Conference Session

Technical Issues in Architectural Engineering I

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Dong, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo; Thomas Leslie, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Architectural

asdesign consultants, the instructors describe how this unique course helped foster strongercommunication skills, enhanced small group skills, and introduced students to the total designprocess from site analysis through architectural and structural design.PremiseAs college instructors a primary goal is to prepare students for the future. We do this by, • Teaching critical thinking skills so individuals can become problem solvers • Teaching speaking and writing strategies so individuals can become better communicators • Assigning group projects so individuals learn about group dynamics • Exposing students to problems that reflect real life situations so students can learn from past mistakes and become confident enough

Conference Session

Convergence of Quality Assurance Systems Around the Globe

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mike Murphy; Michael Dyrenfurth, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

International

is not intended as a mechanism tostandardise European higher education. [2] In theory, principles of autonomy anddiversity are respected for each country. There is a recognition that, in spite ofdifferences, European higher education systems are facing common internal andexternal challenges and thus the Bologna Declaration (now often referred tocolloquially as “Bologna”) reflects a search for a common European answer to Page 11.1364.2common European problems.It must be emphasised that the Bologna Declaration is not simply a political statement(which it is), but also a commitment to an action plan. The overall common goal is tocreate, by 2010, a

Conference Session

Research in Minority Issues

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jorge Alvarado, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

which was one of the main goals of the summerprogram. The successful project outcome gave the student a great sense ofaccomplishment despite his limited technical background at the time. As a result, thestudent is seriously thinking about applying to graduate school and taking on similarresearch projects. The case study also shows that undergraduate students can domeaningful research work with adequate preparation and a clear plan of action.Minority Outreach Program Successes and ChallengesIn general, Texas A&M University has been relatively successful in the recruitment ofminority students. However, the percent of minority students enrolled at the universitystill need to increase to reflect the state demographic distribution. The USRG

Conference Session

Embedded Computing

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rathika Rajaravivarma, Central CT State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

thisgap is to involve students directly in the form of discussions and group work. It has beenreported that student engagement rates are higher in a group setting than during independentseatwork. Engagement rates are higher when students receive more monitoring or help from aninstructor 6. Lectures are therefore substantiated with laboratories and group work. The impactof learning, however, is enhanced by structuring opportunities for reflection and peerconsultation 3. Although these pedagogical techniques stimulate the students to use the courseconcepts in thinking and problem-solving and is aimed at developing communication andinterpersonal skills, the biggest hurdle here is the assessment. When performed in a group, howcan the individual

Conference Session

Trend in Construction Engineering Education I

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ifte Choudhury

Tagged Divisions

Construction

courses in communications, social sciences, andthe humanities. The content should reflect the needs of the construction industry as well as thephilosophy of the educational institution.Mathematics and ScienceA well-developed concept of mathematics and physical science is essential for a constructiongraduate. The technical process of construction can be best controlled by applying the principlesof mathematics, statistics, and computer science. Moreover, an understanding of the behavior ofmaterials, equipment, and methods used in construction require laws of physics, chemistry,geology, and environmental sciences.Business and ManagementA constructor is required to assume the responsibility of planning, management, co-ordination,and overall financial

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chenghung Chang, Stevens Institute of Technology; Dror Kodman, Stevens Institute of Technology; Sven Esche, Stevens Institute of Technology; Constantin Chassapis, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

students log into the laboratory environment and interact with theexperiment simulations. These simulations are either executed internally or externally to the 3-Denvironment. In the first case, the experiment functionality is programmed “in house” withmodifications made to the C++ code of the original game. This modified C++ source code is thenrecompiled in its entirety to reflect the desired alterations made to the original game, and thus theexperimental procedure becomes part of the source code. The second strategy is based on usingthe game engine as the virtual environment generator. This generator acts like a shell forinterfacing a virtual environment with external agents, i.e. by generating input data to be passedon the agent and by parsing

Conference Session

Moral Development, Engineering Pedagogy and Ethics Instruction

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Schmaltz, Western Kentucky University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

assessment rubrics. The rubric for the program’sethics outcome is shown in Table 2. The rubric is used for all years of student evaluation,allowing the comparison of varied levels of professional competence as students advance Page 11.563.7through the curriculum. The expected Total Score indicated at the bottom of the rubric changes,reflecting the increasing expectation for student performance as they move through the elementsof the integrated Professional Component.The Table 2 Rubric is applied to a representative sample of student work in the freshman,sophomore, junior and senior design classes, and the results of this

