As part of the outreach and support for Project Lead the Way (PLTW) in the St. Louis area, St. Louis Community College, along with local business and industry partners, have supported the production and distribution of nearly 6,000 engineering notebooks to students in St. Louis.
The use of the engineering notebook is a required part of PLTW’s Pathway to Engineering curriculum. By using these notebooks, students in St. Louis will be using one standard device.
According to Brett Richardson, PLTW coordinator for STLCC, these books are an important tool to a student’s understanding and success in their courses.
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“We believe that these notebooks enhance the curricular experience that students receive in the PLTW courses,” Richardson said.
Local business and industry organizations have helped endorse and support the distribution of these notebooks. Notables include Ameren, Boeing and LMI Aerospace, as well as from educational partners like Missouri University of Science & Technology and Saint Louis University.
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"This notebook helps bring local business and industry into the classroom,” Richardson said.
Currently, the notebooks are distributed to 34 schools in 21 St. Louis districts.
“We continue to see nice growth for PLTW in St. Louis, and because of this we hope to continue to expand this program,” said Richardson.
Along with the production and distribution of the engineering notebooks, STLCC supports PLTW through teacher training, conferences, a high school student design competition, and a Senior Capstone Design Showcase that is hosted at Ameren.
PLTW is a national non-profit organization that helps pre-college students gain the knowledge they need to excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. PLTW partners with middle schools and high schools to provide a rigorous, relevant STEM education. Through hands-on curriculum, PLTW encourages the development of problem-solving skills, critical thinking, creative and innovative reasoning, and a love of learning.
Established in 1962, St. Louis Community College is the largest community college district in Missouri and one of the largest in the United States. STLCC has four campuses – Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood – that annually serve more than 81,000 students through credit courses, continuing education and workforce development programs. For more information about STLCC, visit www.stlcc.edu.