Conference Session

Writing and Communication I: Innovative Models for Curriculum and Assessment

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marie Paretti, Virginia Tech; Lisa McNair, Virginia Tech; Diana George, Virginia Tech; kelly belanger, Virginia Tech; Lisa Norris, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

strategies for effectivelyincorporate writing and speaking into engineering courses1-41. The approaches include writing-to-learn exercises to enhance students’ mastery of technical concepts, individual courses thataddress specific types of documents and presentations (e.g., the design report, the laboratoryreport), and integrated curricula that support students throughout a curriculum. What all of theseapproaches share is a commitment to helping students learn to use writing productively in theirengineering careers. Whether it be an emphasis on writing to learn, where students come to seewriting as a tool for thinking, or introducing students to the types of genres common in aparticular discipline, engineering faculty are seeking ways to support

Conference Session

Writing and Communication I: Innovative Models for Curriculum and Assessment

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

April Kedrowicz, University of Utah

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

chemicalengineering and (2) the incremental, integrated approach in mechanical engineering. Aspreviously mentioned, CLEAR communication instruction varies by department throughout thecollege, with most departments utilizing an incremental, four-year approach to instruction.However, the Chemical Engineering Department’s curriculum constraints demand thatcommunication instruction occur during the senior capstone course. As such, these two differentapproaches to the development of communication competence are utilized and assessed.Implications of these findings to student learning and professional socialization are discussed.Chemical Engineering Intensive Capstone ExperienceCommunication instruction in the Chemical Engineering Department takes place largely in

Conference Session

Liberal Education Division Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carole Goodson, University of Houston; Susan Miertschin, University of Houston; Barbara Stewart, University of Houston; Luces Faulkenberry, University of Houston; Curtis Johnson, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

University, and an EdD in Curriculum and Instruction from Brigham Young University.Curtis Johnson, University of Houston Curtis D. Johnson is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Engineering Technology at the University of Houston. He received his BS in Physics from the University of California, Berkley and his PhD in Physics from the University of California Riverside. He recently completed the 7th edition of his text: Process Control Instrumentation Technology, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc. Page 12.928.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 Integrating Technology: Our

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary and Liberal Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Martello, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering; Jonathan Stolk, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

already overcrowded curriculum. This paper presents thegoals, design approach, implementation, and selected outcomes of one integrated project-basedcourse (using Paul Revere and other case studies to integrate materials science with the history oftechnology) and uses it to discuss the advantages of disciplinary integration, particularly withrespect to improved student self-direction and contextual understanding. Assessmentsadministered during and after class suggest that this integrated course successfully engenderedhigh student motivation along with an increase in student aptitudes over the course of thesemester without a corresponding loss of discipline-specific knowledge. The implementation ofthis integrated course and the evaluation of its

Conference Session

Liberal Education Division Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Meyer, Clarkson University; Dick Pratt, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

&U Greater Expectations project and the Clarkson Common Experience.In an earlier white paper on liberal education in engineering,5 Steneck, et al, considered threetypical curriculum delivery models and recommended the integration of all three models. TheCommon Experience curriculum incorporates each of these models in its implementation.Traditional Humanities and Social Science Courses: Courses addressing the various studentlearning outcomes in six areas of knowledge are predominantly from the humanities and socialsciences disciplines. However, these courses must address specific learning outcomes in one ormore of the knowledge areas, so the concept of humanities and social science courses, per se, isno longer relevant to the curriculum

Conference Session

Writing and Communication II: Practical Perspectives on Teaching and Assessment

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathleen Jernquist, U.S. Coast Guard Academy; David Godfrey, U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Todd Taylor, U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

