Meeting Academic Standards with EPICS

Example of Meeting Academic Standards with EPICS (Engineering Projects in Community Service-Learning) 
 
EPICS addresses critical areas of National Academic Standards, and is innovative in integrating technology. EPICS is a service-learning model that shows how K12 standards can be be achieved, keeping in mind standards met can be dependent on the project at-hand. One of the strengths of the EPICS model is that it is multidisciplinary. Service-learning is a highly successful method of learning for students with varying academic interests. Below are listed some ideas on how to link engineering and service-learning models to those varying academic experiences and achieve standards. 

Technology standards met -

The EPICS model of service-learning will introduce technologies to students and help them to tie the importance of understanding technology to their project, and also to their academic interests. Projects are likely to also mix varying technologies to achieve their goals.  

Standard 3: Students will develop an understanding of the relationships among technologies and the connections between technology and other fields of study. 

Standard 9: Students will develop an understanding of engineering design. This standard will be linked to the review and discussion of the design process, as it is presented to the students, and as a handout in the participants' binders and in reviewing the text. 

Science standards met -

Standard F: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop an understanding of:

• Personal and community health

• Population growth

• Natural resources

• Environmental quality

• Natural and human-induced hazards

• Science and technology in local, national, and global challenges 

This standard will be linked to the work done around EPICS four areas of interest; Human Services, Education & Outreach, Environmental, and Access & Abilities. Participants will explore and better understand the effects of science, engineering and technology in their communities and globally. 

Math standards met -

Standard: Compute fluently and make reasonable estimates - develop fluency in operations with real numbers, vectors, and matrices, using mental computation or paper-and-pencil calculations for simple cases and technology for more-complicated cases. 

This standard will be met when planning and designing projects in the small group work as well as when determining teams and team dynamics.

 
Language Arts standards met –

Standard 4:  Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. 
  
Standard 5:  Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. 

Students must learn to communicate their projects and ideas effectively with a variety of audiences including fellow students, community partners, and corporate administrators. 
 

National Standards List can be found at:  http://www.education-world.com/standards/national/index.shtml