Conference Session

The Use of Computers in Teaching Mathematics

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Janet Callahan, Boise State University; Seung Youn Chyung, Boise State University; Joanna Guild, Boise State University; William Clement, Boise State University; Joe Guarino, Boise State University; Doug Bullock, Boise State University; Cheryl Schrader, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

forthe students to review and to reinforce topics from throughout the semester, as well as to ensurethat the students retain the topics they have learned.ALEKS provides a personalized, time-efficient environment in which each student is able towork through the Precalculus curriculum at his or her own pace. If a student begins the coursealready having mastered certain topics, and demonstrates this mastery on an assessment, ALEKSdoes not require the student to work through problems from that type. Rather, the student is freeto move on and spend time working on topics that they have not yet mastered. Many studentsinformally commented throughout the semester that they appreciated this feature of ALEKS.Working problems using ALEKS also has

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erik Bardy, Grove City College; Erik Anderson, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

student survey.IntroductionExperimental demonstrations of heat transfer are an important part of the undergraduateMechanical Engineering curriculum. Students at Grove City College entering their junior yearhave little experience with advanced data acquisition systems and comparing the data theycollect to theories learned in class. Mechanical Engineering students take a laboratory course (1credit, MECE 352) in the spring term of the junior year in thermal/fluid sciences. Althougheducational laboratory equipment and experiments built by companies such as P.A. Hilton andTurbine Technologies LTD are great additions to this course they can be very expensive.Building heat transfer experiments in-house can result in considerable savings. A number

Conference Session

Successful K-12 Programs for Girls & Minorities

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patricia Tolley, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Deborah Sharer, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Anthony Brizendine, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Michael Phillips, Department of Engineering Technology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Adam Harris

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

AC 2008-955: ENHANCING DIVERSITY IN ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY:PHASE 2 OF NORTH CAROLINA JUNIOR ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGYSOCIETY (NCJETS)Patricia Tolley, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Patricia Tolley is Assistant Dean in the Lee College of Engineering. She provides leadership for the development and continuous improvement of curriculum and programs related to the freshman year experience including recruiting, freshman orientation and advising, scholarships, the introduction to engineering and engineering technology courses, and three nationally recognized programs: the residential freshman learning community, the MAPS (Maximizing Academic and Professional Success) Program, and the

Conference Session

Gender & Minority Issues in K-12 Engineering

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adam Christensen, Georgia Institute of Technology; Willard Nott, American Society of Mechanical Engineers; Douglas Edwards, Westlake High School; Leann Yoder, Jets, Inc.; Christina Ho, Engineers Without Borders; Shannon Flanagan, Engineers Without Borders; Stephanie Hurd, JETS, Inc.; Marion Usselman, Georgia Institute of Technology; Donna Llewellyn, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jeffrey Rosen, Georgia Institute of Technology; Cathy Leslie, Engineers Without Borders; Samuel Graham, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Education", Science and Engineering Ethics Vol. 10, 2004, pp. 343-351.[2] Herkert, J.R., "Ethical Responsibility and Societal Context: Integrating Ethics and Public Policy Considerations in the Engineering Curriculum", 30th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Kansas City, MO: American Society of Engineering Education, 2000, pp. S1F-5.[3] Thom, D.," Engineering Education and the New Industrial Revolution", International Journal of Engineering Education Vol. 14, No. 4, 1998, pp. 89-94.[4] Ashford, N.A.," Major Challenges to Engineering Education for Sustainable Development", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education Vol. 5, No. 3, 2004, pp. 239-250.[5] Devon, R., and J. Liu," Global

Conference Session

SPECIAL SESSION: Describing the Engineering Student Learning Experience Based on CAEE Findings: Part 2

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Turns, University of Washington; Jessica Yellin, University of Washington; Yi-Min Huang, University of Washington; Brook Sattler, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

language in discussing theirteaching and teaching decisions which had implications for their “ability to make explicit andjustify decisions relating to professional practice”, which Young and Irving described as“integrity of practice.”The bottom line is that exploring educator decision-making represents a promising approach wayto address the research questions driving the paper assuming we can find an appropriatemethodology. The next section describes our use of the Critical Decision Method approach togain information about teaching decisions and subsequently explore the role of learnerinformation in those decision processes.MethodsIn this section we first present the theoretical basis for the interview protocol and the process weused to analyze

Conference Session

Case Studies & Engineering Education Around the Globe

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adnan Zahed; Abdullah Bafail; Reda Abdulaal; Ali Al-Bahi

