Conference Session

FPD2 - First-Year Advising and Transition

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jean Kampe, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Whitney Edmister, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Christi Boone, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Bevlee Watford, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

team-based major design project was assigned (see Workshops for Week 1 in Table A1). In assigningcourse grades, there are two benchmarks that must be met to earn a non-F grade. The first is a60% or better individual grade on the team design project, and the second is earning 60% ormore of the available points for computer programming efforts. Additionally, an EngE2984course grade of C- or better is needed to meet the pre-requisite to continue to the nextengineering course(s); this is true for all freshman program courses. The main reason for offering this five-credit course is to move GE transfer students intotheir degree-granting departments as quickly as possible, so changing the course to a summeroffering was an obvious outcome from

Conference Session

1553 FPD3 - Computer & Programming Tools in First Year Instruction

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Illig, Clarkson University; John Hrynuk, Clarkson University; Matthew Pennington, Clarkson University; John P. Dempsey, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

suggestions on improvements to the course. The data from these three sources will beused to indicate the relative success of the revisions to lecture materials and laboratoryexperiments. These data have also shown further areas in which ES100 could be improved, andsome of the adjustments implemented for the Spring 2008 offering of the course will bediscussed.1. Introduction and Course FormatThe revisions to Clarkson’s ES100 course were made possible by a CCLI A&I grant from NSF.1This proposal’s intent was to promote a hands-on learning environment across the engineeringcurriculum, build self-confidence, promote teamwork and communication skills, and broaden therange of teaching styles to meet the needs of a diverse student population.1 The

Conference Session

FPD9 - First Year Learning & Assessment

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eric Johnson, Valparaiso University; Doug Tougaw, Valparaiso University; Kenneth Leitch, Valparaiso University; Barbara Engerer, Valparaiso University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

and the learning objectives underlyingeach is an essential first step to designing a first-semester engineering course.Traditionally, some first-year engineering courses have been similar to “freshman orientation”courses in other disciplines, which focus on skills such as time management, exam preparation,and, balancing work and social life.1 Such courses do not explicitly focus on engineering topics,but they provide engineering students with skills that will be valuable to them throughout theiracademic and professional careers.Another traditional approach for first-year engineering courses is to provide students with anoverview of the different engineering disciplines, helping them to select their major. Courses atuniversities such as

Conference Session

1553 FPD3 - Computer & Programming Tools in First Year Instruction

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Robertson, Arizona State University; Sarah Roux, Arizona State University; Vivek Ramanathan, Arizona State University; Mark Rager, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

paper presents a combined student-faculty appraisal of analternative approach that covers these issues within the context of systems projects as the core ofa 3-credit freshman class. The outcomes affirmed that a freshman group could analyze complexsystems and that it is a good way to stimulate interest in electronics as a career.A new approach to electronic systemsIt is all too easy to take the steady evolution of electronics technology for granted. The 43-year-old rhythm of Moore’s Law 1 continues to provide products with greater functionality at vastlylower cost and better reliability. It is the drumbeat of technology development that leads to morecomplex systems at affordable cost and thus to increased productivity and wider applications

Conference Session

FPD10 - Freshman Engineering Introduction to Design

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Montgomery, University of Michigan; Rodney Johnson, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

intervention as needed.In this paper, we provide details on the teaching of our course, and share insights that shouldhelp others planning to teach a similar course in the future.Course overviewThe outcomes that all students in the “Introduction to Engineering” course are expected toachieve are outlined in Table 1 and shown in more detail in the Appendix.It is worth noting that most of these outcomes do not lend themselves well to a purely cognitiveapproach—that is one that focuses on transferring knowledge from instructor to student. In fact,it is sometimes difficult to specify exactly what the “knowledge” component of design,teamwork or communication should be. Instead, we focus on developing students’ skill andconfidence as practitioners in these

Conference Session

FPD6 - First Year Curricula Development

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregory Wight, Norwich University; R. Danner Friend, Norwich University; Jacques Beneat, Norwich University; William Barry, Norwich University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

