Conference Session

Off the Beaten Path

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rebecca Bates, Minnesota State University-Mankato; Denise Wilson, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

in Office Hours and in ClassAbstractOne of the most challenging and unexpected aspects of a new professor’s career is dealing withstudent emotions. Emotions, especially anger and frustration, can have an impact on studentsuccess and willingness to stay engaged with course content. Successfully implementingstrategies for dealing with student emotions can result in improved academic outcomes. Thispaper addresses the impact of student emotions and suggests strategies for faculty to use wheninteracting with students.IntroductionThe impact of student emotions on learning is rarely discussed in faculty preparation workshops.Guidebooks suggest ways to write syllabi, plan lessons and incorporate active learning strategiesbut rarely present ways to

Conference Session

Survivor: The First Few Years

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Creamer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Tonya Saddler, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Margaret Layne, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

recognized as one of the strongest influences on academic scientists’ and engineers’productivity1 and satisfaction2. Perceptions of climate reflect policies, practices, and interactionsat both a local level, as within a lab or department, and at more global level of the college oruniversity. The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE), anemerging voice from Harvard University about faculty careers, measures climate to include (a)personal and professional interactions with colleagues, (b) opportunities for collaboration, (c)sense of fit, (d) intellectual vitality of the senior faculty, (e) fairness of evaluation, (f) equitabletreatment, and (g) support for professional development. Perceptions of climate at the more locallevel

Conference Session

Survivor: The First Few Years

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ryan Beasley, Texas A&M University; Ana Elisa Goulart, Texas A&M University; Wei Zhan, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

to avoid similar problems in the future.Considerations of group composition, group size, and what topics to discuss are examined.I. IntroductionTraditionally, Assistant Professors begin their career with a minimum of preparation for certainaspects of the job. For example, many new faculty members are straight out of graduate schoolwithout experience developing research directions or preparing classes. According to work byBoice, new faculty generally take 4-5 years to build necessary experience before starting to meetthe standards set by their institutions.1 Such lengthy adjustment periods have a negative impacton faculty performance and thus on the probability of tenure. Common actions new faculty take to improve their performance include

Conference Session

Off the Beaten Path

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Seth Norberg, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

academic career and their life. I attempted various methods to spur their interest,keep their attention, and enliven the discussion. I saw the value in developing a rapportwith the students and also answering the “so what” question that the challenging studentso often poses. In short, I saw the necessity of the commercial break in the class room.Research shows that the college age student initially has a 15-20 minute attention spanwhich becomes shorter as the lecture progresses [5] & [10]. Further research showed thatstudents recalled 70% of the information presented in the first 10 minutes of class andonly 20% from the last ten minutes [6].Changes in the environment recruit attention. The ability of changes to capture attentioncan work to the

Conference Session

Tricks of the Trade II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Marshall, University of Southern Maine; June Marshall, St. Joseph's College

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

roughtimes and keep on working. Knowing a few faculty members will enhances students’intellectual commitment and encourages them to think about their own values and futureplans. • Make a point to talk with students on a personal level and learn about their educational and career goals. • Seek out students who seem to be having problems with the course or miss class Page 13.968.8 frequently. • Advise students about career opportunities in their major field. • Share past experiences, attitudes, and values with students.Encourage Cooperation Among StudentsLearning is enhanced when it is more like a team effort than a solo race. Good

Conference Session

Survivor: The First Few Years

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adrienne Minerick, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

advanced degree or pursue acareer in research. Therefore, it is necessary to have well-defined projects that enable successively moreindependence as the participant’s competency grows. It is important that the project enable true research and thatthe participant does not simply act as a lab technician for a graduate student’s project. This section will discuss howto structure 10-week REU student projects to maximize productivity for the faculty member’s research whilesimultaneously facilitating a transformative and positive experience for the undergraduate both in the laboratory andin crafting their own professional career credentials

Conference Session

Best of the NEE

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Beverly Jaeger, Northeastern University; Margaret Bates, Northeastern University; Brittany Damon, Northeastern University; Alison Reppy

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

Engineering Programming at Northeastern University. These juniors each have had 3 cooperative learning experiences, working outside the university in IE and have taken a strong interest in Motivation and Learning in Engineering Education, undertaking this research above and beyond their course and career work.Alison Reppy, Northeastern University Brittany Damon and Alison Reppy are 5th-year students in the 5-year Industrial Engineering Programming at Northeastern University. These Seniors each have had 3 cooperative learning experiences, working outside the university in IE and have taken a strong interest in Motivation and Learning in Engineering Education, undertaking this research

Conference Session

Best of the NEE

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Edward Gehringer, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

, Regarding grading, I often find it useful to retroactively change disasters into extra-credit opportunities. That is, I explain that the problem won't count against anyone's grade, but that those students who managed against all odds to solve (or make substantial headway toward solving) a very difficult (or impossible) problem will be rewarded with extra-credit points.Students should not expect assignments to be perfect. Several instructors made the point that inthe real world, requirements are incompletely specified, change during the project, etc. As KathyRoberson9 put it, Up front, and several times during the semester, I explain to my students that they are preparing for a career where they will frequently be

Conference Session

Tricks of the Trade I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jerry Samples, University of Pittsburgh -Johnstown

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

Page 13.839.4verbiage: “Specify approximate percentage of time/value faculty are expected to devote toteaching, scholarship, Cal Poly service, and community & professional service activities. Forexample, the university might stipulate that untenured faculty devote approximately 60-70% toteaching, 20-30% to scholarship, 5-10% to service, and tenured faculty devote more time toservice and less to teaching. Although faculty might choose different emphases at different timesin their careers, it is not recommended for faculty members to "specialize" in just one area (e.g.,teaching, research, service).” Such specification can eliminate anxiety and focus the efforts oftenure-stream faculty – the only question to be resolved – What is expected in

Conference Session

Tricks of the Trade II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adam Chalmers, United States Military Academy; Eric Crispino, United States Military Academy; Joseph Hanus, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

goal of becoming USArmy officers is not in question. They are driven to do well in their classes because theiracademic standing accounts for 65% of their order of merit (OML) within their graduating class.This OML determines the branch or specialty that they can select, their post selection, and it willdetermine promotion dates later in their careers. Cadets understand this importance and as aresult, they try very diligently to succeed.As Yearlings, (sophomores), they choose their majors. Students that choose an engineeringmajor will take CE300 Fundamentals of Engineering Mechanics and Design, and CE364Mechanics of Materials. Students that do not choose an engineering major must choose anengineering sequence or track of three engineering