2018 has seen STEM F1 in Schools and Subs in Schools taught at the University of South Australia’s School of Education for the first time!
Pre-service Teachers (PST’s) are undertaking these challenged based programs in their Advanced Manufacturing course a result of a clear demand from schools and the community for STEM-based courses in our primary and secondary schools.
Re-Engineering Australia, Saab Australia, and the University of South Australia have all been very committed to making these essential STEM initiatives possible.
The course features an initial, structured program, to skill the PST’s in basic Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) predictive software analysis, thus providing the scaffold for more independent and challenge-based learning to come.
They then move forward with the related science and engineering principles to test and modify their respective endeavours.
Front and rear wing assemblies, wheel and axle systems, submarine hull designs, submarine infrastructures are all 3D printed to test and prove concepts.
Flotation and buoyancy systems, pressure hull and control technologies are tested and modified. Coding then takes place with ‘G’ code for the F1 PST’s and Blackberry or Arduino programming for the Sub PST’s.
Mathematical principles such as frontal area, mass, buoyancy, ballast, rotational inertia and displacement calculations are applied.
The engineering aspect includes the assembly of the submarine’s structure and electrics. For F1, the NC manufacturing, the assembly of the wheel and axle system, front and rear wings, finishing systems and mass management. The Technologies include using, CAD packages, CFD software, Laser technologies, 3D printing technologies, Arduino and blackberry programming, and the use of Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM) software.
PST’s are mandated to include laser cutting/engraving technologies within their course, where they can. All PST’s are required to develop a 2000 word or multi-modal response to detail their journey through the design and realisation process.
The experience of being in a course where a pedagogy of providing a challenge-based learning environment, with a differentiated curriculum, will help moving forward as STEM educators of the future.
These pre-service teachers are innovative and have produced some advances, particularly in the Subs in Schools program, and are hoping to attend the National Finals to show the students’ the innovations they have made.
The PST’s are working closely with industry partner Saab Australia to refine and improve the Sub kits provided by REA to school students
Dr Denise MacGregor
Program Director
Design, Technologies and Industry Partnerships
University of South Australia
Denise.MacGregor@unisa.edu.au
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