Conference Session

Engineering and Math Potpouri

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Schmeelk, Virginia Commonwealth University; Jean Hodges, VCU\Qatar Campus

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

AC 2008-76: TECHNIQUES MOTIVATING PROJECT-DIRECTEDMATHEMATICSJohn Schmeelk, Virginia Commonwealth University Dr. John Schmeelk is a Professor of Mathematics at Virginia Commonwealth University at the Doha, Qatar branch campusJean Hodges, VCU\Qatar Campus Ms. Jean Hodges is an Assistant Professor in English at Virginia Commonwealth University at the Doha, Qatar branch campus. Page 13.1184.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 IMPLEMENTING TECHNIQUES FOR PROJECT-DIRECTED MATHEMATICSAbstractThis study is the third in a series examining ways to motivate learning of

Conference Session

Integrating Math, Science and Engineering

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hong Liu, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

courses teach students to work on well-defined andoversimplified problems. Average college students believe that the solution to all problemssimply implies finding the right formulas and plugging data into those formulas. Consequently,the learning of mathematics comes down to remembering formulas. Given application problemswhere the solutions are not based on formula association, most students do not know how to starttheir work. With the increasing complexity of postmodern technology, bridging the gap betweenreal-world problems and problems in textbooks becomes an increasingly critical pedagogicalissue. Berkey and Vernescu 1 presented an extensive survey about the curriculum reform effortof project-oriented education in 30 years. Many articles

Conference Session

Innovative Instructional Strategies

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Taskin Padir, Lake Superior State University; Kimberly O. Muller, Lake Superior State University; Collette Coullard, Lake Superior State University

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

, second-order linear equations withconstant coefficients, Laplace transforms, and systems of first-order equations. The emphasis ison the real-life modeling applications of differential equations.The small size and highly diverse population of the classroom provide opportunities for studentsto work on modeling applications of differential equations within an interdisciplinary team. Thefinal projects incorporated into the course cover topics ranging from earth sciences to vehiclesystems, electrical circuits to robotics. Given the fact that the course material has an emphasis onlinear ordinary differential equations, the final projects are utilized to introduce more advancedtopics such as model nonlinearities, parameter uncertainties and numerical

Conference Session

Bridging and Freshman Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wendy James, Oklahoma State University; Karen High, Oklahoma State University

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

AC 2008-1277: FRESHMAN-LEVEL MATHEMATICS IN ENGINEERING: AREVIEW OF THE LITERATURE IN ENGINEERING EDUCATIONWendy James, Oklahoma State University Wendy James is a PhD student in the College of Education at Oklahoma State University. Currently she has a fellowship promoting collaboration between the College of Education and OSU's Electrical and Computer Engineering department on an NSF funded curriculum reform project called Engineering Students for the 21st Century. She has her M.S. in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership from OSU, and her B.B.S. in Mathematics Education from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. She has taught math and math education classes at both the high school and

Conference Session

Innovative Instructional Strategies

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sabina Jeschke, University of Stuttgart; Akiko Kato, Technische Universitaet Berlin; Olivier Pfeiffer, Technische Universitaet Berlin; Erhard Zorn, Technische Universitaet Berlin

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

as a research assistant and since 2006 as a postdoctoral researcher and assistant lecturer. Her recent field of research is focused on new didactic and educational methods in teaching mathematics and engineering sciences.Olivier Pfeiffer, Technische Universitaet Berlin Olivier Pfeiffer received his M.Sc. in Mathematics at the Berlin University of Technology in 2002. His thesis in numerical mathematics investigated “Error Control using Adaptive Methods for Elliptic Control Problems in Matlab”. He has been working in several eLearning projects at the TU Berlin, beginning as a student assistant in the Mumie project - a platform using new pedagogical concepts to support teaching of

Conference Session

Bridging and Freshman Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Phillip Mlsna, Northern Arizona University; Janet McShane, Northern Arizona University; Jennifer Maynard, Northern Arizona University; Maya Lanzetta, Northern Arizona University; Chester Ismay, Northern Arizona University; Sarah Brown, Northern Arizona University

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

the basis of our TIMES project: Training Intuition in Math for EngineeringSuccess. Measurement of the improvements in student mathematical abilities as well as rates ofretention and academic success are very important goals of the project.The TIMES project is a significant pilot effort that has potential for broader implementation infields beyond engineering. TIMES consists of several different types of activities, all focusedupon improving targeted math and conceptual reasoning skills in the students. The overallstrategy is to give the students the guidance, help, and training on an individual basis as much aspossible. The focus lies upon the individual student’s needs and how he or she can achieve thebest gains in the topic skills. The

Conference Session

Engineering and Math Potpouri

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bertram Pariser, Technical Career Institute, Inc.; Cyrus Meherji, Technical Career Institute, Inc.

