Pre-College Engineering Education
Our Goal:
The mission of the Integrated Teaching and Learning (ITL) Pre-College Engineering Education Program is to broaden participation and build career pathways in engineering for K-12 learners. In partnership with schools, community organizations and CU Boulder programs, we provide authentic STEM-based, interactive engineering opportunities that develop skills and spark excitement for the next generation of engineers.
Our Pre-College Engineering Team provides dynamic in-school and after-school programming highlighting the engineering design process and design thinking skills through interactive, project-based activities. We serve local elementary and secondary students through near-peer STEM programming. In addition, through strategic partnerships, the ITL Pre-College Program offers engineering summer camps and supports teacher professional development in engineering.
The ITL Pre-College Program promotes K-12 engineering education by:
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Engaging students in the engineering design process while deepening their understanding of fundamental STEM concepts and interrelationships;
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Improving student learning through hands-on and project-based engineering activities that are connected to everyday STEM applications;
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Raising the level of technological literacy of students through building their engineering skills and comprehension of our dynamic modern world;
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Introducing exciting career paths in engineering and opening students’ eyes to how our lives are enriched by the valuable work of engineers.
What we offer:
Partner Programs
The ASPIRE ERC is an innovative NSF-funded engineering research center dedicated to advancing sustainable, equitable electrified transportation to improve health and quality of life through the development of new shared infrastructure for seamless charging. CU Boulder is a key university partner in the ASPIRE ERC, and the ITL Pre-College Program is collaborating on developing ASPIRE-themed K-12 curricula, teacher workshops, summer engineering design camps, and many more exciting initiatives.
The Teach Engineering Digital Library (TE) is a searchable collection of standards-based engineering curricula for use by K-12 educators that is funded primarily by the National Science Foundation. TE is a collaboration among faculty and teachers from around the country who are passionate about K-12 engineering education. The online TE digital collection provides over 1,700 free STEM engineering-focused lesson plans, hands-on activities, and maker challenges, as well as more than 250 engineering activity videos.
DSST Public Schools are one of the nation’s top STEM-focused choice schools, and the highest performing and highest growth secondary schools in Denver Public Schools. DSST’s mission is to transform urban public education by eliminating educational inequity and preparing all students for success in college and the 21st century.
The ITL Pre-College Program partners with the Boulder County chapter of the "I Have A Dream" Foundation (IHDF) and several of their Dreamer Scholar cohorts through our after-school engineering education program. IHDF provides individualized social, emotional, and academic support to young people from resource-limited communities from 1st grade through college, along with guaranteed tuition support. IHDF believes in the power of equal access to resources that students need to succeed, and that all children can ignite their innate potential and achieve their dreams.
CU Teach is a nationally renowned secondary math and science teacher education program that is a collaborative effort between the University of Colorado Boulder School of Education, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Engineering and Applied Science. In partnership with Teach Engineering, the ITL Program and the Integrated Design Engineering (IDE) program co-host professional development workshops for K-12 teachers focused on teaching engineering design and building technical skills.
