Technical & Engineering Education

Why Technical & Engineering Education?

Are your faculty bored and lackluster as they teach the same thing over and over again? Do you have high dropout and failure rates in your courses? Do you have trouble with recruiting and retaining female students and other under-represented populations in engineering or technical education? Solutions to these questions are presented in Dr. Trego’s offerings.

Why Dr. Trego?

Dr. Trego has both industrial and academic experience giving her a unique perspective. She is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy where she learned and practiced engaged learning principles. Dr. Trego was ‘Teacher of the Year’ at Utah Valley University and had a very high student rating. She is a distinguished lecturer for the aerospace technical society AIAA. She has vast experience as an ABET evaluator and commissioner giving her unique insight into accreditation and assessment processes. For several years she has been performing research and publishing in this area (Click here to see a sampling of her publications). She wants to help you, your team, and your students realize their full potential. These programs are developed by an engineering educator for engineering educators. Read more about Dr. Trego’s qualifications.

How Do I Learn More?

Whether you are an educator, technical organization, or meeting planner you can find the resources you need by either reading additional information below or by following the menus to find information specific to your organization.

Talks, Trainings and Topics

Keynote: CREATING IMPACT:

How to Fall in Love with Teaching Again

Have you ever felt like you have fallen into a rut while teaching? Do you wonder if your students are gaining the critical skills they need to succeed outside your classroom? Teaching the same thing over and over to students who seem less and less interested leads to frustration for everyone. A burnt-out (or burning-out!) teacher is a less effective teacher. This impacts everyone. Students are not gaining the critical skills they need to be successful and teaching becomes more of a chore than energizing.

Transcend your own boredom and learn how to fall in love with teaching again. Rediscover your own motivation and be inspired while looking at ways to create a lasting impact on students so that what you teach, like Newton’s law, stays in motion even when the initial impact is gone. Learn techniques to support creating lifelong learning desires, confidence, and motivation in your students as shown through story and examples utilized with proven results by Dr. Trego.

Outcomes

This course equips participants with tools that enable them to:

  • Learn methods to create a more positive and energized classroom environment, fostering a better learning experience for both students and themselves.
  • Identify actionable techniques to make their lessons more engaging, leading to better student participation and success.
  • Transcend your own boredom and be energized to train the next generation.
Who Should Attend?

Faculty, especially in STEM areas, looking to be more than just a teacher, but want to leave a positive lasting impression on students by increasing both their own and their students’ desires to reach their unlimited potential.

When Should You Use This Offering?

This is a great kickoff talk for development conferences or other faculty training.  It is often used as a precursor for the trainings listed below, setting the stage for more effective, deeper training. 

Follow-on Trainings, Breakout, and Workshop Opportunities

The provided trainings aim to boost the involvement of both students and faculty members, while also improving the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in various programs. These trainings equip faculty with strategies to observe and address behaviors that may isolate non-traditional students and discourage their participation. My approach focuses on enhancing engagement techniques that promote inclusivity through positive reinforcement.

Transformative Teaching: Evidence-based strategies for enhancing student engagement and reducing workload

It’s a fact:  faculty members are responsible for doing it all.  Finding ways to motivate students to learn and be active in class typically requires an effort we just don’t have time for even though we desire the best for our students.  Learn three engagement principles that you can walk out of the half-day workshop and immediately use in your next class to reduce your overall teaching workload while increasing student motivation.  Come ready for an engaging half-day working session!

Outcomes

This course equips participants with tools that enable them to:

  • Foster a classroom environment that encourages students to take ownership of their learning, promoting self-motivation and critical thinking
  • Implement three strategies that reduce teaching workload while maintaining high student engagement
  • Create more dynamic and confidence-building classroom experiences
Who Should Attend?

Faculty struggling with burnout. Faculty, especially in STEM areas who are looking to be more than just a teacher, but want to leave a positive lasting impression on students by increasing both their own and their students’ desires to reach their unlimited potential. Faculty who want to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in their classrooms.

When Should You Use This Offering?

Looking for ways to energize and support faculty increasing their engagement techniques in a time-saving approach to practical techniques and skills? This training addresses faculty burnout at its core.

Breaking Down Enrollment & Retention Barriers: 4 simple techniques to student engagement

Faculty members serve as crucial catalysts in filling the STEM pipeline by imparting knowledge, fostering innovation, and connecting students with industry. This program provides hands-on, multi-touchpoint training to faculty members addressing classroom management strategies to support them in their role using 4 simple engaged learning techniques: 1) personalization – looking beyond the obvious; 2) relevance – it’s not what you think; 3) facilitation – let students do the work, and 4) motivation – easier than dangling a carrot! The outcome will be an increase in student recruitment and, more significantly, the number of actively engaged students. Additionally, a model is offered to create self-sustaining, cost-effective ongoing training through a Train the Trainer Program. To enhance the implementation of these techniques beyond the training this program is customizable for either a multi-session or a single half-day session.

Outcomes

This course equips participants with tools that enable them to:

  • Increase participation and engagement of students
  • Identify four techniques to break down barriers
  • Increase underrepresented population enrollment and retention
  • Implement the engagement techniques in your classes immediately
  • Evaluate technique implementation, and develop continuous improvement opportunities
  • Become a strong example to students
  • Increase collaboration with peers
Who Should Attend?

Faculty who want to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in their classrooms. Faculty, especially in STEM areas, looking to be more than just a teacher, but want to leave a positive lasting impression on students by increasing both their own and their students’ desires to reach their unlimited potential.

When Should You Use This Offering?

Leaders looking for training to increase student retention and engagement using practical classroom engagement principles.

Show Me The Data!

