STEM Education - Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics , also known as STEM, is everywhere; it involves most all of our day to day activities and shapes our everyday experiences. It will be a bigger and bigger part our future—the future of our country, and the future of our children.  STEM occupations are growing at 17%, while others are growing at 9.8%. And eight of ten most wanted employees are in the STEM field. Our guest today is Mark Conner of the Online Engineering Academy and he is going to talk to us about STEM education and what he is working on today with the Online Engineering Academy.


iTunes          Stitcher     iHeart Radio

Mark knew in 12th grade that he wanted to teach high school, so I followed the obvious next steps - I pursued and earned 3 degrees in mechanical engineering (a BS from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an MS & PhD from Duke University).  Though I grew up in church, I didn't come to Christ until graduate school.  Upon finishing my doctorate, my desire to teach high school became my calling.  I have been serving The Lord in public schools for 18 years and have watched Him weave my passion for teaching and training in engineering together in unique ways.  For the past 10 years, I have been designing and teaching an original four-year high school engineering curriculum.  For the past 3+ years, I have been working with a small eLearning company to create online versions of these courses.  The first online course is in its third pilot year, and the second course will be ready in August of this year.

I have been married for 16 years.  My wife, Colleen, and I have two children.  McKenzie is 13, and Micah is 11.  We live in Homewood, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham and are active members at Briarwood Presbyterian Church.

Please share your comments for Mark in the comments section below. 
Listen to Mark as he talks about:

How he got involved in teaching engineering and developing curriculum for it.
Why he teaches at a high school level.
Mark explains what a STEM education is (Science, Engineering, Technology and Math)
The minimum level Mark believes all students should achieve in a STEM education.
What options are generally available for traditional students, homeschool students and e-learning students including Project Lead the Way, Engineering by Design and the Infinity Project.
How parents should consider a curriculum to be on the right course.
What the Online Engineering Academy is and how it got started.
What the graduates of the Online Engineering Academy are saying about the Academy.
What it is that makes these engineering courses "college prep."
Why the Online Engineering Academy is online.
What it is that makes the the Online Engineering Academy unique.
How homeschool students can be accepted into the Online Engineering Academy.
Where kids should be at in an educational level in order to get into the Online Engineering Academy.
His participation on a panel of U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference

Connect with Mark...

Website: The Online Engineering Academy
Contact/email: Mark Conner, Director  mconner@eahoover.com

This page contains affiliate links.