Educator FAQ

I don’t want the information from my request made public. Is this database secure?

We do not allow public viewing of the records. If you receive a contact that you believe does not originate from the Central Texas Discover Engineering team or GivePulse, please contact us at info@centexeweek.org.

When will I be contacted about my volunteer request?

School visits generally begin during Engineers Week in February and run until the end of the school year. Our CTDE team is watching educator requests in GivePulse and will be actively seeking volunteers to match to requests from December through May.

What do I do if I would like to schedule more than a single classroom visit?

Try to be specific about your program requirements in the request. Make multiple requests in GivePulse if you have multiple groups beyond a single classroom or single grade. CTDE’s priority will be to match volunteers with at least one request per school. Be sure to give lots of advance notice in your requests to ensure the greatest opportunity to match a volunteer with your request. If you are not sure we can help with what you have in mind, contact info@centexeweek.org with your requirements and we’ll let you know if we can help.

Do I need to schedule a program during Engineers Week (E-Week)?

No, we know February is very busy. We can schedule a program any time during the academic year but our focus is February through May to ensure volunteers are connecting with in-person, in-classroom requests.

Is this just a “talking heads” program?

Far from it! We have a variety of activities and demonstrations we can bring into your school. We cannot typically offer hands on activities in an assembly setting but we can do these in smaller groups. Check out the sample classroom visit information we share with volunteers to get a better idea of what a visit looks like.

What will my students learn about engineering?

Our goal is to excite kids about the possibilities of careers in STEM with an emphasis on engineering. We encourage our volunteers to talk about why they chose their careers, what they liked to do as children that led them to their careers as adults, and what failures or challenges they might have had along the way. We encourage our volunteers to talk about the variety of engineering careers and the need to take math and science courses to prepare for the future. Activities will typically include both teamwork and problem solving, both essential to careers in engineering.

If I can’t schedule a program do you have any materials that I can use?

Yes, we can connect you with resources that you can fit into your curriculum. Contact info@centexeweek.org with your needs. We can also let you know about community events that your students might be able to attend.

My school is far from Austin. Can I still get a program?

Yes, we may be able to help! The power of using GivePulse is that we have a broader network of volunteers to connect in with to accommodate requests. Sign up and we’ll do our best to accommodate all requests.

I teach a bilingual class. Do you have Spanish-speaking engineers?

Yes, we can provide Spanish speakers if you need them. We also have translated some of our activity handouts into Spanish. Just be sure to include this detail in your request so we can best match up volunteers to help.

What kind of engineers can I expect at the program?

We have a diverse pool of engineering volunteers from all kinds of companies, industries, disciplines and backgrounds. Some volunteers will handle the request themselves while others might bring a team of engineering volunteers to help out.

• If you need a particular engineering focus, such as environmental engineering or mechanical engineering, be clear in the description of your request when you sign up for a program.
• Individual companies field some of our volunteer teams. If your school partners with a business that employs engineers, that firm may send the team and you can select companies of interest in your request.