STEM Learning Based on Aircraft Design: An Interdisciplinary Strategy Developed to Science Clubs Colombia

Abstract

This article describes a STEM learning strategy based on aircraft design in order to promote the development of aeronautical science in Colombia. This teaching strategy was developed by specialized instructors from the Science Clubs Colombia program, seeking to stimulate in young Colombian students their passion for science, technology, and innovation, and in the process, create an international network of academic collaborations. Bloom’s taxonomy was used to classify and select both the educational objectives, as well as the teaching plan of the science club. STEM activities that encourage students to perform hands-on learning experiences were the basis of this framework. Essentially, interdisciplinary activities involving aeronautics, electronics, computational simulations, and technical drawing; characterized this science club. As a result, the students were able to design, manufacture and test their own hand-launched air-model, applying all steps of the scientific method: the conception of ideas, design, execution of experiments, and communication of results. After the first flight tests of the air-models, the students disclosed an ability to apply their mathematics knowledge in conjunction with their science learning on the forces of flight, in order to improve their launching technique. Therefore, both the time and range of the air-models were enhanced. Finally, both students and instructors benefited throughout the learning interaction, since it was the first time that a rural community is the scenario of an aeronautical engineering training process. It is expected that the dissemination of this material will contribute to the Colombian aeronautical community, giving outlooks for new research proposals and cooperation frameworks between government entities and universities.