Conference Session

International Exchange/Joint Programs in Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Melany Ciampi; Claudio Brito, Council of Researches in Education and Sciences

Tagged Divisions

International

300 250 190 200 165 150 126 100 77 50 0 ICECE-1999 ICECE-2000 INTERTECH- ICECE-2003 WCETE-2004 GCETE-2005 2002 Fig. 2. Participation of Brazil (bottom) and some foreign countries (top) in six conferencesFig.1 that shows the overall global involvement into Brazilian conferences (nearly 1700participants) that is illustrated on the total number of foreign papers presented at six conferences.The Figure reflects the countries that presented not less

Conference Session

Teaching Innovation in Arch Engineering II

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erich Connell, East Carolina University; David Batie, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Architectural

consisted of three full-time, two part-time, three one-time and one full-time reflective moderator. Thirty-one students initially enrolled in the class from fourdifferent universities, however only twenty-two completed the course. The studentsgroups were as large as twelve at one university and as small as two at another.Information technology personnel at each participant faculty members’ university and ahost of technical assistants were needed to manage the complexities of networkingdistance communication systems for the online course. Administrators with vision andtrust approved the course.Machinery – Four of the instructors taught from interactive video conferencingclassrooms with technical support studios and were connected over the Internet

Conference Session

Innovations in Biological and Agricultural Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adel Shirmohammadi, University of Maryland-College Park; Arthur Johnson, University of Maryland-College Park

Tagged Divisions

Biological & Agricultural

supposed to do, very well prepared and cooperativeSatisfactory Usually did what he or she was supposed to do, acceptably prepared and cooperative.Ordinary Often did what he or she was supposed to do, minimally prepared and cooperative.Marginal Sometimes failed to show up or complete tasks, rarely prepared.Deficient Often failed to show up or complete tasks, rarely prepared.Unsatisfactory Consistently failed to show up or complete tasks, unprepared.Superficial Practically no participation.No Show No participation at all.These ratings should reflect each individual’s level of participation and effort andsense of responsibility, not his or her academic ability.Team Member

Conference Session

FPD5 -- Placement & Early Success

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mwarumba Mwavita, Oklahoma State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

. International students (n = 20) accounted for the remaining 6.8 %.The dependent variable in this study was calculus success. This variable was scaled from 5 to 1.An “A” grade = 5, “B” grade = 4, “C” grade = 3, “D” = 2, “F” = 1. This variable was obtainedfrom the SIS archived data.One of the independent variable examined in this study was academic engagement. Academicengagement is a term often used to describe active involvement, commitment, and attention asopposed to apathy and lack of interest. 10 Researchers of academic engagement identify certainindicators of engagement. For example, Singh, Granville and Dika11 consider doing homework,coming prepared for classes, regular attendance, not skipping classes as a reflection of studentengagement. In

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lashun King, Tennessee State University; Thomas Byl, U.S. Geological Survey; Roger Painter, Tennessee State University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

benzene concentrations.Close agreement is indicated between the two approaches. Page 11.1083.8 ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNINGThe objectives of TSU’s efforts to assess the effectiveness of this approach to teaching are twofold: 1. To provide faculty and other research participants with quantifiable information to facilitate continuous improvement of the program. 2. To drive student learning towards the goal of providing students with the ability to use engineering tools in engineering practice as reflected by ABET2000 criterion (k) (an ability to

Conference Session

Faculty Development: Tenure & Promotion

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Micah Hale, University of Arkansas; Findlay Edwards, University of Arkansas; Norman Dennis, University of Arkansas

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

institutions realize thatresearch funding and publications are important, but there are many other things thatshould be included in their tenure dossier. These other things include the number ofstudents advised, teacher evaluations, faculty evaluations, and service, to name a few.Tracking down all the additional information can be very time consuming. However, thetime requirement can be reduced if work on the tenure dossier begins early in the facultymember’s career. This paper reflects the lessons learned from three faculty members, afull professor, an associate professor, and an assistant professor. The full professorserves on the department’s promotion and tenure committee. The associate professor hasrecently received tenure, and the assistant

