Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Technology Curriculum

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Cook, Montana State University; Robb Larson, Montana State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

Newble3 identify as: 1. Student characteristics - These include individual differences of the students, previous learning experiences of students, and current understanding of the subject. 2. Context characteristics - These include the ethos (philosophy) of the department organizing the course and the characteristics of the curriculum. 3. Teacher’s approach - This can vary considerably and each teacher must be aware of the approach they take and what impact that approach has on student learning.The MET program is committed to undergraduate education, as well as meeting all outcomesdefined to support ABET accreditation requirements4. Implementing thoughtful and effectivecurriculum improvements, as well

Conference Session

Recruitment and Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carol Gattis, University of Arkansas; Shannon Davis, University of Arkansas; Bryan Hill, University of Arkansas; Patricia Kirkwood, University of Arkansas

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

unaware of STEM careerpossibilities, highlighting the exciting possibilities of life as an engineer. Cornerstones of theretention program are: 1) A 3-week summer in-residence engineering bridge program for ECAPstudents to engage in engineering/teambuilding activities, make friends, and transition to campuslife; 2) Renewable scholarships to supplement scholarships and federal grants to bring thestudents’ total award to the University of Arkansas cost of attendance, thereby removingfinancial barriers and increasing retention for those who could not otherwise attend college; 3)Yearly paid summer co-op or research opportunities after the freshman year; 4) A peermentoring program where the freshmen and sophomores are mentored by juniors and seniorswho

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Teaching Part Three

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephanie Ivey; Anna Lambert, University of Memphis; Paul Palazolo, University of Memphis; David J. Russomanno, University of Memphis

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

” characteristicsof value found in the Canstruction® project including the preparatory requirements, participantsinvolved, and the competition’s overall contribution to engineering education. We then discussthe “dormant” opportunities for civil engineering students and educators to use links betweenprograms such as the Canstruction® project and existing curricular content such as promotingmulti-level mentorship and “real-time” problem solving activities.Additional advantages of such links include opportunities for expanding instructional methodsand addressing critical crossover areas of the revised Criteria for Accrediting EngineeringPrograms (ABET )1. Throughout our discussion, we also share our experiences with relatedpedagogical theories and instructional

Conference Session

Engineering Education in the Mid-East / Asia

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Gash, United States Military Academy; C. Conley; Scott Hamilton, United States Military Academy; Paul Krajeski, U.S. Naval War College; Stephen Ressler, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

International

leader development institutions in Afghanistan” to produce graduates that “willset the highest standards of professionalism throughout a lifetime of service to Afghanistan.”1 Two hundred years ago the founders of another nation, one also ravaged by war andstruggling to create a national government and identity, identified the need for a national militaryacademy. Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were among those who setthe conditions for the United States Congress in 1802 to authorize a military academy at WestPoint, New York2. The United States Military Academy would go on to become the first schoolof engineering in the English-speaking world. West Point graduates would prove critical toAmerican growth and expansion

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Design Constituents

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Walsh, California Polytechnic State University; Robert Crockett, California Polytechnic State University; Zahed Sheikholeslami, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

university initiatives.The initial effort does not mandate a project format, but focuses on the voluntary participation ofa number of motivated faculty to develop a course centered around high-quality, multi-disciplinary capstone projects that can be accomplished in a pertinent academic timeframe usingPBLI as a self-sustaining infrastructure.The primacy of the individual-student, independent-study model was driven by historical factorsthat governed the development of the institution, and by the availability of infrastructure. Anumber of factors now provide the opportunity to create a more academically beneficial, a moreinteractive and a more vigorous system. Figure 1 schematically depicts the supportinginfrastructure for PBLI at the university. The

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

DEED Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amir Rezaei, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona; Mariappan Jawaharlal, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona; John Caffrey, California State Polytechnic University; Kyu-Jung Kim, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

. Examples of such projectsare: 1) Feeding Device for people with disabilities. 2) "Fun" to operate water pump to be used indeveloping countries. 3) Exercise bicycle machine for people with Down syndrome. 4. ToothPaste dispenser machine. 4) Design and analysis of an artificial Prosthetic leg. In this paper,however, only the design of artificial Prosthetic leg and its development is described in detail.The rest of the projects mentioned above are in development stage and they will be presentedduring presentation of the paper.Thousands of people world-wide currently require artificial leg prostheses. The basic design of aprosthetic leg consists of an axial structural member, a foot component, and a cosmetic cover. Inthe past two decades, prosthetic

