Conference Session

FPD9 -- Teaching Methods & Technology

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John K. Estell, Ohio Northern University; Beverly Jaeger, Northeastern University; Richard Whalen, SUSAN FREEMAN, and BEVERLY JAEGER are members of; Susan Freeman, Northeastern University; John-David Yoder, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

design tradeoffs, such as the realization that having a greater load-bearing capability will result in a higher cost due to the larger amount of materials required,which would thereby lower the cost criterion score. The traditional Tower of Straws activity istypically introduced, designed, constructed, and finished within a single class period. This shortamount of time is insufficient for students on a team to thoroughly perform many of the aspectsof engineering design being emphasized in our curriculum, such as the examination of alternatesolutions, performing an analysis to decide upon the best solution, and providing documentationof the specifications of their chosen design. This is the case in the first of the two times theTower activity is

Conference Session

FPD11 -- Multidisciplinary Experiences

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

W. David Harding, University of New Haven; Pauline schwartz, University of New Haven; Jean Nocito-Gobel, University of New Haven; Agamemnon Koutsospyros, University of New Haven

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

(EAS120) the group of disciplinesrepresented in the development phase included chemistry, biology, and relevant engineeringfields. This new course was developed to balance the requirement to incorporate relevant newcontent into the curriculum with the need to limit curriculum overload. This course wasdesigned to satisfy these constraints by integrating the relevant biological science materials intoan existing chemistry course. Since the new content represented about forty percent as muchmaterial as was included in the existing course, some of the existing content needed to beremoved. An additional constraint was then to make sure that content needed to prepare studentsfor follow-up courses was retained. This could be accomplished in two ways

Conference Session

FPD10 -- Pre-Engineering and Bridge Programs

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michele Grimm, Wayne State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

first year of the program, it was identified that many Bridge students lacked some basicskills in areas of Internet usage, technical problem solving, and study skills. Therefore, forstudents entering the program in Fall 2005, an additional course “Skills for Success inEngineering” (BE 0991) was added to the curriculum. This course was developed in cooperationwith the academic advising staff of the College of Engineering along with the University’sAcademic Success Center. Lectures focused on the use of university academic systems (e.g.Pipeline and BlackboardTM); development of an academic plan of work; time management, note Page 12.206.5taking

Conference Session

FPD8 -- Introductory Courses

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Darryl Morrell, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

vectors, and then matrices. An initiative tointroduce MATLAB to students in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department (MAE)at University of Florida was undertaken, and the effectiveness of several different formats for andtiming in the curriculum was evaluated.4 It was discovered that “low risk” courses (e.g. a coursethat is not perceived as a “weed-out” course) that relate directly to students’ other coursework arebetter received by students.The course that we have developed differs from previous MATLAB courses found in the literaturein several ways. First, it is a one credit-hour course rather than all or part of a three credit-hourcourse and thus covers significantly less content than courses found in the literature. Secondly,it is

Conference Session

FPD2 -- Highlighting First-Year Programs

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lynnane George, U.S. Air Force Academy; Robert Brown, U.S. Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

will provide an overview of the Engineering 100 curriculum, the systems engineeringdesign process taught, and a description of the capstone boost glider project. Since this is nowthe seventh year the course has been offered, course development, feedback, and improvementsto the course will also be discussed. The detail in this paper is intended to provide enoughinformation for others to use a similar model for course development.IntroductionThe purpose of Engineering 100 is twofold. The primary purpose is to introduce first-yearstudents to the USAFA engineering disciplines in the context of the systems engineering designprocess. Students integrate these disciplines using a semester-long boost glider design project.They must use aeronautical

Conference Session

FPD11 -- Multidisciplinary Experiences

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mehrube Mehrubeoglu, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi; Lifford McLauchlan, Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

the technicalskills, the students are also expected to develop soft skills that are necessary in the engineeringand technology fields, such as teamwork, ethical and professional responsibilities,communications, and time management, all deemed an integral part of the learning experience,and necessary by the ABET accreditation guidelines.Since introductory courses play an important role in student retention and success, there is a needto generate new ideas and develop creative teaching strategies to ensure student interest,attention and learning. Many groups studied innovative methods to achieve the desiredclassroom goals. The following section reviews some of the relevant findings in the literature.The proposed method and its pilot

Conference Session

FPD2 -- Highlighting First-Year Programs

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Schimmels, Marquette University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

: Recommendations for Urgent Action”, Report on Reports II, 20063. Moller-Wong, C., and A. Eide, “An Engineering Student Retention Study”, Journal of Engineering Education, January 1997.4. Besterfield-Sacre, M., C.J. Atman, and L.J. Shuman, “Characteristics of Freshman Engineering Students: Models for Determining Student Attrition in Engineering”, Journal of Engineering Education, April 1997.5. Olds, B.M., and R.L. Miller, “The Effects of a First-Year Integrated Engineering Curriculum on Graduation Rates and Student Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Study”, Journal of Engineering Education, January 2004.6. Smith, K.A., S.D. Sheppard, D.W. Johnson, and R.T. Johnson, “Pedagogies of Engagement: Classroom-Based

