13 March 2021
News and information about the Austin Pre-Freshman Engineering Program at Huston-Tillotson University
AusPREP 2021 Update
Hello AusPREP Community,

Thank you for your patience as we have worked to assess plans for AusPREP 2021.

After careful consideration and under the guidance of university administration, we have come to the decision that we cannot proceed with an on-campus program this summer. The health and safety of the participants, staff, and community are paramount and must remain our priority.
 
Instead, we will run an online program this summer. Our goals remain the same - to support and enhance STEM learning as well as continue to develop and support students’ interest in STEM fields. We are still determining the exact schedule for this summer's program, including how much time will be committed to synchronous learning.

Please know that we are carefully preparing for this virtual program. We will run three years of AusPREP (Year 1, 2, and 3) as well as the Pre-Algebra Program for rising 6th graders. Additional details will be coming via email over the next few weeks. Please stay tuned for upcoming newsletters and announcements from AusPREP. We expect to open the enrollment period at the end of March and accept applications through April.

Thank you for your continued support of AusPREP and patience during this time. We are excited for this summer, and looking forward to the time when we can host everyone on campus again in 2022. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Karen Magid, AusPREP Director, kmagid@htu.edu.
AusPREP Curriculum
AusPREP 2021 will follow the standard curriculum for the program. The program year students enter will be determined primarily in two ways. First, students who attended AusPREP in 2019 will be eligible to enter the program year that follows the year they finished in 2019. For example, a student who completed Year 1 in 2019 is eligible for the Year 2 program in 2021. New students can enter the standard year for their grade level, as seen below, or an earlier year. We will reach out to new students and their families to make this determination.

The AusPREP curriculum by year:
Pre-Algebra (rising 6th grade)
  • Topics covered include, but are not limited to, variables, integers, integer operations, exponents, translating phrases and equations, solving equations, order of operations.
Year 1 (rising 7th)
  • Logic
  • Introduction to Engineering
  • Problem Solving I
  • Journal I
Year 2 (rising 8th)
  • Algebraic Structures
  • Physics
  • Problem Solving II
  • Journal I
Year 3 (rising 9th)
  • Introduction to Computer Science
  • Probability and Statistics
  • Technical Writing
  • Problem Solving III
We hope to have virtual Career Awareness speakers as well, and will be announcing those details and more as they become available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Communication
All those currently receiving this message will continue to receive messages about the program, including when the application is available. Please share this newsletter and individuals can join the mailing list here.

Cost
There will be no charge for participation in AusPREP 2021. Enrollment in the program via the application will be required for participation.

Dates and Time 
The exact program dates as well as daily schedules are still being determined. AusPREP will run for 6-7 weeks in June and July, mirroring the in-person program, and the Pre-Algebra program will run for 4 weeks in July.
 
Materials & Learning
The online program will be offered using our learning management platform, Canvas. We are exploring ways to offer instructional materials for those who do not have sufficient internet access or devices at home as well. 

Credit 
We are determining if we can offer high school elective credit for completion of the online program as is standard for the on-campus program. Updates will be shared as available.

How will this affect AusPREP 2022?
We intend to host AusPREP 2022 in the traditional format on campus. Based on the outcome of this 2021 summer, we will determine which program year students will enter in 2022. We will adjust the application requirements as needed for this year and 2022.
Featured Resources
If you are looking for additional STEM learning resources, we have kept our summer 2020 list of high-quality resources from outside sources available online. The links are accessible on the AusPREP homepage and here.
Thank you and stay safe,
-Karen Magid
AusPREP Site Director
Huston-Tillotson University
Austin Pre-Freshman Engineering Program (AusPREP) at Huston-Tillotson University is one of the Texas Pre-Freshman Engineering Programs (TexPREP) located on college campuses in Texas. PREP was founded to identify high achieving middle and high school students with the potential and interest in becoming scientists and engineers and to reinforce them in the pursuit of these fields.
AusPREP | 512.505.6479 | ausprep@htu.edu