Conference Session

The Latest in Improving Learning in ChE Students

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Zollars, Washington State University; Christopher Hundhausen, Washington State University; Jonathan Brown, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

orprocedure to help students make the transition from written material to visual material.Aside from being an important skill in its own right, the ability to map a written problemto a visual diagram allows students to continue learning using their preferred learningstyle. As Felder and Silverman1 have found, the majority of learners at the college levelare visual learners. As shown in Figure 1, the students in our material and energy balanceare no different, showing a strong preference for a visual learning style (average score =- 5 on the Felder-Silverman scale). By creating a tool to aid in transforming writteninformation into visual images, we believed that we could help students develop anessential skill that they will need not only in the

Conference Session

Curricular Issues in Computer-Oriented Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shuju Wu, Southeast Missouri State University; Ragu Athinarayanan, Southeast Missouri State University; Xiaobing Hou, Southeast Missouri State University; Sophia Scott, Southeast Missouri State University

Tagged Divisions

Information Systems

laboratories.The current TCN curriculum covers digital circuit design, telecommunications and fiber optics,computer networking, network routing and switching, network design and maintenance, systemanalysis and design, wireless communications and networks, server techniques, and networksecurity. Considering that standard engineering courses focus on the technical aspects, but under-address the challenges in system design and configuration, maintenance and troubleshooting, andpure technical schools do not equip students with enough theoretical background, we created acurriculum to balance both theoretical and technical requirements. Ma & Nickerson [1] found that hands-on laboratories adhered to goals of the Accreditation Boardfor Engineering and

Conference Session

Teams and Teamwork in Design I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rudolph Eggert, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

rewarding, but yet,how difficult design projects can be. As suggested by Lewis1 Starting with the project initiation,we often experience wild enthusiasm, fully excited about the challenges ahead. Later, a feelingof disillusionment usually sets-in as we realize the enormity of the work ahead. This sometimesleads to chaos among our co-workers to determine who should be doing what. Then seniormanagement often begins to search for the guilty parties, leading to the punishment of theinnocent and promotion of the non-participants, and finally the re-definition of the projectrequirements.An engineering design project may be the most difficult assignment for an engineer, requiringthe integrated and competent execution of: 1. engineering principles and

Conference Session

Curriculum Development in Civil Engineering Technology

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Mincic, Colorado State University, Pueblo

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

Conference Session

The Academic Environment

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Monica Young, Syracuse University; John Tillotson, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

must carefully examine how current female engineering faculty members havesuccessfully negotiated the path to the professoriate.Statement of the ProblemIn the two largest fields of engineering, mechanical and electrical/computer, the percentage offemale tenured or tenure-track faculty members are 9.8 and 8.5 percent, respectively20. Giventhat there are over 4,500 teaching personnel in each of these fields teaching an undergraduatepopulation of 80,288 mechanical and 75,302 electrical engineering students, it would seem likelythat a higher proportion of the teaching personnel are females20. To visualize the stark contrastwith other fields in engineering, Figure 1 shows the faculty member numbers in each field ofengineering broken down by gender

Conference Session

Beyond Individual Ethics: Engineering in Context

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dean Nieusma, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

approaches. The PDI program entails a set ofinterdisciplinary, undergraduate courses and degree options that span engineering, the humanitiesand social sciences (H&SS), design disciplines, and management. Initiated in the mid-1990s,PDI was motivated primarily by the desires 1) to combine the strengths of various disciplinaryapproaches to social problem solving and 2) to revamp undergraduate engineering curricula byincluding systematic analysis of the social context of engineering problems. By beingintegrative, interdisciplinary, and systematically attentive to the social context of engineeringwork, PDI addresses fundamental shortcomings in the H&SS-electives model of traditional

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Teams

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Denine Northrup, Western New England College; Steven Northrup, Western New England College

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

-disciplinary teams”1. Western New England College has a long history of incorporatingengineering design into laboratory and course work. Additionally, interdisciplinary team effortsare initiated in the freshman year and continue for all four years.2,3 This paper describes theassessment instrument used in a senior-level interdisciplinary course that students take during thefall semester. The design project brings together students from mechanical, electrical, andcomputer engineering in teams typically consisting of 4-5 members. During the most recentdelivery of the course, due to a limited number of platforms and a larger senior class, the teamsconsisted of 7-8 students.To achieve a good level of interdisciplinary teamwork, educators need to motivate

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Measurement: Innovative Courses

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Marshall, University of Southern Maine

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

solvers and knowledgeable decisionmakers. “The activities of problem solving and decision making are closelyintertwined”,1 and both skills can effective be learned through project based capstonecourses. Industrial partnering has enabled the development of a state-of-the-art powerand automation curriculum and project based problem solving learning environment forour students and also for the communities beyond campus.The laboratory based problem solving learning environment is organized into clusters.These clusters are equipped with components such as computers, printers, programmablelogic controllers, sensors, pneumatic valves and actuators, mechanisms, rotary indextables, hydraulic cylinders, electric motors, and vibratory feeder bowls. In the

