A World in Motion Program Startup Guide

Introduction and Philosophy

The SAE Foundation observed a decline in engineering school enrolment several years ago and this decline is continuing today. In 1990 the SAE Foundation formed a team of engineers, educators and administrators to devise a program to interest young students in math and science. The result was the “A World in Motion” (AWIM) program which targeted 4th, 5th, and 6th graders with hands-on interactive learning experiences in the physical sciences. Over the years, additions to the program involve aerospace, electricity and electronics and it is now geared for the 4th grade through the 11th grade. The funding for the program comes from the generosity of corporations and individuals who see the need to keep our technological edge by educating our youngsters.

This guide is the result of many people’s experience in working with the program and getting it instigated into the school systems of our nation. The goal of this guide is to assist you in implementing AWIM in your SAE section, chapter, company, school, or other organization. To help you be successful in this endeavor, successful programs have identified key success factors to focus on implementing AWIM. These key success factors are as follows:

Identify a AWIM Program Coordinator
Ensure communication of leadership support
Host Training Workshops
Recognize volunteers for their effort

Implementation Approach

The philosophy of how to approach introducing AWIM to schools falls into two distinct categories: Single School Approach and Broadcast Approach. The AWIM Coordinator and organization need to determine which path they think will be the best for them. This is not to say that the organization can not switch techniques if they desire.

The first category is called the “Single School Approach”. With this approach, the program is introduced to one school at a time. The benefit of this method is a smaller demand for volunteers up from and more focused implementation. This method is advantageous in that the students get the benefit of teachers and volunteers who have more opportunity for training from a local organization implementing the program and a close relationship with the volunteers involved. Volunteers are often more available and willing to serve at a school they are familiar with. The disadvantage with this approach is that the program may grow more slowly, since the schools are done singly. For large organizations, perhaps more than one school at a time could be serviced.

The second category is called the “Broadcast Approach”. This approach entails AWIM being introduced to multiple schools and/or districts in multiple locations. This wide broadcast can be accomplished through the AWIM coordinator attending science teacher regional or state conferences to hold workshops and promote the program or meeting with district representatives. This method has an advantage in that many more teachers are informed about the program. Many teachers mean that more students are exposed to the program in a shorter length of time. With this approach, volunteers and sponsors may be difficult to find at times due to the larger need at one time

Explaining to educators how AWIM supports their academic curriculum standards will be very beneficial in gaining their support for the program. Comparisons of the AWIM curriculum to the National Academic Standards and some state standards are available through the SAE AWIM Program Office ( A portion of this material is also printed in the Teacher’s Manuals.

How do you get started?

A general timeline of how to implement the program is available at (General Program Timeline.xls) in the ResourceCenter and has also been included here in the appendix as a reference. This will help walk you though the steps and timing in the full implementation plan. Furthermore, a complete list of roles and responsibilities can also be found at the AWIM website ( in the ResourceCenter.

Identifying Who’s Involved

The Organization Leadership

The organization or SAE Section is expected to provide assistance and encouragement to the AWIM Coordinator in the form of help locating volunteers, funding for activities and technical help when requested.

The AWIM Coordinator

The organization’s first objective is to identify a program coordinator. It is helpful if this person has some or all of the following traits:

a.Believes in the program and its objectives and goals

b.Enjoys working with children

c.Is comfortable speaking with individuals about the program

d.Is willing to donate time to the program

e.Has a technical background

The AWIM Coordinator is expected to develop contacts and encourage the schools in their area to use the program, attend teacher conferences in their area with promotional material and hardware to show and demonstrate the program where applicable, ensure training is available for the teachers and volunteers with the support of SAE, assist the schools in obtaining materials as needed, and lead the volunteer recruiting effort. Once the schools accept the program and use it, the AWIM Coordinator should visit the schools to get feedback and interface with the teachers. They are the overall organizers of the program for that organization/school.

More information may be obtained from the Roles and Responsibilities file.

Schools

SingleSchool Approach

To get started with the single school approach, set up an appointment with the principal, and possibly include the science coordinator, appropriate teachers or other individuals and explain the program to them. Demonstrating the finished product of the Challenge is also a helpful tool in explaining the program. At this time or at a follow-up meeting, show the Teacher’s Manual and teaching aids that come with the program to the school representatives. This may allay any fears that the teachers have about teaching physics or the need to create any new curriculum by explaining the manuals and teaching aids that come with the program. Using a summarized packet, such as the Volunteer’s Guide available from SAE ( may also be helpful in your discussion with the school.

Broadcast Approach

To get started with the broadcast approach, the first task is to determine when and where the science teachers’ conference will be held. The Appendix contains a partial list of websites that deal with science teacher conferences. Go to the appropriate website and get the registration info you need to get a booth and or do workshops for the teachers. Your organization or the local SAE Section board can then reserve the booth space. Usually a nominal fee is charged by the convention for booth space. The organization or Section is responsible for paying this fee and is expected to apply to the K-12 office for reimbursement (contact information for a local SAE Section can be found at K-12 office contact information is located at The AWIM Coordinator will schedule the personnel to man the booth and prepare and teach the workshops. Consider handing out information packets on AWIM at the conferences for the teachers to take with them. AWIM brochures are available through the SAE AWIM Program office ( It is also good to stress that the initial classroom set of hardware is given FREE to each school when a partnership is established with industry volunteers. Contact the SAE AWIM Program office for more details on how to support a conference successfully.

