Collection

1981 North Midwest Section

Authors

William A. Bares; David A. Rogers

THE EVOLUTION OF AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ORIENTATION COURSE William A. Bares and David A. Rogers Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105ABSTRACT During the last three quarters faculty members in Electrical Engi-neering at North Dakota State University have been experimenting withpossible new directions for a traditional orientation course for fresh-man electrical engineers. These new directions are an effort to meetthe challenges of: (1) the increasing enrollments, (2) the continualpressures on the curriculum caused by new technologies, and (3) therealization that our students need a more

Collection

1981 North Midwest Section

Authors

I. C. Goulter

COMPUTER EDUCATION IN CIVILENGINEERING-IS IT WORKING? I. C. GOULTER, DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA, WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, R3T 2N2. 39INTRODUCTION The tremendous advancement in computer technology overthe last decade has had a d~rect impact on all fields ofengineering. These advancements have affected not only themanner in which problems are solved but also what problems cannow be solved. These changes, however, have not affected allengineering disciplines to the same degree or in the same way.Of all the engineering fields, Civil Engineering has perhapsbeen the least affected. There have, nevertheless, beensignificant developments in the use of computers

Collection

1981 North Midwest Section

Authors

T. Koryu Ishii

manentering a college of engineering must first learn manyengineering fundamentals and naturally, the homeworkassigned him will be mostly of the drill-type. It will befortunate if this current situation aoes not discourage theyoung man's imaginative en 6 ineering mind. Generally, itcan be be said with a 1·ew exceptions that a youn6 mind ismore creative and. imaginative than an old one. The boyishengineering imagination without a firm theoretical back-6round might look foolish to an experienced engineer, butwho can say that the "firm theory and experience" on whichthe experienced en 6 ineer bases his impression is inaubit-able? It was not too long ago that the nold mind" thoue;htthe earth was flat and absolutely stationary. There shouldbe

Collection

1981 North Midwest Section

Authors

Scott J. Conrad

QUALITY OF UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION IN THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON by Scott J. Conrad University of Wisconsin ABSTRACTThis paper summarizes a project undertaken by three undergraduatestudents at the University of Hisconsin-Madison to assess the qualityof engineering education. The project involved developing a surveyinstrument to measure 11 qualityn and administration of the survey toundergraduates, recent graduates and faculty. Results and highlightsof recommendations generated by the survey are also presented. 22

Collection

1981 North Midwest Section

Authors

Alan L. Prasuhn

opportunities available to the instructor.Stanl~y B. Hamilton, in a paper read before the Newcomen Society, listedsix reasons engineers should study history (2): 1. The detective interest of tracing knowledge to its source. 2. The opportunity of sharing a disinterested companionship with others who are following kindred lines, as a member of such a body as our Society. 3. The broadening of interest in engineering from the purely technical to a humane and liberal field of study. 4. The light which the study of invention and discovery can throw on the working of the human mind. 5. The genuinely recreative form of relaxation which history provides. 6. The contribution which the