Virginia Law

The program in engineering shall ensure that the candidate has demonstrated the following competencies:

1. Understanding of the knowledge, skills, and processes of the engineering discipline as defined in Virginia's high school engineering courses and how these provide a sound foundation for teaching engineering.

2. Understanding the nature of engineering design and analysis, including the following:

a. Function of the engineering design process;

b. Methods used by engineers to generate, develop, and test ideas to meet design requirements; and

c. Role of failure in the engineering design process.

3. Understanding of the knowledge, skills, and processes for teaching engineering, including the ability to:

a. Formulate instruction reflecting the goals of the engineering courses that are taught in Virginia high schools;

b. Design, prototype, test, analyze, and operate solutions to engineering challenges;

c. Implement laboratory and field safety rules and procedures and ensure that students take appropriate safety precautions;

d. Organize key engineering content and skills into meaningful units of instruction;

e. Adapt instruction to diverse learners using a variety of techniques;

f. Evaluate student achievement, instructional materials, and teaching materials; and

g. Incorporate instructional technology to enhance student performance.

4. Understanding of content, processes, and skills of engineering, equivalent to an undergraduate degree in engineering, with course work in principles of engineering, engineering design, statics and dynamics, circuits, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, materials, ordinary differential equations, and linear algebra.

5. Understanding of basic chemistry, biology, Earth and space sciences, physics, and mathematics, including statistics and calculus, to ensure:

a. The placement of engineering in an appropriate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and interdisciplinary context;

b. The ability to teach the processes and organizing concepts of the natural and physical sciences to analyze successful and failed engineering designs; and

c. Student achievement in engineering.

6. Understanding of the contributions and significance of engineering, including:

a. Its social and cultural significance;

b. The relationship of engineering and its sub-fields, such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, bio-engineering, to the sciences, mathematics and technology; and

c. The historical development of engineering concepts and reasoning.

7. Understanding of and proficiency in grammar, usage, and mechanics and their integration in writing, oral, and multi-media presentations.

8. Understanding of and proficiency in pedagogy to incorporate writing as an instructional and assessment tool for candidates to generate, gather, plan, organize, and present ideas in writing to communicate for a variety of purposes.