Statement of Partnership

Once a school has committed to implementing AWIM, the next step is to complete the Statement of Partnership (SOP). The SOP is the primary form that the teacher or school uses to obtain the classroom materials to teach the Challenges. It can be located on the AWIM website, It must be filled out and signed by the school principal, teacher(s), and volunteers. This form should be completed and submitted at least four to six weeks prior to the start of the program to allow time for materials to be shipped to the school More information is available in the Appendix “Roles and Responsibilities” and “AWIM Time Line”.

Classroom Volunteer Recruitment

When staffing the program with volunteers, a good rule of thumb is to have a minimum of two volunteers per classroom of 25 to 30 students. Volunteers may be recruited from a multitude of groups: company employees, retirees, school parents, other local businesses, local SAE sections and chapters, active community individuals, etc. Explain to the potential volunteers that the volunteer times are flexible and can be tailored to the needs of the individuals and schools involved. The volunteers commit an average of about 22 hours a year to the program. This includes a one time four hour training session with other volunteers and teachers, program preparation time, commuting time, and time in the classroom. Normally, the hands on time in the classroom run about an hour in length with one classroom visit per week over six weeks. The suggested time line for the Challenges in the program is presented in the Appendix “AWIM Time Line”. A more detailed explanation of the different avenues to take when looking for volunteers is listed below.

SAE Section members – You may begin by citing the decrease in engineering schools enrolment. Another tool to use is the “Payback to the engineering profession and public service to the community” appeal. Point out that engineering has been good to us (mostly) and that some payback is in order. AWIM volunteering is an excellent way to do it.

Colleges and Universities also are a good source for volunteers. The college students usually relate very well to the younger students and have a rapport with them. To recruit the college students, start with the engineering professors or SAE chapters. Have them instigate a “community service” part to the classroom work. This fits in nicely with a design class. Each college class may have one or more schools assigned to volunteer, and the college students can work out the volunteering schedule that best fits their needs. The professor may have the students write a short paper on the volunteering experience.

Individuals are another source for volunteers. In this case, individuals means people with a math, science or engineering backgrounds, who are not necessarily SAE members, but who are interested in helping with the program. Student parents are a good example. In fact, the classroom is a great place to start looking for volunteers. The parents have a vested interest in their child’s education.

Another source for volunteers, and probably one of the best, is large business. The SAE AWIM Staff can help here especially with large companies. For smaller companies, you may be able to approach them yourself. Try to get the company management to allow the employees time off for the volunteering. Of course the time element is of importance to the company management, so a careful explanation of the time involved is necessary, along with the benefits to both the employees volunteering and the local community.

Retirees are also a great resource for volunteers. They are experienced in the technical field and also have the time to dedicate to the program. You may be able to locate local retirees through the local SAE section or companies in your area.

AWIM Training Workshops

It is important to provide training workshops or some other form of training (such as online webcasts or PowerPoint slides) for both the teachers and the volunteers for the challenge they will be teaching. The AWIM Coordinator will supply the necessary workshop materials for the workshop and lead the teaching effort for the challenge with support from SAE International through the AWIM Program office. The SAE AWIM Program office will provide the AWIM Coordinator with the materials for the workshop. Online training is currently being developed for Challenge 1.

Implementing the Program

After the school has submitted the Statement of Partnership (SOP) and recruited volunteers, the AWIM Coordinator interfaces with the school to insure the hardware is delivered, the volunteers are ready, and that workshops are scheduled and conducted for the teachers and volunteers. During the period that the material is being taught, the AWIM Coordinator visits the school to encourage the teachers and students and to help with any difficulties. In the school terms following the initial term, the AWIM Coordinator checks with the school to help reorder parts or help new teachers utilize the program. For further information about the content and conduct of the AWIM Challenges, review the Teacher’s Manual for each individual Challenge which are located on

Additional Support and Resources

The SAE K-12 staff is the best source of information available to the organization about AWIM. They provide limited funding and hardware for training, teacher conventions and demonstrations. They support training workshops with staff when needed and have a great deal of experience in implementing the program. They are a great source for advice and help in most circumstances. Please utilize them for help. The Appendix lists the names and contact info for the staff in addition to an up-to-date list that can be found at

The AWIM Coordinator also can find help available from several databases maintained by SAE International. Among these are:

AWIM Reach

– this page will help Sections identify schools that have ordered AWIM since 2001.

From this page you can link into an individual Section’s page and identify the appropriate contacts.

Resources for the AWIM Coordinator include:

SAE AWIM Program office
SAE K-12 Program office
Local SAE Section members
Local colleges and universities, including SAE chapters
Individuals interested in the program objectives
Businesses willing to sponsor or lend assistance
Other organizations/schools that have implemented the program

Future Program Funding

School funding is almost always tight. The AWIM Coordinator may work to identify a way to fund the program after the first year (as the first year is free to all new programs through the SAE Foundation). This can be done through a variety of methods.

Try through the schools science coordinator and principal to have the budget include the AWIM project. In the case where the entire school district (or several schools in the same area) want the program, a hardware sharing plan can be implemented. This takes some planning and coordination from the schools involved to schedule the use of the hardware, but less hardware needs to be obtained this way.
Work with the local SAE Section to provide funding. This will need to be planned for in their yearly budget.
Approach local community businesses about the potential of sponsoring the program for a year. As a thank you for their support, the organization may work with the school and local newspapers or other publicity to run an article on the program, citing the local business as the program source of funding.