Tagged Divisions

International

started, with a small team of staff members, toreflect upon the past, the present, and the future. The bean-counting process was somewhatsuccessful, but we still have several concerns, some weaknesses, an interim report in 3 years, anda new evaluation visit by the end of a six-year period.Some fundamental curriculum modifications were carried out starting from the year 2003. Oneaspect of these modifications was to follow the example of several institutions in introducingengineering design and problem solving skills at the freshmen level4-7. Based on a courseinitially developed by Arizona State University, two introductory freshmen engineering designcourses were introduced in 2003 and 2004 respectively. A focus group adapted and redesignedthe

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Research

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Reisel, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

Undergraduates: First Findings from a Three-Year Study. Sci. Educ., 88, 493-594.7. R.S. Hathaway, B.A. Nagda, and S.R.Gregerman (2002). “The Relationship of Undergraduate Research Participation to Graduate and Professional Education Pursuit: An Empirical Study.” J. Coll. Stud. Dev., 43, 614-631.8. H.A. Aglan and S.F. Ali (1996), "Hands-on Experiences: An Integral Part of Engineering Curriculum Reform," J. Eng. Education, 85, 327-330.9. R.M. Felder (1993), "Reaching the Second Tier - Learning and Teaching Styles in College Science Education," J. Coll. Sci. Teaching, 22, 286-290.10. J.R. Reisel, T.A. Kellner, and K.F. Neusen (2000). “Speciated Hydrocarbon Emissions from Small Utility Engines.” J. Air & Waste Manage. Assoc. 50, 522-528.11. D

Conference Session

Case Studies & Engineering Education Around the Globe

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Waddah Akili, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

International

values effective teaching/learning pedagogies for classroomreformation and educational development, doesn’t work. Piecemeal efforts- an initiative here or asuccess story there - could result in pockets of improvements but will not change the status quowithin the Region as a whole. What is necessary, from author’s perspective, to plant the seedsand sustain the “change”, is for the university (i.e., the department, the college, the group) toarrive at a comprehensive and integrated set of components: clearly articulated expectations, areward system aligned with these expectations, and opportunities for faculty to acquire newpedagogies.Concluding RemarksTo keep pace with fast changing global marketplace, engineering education in the Arab GulfStates

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Gerlick, Washington State University; Denny Davis, Washington State University; Steven Beyerlein, University of Idaho; Jay McCormack, University of Idaho; Phillip Thompson, Seattle University; Olakunle Harrison, Tuskegee University; Michael Trevisan, Washington State University

specifically at the transformation of engineering educationto address these needs5,6.Engineering capstone design courses play an integral role in this effort. As a culminatingexperience for graduates, students apply their newly acquired knowledge and abilities topractical engineering problems. This experience allows them to make valuable connectionsbetween theory and practice, and serves as an excellent opportunity to develop criticalprofessional skills7,8. The value and significance of this course is highlighted by the inclusion ofCriterion 4, the professional component in ABET’s accreditation requirements, which states that“students must be prepared for engineering practice through the curriculum culminating in amajor design experience based on the

Conference Session

Research and Education in Radiation and Radiologic

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shripad Revankar, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Nuclear and Radiological

students participated in various chemicalengineering related projects in the past three years along with eight nuclear engineering students.At conclusion of the research projects the students were asked to give feedback on their overallexperience in nuclear engineering department and on the particular projects. Here some ofstudent’s feedbacks are summarized that reflect the need to integrate some of the chemistry,chemical engineering and nuclear engineering topics in undergraduate education (1) The nuclear engineering undergraduates expressed strong interest in taking advanced chemistry courses in reaction kinetics as it helps them understand the chemical reactions and models. The current curriculum lacks higher chemistry

Conference Session

Innovation in Construction Engineering Education II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Shaurette, College of Technology - Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Construction

initial field trip experiences, are described to advance thecontinuity of use of wireless webcam field trips.IntroductionA significant portion of the curriculum in construction management requires an understanding ofand appreciation for application of techniques in management and technology that are impactedby the conditions and context of the construction jobsite. In many cases these complex andinterrelated applications can best be demonstrated during a field trip in an actual application1.Field visits enable the educator to expand the students’ view and help students avoid merereflexive application of exercises provided in class. Field visits also expose students to a broaderbackground and mix of common sense knowledge and situational factors

Conference Session

SPECIAL SESSION: Describing the Engineering Student Learning Experience Based on CAEE Findings: Part 2