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

The MP4 file format is around 166MB (uses H.264, 30fps, 640x480)The intent of the H.264/AVC project was to create a standard capable of providing goodvideo quality at substantially lower bit rates than previous standards (e.g. half or less the bitrate of MPEG-2, H.263, or MPEG-4 Part 2),The video conversions were done using the free download from AVS Video Convertor 5.63The video lecture is on the web and can be seen by going tohttp://www.tcicampus.net/userfolder/bpariser and clicking on Video Lectures. Our students like the ideathat they can slow down the lecture, stop and rewind the lecture and go over it until they get it. Thelecture is well received and this TAC-ABET outcome objective has increase from 50% to 75

Conference Session

Innovative Instructional Strategies

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Martha Allen, Georgia College & State University; Amy Kelley, Georgia College & State University

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

AC 2008-2711: CHALLENGES AND INNOVATIONS IN TEACHING LINEARALGEBRAMartha Allen, Georgia College & State University Dr. Martha Allen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, Georgia. She received her Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of South Carolina in 2001. She was selected as a 2001-2002 Project NExT National Fellow. Project NExT (New Experiences in Teaching) is a Mathematical Association of America program for new or recent Ph.D.s in mathematics. Dr. Allen is currently serving as co-director of the MAA's Southeastern Section NExT program. In 2005, Dr. Allen was the recipient of the university-wide

Conference Session

The Use of Computers in Teaching Mathematics

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jayathi Raghavan, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach; Leslie Sena, Bethune Cookman College; Hong Liu, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach; David Bethelmy, Bethune Cookman College

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

concepts through basic ideal examples typically found in textbooks. Eachsubsequent module in that level will slowly relax unrealistic assumptions, thus increasing thenumber of related variables and ultimately resulting in a problem close to real world application.Thus, within a given level, module sets contain modules that vary in complexity and abstractionfrom simple and concrete to complex and highly abstract. The final module at the expert levelwill be comparable to a capstone course project requiring complex modeling for solving a real-world application.One of the pedagogical requirements for module development is that the module be inquirybased and introduce problems, and sub problems, by posing questions. The module will thenguide students

Conference Session

Integrating Math, Science and Engineering

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregg Janowski, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Melinda Lalor, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Hassan Moore, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

around authentic problems, projects, and cases. Collaborative teamwork should be emphasized along with individual work, and contextualized reasoning should be emphasized rather than abstract reasoning.Several well-known instructional models involve learning cycles which embrace these premises.Two of the best known are those of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model9, and The Star LegacyModule, developed at Vanderbilt University10. Both Kolb’s Model and The Star Legacy Moduleinvolve initial challenges or problems to establish a “need to know” and provide context,presentation and discussion of pertinent principles, resources, observations and problem solvingapproaches, guided hands-on practice, exploration of consequences and

Conference Session

Bridging and Freshman Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dale Buechler, University of Wisconsin-Platteville; Christa James-Byrnes, University of Wisconsin - Barboo/Sauk County

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

comparing the average GPA of engineering graduates who tooktheir initial coursework at the UW-Colleges (3.17), versus those who took all their coursework atUW-Platteville (3.12) shows that the UW-Colleges provide quality foundation for engineeringstudents.We plan to communicate additional results from this on-going project as data becomes available. Page 13.1059.7ConclusionThe UW-Colleges still play an essential role in the education of future engineers. They provideopportunities for students who have deficiencies in their mathematics background. In general,they allow for an easier transition for students from high school to college offering

Conference Session

The Use of Computers in Teaching Mathematics

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jenna Carpenter, Louisiana Tech University; Brian Camp, Louisiana Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

into their course in avariety of ways. The calculus course coordinators generally cfxkug"vjcv"c"uvwfgpvÓu"YgDYqtM"grade count for no more than 10% of their overall course grade. In addition to WeBWorK, someof the calculus courses also utilize a web-based tutorial system called ALEKS, and somerctvkekrcvg"kp"vjg"wpkxgtukv{Óu"Uwrrngogptal Instruction Program.OpportunitiesTwo of the primary goals of this project were: 1) to increase student mastery of course content,and 2) to increase individual student accountability on out-of-class assignments. Whenhomework problems are assigned out of the textbook, students usually attempt each problemonce or twice. They will often spend more time on those problems which have an answer printedat the back of the

Conference Session

Innovative Instructional Strategies

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alejandra J. Magana; Sean Brophy, Purdue University; Timothy Newby, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

required. After interacting forabout 20 minutes, the full class reassembled and each team shared their work with the rest of theclass. They presented the results by each member of the team pointing in the scale projected onthe blackboard, different positions of their set of objects that composed their proportionalanalogy. Immediately after that, the instrument was administered. The researchers carried out thecorresponding analysis and evaluation. Page 13.1063.9The other science class did not received additional formal training other than that delivered aspart of the common instruction based on measurements and powers of ten. In addition, these