. The ABET criterion 3 outcomes are a driving force inmaking sure the course outcomes are appropriate.Freshman Engineering courses have undergone significant evolution in the past few decades. Inrecent years great emphasis has been placed upon broadening the freshman engineeringexperience and improving retention in engineering programs. Several programs have madesignificant changes in recent years to address these issues. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9 Many programs are lessskills-based instruction and more project-based instruction with an emphasis on problem solvingand engineering design. 1, 6,7,8 The United States Air Force Academy, as well as otherinstitutions, have taken a multidisciplinary approach in the first year by making the course opento or required

Conference Session

FPD9 - First Year Learning & Assessment

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Whalen, Northeastern University; Susan Freeman, Northeastern University; Beverly Jaeger, Susan Freeman and Beverly Jaeger are members of Northeastern University's

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

rating system, providing the necessary quantitative analysis to determine the rank of learn(potential to convey concepts) and like (level of engagement) for each of the learning modes. As noted, theresearch focused on a first-year design course and results revealed a wide array of learning and engagementlevel combinations for the activities used in the course. Each mode was profiled with a learn-likedesignation using a correlation metric. It was not surprising that many of the learning modes in the highlearn/high like quadrant touch upon multiple learning styles and those in the low learn/low like quadrantaddressed only a limited scope of the students’ learning styles. The options suggested for handling thelow/low modes were to (1) eliminate the

Conference Session

FPD1 - Early Success and Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy Bell, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Moshe Kam, Drexel University; Joan Carletta, University of Akron; Douglas Gorham, IEEE

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

and managementof the RWEP program. EA is comprised of full-time IEEE staff members and IEEE volunteermembers working together on IEEE’s education programs.The RWEP program employs a two-step, peer-reviewed (double-blind) process for soliciting andawarding the projects. First, abstracts are solicited and reviewed. Selected abstracts are theninvited for proposal submission. Next, proposals are reviewed. Finally, selected proposals areawarded and authors are invited to submit the full project implementation.The abstract submission is a one-page document that includes the following. 1. Project title. 2. Introduction to the technical problem addressed by the project. 3. Impact of the problem’s solution on society

Conference Session

FPD2 - First-Year Advising and Transition

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kate Baxter, University of Southern California; Louise Yates, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Conference Session

FPD5 - Teaming and Peer Performance

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Claribel Bonilla, University of San Diego; Leonard Perry, University of San Diego

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

function on multi-disciplinaryteams". Recognizing the importance of teams in industry, engineering education has begun tofocus more effort on this desired student outcome.1, 2, 3 Experts also agree on the importance ofinvolving undergraduates in teamwork.4, 5, 6 Seat and Lord observed that while industry seldomcomplains about the technical skills of engineering graduates, industrial employers and educatorsare often concerned with performance skills such as interpersonal, communication, and teaming.7The key to a successful team is the ability of each team member to develop their team skillsduring the life of the team activity or project. The well known Tuckman model provides stagesfor team transformation (forming, storming, norming, performing

Conference Session

FPD4 - Teaching Methods for First Year Students

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

J. Roger Parsons, University of Tennessee-Knoxville; Rachel McCord, University of Tennessee-Knoxville; J. Elaine Seat, University of Tennessee-Knoxville; Thomas Scott, University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

sensitivity to applying collaborative learning techniques. This curriculum waspiloted for two years (1997-8) and then fully implemented with all first year engineeringstudents beginning in 1999. This curriculum accommodated students who were notcalculus ready, although to begin the first course, students had to qualify for pre-calculus,one semester behind the “showcase” starting point. Page 13.314.4Basic demographic data, entering high school grade point averages, math component ofACT, and number of males and females, for our two student groups are shown in Table 1.Other than this change in approach to first year engineering education, there were nochanges

Conference Session

FPD9 - First Year Learning & Assessment

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joe Guarino, Boise State University; Janet Callahan, Boise State University; Seung Youn Chyung, Boise State University; Randi Walters, Boise State University; Bill Clement, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

simulationsused in this project are illustrated in Figures 1 through 5. All of the simulations, with theexception of the Materials Science simulation, were interactive. The simulations were embeddedinto the engineering modules of Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Vectors, CivilEngineering, and Electrical Engineering. A sixth engineering module (Matrices) was included inthe course, but had no simulation. Student use of the simulations took place in a computer lab inthe constant presence of a professor. The professor interacted with each student, providingguided feedback on their use of the computer simulations and their overall progress in meetingthe objectives of each engineering module

