Raising Public Awareness of Engineering (2002) / Chapter Skim
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3 The National Academy of Engineering Survey of Public Awareness of Engineering Outreach Programs
3 The National Academy of Engineering Survey of Public Awareness of Engineering Outreach Programs
Pages 18-46
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From page 18... ...
The project involves conducting a survey/questionnaire and creating an inventory of current outreach programs for improving public awareness of engineering and developing recommendations based on the survey results. The recommendations will also suggest other activities to increase the public awareness of engineering.
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From page 19... ...
The potential respondents could be divided into 10 broad categories covering all aspects of the engineering community. Specific individuals for each type organization were asked to complete the questionnaires: executive directors of engineering societies; executive directors of industry associations; executive directors of educational associations; directors or CEOs of museums; directors of national laboratories; CEOs or chief technology officers of private companies; CEOs of design/contracting firms; deans of engineering schools at colleges and universities; midlevel or seniorlevel administrators at federal agencies; and senior-level producers at media outlets.
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From page 20... ...
Once respondent organizations had been identified, Stephen D Bechtel, Jr., CPAE Chair, sent a letter to each potential participant explaining the purpose and importance of developing an inventory of current activities advising them that they would be receiving the questionnaire.
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From page 21... ...
A section highlighting selected outreach programs can be found in Appendix C
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From page 22... ...
Private companies, both general industrial firms and engineering firms, are most likely to expect direct benefits from their efforts rather than long-term improvements in the engineering profession. These companies need engineers to produce their products and are primarily trying to encourage young people to go into the field.
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From page 23... ...
Percentage Less than 3 years 3 to 5 years 5 to 7 years 7 to 10 years More than 10 years No answer 3 6 4 6 73 8 Total number of respondents with activities/programs = 177. Most respondents indicated that their organizations are committed to continuing their activities for the foreseeable future.
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From page 24... ...
Eighty-two percent of respondents with outreach programs indicated that their programs targeted children in K-12, especially older children (grades 9-12.) Some highly visible programs are national in scope (most notably National Engineers Week, although it is typically conducted as a series of local projects)
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From page 25... ...
TABLE 3-8 Which of the following specific activities is your organization using in its communications or outreach efforts? Percentage Web sites Speakers/symposia Public relations Informal educational programs Direct mail Formal educational curriculum Public affairs/policy Paid advertising Public service advertising 800 number Other 77 66 65 57 46 38 37 35 19 16 19 Total number of respondents with activities/programs = 177.
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From page 26... ...
? If the same, is there a separate link or icon on the site directed at the target audience for your communications effort?
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From page 27... ...
Percentage Newspapers Trade/professional publications Web-based media Television Radio Consumer magazines Other 58 51 40 39 36 17 Total number of respondents with activities/programs = 177.
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From page 28... ...
National Engineers Week, competitions, and mentor programs are the most often mentioned educational activities (Table 3-17~. Most of the organizations with educational outreach programs have developed their own materials (Table 3-18~.
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From page 29... ...
Percentage Yes, designed for engineering No, part of science Both No answer 42 32 3 23 Total number of respondents with activities/programs = 177. Public Affairs/Public Policy Although only 37 percent of respondents indicated that they engaged in some kind of public policy activity in the general question (Table 3-8)
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From page 30... ...
. The call to action cited most was "Visit our web site." Monitoring/Effectiveness The vast majority of respondents believe their programs are successful, mostly based on measurements of short-term processes or tactics (e.g., number of participants, number of web site hits, or number of media placements)
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From page 31... ...
TABLE 3-24 Which, if any, of the following do you use in evaluating your programs? Percentage Web site hits News coverage in print, broadcast, and/or online media Exit interviews or on-site evaluations (for speakers, symposia, forums)
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From page 32... ...
In the absence of measures of long-term effectiveness, it was impossible to meet a major goal of the survey to identify "best practices." See Appendix C for a list of programs thought by the CPAE to be particularly interesting and well constructed. Planning and Decision Making Most organizations have separate departments dedicated to outreach activities, but they are usually small; 54 percent indicated that their departments had six people or fewer (Table 3-26~.
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From page 33... ...
(while National Engineers Week is now a separate non-profit organization sponsored by engineering societies and industry on a rotating basis, many respondents still identify it with NSPE, due to their long stewardship of the program) , American Society of Civil Engineers, National Science Foundation, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., and American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
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From page 34... ...
The most commonly cited partnering organizations are shown in Table 3-31.
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From page 35... ...
5 Coordinated Efforts The questionnaire revealed strong, but not universal, support for a coordinated program (Table 3-324. Most respondents recognize that a coordinated program would be more efficient and more effective than individual programs because it would deliver a consistent message.
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From page 36... ...
Typical answers are listed below: We must be careful to avoid consuming limited human resources for cooperative, coordinated efforts that are not effective. Engineering fields are too diverse to be combined in a single program.
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From page 37... ...
If we break down the answers to questions about a coordinated effort and the willingness to participate by the type of organization, some differences can be noted. Colleges and engineering societies are more likely to see a need for, and are more willing to participate in, a coordinated effort than industrial companies.
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From page 38... ...
To address those issues, many programs have been initiated to reach students and spark an interest in engineering. Competitions in building bridges, cars, and robotic systems abound; some scouting programs are focused on engineering; math competitions are legion; National Engineers Week continues to attract widespread interest; even "camps" are focused on math and engineering.
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From page 39... ...
Hi: Clearly, many engineering firms and corporations respond affirmatively when they are asked by a national or local organization to donate their time and money. Many also participate in National Engineers Week, during which engineers visit classrooms as part of a national program.
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From page 40... ...
Several engineering schools have undertaken impressive outreach programs and have engaged in off-campus partnerships that not only provide immediate benefits to their cities and states, but also have the potential to make long-te~m, fundamental changes. In three separate settings, two on the East Coast and one in the Midwest, engineering schools have formed partnerships with state and local institutions to expand their reach and strengthen their education offerings.
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From page 41... ...
There was a general feeling among respondents that just a few references to engineers on prime time TV and in feature-length movies would go a long way towards raising awareness. We feel obliged to repeat the adage, "Be careful what you wish for." Prime time series that feature doctors, lawyers, emergency medical teams, and police officers rely on the truism that people who work in these jobs routinely help good people who have been hurt by situations not of their making, typically in crisis situations.
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From page 42... ...
The engineering community is divided into many specialty societies and trade associations, which tend to be strongly territorial, and bringing them together into a coordinated campaign could be difficult. At the same time, there was a consensus among respondents that the engineering profession should advocate and recruit as one profession with one message to encourage math studies and to boost applications to engineering schools.
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From page 43... ...
Decades of well-intentioned, enthusiastic outreach activities at the grassroots level have made little headway in improving public attitudes. An effective coordinated effort will require measurement for two important reasons: (1)
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From page 44... ...
The question remains what credible and compelling messages the engineering community can deliver. Respondents to the NAE questionnaire said that consistent messaging across the engineering community would be one benefit of a coordinated campaign.
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From page 45... ...
It is important that messages be thoroughly tested because the selected messages will underpin any communications efforts. Once the testing has been done, the message set can be disseminated within the engineering community, along with objective data to support its adoption by the community for all outreach activities.
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From page 46... ...
Messages for the Engineering Community (for internal use by trade associations and professional societies and for recruiting at the college level) · Engineering is a core competency necessary to solve the complex technical and environmental challenges facing our customers and stakeholders.
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