Writing and Reading Center was established in 1986 to support USCGA’s sharedlearning outcome for Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC). Funded by the AlumniAssociation from the John and Erna Hewitt Endowment, the center supports writers at all classlevels and abilities. The Hewitt fund also supports an annual competition that requires allstudents to write substantial researched arguments during each of their four years. During theirthird-year, students write a paper as part of a required class in their major.In 2003 USCGA hired a full-time director and moved the center from the Department ofHumanities to the Department of Academic Resources to support WAC more effectively. Priorto 2003, the center was staffed by ten faculty members, primarily from

Conference Session

Approaches to Learning Outcomes Assessment in Liberal Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lorraine Fleming, Howard University; Kami Carey, Howard University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

during the design of an engineering project. It also examinedthe level of integration of that knowledge in project designs. The data gathered offers aglimpse of the characteristics of an integrative engineer and provides insight into the rolethat engineering educators play in producing engineers who are able to consistentlyutilize flexibility, adaptability, and resiliency to ultimately become lifelong learners.Overall, this research provides a framework for engineering educators for reforming theengineering classroom so that the curriculum is more meaningfully linked to thehumanities and social sciences courses from the liberal arts scope and technicalcomponents of the curriculum and thus enhancing the likelihood of developing reflective

Conference Session

Approaches to Learning Outcomes Assessment in Liberal Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steve Lappenbusch, University of Washington; Jennifer Turns, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

students a data-driven curriculum to guide their efforts at making connections would help students seethemselves as engineers. We assert portfolios are one way to satisfy our obligation as educatorsto design an engineering learning experience focused on the student and not the content.AcknowledgementsThis work has been supported by the National Science Foundation through grant REC-0238392,“Using portfolios to promote knowledge integration in engineering education.” The authorswish to thank all of our research participants and all members of the Laboratory for User-Centered Engineering Education for the insightful reviews and comments that helped to shapethis paper.References1 Loshbaugh, Heidi G., Ruth A. Streveler, Kimarie Engerman, Dawn Williams

Conference Session

Approaches to Learning Outcomes Assessment in Liberal Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kyle Oliver, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Traci Nathans-Kelly; Sandra Courter, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Laura Grossenbacher, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

AC 2007-866: FINDING A "PLACE" FOR READING AND DISCUSSIONCOURSES: DESIGN AND ASSESSMENT OF "SOCIAL AND ETHICAL IMPACTSOF TECHNOLOGY"Kyle Oliver, University of Wisconsin-Madison Kyle Oliver is a graduate student in the Department of Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.Traci Kelly, University of Wisconsin-Madison Dr. Traci Kelly is an Assistant Faculty Associate in the Department of Engineering Professional Development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.Sandra Courter, University of Wisconsin-Madison Dr. Sandra Courter is the Director of the Engineering Learning Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.Laura Grossenbacher, University of Wisconsin-Madison Dr

Conference Session

Liberal Education Division Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Walsh, California Polytechnic State University; Stacey Breitenbach, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

moretechnologically literate. The BA in Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies graduate works at thiscritical interface. This paper describes a pilot effort to design and deliver a curriculum that is thefruit of a multi-college collaboration. It details the collegial effort required to distill a functionalprogram from the ideas of an interested, variegated constituency. It treats challenges inimplementation in an academic environment which is allegedly steeped in disciplinaryparochialism.IntroductionModern society is technologically driven and technology centered. Thus, an understanding oftechnology, a technological literacy, is a critical prerequisite for full participation as a citizen inthe 21st Century world. Indeed, government rarely characterizes the key

Conference Session

Writing and Communication II: Practical Perspectives on Teaching and Assessment

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Luke Niiler; David Beams

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

‘highfunctional contexts.’”2 This paper is the third in a series of four planned EWI reports, and willdescribe these students’ further development and maturation as writers, with a particularemphasis on how findings may affect instructional practice with regard to writing. Page 12.810.2MethodologyWe continue to gather data, and results shown below should therefore be considered tentative.Student access continues to be an issue, now as in last year’s report. The work of fifteenfreshmen was studied during the 2004-2005 academic year; nine sophomores participated duringthe 2005-2006 academic year. To date, the work of seven students has been reviewed during