organizations recognized for developing national standards for education. Set within a
broader support system with a proven record of success, PLTW not only inspires students with activities closely
related to professional skills but prepares students to matriculate successfully into an aerospace engineering
undergraduate program.
5
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Appendix A
Aerospace Engineering
Unit 4: Alternative Applications
Unit 3: Space
Unit 2: Aerospace Design
Key:
√ Denotes a correlation in ideas and
concepts in both standard and
lessons
x Denotes that ideas and concepts may
not be directly addressed, but the
ideas are supported in both lesson
and activities
● Denotes an implied idea or concept
that may be used in both lesson and
activity
Unit 1: Introduction to Aerospace
National Science Education Standards Matrix
NSES Content Standard K-12: Unifying Concepts and Processes As a result of activities in grades K-12, all
students should develop understanding and abilities aligned with the following concepts and processes —
x
x
x
√
 Systems, order, and organization
√
√
√
x
 Evidence, models, and explanation
√
x
√
x
 Change, constancy, and measurement
√
√
√
x
 Evolution and equilibrium
√
√
√
√
 Form and function
NSES Content Standard A: Science As Inquiry As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should
develop —
●
●
●
x
 Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
●
●
●
x
 Understandings about scientific inquiry
NSES Content Standard B: Physical Science As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop
an understanding of —
●
●
 Structure of atoms
●
●
 Structure and properties of matter
x
 Chemical reactions
√
√
√
√
 Motions and forces
√
√
√
x
 Conservation of energy and increase in disorder
●
●
●
●
 Interactions of energy and matter
NSES Content Standard C: Life Science As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop an
understanding of —
√
 The cell
 Molecular basis of heredity
 Biological evolution
√
 Interdependence of organisms
x
 Matter, energy, and organization in living systems
●
√
 Behavior of organisms
6
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
NSES Content Standard D: Earth and Space Science As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should
develop an understanding of —
●
√
 Energy in the earth system
 Geochemical cycles
√
 Origin and evolution of the earth system
√
 Origin and evolution of the universe
NSES Content Standard E: Science and Technology As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should
develop —
√
√
√
√
 Abilities of technological design
√
√
√
√
 Understandings about science and technology
NSES Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives As a result of activities in grades 9-12,
all students should develop an understanding of —
√
 Personal and community health
●
●
x
 Population growth
√
 Natural resources
●
 Environmental quality
●
 Natural and human-induced hazards
√
x
√
x
 Science and technology in local, national, and global challenges
NSES Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students
should develop an understanding of —
√
√
√
√
 Science as a human endeavor
●
√
x
x
 Nature of scientific knowledge
●
√
x
√
 Historical perspectives
7
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Appendix B
Knowledge Required by an Aerospace Engineer
Importance
92
Knowledge
Engineering and
Technology
86
Design
86
Physics
83
Mathematics
80
Mechanical
74
Computers and
Electronics
73
English Language
Description
Knowledge of the practical application of engineering
science and technology. This includes applying
principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the
design and production of various goods and services.
Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles
involved in production of precision technical plans,
blueprints, drawings, and models.
Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws,
their interrelationships, and applications to understanding
fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and
mechanical, electrical, atomic, and sub- atomic structures
and processes.
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus,
statistics, and their applications.
Knowledge of machines and tools, including their
designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic
equipment, and computer hardware and software,
including applications and programming.
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English
language including the meaning and spelling of words,
rules of composition, and grammar.
Skills Required by an Aerospace Engineer
Importance
78
Skill
Critical Thinking
75
Reading
Comprehension
Active Listening
75
72
72
72
69
69
69
Complex Problem
Solving
Operations Analysis
Speaking
Mathematics
Science
Writing
66
Monitoring
Description
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and
weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches
to problems.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related
documents.
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time
to understand the points being made, asking questions as
appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information
to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the
needs of the audience.
Monitoring/assessing performance of yourself, other individuals,
or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
8
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
References
3
United States Department of Labor. “Occupational outlook handbook,” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, URL:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm [cited 9 September 2010].
4
Aviation Week, “2010 Workforce Study,” Crescent Springs, KY., 2010, P. 7.
5
Hedden, C.R., “Leader Board: Aviation Week and Space Technology,” Aviation Weekly, Vol. 172 Issue 31, 16
Aug. 2010, pp 45-45, 1p.
6
Hedden, C.R., “2010 Young Professionals/University Student Survey,” Aviation Weekly. July 20, 2010.
7
Southern Regional Education Board, “The Next Step for Career/Technical Programs,” High Schools That Work,
Atlanta, GA, July 2009.
8
Misko, T., “Project Lead The Way: Creating a New Caliber of Engineering Students,” Milwaukee School of
Engineering, Milwaukee, WI, 11 January 2008.
9
ABET, Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs, ABET, Baltimore, MD, 2010.
10
Occupational Information Network, “Details report for 17-2011.00 - Aerospace Engineers,” Occupational
Information Network, URL: http://online.onetcenter.org/link/details/17-2011.00 [cited 9 September 2010].
i
National Research Council (NRC), “National Science Education Standards,” National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1996.
International Technology Education Association (ITEA), “Standards for Technological Literacy,” ITEA, Reston, VA, 2000.
iii
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), “Principles and Standards for School Mathematics,” NCTM, Reston,
VA, 2000.
ii
iv
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and International Reading Association (IRA), “Standards for the
English Language Arts,” NCTE, Newark, DE; IRA, Urbana, IL, 1996.
9
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics