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Stacy Klein-Gardner

Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Biomedical Engineering

Research Focus

Dr. Klein-Gardner focuses on engineering education, particularly at the K-12 level. She leads the Engineering for US All (e4usa.org) project that seeks to demystify and democratize engineering through a yearlong, hands-on introduction to engineering course at the high school level. Over the years, her work has entailed significant research in professional development for teachers of engineering at all levels of K-12. Through the Youth Engineering Solutions Middle School project focusing on engineering and computational thinking, she serves as Lead Engineer and Director of Partnerships. She also provides educational evaluation of the two-course sequence in the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering.

Selected Publications:

  1. Reimers, J.E.; Farmer, Cheryl L.; and Klein-Gardner, S. S. (2015). An Introduction to the Standards for Preparation and Professional Development for Teachers of Engineering. Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER): Vol. 5: Iss. 1, Article 5. http://dx.doi.org/10.7771/2157-9288.1107
  2. Kouo, J. L. Dalal, M. Berhane, B., Emiola, O., Ladeji-Osais, K., Lee, E., Reid, K., Beauchamp, C., Carberry, A., Klein-Gardner, S. (2022). Understanding the Impact of Professional Development for a Cohort of Teachers with Varying Prior Engineering Teaching Experience. Accepted for publication in Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research. November 2022.
  3. Carberry, A., Klein-Gardner, S.S., Lottero-Perdue, P.S., & Shirey, K.L. (2023). Pre-college engineering education teacher preparation. In A. Johri (Ed.), International Handbook of Engineering Education Research. Routledge, London, UK.
  4. Klein-Gardner, S., & Abts, L., & Goldberg, G. (2022, August), The Engineering Design Process Portfolio Scoring Rubric (EDPPSR) – Initial Validity and Reliability (Fundamental) Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. https://peer.asee.org/41236
  5. Klein-Gardner, SS, ME Johnston, L Benson. Impact of the RET Teacher-Developed Curriculum on their teaching strategies and student motivation. Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research. 2(2):21-35. 2012. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1064&context=jpeer
  6. Corday, DS, TR Harris, SS Klein. A Research Synthesis of the Effectiveness, Replicability, and Generality of the VaNTH Challenge-based Instructional Modules in Bioengineering. Journal of Engineering Education. 98(4):335-348. 2009.
  7. Brophy, SB, SS Klein, M Portsmore, C Rogers. Advancing Engineering Education in P-12 Classrooms. Journal of Engineering Education. 97(3): 369-387. 2008.