Conference Session

Innovative Curriculum & non-Technical Skills

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ahmed Khan, DeVry University-Addison; Barbara Eichler, DeVry University; John Morello, DeVry University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

: Technological Impact : Present and Potential, Richard W. Siegel.3Table 3. Nanotechnology: Benefits and RisksNanotechnology Application Area Potential BenefitsEcology Nanoparticles have extremely high surface areas compared to their volume; this characteristic makes them ideal for the fabrication of: - New catalysts - Heat reflection layers - Aerogels for transparent damping

Conference Session

Teaching Strategies in Graphics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jana Whittington, Purdue University-Calumet; Kim Nankivell, Purdue University-Calumet; Joy Colwell, Purdue University-Calumet; James Higley, Purdue University-Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Design Graphics

“feel” for the new media, along with heightened impatience”. Thefollowing table exhibits the learning styles of today’s students’ favored teaching formats, otherthan lecture. [1] Table 1 - Learning Styles vs. Lecture Learning Styles Lecture Characteristics 67% Active 32% Reflective (Passive) 57% Sensing 42% Intuitive 69% Visual 30% Verbal 28% Global 71% SequentialStudents need guidance, leadership and delivery of new technology concepts as well as soft skillsand aesthetic expertise. Delivery of these concepts often puts faculty in the role of

Conference Session

Trend in Construction Engineering Education II

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Philip Dunn, University of Maine

Tagged Divisions

Construction

interpretation to public meetings. The ConstructionManagement Technology (CMT) program at the University adopted writing intensive standardswithin CET 356 Construction Documentation and Administration. In CET 356, students writeand revise formal business letters, memos, meeting minutes, and field notes through a series ofclass exercises based on an ongoing project. Exercises are evaluated through an assessment matrix. First draft assessments arereturned for student review and are resubmitted in a final form for grading. The informationfrom the two stage evaluation is reviewed to assess improvement in the individual student. Writing intensive requirements have been applied through two semesters over twoacademic years. Results reflect the

Conference Session

ECE Laboratory Design

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Fitra Khan, University of Texas-Brownsville; Mahmoud Quweider, University of Texas-Brownsville; Juan Iglesias, University of Texas-Brownsville; Amjad Zaim, University of Texas-Brownsville

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

different offerings of the same course from onesemester to another.Topics of CP’s were not restricted to the ambit of a single particular course. Instead, CP’s weredeveloped having in mind a crossing-discipline emphasis that could integrate different areas ofcomputer science. Appendix B shows a more detailed description of the CP’s.As the reader can appreciate from Appendix B, the topics of CP’s are wide in range going froman “Integrated Monitoring System” for public networks to the “Parallel Simulation ofElectromagnetic Wave Propagation” and “Optimization Based on Genetic Algorithms”. Thisvariety is in fact a reflection of the versatility and generality of the CNL.ResultsDuring the three years of its implementation, the project has proven to be

Conference Session

K-12 Activities

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Omolola Adedokun, Purdue University; Roger Tormoehlen, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

period on theperformance of the students is not statistically significant (P= 0.0674). Likewise, there was nointeraction between the effects of class periods and the use (or no use) of the paper-basedworksheet (P =0.1772). However, the effect of the worksheet on the performance of the studentswas found to be significant (P = 0.0147). The results show that the class periods have nosignificant effect on the performance of the students, i.e., the effect of the worksheet does notvary across the periods. It does not appear that students’ academic performance, reflected in theclass period to which they were assigned, is significant. Hence, the supplemental worksheet canproduce positive results in both lower and higher achieving students. Weak students

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary and Liberal Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hilkat Soysal, Frostburg State University; Oguz Soysal, Frostburg State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

, Technology, and Society-STS” programs. Engineers and scientists have beenprime movers in developing interdisciplinary STS curriculum for liberal arts studies. Ageneral overview of TLC programs in American colleges is presented in [2].Art Hobson [3] points out alarming statistics of 1990s reflecting the science education atpre-college and college level. He states that “Only 21% of our high school students takeany kind of high school physics course, let alone a course that includes socially relevanttopics. It is depressing that only 20% of all elementary school science teachers havetaken any college physics course, and only 35% took a college chemistry course. And asurvey of 1800 college campuses indicates that only 50% of the nation campuses offerany