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Russell Korte, The University of Texas-Tyler; Sheri Sheppard, Stanford University; William Jordan, CRL-Stanford University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

AC 2008-827: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF THE EARLY WORK EXPERIENCESOF RECENT GRADUATES IN ENGINEERING.Russell Korte, The University of Texas-Tyler Russell F. Korte, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of human resource development at the University of Texas at Tyler. Dr. Korte is co-researcher on a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant with the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education (CAEE). His research interests include higher education, workplace learning, organizational socialization, performance improvement, and engineering education.Sheri Sheppard, Stanford University Sheri D. Sheppard, Ph.D., P.E., is the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Consulting

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew O'Fallon, Washington State University; Jack R Hagemeister, Washington State University; Clint Cole, Washington State University, Pullman; Joseph Harris, Digilent Inc.

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

Page 13.738.5Figure 2. Peripheral modules. Some of the modules available. They vary in cost from 8 to 20dollars.Software Development Tools:In the past we had difficulty finding usable development and debugging tools that allowedstudents to focus on the task at hand, instead of the intricacies of an overly complex tool. Atmelprovides AVR Studio [9], which is a free integrated development environment (IDE) that supportscompiling of AVR assembly or C (with gcc-avr), and debugging. The debugger allows forviewing program, data, I/O, and register memories as each instruction is executed. The IDE isvery similar to Microsoft’s Visual Studio IDE which all of our students have used in a previousprogramming course. This greatly reduced their learning

Conference Session

Web-Based Learning in Engineering Technology

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Djafar Mynbaev, New York City College of Technology; Candido Cabo, New York City College of Technology; Roman Kezerashvili, New York City College of Technology; Janet Liou-Mark, New York City College of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

courses and courses within every major.We believe that our approach in building a close cooperation among different but closelyrelated disciplines by creating a virtual learning community will result in greater academicsuccess of our students.Acknowledgement: This work is supported by US Department of Education grantP120A060052.Bibliography1. Ohland, M.W., Yuhasz, A.G., & Sill, B.L, “Identifying and Removing a Calculus Prerequisite as a Bottleneck in Clemson’s General Engineering Curriculum,” Journal of Engineering Education, July 2004.2. R.K. Thornton, Changing the Physics Teaching Laboratory: Using technology and new approaches to learning to create an experimental environment for learning physics concepts, Proceedings of

Conference Session

Engineering Student Involvement in K12 Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jill Andrews, University of Michigan; Lorelle Meadows, University of Michigan; Joy Oguntebi, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Engineering. Until recently, she served as a research faculty member of the department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME). Through her tenure in the NAME department, she became an integral and managing member of the department’s Ocean Engineering Laboratory, and more recently the Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratories. Her main research experience and interests lie in the development of understanding of the influence of physical processes on the nearshore zone. Most of this work has focused on the Great Lakes and associated larger inland water bodies, with some work on ocean coastal regions as well. Many of the research projects in which she has been involved host an

Conference Session

Collaborative & New Efforts in Engineering Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cauligi Raghavendra, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

International

Engineering Education, 2008 Summer Research Program for Meaningful International ExperienceAbstract An important aspect of engineering education in the 21st century must include thebuilding of international awareness. A practical and highly impactful way for engineeringinstitutions to foster this awareness is to provide international research programs andencourage students to take part in them, for experiences that are meaningful bothacademically and socially, and that will prove to be invaluable to them as workingprofessionals. With the “flattening” of the world – or the increased competition in theglobal marketplace due to advancements in web technology – it is of great value forengineering students to learn about other cultures

Conference Session

Challenges of CE Education in a Global World

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Ressler, United States Military Academy; C. Conley; Richard Gash, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

curriculum was based on three principal criteria: Page 13.377.5* The “highly competitive salary” paid to an assistant professor is $600 per month.The curriculum must be relevant. The coursework should be consistent with infrastructuredevelopment practices and priorities in Afghanistan, and it must reflect the knowledge and skillsrequired of officers in the Afghan National Army.The curriculum must be accreditable, based on western standards. The NMAA Superintendentand Dean have expressed their strong desire that the academy have accredited degree programsas soon as possible. Because of political, financial, and structural issues between the

Conference Session

Innovation & Assessment in the delivery of IT/IET

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adam Stienecker, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

equipment used in the laboratory. These are the textbooks that are used inindustry. These documents are sometimes inconvenient when used as a teaching textbook, butthe solution carries an added benefit that the students are well trained in using technical manualsand sorting their way through datasheets after having gone through the curriculum. In someinstances supplemental material must be provided as a datasheet does not give attention to allissues. One such issue is that of EOAT selection. If an angular finger gripper is required whatforce must be used to maintain hold on the payload? If a vacuum cup is required, how muchvacuum is required? Another issue is communication networks. How does DeviceNet work?What are the priority levels in the