Surveys are taken prior to and after training to understand the impact of this course. Below are some actual questions and results:

  • Student: I’m nervous to go to class: dropped from 27% of students to 14% of students!
  • Student: My teacher thinks I can succeed in this class and helps me be: +18% increase!
  • Faculty: I provide examples and discussions in my classroom which opens the door to include all students: +7% increase!
  • Faculty: All students in my classroom participate in discussions: +30% increase!

The Real Realities of STEM

Understanding all the STEM career opportunities for students can be mind-boggling and often misunderstood.  How much math is needed?  What if my student has the aptitude but loves drama?  What does a career really look like in STEM?  This STEM-specific training provides support to help you, as a high school counselor, provide better support to your students.  This training also addresses micro-messaging as it relates specifically to STEM.

Outcomes

This course equips participants with tools that enable them to:

  • Understand micromessaging as it relates specifically to STEM
  • Identify the vast STEM opportunities available
  • Learn requirements for STEM careers
  • Provide better STEM career development opportunities for your students
Who Should Attend?

High school counselors looking to increase their abilities to help students find their path by better understanding STEM opportunities and how their unconscious biases affect students potentially entering STEM fields.

When Should You Use This Offering?

During development training opportunities or prior to CTE or STEM Day activities especially.

Show Me The Data!

Surveys are taken after training to understand the impact of this course. Below are some actual questions and results:

  1. After this training, I now believe more I can use my body language and how my to use my vocabulary to positively impact different gender, ethnicity, and special populations as it relates to STEM: 96% agree or strongly agree
  2. After this training, I am better informed on the various CTE and STEM opportunities for students.: 93.1% agree or strongly agree
  3. After this training, I now believe more that all students can succeed in a CTE pathway and/or STEM discipline: 100% agree or strongly agree
  4. This training focused on helping me identify my personal, individual blind spots (biases) and encouraged me to mitigate those biases.: 96% agree or strongly agree

Micromessaging: Unleash the Power of Subtle Communication

In today’s dynamic academic landscape, micro-messages take center stage as the catalyst for exceptional student-faculty relationships.  Faculty who are aware of their micro-messages can create a more inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students thus increasing recruitment and retention, especially of underrepresented populations.  This training offers an engaging environment for participants to delve into micro-messaging, equipping them with valuable tools to foster micro-affirmations within their classroom settings.

Outcomes

This course equips participants with tools that enable them to:

  • Understand micromessaging and its impact on students
  • Develop tools to foster micro-affirmations
  • Practice micro-affirmation techniques
Who Should Attend?

Faculty struggling with burnout. Faculty, especially in STEM areas who are looking to be more than just a teacher, but want to leave a positive lasting impression on students by increasing both their own and their students’ desires to reach their unlimited potential. Faculty who want to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in their classrooms.

When Should You Use This Offering?

This supports increasing the recruitment and retention of underrepresented populations.

Gain Confidence by Squashing the Impostor Syndrome

Have you, or someone you know or work with, ever felt like a fraud and someone will find out that you don’t deserve to be at the table?  The Impostor Syndrome paralyzes us into thinking we don’t belong and don’t have the skills to succeed.  This isn’t the case!  Discover what’s holding you back and how to gain the confidence you need to be successful. Squashing the imposter syndrome requires organizations to embrace a culture of confidence. In this highly interactive opportunity, Dr. Angela Trego discusses with story and interactive class participation how the Imposter Syndrome keeps technical professionals from achieving their full potential. Gain a better understanding of what sometimes causes it and learn tools to help combat and prevent the impostor syndrome.

Outcomes

This course equips participants with tools that enable them to:

  • Cultivate confidence and thus become more willing to tackle challenges, leading to increased efficiency and higher quality work.
  • Be more empowered to share your ideas and take risks, fostering your own creativity and ability to innovate.
  • Actively contribute more and collaborate more effectively with others with more confidence resulting in stronger teamwork.
Who Should Attend?

Leaders, administrators, counselors, and faculty members who might be experiencing the Impostor Syndrome or interacting with those who may have the Impostor Syndrome (that sort of means everyone!)

When Should You Use This Offering?

As training for employees or faculty development days. This topic also has a keynote address. Click here to learn more…

Implementing a Wow-Factor in STEM to Recruit High School Female Students

An outreach program for high school women in STEM is beneficial when created collaboratively between academia and industry. The program is amplified when a wow factor or hands-on interactive activity is included. Collaboration on STEM outreach programs for women and other under-represented populations creates a visible pathway to filling the STEM pipeline. This workshop discusses a method and benefits for academic and industry collaboration.  It entails an event with high school female students utilizing a hands-on format with company workshops, an interactive display area, and a design challenge event with industry mentorships. 

Outcomes

This course equips participants with tools that enable them to:

  • Increase female and underrepresented population enrollment and retention
  • Understand benefits to both academia and industry partners for collaboration on outreach
  • Identify the outreach method
Who Should Attend?

Leaders, administrators, counselors, and faculty members looking for ways to increase the number of women entering their programs.

When Should You Use This Offering?

This works well to increase industry activation. Typically done during the school year.

Engineering Your Impact: Transforming the World as an Engineer – Just for Students!

Don’t be fooled into thinking that being an engineer means you are just a boring person sitting in a cubical. Learn that it is not the things that you make that are important but rather, it is the impact you make. Look at case studies to see what a real difference being an engineer can make in the world.

Outcomes

This course equips participants with tools that enable them to:

  • Understand how, as students, they can change the world!
  • Learn about various career directions in engineering
  • Be inspired!
Who Should Attend?

Students, both those who don’t realize the amazing breadth of opportunities and those who you want to keep the fire lit!

When Should You Use This Offering?

Engineering week keynote, engineering organization kick-offs