Student and Faculty Perceptions of Integrated E-learning Modules Aimed at Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset
- Conference
- Location
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Virtual On line
- Publication Date
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June 22, 2020
- Start Date
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June 22, 2020
- End Date
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June 26, 2021
- Conference Session
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Computers in Education Division Technical Session 5: Online Teaching and Learning
- Tagged Division
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Computers in Education
- Page Count
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19
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--35218
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/35218
- Download Count
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456
Paper Authors
Maria-Isabel Carnasciali
University of New Haven
orcid.org/0000-0001-5887-0744
Maria-Isabel Carnasciali is Chair of the Engineering and Applied Science Education Department at the Tagliatela College of Engineering, University of New Haven, CT. She is also an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. She obtained her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech. She received her Bachelors of Engineering from MIT. Her research focuses on the nontraditional engineering student – understanding their motivations, identity development, and impact of prior engineering-related experiences. Her work dwells into learning in informal settings such as summer camps, military experiences, and extra-curricular activities. Other research interests involve validation of CFD models for aerospace and industrial applications, as well as optimizing efficiency of thermal-fluid systems.
Nadiye O. Erdil University of New Haven
Nadiye O. Erdil, an associate professor of industrial and systems engineering and engineering and operations management at the University of New Haven. She has over eleven years of experience in higher education and has held several academic positions including administrative appointments. She has experience in teaching at the undergraduate and the graduate level. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Erdil worked as an engineer in sheet metal manufacturing and pipe fabrication industry for five years. She holds B.S. in Computer Engineering, M.S. in Industrial Engineering. She received her Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Binghamton University (SUNY). Her background and research interests are in quality and productivity improvement using statistical tools, lean methods and use of information technology in operations management. Her work is primarily in manufacturing and healthcare delivery operations.
Ronald S. Harichandran University of New Haven
Ron Harichandran is Dean of the Tagliatela College of Engineering and is the PI of the grant entitled Developing Entrepreneurial Thinking in Engineering Students by Utilizing Integrated Online Modules and a Leadership Cohort. Through this grant entrepreneurial thinking will be integrated into courses spanning all four years in seven ABET accredited engineering and computer science BS programs.
Jean Nocito-Gobel University of New Haven
Jean Nocito-Gobel, Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of New Haven, received her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She has been actively involved in a number of educational initiatives in the Tagliatela College of Engineering including KEEN and PITCH, PI of the ASPIRE grant, and is the coordinator for the first-year Intro to Engineering course. Her professional interests include modeling the transport and fate of contaminants in groundwater and surface water systems, as well as engineering education reform.
Cheryl Q. Li University of New Haven
Cheryl Qing Li joined University of New Haven in the fall of 2011, where she is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Cheryl earned her first Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from National University of Singapore in 1997. She served as Assistant Professor and subsequently Associate Professor in Mechatronics Engineering at University of Adelaide, Australia, and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, respectively. In 2006, she resigned from her faculty job and came to Connecticut for family reunion. Throughout her academic career in Australia and Singapore, she had developed a very strong interest in learning psychology and educational measurement. She then opted for a second Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, specialized in Psychometrics at University of Connecticut. She earned her second Ph.D. in 2010.
Abstract
Traditional engineering curricula are often packed with predetermined credits limiting students’ flexibility to take courses outside their majors. Engineering faculty have expertise and teach in the narrow areas within the discipline in which they were trained. Yet, the desire for engineering graduates to possess skills and mindset that transcend the topics typically included in traditional engineering programs is ever-present. One example of such a challenge is the initiative to equip engineering graduates with an entrepreneurial mindset. In this context, an entrepreneurial mindset is defined by the KEEN 3C’s Framework: developing students to be curious to the opportunities presented by unsolved problems in an ever-changing world; with the skills to make connections within and between topics that require a multidisciplinary perspective; while always keeping in mind that an effective solution must create value for someone in society.
To tackle this challenge, the University of New Haven developed a series of 18 e-learning modules covering a broad set of topics mapped to attributes of an entrepreneurial mindset. The e-leaning modules were integrated within regular engineering and computer science courses in a hybrid format (on-ground and online), providing a supplement to topics generally included in those courses. The e-learning modules are open source, developed with funding from the Kern Family Foundation. Over the past four years, the e-learning modules were deployed outside the University of New Haven at 55 other institutions by 77 faculty. In this paper we present the perceptions of over 1500 students and 50 faculty who participated in the external deployments and submitted meaningful feedback. The data we collected informed improvements made to the modules. Faculty who wish to integrate the modules within their courses in the future will gain insight into successful practices and pitfalls to avoid.
Carnasciali, M., & Erdil, N. O., & Harichandran, R. S., & Nocito-Gobel, J., & Li, C. Q. (2020, June), Student and Faculty Perceptions of Integrated E-learning Modules Aimed at Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--35218
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