Conference Session

1553 FPD3 - Computer & Programming Tools in First Year Instruction

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jess Everett, Rowan University; John Chen, Rowan University; Stephanie Farrell, Rowan University; Jennifer Kadlowec, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

, lending more evidence to the efficacy of the clickers.Caldwell13 generally agrees with previous survey results that found clicker use in the classroomleads to improved student attitude, attendance, retention, and, perhaps, exam scores and studentlearning. She points out that the vast majority of the evidence that exists was not collectedsystematically enough to draw scientific conclusions, and it is possible that the alteration of theteaching methodology due to clicker use or even a ‘Hawthorne effect’ may be responsible for thepositive findings. Caldwell points to three possible explanations for positive effects of clickers:(1) Increased active participation in class, (2) elimination of the ‘house of cards’ effect, in whichstudents build poor new

Conference Session

FPD6 - First Year Curricula Development

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kerry Meyers, University of Notre Dame; John Uhran, University of Notre Dame; Catherine Pieronek, University of Notre Dame; Dan Budny, University of Pittsburgh; John Ventura, Christian Brothers University; Patricia Ralston, University of Louisville; John K. Estell, Ohio Northern University; Constance Slaboch, University of Notre Dame; Brenda Hart, University of Louisville; Rebecca Ladewski, University of Notre Dame

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

thegoals of this complex first-year experience. This paper elaborates upon three specific discussionpoints that have emerged from these summer workshops, including: (1) the relationship betweenpersistence in engineering and the first year experience; (2) how to prepare first-year students to“stay the course”; and (3) trends in first year engineering program design. Finally, this paperwill discuss the attendance at and feedback received from the workshops so that otheruniversities can consider this as an opportunity to host their own regional first-year engineeringworkshop.Background & IntroductionMany of today’s engineering educators recognize the need to develop a first-year engineeringcurriculum that takes into consideration the diverse

Conference Session

FPD9 - First Year Learning & Assessment

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jim Chamberlain, Clemson University; Lisa Benson, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

student. In this case the objectof study is not the phenomenon per se, but the relationship between the subject and thephenomenon. Figure 1 shows how there are a number of different ways that students maythink of themselves in engineering, using categories. Page 13.643.5 What about engineering as a Can I imagine curriculum? myself as an engineer? How important are

Conference Session

FPD5 - Teaming and Peer Performance

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jon Carson, Pennsylvania State University - Wilkes-Barre

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

a typical semester. Eachproject used the skills developed during the semester with the final project as the most complexwith a formal report, full set of drawings, web page, presentation, and a physical model asproject deliverables.The subject matter of the projects has been dependent on the student mix, current events, andavailable materials. Topics have included; 1. Energy applications such as evaluation of the cost of photovoltaic solar collectors, calculation of an individual’s carbon footprint, and comparison of gasoline costs. 2. Design of a handicapped assessable residential bathroom. 3. Creating a scale model of the I35W bridge center span for testing on a universal testing machine. 4. Autonomous controlled

Conference Session

FPD9 - First Year Learning & Assessment

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Halada, State University of New York at Stony Brook

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

of extraneous factors on student responses.Background:Engineering coursework has historically suffered from a perception of being rather uninteresting,mathematically weighty, and dominated by memorization of equations and rote theories. Thisperception has resulted in difficulties in recruiting underrepresented groups to the engineeringfield (and retaining them), and in motivating students and maintaining high retention rates ingeneral, especially through the first two years of engineering education. This is especially truewhen course activities are not designed to enhance self-efficacy (defined as a student’s ability tobelieve that he or she can play a leading role in building his or her own learning gains)1. In fact,belief in self has been

Conference Session

FPD6 - First Year Curricula Development

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jon Sticklen, Michigan State University; Mark Urban-Lurain, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

standard manner for ouruniversity. One paper form was used for student ratings of TAs. Students identified their labsection on the form. The form consisted of five specific questions (coded on a 5-point Likertscale from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree) and one general rating question: 1. The teaching assistant was available and willing to help the student. 2. The teaching assistant was prepared for class sessions and enthusiastic about teaching the course section. 3. The teaching assistant organized and explained the materials for this section well and generally displayed a high level of competency in the subject matter of the course. 4. The teaching assistant

