The Henry Ford's Innovation Education Incubator (IEI), launched in April 2011 with the support of a three-year pledge from Meritor, is building momentum among educators nationwide by bringing digital education resources and game-changing teaching strategies into K-12 classrooms.
Forty teachers and 1,000 students field-tested The Henry Ford's new resources and four key curricula products, including Innovation 101, in classrooms and participated in a third-party evaluation. IEI pilot teachers came from Michigan as well as California, Texas, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.
The purpose of the training module is to promote technology and innovation skills among students and inspire them to achieve through the lessons of past innovators such as Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Rosa Parks as well as current-day innovators like Bill Gates, Dean Kamen, and Steve Wozniak. Students said they learned about science, technology, engineering ,and math — also referred to as “STEM” — and the process of innovation. Some said these materials changed their minds and how they approach the world.
Among the different curricula tested in the IEI, Innovation 101 was the product most used. Results from the pilot project showed that Innovation 101, for example, rated 9 or 10 (10 being highest) by most who used it.