Conference Session

FPD9 -- Teaching Methods & Technology

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anthony Dean, Old Dominion University; Bonita Anthony, Old Dominion University; Linda Vahala, Old Dominion University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

retaining its students.1. Attrition may also be triggered by lack of student interest in, or enthusiasm for, the type of academic learning experience that characterizes the traditional engineering Page 12.180.5 curriculum.Retention Strategies: Faculty Development—promoting the use of “engaging” pedagogy Curriculum Development—promoting the design of “engaging” projects or modules. Collaboration between academic departments and career development services2. Attrition caused by an absence of personal and meaningful social contact with other members of the college community, resulting in feelings

Conference Session

FPD6 -- Early Intervention & Retention Programs

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Knight, University of Colorado at Boulder; Jacquelyn Sullivan, University of Colorado at Boulder; Beverly Louie, University of Colorado at Boulder

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

AC 2007-2076: EXPANDING UNDERSTANDING OF FIRST-YEARENGINEERING STUDENT RETENTION AND TEAM EFFECTIVENESSTHROUGH SOCIAL STYLES ASSESSMENTDaniel Knight, University of Colorado at Boulder Daniel W. Knight is the engineering assessment specialist at the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program and Laboratory. He holds a BS in psychology from Louisiana State University, and an MS degree in industrial/organizational psychology and PhD degree in counseling psychology, both from the University of Tennessee. Prior to joining the University of Colorado at Boulder, he gained extensive experience in assessment and teamwork in an engineering education context through the development and evaluation of a

Conference Session

FPD4 -- Hands-on & Real-World Studies

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Larry Bland, John Brown University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

many more going global every day. Engineers participate on global teams asindividuals are spread around the globe to implement complex projects. Globalization isexpanding our science and engineering labor force both by becoming more internationallydiverse and more internationally mobile.8 However, few universities have been intentional aboutintegrating global, cross-cultural education into the engineering curriculum.John Brown University has recognized the need to make global issues an integral part of thestudents’ education. In 2003, JBU embarked on Project Campus Globalization, a campus-wideendeavor designed to integrate global and cross-cultural elements into all department curriculaand into the campus culture. Campus Globalization received

Conference Session

FPD11 -- Multidisciplinary Experiences

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kauser Jahan, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

continuous improvement necessary forengineering education to meet these challenges.The ECT ProgramThis ECT (Engineering Clinics for Teachers) Program is a partnership between RowanUniversity’s Colleges of Engineering and Education to provide an Engineering Clinic experiencefor middle school teachers and guidance counselors. Modeled after the unique RowanEngineering Clinics4-5, it utilizes real world problem solving via simple cost effective activities.The overall objectives of the program are to:• Provide exposure to engineering careers and make engineering more relevant to middle school educators,• Ensure that teachers are academically prepared to successfully integrate engineering content into their existing curriculum,• Support

Conference Session

FPD7 -- Service Learning

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Promiti Dutta, Columbia University; Alexander Haubold, Columbia University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

undergraduate engineering students. This requires for integration of students fromvarying engineering disciplines and from different educational levels of their undergraduatetenure. Our program is focused to serve as an introduction to engineering design for first yearstudents with limited technical backgrounds in any specific realm of engineering. Furthermore,EPICS is not a mandatory component for students at Purdue. However, since our CSLP programis integrated into our mandatory first-year curriculum, we can ensure that each student is giventhe opportunity to participate.Our program is part of the National EPICS program. While we share the same vision as ourpartner institutions, our approaches vary significantly. We believe in the importance of

Conference Session

FPD8 -- Introductory Courses

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George List, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

they would with traditional techniques.” Bowen 13 describes an introductory class incomputing that is focused on MATLAB as a replacement for FORTRAN. As Bowen observes,“Inclusion of computer programming early in the curricula has been seen by the CivilEngineering faculty as a way of improving the students' skills in logical reasoning, application oftechnical knowledge, and quantitative problem solving.” The students “write MATLABprograms as an integral part of a structural design project where groups of students competeagainst one another to produce a truss-style balsa wood bridge having the highest profit.Throughout the semester a series of homework assignments require students to write MATLABprograms that calculate separate bridge

Conference Session

FPD12 -- Novel Approaches to First Year Programs

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cecelia Wigal, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga; Ignatius Fomunung, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga; Edwin Foster, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga; Ronald Goulet, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

. Page 12.1433.2This paper provides an overview of the UTC Design curriculum and the faculty supportedfreshmen projects and results. In addition, it discusses the additional learning the studentsexperience outside the expected course learning outcomes and the role this learning andexperience may have on student motivation. Also discussed is the benefit these projects have onthose participating in the upper level courses.Design at UTCThe elements of design are emphasized throughout UTC’s engineering curriculum, beginningwith the freshman year. At least ten credit hours are devoted to teaching (to all engineeringmajors) design concepts in an applied, interdisciplinary setting. At the freshmen level thestudents are introduced to the foundations of