Conference Session

FPD6 - First Year Curricula Development

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura Ruhala, University of Southern Indiana; Richard Ruhala, University of Southern Indiana; Eric Sprouls, University of Southern Indiana

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

State were most closely studied due to their successful developmentof breadth and depth in their respective multi-disciplinary curricula.Emphases are offered in civil, electrical or mechanical engineering through the engineeringelectives courses shown in Figure 1. The students select their emphasis during their second yearin the four-year program. As an example of the breadth of the program, students with anemphasis in electrical engineering must take a fluid mechanics class, while civil engineers take aclass in circuits. Input from our Engineering Advisory Board, consisting of engineers fromregional companies, indicates that the employers of our graduates value this breadth ofmpqyngfig"kp"vjg"gornq{ggu"vjcv"vjg{"jktg"ykvj"dcejgnqtÓu"fgitggu0

Conference Session

FPD8 - Early Intervention & Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robin Hensel, West Virginia University; J. Ryan Sigler, West Virginia University; Andrew Lowery, West Virginia University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Math Intervention to Enhance Engineering RetentionAbstractSince difficulty or failure in calculus is one reason students leave engineering during theirfreshman year, improving student performance and retention in Calculus 1 is expected to have apositive affect on freshman engineering retention. By identifying those engineering studentswho are having difficulty in calculus early in the semester, targeted interventions can beprovided to help them successfully complete the course. For those who still withdraw midwaythrough the semester, a one-credit mid-semester calculus preparation course can help them betterprepare for their second attempt.Supported by funding through a four-year NSF Grant, the WVU College of Engineering andMineral Resources

Conference Session

FPD4 - Teaching Methods for First Year Students

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Hall, Louisiana Tech University; Stan Cronk, Louisiana Tech University; Patricia Brackin, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Mark Barker, Louisiana Tech University; Kelly Crittenden, Louisiana Tech University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

can be undertaken.The Freshman Engineering CurriculumIn 1998 the College of Engineering and Science moved to an integrated engineering curriculumbased on the educational practices of the National Science Foundation Educational Coalitions16.Along with our freshman engineering course sequence, our freshman integrated curriculumincludes differential and integral calculus courses, basic chemistry lecture and laboratorycourses, and a calculus-based physics course, as summarized in Table 1; students also typicallyenroll in several non-technical courses during the freshman year. The freshman integratedcourses are taken in “blocks” so that classes of 40 students share the same sections of eachmathematics, science and engineering course during each

Conference Session

FPD7 - Global Warming & Sustainability for First-Year Students

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Blair Rowley, Wright State University; Kumar Yelamarthi, Central Michigan University; Thomas Bazzoli, Wright State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

, wind, and hydrogen fuel cells asenergy sources and a writing across the curriculum assignment on global warming.The paper includes the revised structure of the lectures and labs, how the video is integrated, andthe response of the students through their writing across the curriculum assignment. Details onthe pre and post perception survey has been submitted as a separate paper.IntroductionThe emphasis for this effort came about because the common freshman book chosen at ouruniversity for the 2007-2008 academic year had its focus on global warming. This was formerVice President Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”. [1] The book has a compelling presentationof data related to the causes and effects of global warming. There is also a companion DVD

Conference Session

FPD10 - Freshman Engineering Introduction to Design

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Swanbom; David Hall, Louisiana Tech University; Kelly Crittenden, Louisiana Tech University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

centrifugal pump project, as depicted in Figure 1, is the first major project in the freshmancurriculum and is designed to provide a vehicle with which to show the practical importance oftools used in engineering. Engineering software tools covered in the first course in the freshmansequence are solid modeling (with Solid Edge®), spreadsheets (with Excel®), and computeralgebra (with Mathcad®). All three of these software programs are required for the completionof the centrifugal pump project. Engineering fundamentals covered in the first course in thefreshman sequence include basic circuits, linear regression, and conservation of energy. Thetesting phase of the pump project requires that students apply knowledge of each of these threeengineering

