Pee Dee STEM Educators Forum

On February 25, 2014 the Center for Aviation and Automotive Technical Education using Virtual E-Schools (CA2VES) hosted a STEM Educators Forum for education representatives at the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology in Florence, South Carolina. This 12-page report serves as an executive summary of the Pee Dee STEM Educators Forum. In addition to an industry panel discussion and digital learning demonstrations, a breakout session was held with small groups identifying challenges and opportunities for improvement for STEM education in South Carolina. 

The full report offers an overview of CA2VES, a description which explains the purpose of the forum, a comprehensive overview of activities which occurred at the forum, and findings of the forum. Analyzing the discussions which occurred at the forum provided the following findings: 1). Participants noted that there is a negative perception of manufacturing in both students and parents in South Carolina; 2). Digital learning applications could advance and improve STEM education methods in the classroom; 3). Current traditional education methods are ill-equipped to prepare students for highly technical careers; and 4). Participants agreed that educators need additional STEM training and education in order to properly implement STEM education in their classrooms. Each finding is then dissected further within the report.