Kurt Becker

Professional Title
ETE Department Head
Organization/Institution
About Me (Bio)
Kurt Becker is a Professor and the Department Head of Engineering and Technology Education (ETE) at Utah State University. Under his direction, the PhD in Engineering Education program in his department was started. His areas of research include adult learning cognition, engineering design learning and thinking, engineering education professional development and technical training. He is currently working with the National Science Foundation (NSF) on several funded projects including a National Center for Engineering and Technology Education. He has extensive international experience working on technical training and engineering projects funded by the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, and U.S. Department of Labor, USAID. Countries where he has worked include Armenia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, and Thailand. He also works with the engineering and technology teacher education program in the ETE department and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses.
Keywords
Utah State University (USU)
05/01/2006

This project establishes and implements a professional development model with teachers of Native American students by creating a culturally relevant science, technology, engineering and mathematics teacher in-service model. The project seeks to improve teacher preparation in science and mathematics for Native Americans by creating culturally relevant curriculum materials and providing teacher participants with structured professional development. The goal is to develop an in-service model that can be transported to other Native American nations and schools.

Utah State University (USU)
09/01/2009

This project investigates how high school students' understanding about design thinking compares to that of experienced practitioners and whether participation in a multiyear sequence of courses focused on engineering correlates with changes in design thinking. The project builds upon the Standards for Technological Literacy and courses developed at the University of Colorado and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.