Conference Session

FPD8 - Early Intervention & Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joyce Lee, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Jacob Marszalek, University of Missouri-Kansas City; Annel Medina, California Polytechnic State University; Susan Linnemeyer, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

increased student diversityas one of the major goals within its strategic plan (Adesida, 2007; University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign Strategic Plan, 2007). However, the percentages of students who areAfrican American and Latino/a in the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign have remained consistently low in comparison to the other top engineeringschools in the nation and the national average as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 below(Engineering and technology enrollments, 2005). Page 13.1104.4Figure 1. Percentage of African Americans in B.S. Programs at Top Engineering Schools in theNation (Engineering and

Conference Session

FPD4 - Teaching Methods for First Year Students

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sean Brophy, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

instructors and researchers at the university. Therefore, students learn to developprogramming and algorithm design skills as part of the course. The large cohort of students isdivided into four sections; one of the sections is taught by the author. Students attend twolectures a week prior to going to a 2 hour lab. The lectures provide an introduction to newconcepts that are applied and expended on later in the lab. Students develop their problemsolving skills of open-ended, ill structured problems through an experimental curricular approachfor STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) learning called Model ElicitingActivities (MEA)1. An MEA presents a complex challenge that requires the development of amathematical model as part of the

Conference Session

FPD10 - Freshman Engineering Introduction to Design

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Silas Bernardoni, University of Wisconsin- Madison; Amit Nimunkar, University of Wisconsin - Madison; John Murphy, University of Wisconsin- Madison; Sandra Courter, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

this course, students should have: [1] 1. An elementary knowledge of the disciplines in engineering, especially the undergraduate programs and extracurricular opportunities available at the our university; 2. A basic understanding of/and experience in the steps and techniques of engineering design; 3. Awareness of some ethical, social, political, and economic influences on and impacts of engineering design; 4. Emerging skills in written and/or oral communication related to engineering design; Page 13.1108.2 5. Introductory skills in teamwork with peers; 6. Preliminary development of habits of mind that engineering

Conference Session

FPD2 - First-Year Advising and Transition

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig Gunn, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Conference Session

FPD2 - First-Year Advising and Transition

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Romkey, University of Toronto

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

“I would have liked more detail about the program content (e.g. course material) prior to starting” Nothing “No preparation would have helped, only the experience teaches you” Gone through a private school, AP or IB “Gone to an elite private school, i.e. Upper Canada College”Other suggestions from the students included learning skills in time management, independentlearning, and specific preparation for the new style in teaching at the university.Students were asked about the most challenging components of learning in their program. Theirchoices, in order of most to least frequently selected, were: 1) Nature of assessment type 2) Changes in non-academic life 3) Independent learning 4

Conference Session

FPD10 - Freshman Engineering Introduction to Design

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Phil Schlosser, Ohio State University; Michael Parke, Ohio State University; John Merrill, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

culminates with competitions among teams, concluding with an oral presentation byeach team on lessons learned and recommended design and construction improvements. Thispaper emphasizes how students who have little or no prior engineering experience conceptualizeand represent a complex design problem and how they use both theoretical models and actualtest data to make informed design decisions.IntroductionIn 2001, the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University introduced significant changesinto the curriculum for all first-year engineering students, with the addition of hands-onlaboratory projects and team-based design and build projects1,2. The motivations for doing so atthe first-year level were threefold: (1) to achieve significant

Conference Session

1553 FPD3 - Computer & Programming Tools in First Year Instruction

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

W. David Harding, University of New Haven; Samuel Daniels, University of New Haven

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

project scheduling with Outlook are discussed.IntroductionIn 2004 the EAS109 Project Planning & Development course was developed and implemented toprovide early exposure to project management skills essential to all engineering students. Thecourse was organized around two major projects to keep student interest while developing keytechnical skills.1 Initially, Microsoft Excel (Excel) was used to organize and schedule the teamactivities and projects for the course. Surprisingly, the students lacked even the most basicorganizational skills which was noted in the repeated out of class team meeting and organizationproblems. Student prioritization was clearly askew with the academic demands. Variousattempts to remedy the organizational problems