Conference Session

Educating Graduates in Engineering for a Flat World

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Mariasingam, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Thomas Smith, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Sandra Courter, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Tagged Divisions

International

minors and certificates, or it is relegated to short summer experiences abroad. Nonetheless, some engineering programs are finding ways to incorporate language preparation, coursework in global studies, and transnational design into the engineering curriculum in more integrated and immersive approaches [116, 117, 118]” (p.31). Page 13.794.4 4With such add-on programs there are several limitations and constraints. For instance, whilestudy abroad programs provide an opportunity to gain global experience and an understanding ofother

Conference Session

Challenges of CE Education in a Global World

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Hanson, California Polytechnic State University; Senro Kuraoka, Nippon Koei Co., Ltd.

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

fundamental skill sets, especially with softer skillsassociated with communication, teamwork, and global awareness. These components, which arecritical in the BOK and ABET Criteria, are difficult to integrate across the curriculum. Thispaper describes two separate teaching methods, both related to video content, that promote suchintegration.Teaching MethodologiesThe new teaching methodologies included two components: video conferencing and videoproduction. The methods were applied in cooperation with an industrial partner who contributedto both the teaching and the assessment of student performance.Video ConferencingVideo conferencing between a laboratory classroom and an industrial partner located overseaswas conducted. The video conferencing

Conference Session

Challenges of CE Education in a Global World

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Ressler, United States Military Academy; Richard Gash, United States Military Academy; C. Conley; Scott Hamilton, United States Military Academy; Farid Momand, Kabul University; Qaium Fekrat, Kabul University; Aziz Gulistani, Kabul University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

. Page 13.705.2© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Implementing a Civil Engineering Program at the National Military Academy of AfghanistanThis paper describes the ongoing implementation of a civil engineering program at the newlycreated National Military Academy of Afghanistan (NMAA) in Kabul. We begin with a briefsummary of our respective roles in the project and the current status of program development.We present an interim assessment of the project in the following areas: • Faculty Qualifications and Training • Curriculum Development Process • Course Design Process • Course Implementation • Student Learning OutcomesWe conclude with an overview of future plans for this

Conference Session

Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma in Manufacturing Education 2

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arlie Hall, University of Kentucky; Lawrence Holloway, University of Kentucky

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

, curriculum development, as an example, is a highly specializedfunction, it cannot be done effectively without some consideration for the individual course, orcourses, that it will comprise. Additionally, the key direction in the design of a curriculum at theuniversity level is the planned discipline of study of individual students. Conversely, at thebusiness enterprise level, a curriculum is tied to the organization’s strategies and operating plans;each strategy and operating plan must be assessed in order to identify the performance requiredof employees.This section of this paper describes how the University of Kentucky college of engineeringcurriculum in lean manufacturing was developed as an integrated series of course offerings forundergraduate

Conference Session

Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma in Manufacturing Education 2

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Chen, Iowa State University; Ronald Cox, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

, J., & Chen J., (1995) The Role of Decouplers in JIT Pull Apparel Cells. International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology. Volume 7 Number 1, 17-35 2) Black, J., & Hunter, S. (2003) Lean Manufacturing Systems and Cell Design. Dearborn, MI: Society of Manufacturing Engineers 3) Kolar, R., & Sabatini, D.A. (2000). Environmental Modeling- A Project Driven, Team Approach to Theory and Application. Journal of Engineering Education, 89(2), 201-207. 4) Liou, F., Allada, V. Leu, M., Mishra, R., Okafor, A., & Agrawal, A. (2002). A Product Focused Manufacturing Curriculum. ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings, 2709-2718. 5) Monden, Y., (1993) Toyota Production System an Integrated Approach to Just-In

Conference Session

Educating for Results: Tools used in Engineering Technology

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Steffen, Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

, students are asked to work problem after problemto assess their abilities. TSM is an additional tool that can be used to help in the assessmentprocess. This method has been successfully integrated in a variety of courses, leading toincreased student participation and error recognition. Simple error correction can be a powerfulreinforcement tool to almost any engineering principal.Bibliography[1] http://www.nwrain.com/~newtsuit/recoveries/narrows/narrows.htm, retrieved November 8, 2006[2] ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/reports/1999/MCO_report.pdf, retrieved November 7, 2006[3] Boud, D. and Feletti, G. (Eds.), “The challenge of problem-based learning,” St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1991[4] Schmidt, H. G., “Problem-based learning: An