Conference Session

Tricks of the Trade in Research

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adrienne Minerick, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

.” Page 11.850.3Secondly, it is important to remain organized and to communicate well in advance the student’sassigned article and presentation date. The author develops a syllabus for each semester outliningobjectives of the Journal Club, the schedule, and expected performance. The schedule ispublished on the lab’s website and updated to reflect any changes made throughout the semester[5]. More recently, this has been organized into a 1-credit hour directed individual study coursewith a full 5 point (A through F) grading scale. The students write a short 3-page report on theirresearch, including a literature review as a final project in the course. An excerpt from thesyllabus on course objectives and grading is included below.“Objectives

Conference Session

Interdisciplinary Education in ET

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Blake, Austin Peay State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

could not expect some of thecourses we had required on the main campus to be offered successfully at the satellite location.We had to change our requirements to adapt to the new site. The changes included a reduction incalculus requirements (from ten to three credit hours) and elimination of a computer lab wherewe had introduced students to the EXCEL spreadsheet and other software.Some of the changes and cuts reflected a need to better align our requirements with engineeringtechnology, rather than engineering, requirements. However, the changes did cut some materialwe deemed valuable to our students. We added a new course, ENGT 3050 Problem Solving inEngineering Technology, where we would have a chance to cover this material. This is designed

Conference Session

Design Projects in Wind and Solar Energy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Samuel Lakeou, University of the District of Columbia; Esther Ososanya, University of the District of Columbia; Ben Latigo, University of the District of Columbia; George Karanja, University of the District of Columbia; Wagdy Mahmoud, University of the District of Columbia; Wilfried Oshumare, University of the District of Columbia

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

around the X-axis progressively from June 21 to December 21 in one direction andfrom December 22 to June 20 in the opposite direction.For a simple tracking system, the daily solar tracking is achieved by rotating the array about thesolar tracking axis Y, by equal incremental angular steps ∆ϕ = 150. It is to be noted that thisproposed angular step does not reflect the actual angular step to be performed every month. Infact, the angular step varies from month to month and is location dependent. The programmable Page 11.406.5nature of the proposed design can easily account for these variations. The number of angularsteps covered

Conference Session

Capstone Courses II

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Donohue, University of Virginia; Garrick Louis, University of Virginia; William Scherer, University of Virginia; Michael C. Smith, University of Virginia; K. Preston White, Jr., Jr., University of Virginia; Peter Beling, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Systems Engineering Constituent Committee

, Universidad de los Andes, andUniversidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.Administrative staff members support the web-based administrative tools, faculty and studentactivities, SIEDS preparation and implementation for and contract and accounting requirements. Administrative ActivitiesJune – AugustDeveloping and staffing Capstone projects are the first tasks for each Capstone “cycle.” Projectstypically reflect the research and professional interests of the faculty advisor and are carefullyselected for their appropriateness for the Capstone experience based on the appropriateness ofthe topic, potential student interest, faculty interests, and funding availability. Once the projectsare set through a joint effort of faculty

Conference Session

Use of Technology in Teaching Mathematics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Melinda Z. Kalainoff, U.S. Military Academy; Dawn E. Riegner, U.S. Military Academy; Matthew Deloia, U.S. Military Academy; Russ Lachance, U.S. Military Academy; Andrew Biaglow, U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

after only one examination. The statistical differences areinsignificant in most cases. We are encouraged by the fact that none of the sectionsappears to be lower than their peers. Future results that show additional graded events asa function of time will be very informative. We also place a considerable amount ofimportance on student attitudes as reflected in Table 1. The follow-up survey, to beadministered at the end of the semester, will tell us a great deal about whether we are ableto improve student attitudes toward use of technology.Question ResponsePlease rank the following in terms of your preference for solvingproblems. Pencil and paper

