Work-In-Progress: Collaborating with Librarians to Help First Year Students Explore Engineering Disciplines and Improve Research & Writing Skills

Davida Scharf; Ashish D Borgaonkar; Jaskirat Sodhi

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Conference: 2018 FYEE Conference
Location: Glassboro, New Jersey
Publication Date: July 24, 2018
Start Date: July 24, 2018
End Date: July 26, 2018
Conference Session: Technical Session II
Tagged Topic: FYEE Conference Sessions
Page Count: 4
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--31437
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/31437
Download Count: 358

Paper Authors

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Davida Scharf New Jersey Institute of Technology orcid.org/0000-0002-7100-926X

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Ashish D Borgaonkar New Jersey Institute of Technology orcid.org/0000-0003-3375-889X

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Dr. Ashish Borgaonkar works as Asst. Dean in the Office of the Dean, Newark College of Engineering, NJIT, Newark, NJ. He has taught several engineering courses primarily in the first year engineering, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering departments and won multiple awards for excellence in instruction. He also has worked on several programs and initiatives to help students bridge the gap between high school and college as well as preparing students for the rigors of mathematics. His research interests include engineering education, excellence in instruction, water and wastewater treatment, civil engineering infrastructure, and transportation engineering.

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Jaskirat Sodhi New Jersey Institute of Technology

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Dr. Jaskirat Sodhi is a University Lecturer in the department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology.

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Abstract

The ease of Googling on the open web makes it increasingly unlikely that our incoming students will make the extra effort to search for good quality sources through the library website. Few if any first year courses focus on finding good quality information within the majors. Thus, students struggle to catch up in subsequent years when assignments require more sophisticated research. In order to get students to learn about engineering research, we introduced a two-part assignment through our required first year Fundamentals of Engineering Design (FED101) course. These students are still deciding which engineering major to pursue. So, we created a library assignment that would help widen their knowledge and understanding about various engineering innovations, but also strengthen their research skills. In part 1, students chose one online article from a list created by instructors and librarians. Students were asked to find the article though the library website, read it carefully and write a one-page summary. For part 2, students conducted their own research and found two more articles from the library website that either supported or opposed the views presented in the first article they had selected. Students submitted a final two-page report describing the innovation and why it is important. They had to use evidence from all the articles to support their main ideas, use in-text and full references correctly, conclude by synthesizing the issues and suggesting possible future research needed. This activity was made possible by collaboration between university librarians, FED101 instructors, and the engineering dean’s office. Students received clear instructions, guidance and help every step of the way. This activity was well-received by the students and achieved the instructional goals set by faculty. Students became interested and excited about a particular area of engineering and familiar with innovative research areas. They demonstrated basic information literacy, and practiced writing a report in a precise and concise style. This activity will become a permanent part of the FED101 course syllabus for general engineering students and in other FED101 sections offered by all engineering departments. Assessment using a validated rubric for information literacy and a survey to measure student engagement is planned.

Citation
Format

Scharf, D., & Borgaonkar, A. D., & Sodhi, J. (2018, July), Work-In-Progress: Collaborating with Librarians to Help First Year Students Explore Engineering Disciplines and Improve Research & Writing Skills Paper presented at 2018 FYEE Conference, Glassboro, New Jersey. 10.18260/1-2--31437

TY - CPAPER
AB - The ease of Googling on the open web makes it increasingly unlikely that our incoming students will make the extra effort to search for good quality sources through the library website. Few if any first year courses focus on finding good quality information within the majors. Thus, students struggle to catch up in subsequent years when assignments require more sophisticated research. In order to get students to learn about engineering research, we introduced a two-part assignment through our required first year Fundamentals of Engineering Design (FED101) course. These students are still deciding which engineering major to pursue. So, we created a library assignment that would help widen their knowledge and understanding about various engineering innovations, but also strengthen their research skills. In part 1, students chose one online article from a list created by instructors and librarians. Students were asked to find the article though the library website, read it carefully and write a one-page summary. For part 2, students conducted their own research and found two more articles from the library website that either supported or opposed the views presented in the first article they had selected. Students submitted a final two-page report describing the innovation and why it is important. They had to use evidence from all the articles to support their main ideas, use in-text and full references correctly, conclude by synthesizing the issues and suggesting possible future research needed. This activity was made possible by collaboration between university librarians, FED101 instructors, and the engineering dean’s office. Students received clear instructions, guidance and help every step of the way. This activity was well-received by the students and achieved the instructional goals set by faculty. Students became interested and excited about a particular area of engineering and familiar with innovative research areas. They demonstrated basic information literacy, and practiced writing a report in a precise and concise style. This activity will become a permanent part of the FED101 course syllabus for general engineering students and in other FED101 sections offered by all engineering departments. Assessment using a validated rubric for information literacy and a survey to measure student engagement is planned.
AU - Davida Scharf
AU - Ashish D Borgaonkar
AU - Jaskirat Sodhi
CY - Glassboro, New Jersey
DA - 2018/07/24
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Work-In-Progress: Collaborating with Librarians to Help First Year Students Explore Engineering Disciplines and Improve Research & Writing Skills
UR - https://peer.asee.org/31437
DO - 10.18260/1-2--31437
ER -