Conference Session

How to Effectively Teach Using Teams

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Burian, University of Utah; Pedro Romero, University of Utah; Steven Bartlett, University of Utah

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

rapid departmental growth. ‚ Enhance students’ data analysis abilities and reinforce technical concepts by reducing time spent learning course-specific laboratory formatting and procedural requirements. ‚ Improve the quality of technical writing and report organization by using team leader oversight, team participation and accountability, peer review, and direct instructor-to- student feedback. ‚ Develop interpersonal and leadership skills through team laboratory experience, resolving conflicts and barriers and exercising leadership.The approach developed for implementation in the 2005-06 academic year included (1) the useof a department-consistent laboratory report format, (2) the introduction of additional

Conference Session

How to Effectively Teach Using Teams

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vincent Drnevich, Purdue University; John Norris, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

model usesdeviations (greater than or less than) from the centroid, essentially the middle point for allvalues. The BSTAM software can do this by writing the same constraint twice, first goal forpenalizing below the target and a second goal for penalizing above the target. These twoformulations are essentially similar since penalizing team levels above or below a target valuewill tend to bring the teams close to the average or target value essentially accomplishing thesame objective.Current techniques for solving binary variables and a quadratic objective function create difficultproblems in optimization, as pointed out in the literature (Bhadury et al., 2000)5. The BSTAMsource code is written in Visual Basic for Applications within Microsoft

Conference Session

Implementing the Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge into Courses and Curricula

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter Hoadley, Professor @ VMI

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

professional engineer.”3 Appropriate attitudes are also necessary. Attitudesdetermine how an engineer uses knowledge and skills and they reflect one’s values and how oneperceives and reacts to the world.4 Johnston5 writes, “An attitude is simply a predisposition toapproach or avoid an idea, event, person or object. In other words, it is a tendency to act in oneway or another toward an ‘attitude object.’" Attitudes do not exist in a vacuum; they require anobject toward which to act. Attitudes can be positive and negative and either might beappropriate given the object toward which the attitude acts.Several have shown that “attitudes” are important in the effective use of knowledge and skillswhen accomplishing engineering tasks. Elms noted that “besides

Conference Session

Preparing Civil Engineering Students for a Flat World

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Ledlie Klosky; Stephen Ressler, U.S. Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

institutional focus on honorable behavior is considerable.After considerable deliberation, the independent-study grading model was adopted, with themodification that the student would face the same final exam as his peers, and that the score onthat final would be a major factor in determining the final grade. This philosophy of evaluationcan be summarized as flexible but verifiable. It was particularly important that the grading andevaluation scheme be relatively “bulletproof”, given that this was a test case and might drawconsiderable scrutiny from unforeseen persons or organizations. The shared closely-proctoredfinal exam administered at the home institution upon return was judged to be fair, illustrative ofthe student’s level of achievement, and

Conference Session

How to Effectively Teach Using Teams

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ricardo Jacquez, New Mexico State University; Veera Gnaneswar Gude, New Mexico State University; Adrian Hanson, New Mexico State University; Michele Auzenne, New Mexico State University; Sarah Williamson, New Mexico State University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

the SI session and toencourage more students to attend the session. A summary of the student participation ispresented in Table 3. Student participation in the Fall 2006 semester decreased by 50%percent as compared to the trend observed in previous semesters. This change may havebeen influenced by factors such as peer influence, work-class schedule conflicts, personallife situations, or preference for an independent working style.Table 3. Summary of Student Participation in the SI Process Fall 2005-Spring 2006 Fall Spring Fall Semester 2005 2006 2006 No. of students in the class 29

Conference Session

How to Effectively Teach Using Teams

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristopher Lengieza, Weitz Golf International; Jennifer Caffrey, Pennoni Associates Inc.; Gerard Lennon, Lehigh University; John Ochs, Lehigh University; Joe Sterrett, Lehigh University; Vincent Munley, Lehigh University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

. Copies of the three project reports are availablefrom the authors1,2,3.B. Learning ObjectivesUpon completion of this course the student should be able to: 1. Work effectively as a member of an interdisciplinary project design team, bringing unique skills perspectives and background not shared by all team members, and using information provided outside the student’s own background to complete the design. 2. Carry out a sports facility design including the evaluation of considerations such as economics, ethics, societal, environmental impacts, and constructability. 3. Write a project report that is of a quality commonly found to be acceptable in the engineering profession. 4. Orally present the results of an

Conference Session

Preparing Civil Engineering Students for a Flat World

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrea Welker, Villanova University; Lance Kenney, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

having studied overseas for at least a semester). The number ofsummer programs has also doubled in that time, jumping from nine to 18. These totals led toVillanova University this year being ranked fourth nationally by Open Doors6 in its category foroverseas student totals. In 2001, Villanova (like many of its peer schools) adopted a home tuitionpolicy. Under the home tuition policy, students participating in overseas education programs paythe standard Villanova tuition regardless of the overseas location. Students may apply theirVillanova financial aid to study abroad, just as they do when studying on campus.The Mission Statement of the OIS is as follows: The Office of International Studies and Overseas Programs fulfills the

Conference Session

How to Effectively Teach Using Teams

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shashi Nambisan, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

. 10. NOTE: Senior design projects were eligible to compete for cash prizes in a College of Engineering wide senior design competition which is held twice a year. This competition specifically recognizes projects that demonstrate creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation, and also address marketability of the “product.”Each team was required to document in writing its team activities and meetings. Instructions forthe same are summarized in Figure 3.Project ScheduleThe following is a summary of the process / logistics involved with the Senior Design project forthe Spring 2006 and Summer 2006 terms. 1. Develop a "Problem Statement" to present to the students in the Senior Design class. This needs to be done by

Conference Session

Preparing Civil Engineering Students for a Flat World

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carsten Ahrens, F.H. OOW

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

practice7. Capacity for generating new ideas (creativity)8. Capacity to adapt to new situations9. Capacity to learn10. Critical and self-critical abilities11. Decision-making12. Elementary computing skills (word processing, database, other utilities)13. Ethical commitment14. Interpersonal skills15. Knowledge of a second language16. Oral and written communication in your native language17. Research skillsPlease rank below the five most important competences according to your opinion. Please write the number of the itemwithin the box. Mark on the first box the most important, on the second box the second most important and so on.Table 3: Questionnaire concerning generic competences for employers, societies, academicsThe results have been very