Conference Session

FPD8 -- Systems, Nanotechnology & Programming

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Youssef Allam, Ohio State University; David Tomasko, Ohio State University; John Merrill, Ohio State University; Bruce Trott, Ohio State University; Phil Schlosser, Ohio State University; Paul Clingan, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

very broad multi-disciplinary project that appeals to manyinterests and this is reflected in the nanotechnology teaching modules contributed by a diversegroup of nanotechnology researchers from around campus.Nanotechnology is introduced in related readings and laboratory tours as well as a nominalexperimental component. Pre- and post-tests on nanotechnology concepts helped to gaugeincreases in student knowledge and understanding of fundamental nanotechnology topics. Pre-and post-surveys indicated the effects of the course on student interest and participation inresearch and nanotechnology-related issues at an undergraduate, graduate, or professional level.Efforts to expand the initial pilot implementation into a scaled-up regular course

Conference Session

New Trends in Engineering Graduate Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ernest McDuffie; Elaine R. Milliam; Robert Kavetsky; Ronald Bennett; Eugene Brown

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

, to join in an afternoon session ofdefining the critical components of effective leadership. Theywere able to join in small groups to discuss their own experiencesof working with inspiring, admirable leaders and the impact thoseleaders have had on them. By the end of the first day, the grouphad developed a full set of characteristics they felt reflected theideal leader of the future and were able to consider which of thesecharacteristics matched the image they would embrace for theirfuture.The following two days, students spent time individually, in smallgroups and as a large group, learning about their assessmentresults, synthesizing the data and developing a short and long-range plan of action. Through interpretations of the

Conference Session

Design for Manufacture and Industry

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Betsy Aller, Western Michigan University; Alamgir Choudhury, Western Michigan University; James Kamman, Western Michigan University; Jorge Rodriguez, Western Michigan University; Mohammed Elsamawal, Western Michigan University; Michael Desjardins, Western Michigan University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

-based course design trend reflects industrypractice, where teamwork has become the prevalent mode5. During this bidding process, studentsare required to seek out the faculty who presented the project, with the goal of both learningmore about the project and allowing the faculty to get a sense of the best team for the project.The course coordinator encourages students to ask faculty advisors questions about projecttiming, budget, potential funding, objectives, etc. In the case where the project has an industrysponsor, be that for commercial purposes or for non-for-profit organization, students are urged toask about sponsor expectations, additional or unusual time lines, and specific design constraints.Naturally, not all of these questions can be

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Research

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Simeon Komisar, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Lupita Montoya, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

. Thefollowing weeks were spent refining the details of the design, building and subsequently testingand debugging the prototype. As the semester came to a close, design teams conducted the finalevaluations and demonstrations of their system design concept prototypes. Among issues toconsider, they reflected upon the design process and discussed how it impacts people in generalas well as any specific questions regarding their design. As Milestone 3, teams made final projectpresentations and submitted design documentation in the form of a written report. For those students who enjoyed this course experience, they could choose to continue theirinvolvement in similar projects by joining the Rensselaer chapter of Engineers for a SustainableWorld.Evaluation

Conference Session

Trend in Construction Engineering Education II

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Chinowsky, University of Colorado-Boulder; Hyman Brown, University of Colorado-Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Construction

thetransformation source. The constructor must understand that responses to these requirementshave effects that are not limited to the level at which they originate. Rather, decisions made ateither end of the source spectrum can significantly affect the entire spectrum. For example, adecision at the organization level to enhance the reputation of the organization throughexceptional quality will be reflected at the task level through increased implementation times atcritical project phases.Constituent ModifiersEach project contains requirements that must be addressed during the transformation process.For example, each project has a unique site on which it located, and each project has specificinfrastructure integration constraints such as traffic, electric

Conference Session

Industrial Collaboration & Applications in ET

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Loendorf, Eastern Washington University; Donald Richter, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

engineering and engineeringtechnology whether it is electrical, computer, or mechanical. It would have been impossible toaccomplish this goal of offering a real world engineering education without the generousassistance of many organizations through a series of collaborative efforts.Conclusions, Reflections, and the FutureThe success of Eastern Washington University’s program to build and furnish a new buildingshows that the new paradigm of forming collaborative partnerships with all of the stakeholders inengineering and engineering technology has great merit. By utilizing this new approach to thereoccurring problem of funding engineering education Eastern Washington University was ableto build a new state-of-the-art facility for its programs. This