A new Introduction to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) course was developed and taught for the first time during the summer in 2009 to dual enrollment college students at South Texas College (STC). The new Introduction to STEM course was developed in collaboration between STEM Faculty members at the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) and STC, with the objective of creating, supporting and strengthening STEM pathways for students in the Dual-Enrollment Engineering Academy (DEEA) and other dual-enrollment or similar programs. The course was offered to two groups of students, at two different campuses in the DEEA program at STC. DEEA students take college courses to accomplish an associate degree in Engineering by the end of their senior year of high school. Challenge-based instruction (CBI) was implemented in this new course; challenges, lecture and handout materials, hands-on activities, and assessment tools were developed and implemented in the areas of basic electronics, mechatronics, renewable energy, statics, dynamics, chemistry, reverse engineering, and forward engineering. This paper describes the new course development and implementation, as well as its impact on students and Faculty, including the student assessment results and the interaction of Faculty members from both institutions. The instruction materials and tools developed for the new course could be modified and adapted for implementation in other engineering and science courses at UTPA, STC, and other institutions to increase and improve educational challenges and hands-on activities in the curricula and in recruiting programs and/or activities
