Outcomes for engineering students delivering a STEM outreach and education programme

Participation in university science outreach programmes conducted by AQ2 university students is seen as one way of addressing the global imperatives of encouraging more school students to select science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects in further education and pursue science-related careers. The benefits and general outcomes of participating in outreach programmes are often espoused, particularly from the perspective of programme participants. Little attention, however, is given to what individual university students delivering the programmes gain from the experience. This paper seeks to illustrate the benefits of engineering students delivering STEM outreach programmes in schools. It reports on a qualitative case study of the experiences of two STEM Education and Outreach team members from a Faculty of Engineering and ICT at a regional university in Australia. Content analysis of interview data highlighted not only the participants’ motivations and perceived benefits of being involved in the STEM programme but also revealed the skills and attributes honed throughout the experience. Involvement in the STEM outreach programme resulted in the development of social and personal responsibility generic graduate attribute skills, which were evidenced through their motivations to be involved, the demonstration of understanding of teaching and learning, and application of science communication skills. This study demonstrates that designing and delivering STEM outreach programmes enhances the learning opportunities for under-graduate and graduate students offered at universities and assists in the development of skills that will be beneficial when pursuing careers in engineering in the future.