The STEM Divide
Walaa Abdallah, Chemical Engineering, Manhattan CollegeIn Manhattan College, MATLAB is introduced to freshman engineering students in a course called ENGS 116 – Introduction to Engineering Computation. Students are taught the basics of MATLAB including syntax, calculations, and curve fitting. Some students may never use MATLAB again while others may utilize it in their higher-level courses, particularly those in fields such as chemical engineering. To bridge the gap between introduction and advanced use, I believe it is important to integrate MATLAB into classes as early as possible – the more frequently a skill is honed, the more use a student will get out of it. However, whether or not they will use MATLAB specifically for coursework is irrelevant. The critical-thinking and thought process they employ while learning this program is a transferable skill that will benefit them in any field they choose to go into.
Currently, I teach MATLAB in ENGS 116 and briefly apply it in various chemical engineering courses. In doing so, I notice that students who have not used MATLAB frequently have trouble following along and recalling what was taught. More importantly, the logical aspect of the code (transferable skill) is not well understood. This signifies a divide between how students process a problem and the sequential steps needed for fundamental comprehension. Therefore, I think MATLAB needs to be introduced as early as possible to reinforce and expand student capabilities. Consequently, I am proposing a module that will allow STEM educators to teach MATLAB (with a lab component) to high school students allowing for the combination of theory and practice. Essentially, students will run an enzymatic reaction and collect data of product generation over time. The data will then be used as MATLAB inputs to determine kinetic parameters. Some challenges that may arise include the lack of access to MATLAB or not having the necessary skills to use it. To overcome this, a MATLAB stand-alone app will be produced and step-by-step instructions of how this can be done using Excel will be included. Students will determine the parameters using similar methods on both Excel and MATLAB to ensure that when students use MATLAB they are not just plugging-in numbers, but rather understanding what the numbers signify and how MATLAB is generating an output.
The bigger question, which was alluded to earlier, is why are these modules and workshops that focus on computational skills even necessary? I believe there are multiple reasons with various ramifications. The first is that computational skills are important as more industries are shifting to predictive programs that can aid in optimizing a current process. For the most part, areas that were originally devoid of computational work have seen a shift due to advances in technology and the integration of pre-lab modeling. The emergence of artificial intelligence also requires students to broaden their skill-set and prepare for the future. It is impossible to predict what programs or applications companies will use in the future, but having a foundation in programming allows for critical thinking and introduces logic to students, which is essentially the basis for any coding. Additionally, I strongly believe that even if a student is introduced to coding and minimally uses it throughout their coursework, the reasoning that it teaches them is worth their time. There is an obvious need for this as there are numerous articles detailing the struggles of students (as young as elementary school) in STEM and how courses, such as math, are being eradicated to accommodate these struggles. I believe that if there is a hands-on approach to anything STEM related, student retention and comprehension will drastically increase. Although this module, and MATLAB in general, is not intended for students as young as elementary school, modifications can be made to make most ideas relevant for younger students. Granted, this is just one tool that can teach many, but not all, skills. However, I like to think of every resource available as a tool that students can add to their tool-kit and use to grow as both students and individuals.
Resources:
1. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/preparing-math-teachers-whats-in-the-coursework/2023/09
2. https://www.the74million.org/article/the-future-is-stem-but-without-enough-students-the-u-s-will-be-left-behind/
3. https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2023/07/23/american-secondary-schools-ditch-algebra-and-advanced-math-requirements-in-the-name-of-equity/#