DTEACh Professional Development

 The DTEACh Summer Institutes introduce K-12 educators to engineering design and how it may be used to effectively integrate math and science in the classroom. From 1992 to 2000, these sessions taught educators about topics in engineering fundamentals. Since 2000, the Institutes have focused on Robotics and Automation using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® technology.

Innovation (Robotics) Institutes

The DTEACh Innovation (Robotics) Summer Institute is a cutting-edge training program that teaches engineering design using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® technology. Over the past 12 years more than 700 Central Texas educators have completed the Robotics and Automation Summer Institute and gone on to integrate engineering design principles into lessons ranging from science and math to literature.

2012 DTEACh Institute Summer PDI Registration: Register now.

–This year's institute will take place on July 16-20 (BASIC PD) and July 23-27 (ADVANCED PD) from 9am-4:30pm, 2012 on the UT campus.
–There is a basic professional development (PD) session and an advanced PD session. Basic PD is building construction, exploring automation & control, programming pedagogy for MINDSTORMS, and learning socially relevant curriculum development. Advanced PD is creating complex, open-ended building & construction and uses advanced programming pedagogy. If this is your first time with DTEACh, please attend Basic PD unless granted permission from UT faculty to attend Advanced PD.
–The fee for the institute is $400, payable by check, credit card, or purchase order.
–We will provide payment instructions and other details once you have been accepted in the institute.
–Each participant will need a LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Education Base Set and an Education Resource Set. We can order these at a discount if you need them.

NXT Teacher Training Materials: View the 2007 training materials, including NXT building and programming instructions.

 RCX Teacher Training Materials: Download the 2006 (RCX) DTEACh training binder, with RCX building and programming instructions.

 Engineering Fundamentals Institutes

 Prior to 2000, DTEACh focused on engineering fundamentals. During the academic year, teachers attended eight Saturday sessions to learn about a range of engineering fundamentals, including engineering design methodology, mathematics (e.g., algebra, geometry, vectors, introductory trigonometry), materials science (e.g., types of materials, properties of materials, material selection), statics (e.g., free-body diagrams, forces and moments, equilibrium), solid mechanics (e.g., elasticity, tension, compression), and mechanisms and machine components (e.g., linkages, cams, gears). During the following summer, participants then attended nine sessions over three weeks to learn about work and energy (e.g., elastic potential energy, gravitational potential energy, kinetic energy, friction), fluid mechanics (e.g., properties of fluids, hydrostatics, buoyancy, pumps and valves, Bernoulli's equation), and electricity (e.g., resistive circuits, Ohm's law, switches and relays).