Development, implementation, and a study of an introduction to rocketry course on student efficacy and career interest for expanding the pipeline and enhancing education of students pursuing in space

Under the Department of Defense National Department of Education Program (DOD NDEP) funded grant, “Expanding the Pipeline and Enhancing Education of Students Pursuing Careers in Space”, a project was initiated to develop an introduction course on rocketry, utilizing model rockets as a means to inspire students to consider a career in space engineering. The objective was to expose students to a foundational space education course at an early stage in their academic career. The development of a MOOC (Massively Open Online Course) began with the goal of making the course available to a diverse group of K-12 and undergraduate students. This online course was meticulously crafted, beginning with the establishment of a well-defined curriculum, aligned with educational standards, and encompassing clearly defined learning objectives. Subsequently, online videos were produced, involving the creation of scripts, studio filming, and professional video editing. These videos were complemented by a hands-on activity that involved the construction and launch of model rockets. The primary focus of this activity was to investigate the influence of mass (payload) on a rocket’s ability to reach a specific altitude. Following the acquisition of knowledge throughout online lectures, participants were tasked with predicting the target apogee of a rocket flight, given a randomly assigned payload mass. To validate the effectiveness of this course, multiple pilot studies were conducted both on- and off- campus, involving college and high school students. Valuable insights obtained from these pilot courses were utilized to enhance and refine the course content, taking into account the specific needs and characteristics of the target student and instructor audience. The key lesson learned was the importance of providing scaffolded content at varying difficulty levels to better cater to the diverse range of participants and optimize the course duration, all the while considering the accessibility of the course. Consequently, multiple iterations of the course were developed, addressing these identified concerns. Building upon the foundation of this introductory course, an educational study was carried out among a group of early college engineering students to explore the impact of a blended MOOC with hands-on kits, on student efficacy and career interest. In accordance with the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), the study examined participants’ self-efficacy levels prior to and after accessing the online content, as well as before and after engaging in the hands- on activity, in order to assess any significant changes in their levels of interest. The collected data was analyzed, considering variables such as gender, college year, learning styles, and prior experience in rocketry and online courses. This paper provides a comprehensive account of the study, concluding that participants experienced an increase in self-efficacy levels related to rocketry tasks, and in accordance with SCCT, an associated increase in their levels of interest.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Aerospace Engineering

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2023

Author dc:creator

• Kim, John Juhyun

Contributors dc:contributor

• Rovey, Joshua L

• Development
• Implementation
• Education
• Outreach
• Rocketry
• Mooc
• Interest
• Career
• Efficacy

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2023 John Kim

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/121545

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F121545