Conference Session

FPD11 -- Multidisciplinary Experiences

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John-David Yoder, Ohio Northern University; Beverly Jaeger, Northeastern University; John K. Estell, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

. Integrating Communication and Engineering Education:A Look at Curricula, Courses, and Support Systems, Journal of Engineering Education, October2003, 325-238.[5] Sawyers, David and John-David Yoder, 2006. Teaching Technical Communication within aFreshman Engineering Course Sequence. Proceedings of the ASEE North Central SectionConference, Fort Wayne, IN, March 2006.[6] Yoder, John-David, David Sawyers, John K. Estell, and Laurie Laird, ProofreadingExercises to Improve Technical Writing in a Freshman Engineering Course, Proceedings of theASEE National Conference, Chicago, IL, June, 2006.[7] Ribando, Robert J. and Edward A. Weller, 1999. The Verification of an Analytical Solution:An Important Engineering Lesson, Journal of Engineering Education. 1999

Conference Session

FPD3 -- Professional Issues for First-Year Courses

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Karen High, Oklahoma State University; Rebecca Damron, Oklahoma State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

-Engineering curriculum. Dr. High is involved with the development of an undergraduate entrepreneurship program at Oklahoma State University.Rebecca Damron, Oklahoma State University REBECCA DAMRON earned her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1987 in South Asian Studies, her M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language in 1992 from Oklahoma State University, and her Ph.D. in Linguistics in 1997 from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Damron worked in the writing program in the department of English at the University of Tulsa from 1996-2001, and is currently an Assistant Professor of English and Director of the OSU Writing Center at Oklahoma State University. Her main research interests

Conference Session

FPD7 -- Service Learning

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Pagano, Western Michigan University; Amanda Rossman, Western Michigan University; Kendall Vasilnek, Western Michigan University; Betsy Aller, Western Michigan University; Edmund Tsang, Western Michigan University; Andrew Kline, Western Michigan University; Edward Brabandt, Western Michigan University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

explores not only thesuccess of one student design project stemming from applying the engineering design process in afirst-year engineering program, but also presents from our experience ways in which student learningand development can be enhanced in the first year and continued and augmented beyond the first-year experience.Introduction and Project ObjectivesIn the fall semester of 2005, 30 students enrolled in a three-credit (two hours lecture; two hourslaboratory per week) university course for first-year engineering students (ENGR 1010“Introduction to Engineering and Technology”) were instructed to complete a guided designproject, solving a real problem for a real “customer.” Their charge was to create an instructionaldevice to simulate x-ray

Conference Session

FPD10 -- Pre-Engineering and Bridge Programs

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cecelia Wigal, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga; Molly Littleton, Signal Centers

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

objectives as well as projectoutcomes from the 2005 and 2006 course offerings are provided. Student responses to theexperience are emphasized and the outcomes of this experience on student learning are Page 12.1432.2summarized.Design at UTCThe elements of design are emphasized throughout UTC’s engineering curriculum, beginningwith the freshman year. At least ten credit hours are devoted to teaching (to all engineeringmajors) design concepts in an applied, interdisciplinary setting. At the freshmen level thestudents are introduced to the foundations of design. At the sophomore level the students usedesign concepts to design, build, and test small

Conference Session

FPD4 -- Hands-on & Real-World Studies

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Ye, Polytechnic University; Ilya Brutman, Polytechnic University; Gunter Georgi, Polytechnic University; Lorcan Folan, Polytechnic University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

AC 2007-658: FRESHMAN PROJECT: AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLE(AUV)David Ye, Polytechnic University David Ye is a senior head teaching assistant in General Engineering. He expects to receive his BSEE from Polytechnic University in June 2007. His interests include robotics. He interned at Symbol Technologies researching wireless protocols and Power LEDs.Ilya Brutman, Polytechnic University Ilya Brutman is a teaching assistant in General Engineering. He expects to receive his BSCompE from Polytechnic University in June 2008.Gunter Georgi, Polytechnic University Gunter W. Georgi is an Industry Professor at Polytechnic University. He received his BS from Cooper Union and his MS and

Conference Session

FPD5 -- Placement & Early Success

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Beverly Jaeger, Northeastern University; Susan Freeman, Northeastern University; Richard Whalen, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

engineering design class. Each of the learning modes and activities were describedin a previous paper by the authors along with an assessment of related learning2. This workprovides examples of evaluating individual course components, identifies characteristics of someof the ostensibly successful learning modes, and proposes solutions to components and modespresently not hitting the mark. The hope is that other educators may identify with these learning-engagement patterns in their own courses and find opportunities to make considered adjustmentsin the interests of their course content and their population of learners.IntroductionHaving passed through multiple evaluations and iterations of our first-year engineering coursesat Northeastern University