INSIDE THE GRID Feedback Session Tara Kotheimer Cynthia Smith IIT Research Mentor: Dr. Alexander Flueck This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grant No. EEC Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

OVERVIEW Pretest Blackout presentation –students were shown pictures of the 2003 Blackout and asked to answer questions regarding blackouts and the National Power Grid Circuit Activity – students were given a bag of materials and told to light four bulbs, using batteries and wire. Students were then asked to make a drawing of their project and to put the drawing on the board. After learning how to use the multimeter, students took the voltage and current readings for each bulb and placed this data on the board. Students identified similarities and differences between the drawings and data. This activity served to demonstrate series and parallel circuits

OVERVIEW GENERATOR ACTIVITY – Students worked in groups to create a cost efficient method to light a bulb. Post test

PRE/POST TEST WHAT IS AN ENGINEER? Students’ pretest answers were very narrow in their scope. “ designs bridges” Posttest answers demonstrated a deeper knowledge “ designs the most economic and efficient creation”

PRE/POST TEST Where does electricity come from? Pretest – 30% Posttest – 80% Draw two circuits, one with three resistors in series and one with three resistors in parallel. Pre test – 10% Posttest- 60% How is the power grid organized? Pretest- 0 % Posttest – 50% How does a blackout occur? Pretest- 70% Posttest- 90%

DESIGN Students competed in teams of three to create a cost efficient way to light a bulb. They researched the process on the internet for twenty minutes. Students then purchased materials, advised consultants, and began building their projects. Students projects were assessed in $/mW. The team with the lowest ratio won

ETHICS The ethics portion of the module was not addressed during this lesson, however an ethical question did arise. We recognized that students may not have reported all supply costs for their projects, thereby skewing the final cost of their designs. This issue was not addressed with the students, however it will be added into the final module.

INQUIRY Circuit Activity Students were given no prior instruction for this activity. They were given a bag of materials and the task of lighting the bulbs. Through students experiments, data collection, and class discussion, students were able to identify the characteristics of series and parallel circuits. A circumstance arose during this activity, where the data for a circuit did not substantiate the laws of circuits. What should happen now? In this instance the strange data should be identified and questioned by the teacher. This is the opportunity for the class and teacher, together, to recheck the data and further explore the nuances of circuit laws

PROS AND CONS PROS * Good use of Blackout pictures * Good use of inquiry technique in circuit activity * Good use of hands on activities CONS *Some terminology may need to be explained for younger audiences * 5 hours is too long * Correlate pre and post tests