Conference Session

Global Engineering in an Interconnected World

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ismet Anitsal, Tennessee Tech University; Ismail Fidan, Tennessee Tech University

Tagged Divisions

International

interest in using the Internet to enhance the traditional engineeringand business courses. There are a number of advantages of Internet educational delivery systemsover the conventional approaches. Faculty members spend most of their time in front ofcomputers and rely on the electronic communication via Internet for their daily work. Manyfaculty members are also expanding their traditional delivery methods (e.g., lecture, laboratoryand face-to-face discussion) to include educational support options ranging from web-basedcourse supplement to the complete delivery of courses online. The choices that faculty mayconsider range from simply posting a syllabus or discussion board to creating web-based contentto enhance classroom instruction to exclusive

Conference Session

Preparing Engr Students for International Practice

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Natalia Kapli, Pennsylvania State University; John Wise, Pennsylvania State University; Thomas Litzinger, Pennsylvania State University; Wesley Donahue, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

International

made as to the effect of this arrangement on studentlearning.General FormatThe format of the course was blended. Half of the sessions were held in a classroom, and halfwere online. During the first two class meetings, the instructor introduced the course and courseobjectives, and discussed the first of the topics – interpersonal communication. During thesecond period, the instructor distributed a conflict questionnaire, and the group discussed theirindividual results. The rest of the face-to-face sessions were reserved for team presentations anddemonstration of the final project.The online sessions allowed students to work individually on Web-based training (WBT)modules. The modules were available through the university, and presented

Conference Session

International Exchange/Joint Programs in Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Rowe, Sheffield Hallam University; Tim Mulroy, Sheffield Hallam University; Ian Robinson, Sheffield Hallam University; Boon Han Lye, Kolej Bandar Utama International College

Tagged Divisions

International

two partnershipsrepresent case studies of effective cooperation in the design of mutually validated professionalengineering courses. The UK University concerned is Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) withapproximately 30,000 students located in South Yorkshire, England. SHU became a university in1992 following a period as a polytechnic from 1969 with elements of the institution tracing theirhistory to the mid 19th century. The two Malaysian institutions are Tunku Abdul Rahman College(TARC) and KBU International College (KBU). Both colleges are located in Kuala Lumpur.There continues to be a great desire by students from Malaysia to achieve a degree levelqualification from a western HE institution, as well as securing professional body

Conference Session

International Case Studies, Collaborations and Interactions

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wenlung Li, National Taipei University of Technology; Jhy-Cherng Tsai, National Chung-Hsing University, TAIWAN; Wei-Chung Wang, National Tsing-Hua University, TAIWAN; Cheng-Kuo Sung, National Tsing-Hua University, TAIWAN; Jennie Wu, Ministry of Education, TAIWAN

Tagged Divisions

International

them intothe syllabus. For example, lots of courses require experimental works so that the student canhave the “feeling” of that course material. In general, however, the matching apparatuses areexpansive, not only to buy but to maintain them as well. As a consequence, only a fewuniversities can afford it. Besides, it is non-sense that all (or the most) universities to own thesimilar instruments in a small island country like Taiwan. Therefore, the first goal of the programis to encourage those universities or labs which have similar and expansive equipment are willingto share their facilities with the near-by universities. The idea is actually originated from theresearch collaborations between labs, which are commonly seen in Taiwan. One may

Conference Session

Faculty Involvement in International Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Russel Jones, World Expertise LLC

Tagged Divisions

International

/technical societies also provide appropriate continuing education courses in electronic forms – see, for example the offerings of the IEEE.• Open courseware – The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has made a major commitment to sharing its expertise in engineering education by posting on the web materials from each of its courses, in its OpenCourseWare project. Materials posted for each course typically include syllabus, readings, calendar, lecture notes, tools and projects. Downloading of appropriate materials and adaptation to local needs can be a significant aid to engineering faculty members in developing countries.• Virtual exhibit – As noted above, the WFEO Committee on Capacity Building plans to

Conference Session

Global Engineering in an Interconnected World

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kurt Rosentrater, USDA-ARS; Radha Balamuralikrishna, Northern Illinois University

Tagged Divisions

International

lecture/lab format, so that the various learningstyles of both engineering and technology students alike can be addressed. Core topics for sucha course could include processing biomass into bio-based energy, chemicals, transportation fuels,and manufactured products, with an emphasis on product design considerations and necessaryunit operations; economic analysis of bioprocesses; and environmental impacts of theseoperations. In conjunction with the other topics discussed in this paper, these could be readilyconverted into a course syllabus. Moreover, not only will students require theoretical andtechnical knowledge, they will also need hands-on, applied experiences to have a meaningfuleducation in these biological areas – disciplines in which most