Conference Session

Educating for Results: Tools used in Engineering Technology

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Hundley, Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis; Terri Talbert-Hatch, Indiana University; Joshua Killey, Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis; Elizabeth Wager, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

public speaking, interviewing skills, and business etiquette should beincreased in an undergraduate curriculum.1,5”While technological/book knowledge information and competency is an integral part of theundergraduate process, academics “are only one key element of success.” All participants in thisstudy agree that graduates must meet the credentials and capabilities that correspond with theposition hired for, reconfirming what other researchers agree that “graduates need to have morejob related experience, communication and teamwork skills1,2.Professional and Career ResourcesAll participants in this study express desire to see a higher level of professionalism and businessskills. One participant indicated interest in developing boards and

Conference Session

Two Year College Tech Session II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elaine Craft, Florence-Darlington Technical College; Joshua Phiri, Florence-Darlington Technical College; Patressa Gardner, Florence-Darlington Technical College

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

partnerships for engineering technology programs. Anunwavering focus on faculty development has been central to the development of SCATEmodels and their success. The highly rated SCATE curriculum has been adopted or adapted foruse in technical programs by other schools and colleges around the country. Students benefit Page 13.154.2because learning that often appeared fragmented into various courses with no apparentinterconnections has undergone multi-disciplinary integration that is now changing the culture oflearning for first year engineering technology students. The new resource,www.TeachingTechnicians.org, will enable more teachers to learn about

Conference Session

Technology in the Physics or Engineering Physics C

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Baha Jassemnejad, University of Central Oklahoma; Wei Pee, University of Central Oklahoma; Mathew Mounce, University of Central Oklhoma

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM ) among the incomingfreshmen so that they will be encouraged to pursue a degree in Engineering, Physics, orcomputer science. The duration of this research activity was four weeks, during which time thesestudents become familiar with research, teamwork, problem based learning, and the proceduresinvolved in engineering design and building. The first phase of the activity, lasting for one week,involved an introduction to basic theory focusing on electronics, mechanics, programming, andengineering design processes. The second phase of the activity, lasting the remaining threeweeks, involved researching, designing, and building a conceptual model and prototype of aminesweeper robot. With the

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

Perspectives on a Freshman Treatment of Electronic SystemsAbstract.The conventional approach to curriculum design is that students start with the basics of scienceand math and gradually progress towards a realistic integration of all their engineering skills in asenior capstone project. That approach is now challenged by changes in the assumed boundaryconditions. Students no longer progress through the program in lock-step. Electronicsapplications have evolved far beyond the components level and many cross-disciplinary skillsare needed. Finally, all students require a level of communications, team-working, trouble-shooting and representational skills that take a long time to mature so it is too late to wait till thesenior year to introduce them. The

Conference Session

Emerging Issues in Engineering Education Research and Pedagogy

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ann McKenna, Northwestern University; Robert Linsenmeier, Northwestern University; Matthew Glucksberg, Northwestern University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

focus our work and guide the research. The model of adaptive expertise hasbeen presented as a way of thinking about how to prepare learners to flexibly respond to newlearning situations, which is precisely what students are expected to do in the context ofdeveloping design solutions. We focus on “computational adaptive expertise,” which weabbreviate CADEX, since a major portion of an engineering curriculum focuses on developinganalytical and computational knowledge. Yet, students often struggle with applying ortransferring computational knowledge in the context of design. The current paper presents anoverview of adaptive expertise and relates this concept specifically to engineering designeducation. In addition, the paper presents an overview

Conference Session

Technology in the Physics or Engineering Physics C

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nataliia Perova, Tufts University; Walter H. Johnson, Suffolk University; Chris Rogers, Tufts University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

principles through inquiry,collaboration and hands-on learning. We developed several LEGO-based activities to beimplemented in the secondary schools and first year college science curriculum. LEGO andROBOLAB are an effective set of tools for learning physics with this hands-on approach. LEGObricks, wheels, and other parts make it possible for students to make their own simpleexperimental apparatus, and LEGO robotics microprocessor (RCX) and associated sensors,together with the ROBOLAB software, create an environment for data collection and analysis.We have found that the LEGO workbench provides enough flexibility that the students can becreative in their engineering solutions, yet advanced enough that they can get quantitative datafrom their