Conference Session

Continuous Improvement & Assessment of ET Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy Skvarenina, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

international considerations. Student attitudes toward internationalization weresurveyed before and after the discussion and results are presented in the paper.IntroductionThe Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC) of ABET has moved to outcomes-basedaccreditation of engineering technology programs, via the so-called TC2K criteria. TC2Krequires that every accredited program develop a set of program outcomes, which must insurethat students have demonstrated the achievement of eleven outcomes, the so-called “a” to “k”lists. Table 1 shows a listing of the “a” to “k” outcomes for TC2K. With the change fromprevious accreditation criteria, ABET has gone away from the so-called “bean counting” thatrequired certain numbers of credit hours in various

Conference Session

International Division Poster Session / Collaborative & New Efforts in Engineering Education / International Division Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Afsaneh Minaie, Utah Valley State College; Reza Sanati-Mehrizy, Utah Valley State College

Tagged Divisions

International

seven models for teaching embedded topics in universities and collegesworldwide: 1. Offering courses mostly on software (Real-Time Systems) in CS and SE undergraduate programs. 2. Offering courses in CE and EE undergraduate programs which emphasizes the hardware aspects of embedded systems. 3. Graduate programs in Embedded Systems Design 4. Designing an Embedded Systems Engineering track in computer science department 5. Continuing education and training programs for the industry engineers 6. Offering an undergraduate degree in Embedded Software Engineering 7. Offering an undergraduate degree in Embedded Systems EngineeringEmbedded Systems Education in the United StatesIt is predicted that most of the future computing

Conference Session

Research Infrastructure in STEM Disciplines

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jacqueline Fairley, Georgia Institute of Tehnology; Jill Auerbach, Georgia Institute of Technology; Adrianne Prysock, Georgia Institute of Technology; Leyla Conrad, Georgia Institute of Technology; Gary May, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

incorporating weeklyresearch skills workshops into a summer undergraduate research experience and arepresented in this study. Page 13.1173.2Introduction The organizational structure of the summer undergraduate research program isoutlined by Fairley[1] and will be presented in this section. The SURE (SummerUndergraduate Research in Engineering/Science) program was established in 1992 at theGeorgia Institute of Technology to expose minority students to research in engineering,applied science, and electronics packaging, and to increase their interest in graduatestudy. The program is conducted in cooperation with the Colleges of Engineering,Sciences, and

Conference Session

Gender & Minority Issues in K-12 Engineering

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Thompson, Purdue University; Pamela Turner, Purdue University EPICS; William Oakes, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

, andhuman services. Examples of community partners in these areas include: • Education - K-12 schools, museums, adult learning programs, after-school programs • Access and abilities - adaptive services, clinics for children with disabilities, programs for adults with disabilities, assistive technology • Human services - Homelessness prevention, Habitat for Humanity, family and children agencies, neighborhood revitalization, local government • Environment - environmental organizations, neighborhood associations, parks & recreationExample ProjectsHigh School projects currently underway include:1. Wastewater diversion/”green” field maintenance project Caseville High School, Huron Intermediate Schools in

Conference Session

Engineering Student Involvement in K12 Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lynn Albers, North Carolina State University; Althea Smith, North Carolina State University; Kate Caldwell, North Carolina State University; Jessica McCoy, North Carolina State University; Laura Bottomley, North Carolina State University; Elizabeth Parry, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

” Page 13.1235.3refers to a teacher in a Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) school, any use ofthe words “graduate Fellow” refers to a graduate student from NCSU, any use of theword “school” refers to a WCPSS school, and any use of the word “university” refers toNCSU and Shaw. RAMP-UP Fellows and graduate Fellows work in the primary schoolswhen the university semester is in session, which results in a 12-13 week presence in theschools. The schools will be referred to in the following manner throughout this paper:ES1 = Elementary School 1, ES2 = Elementary School 2, ES3 = Elementary School 3,MS1= Middle School 1, MS2 = Middle School 2.In the section titled, “Description of RAMP-UP and OST Clubs,” we provide a fulloverview of the structure

Conference Session

Interdisciplinary Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Kurtanich, Youngstown State University; William Wood, Youngstown State University; Edward Garchar, Youngstown State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

willrequire a holistic understanding of economic growth and development in terms of the principlesof sustainability. The solutions to societal problems will require that technologies be applied notonly in innovative ways but with consideration of cultural differences, historical perspectives, aswell as legal and economical constraints [1]. Preparing today’s students for the qualities that thefuture engineering professionals will need to possess, further emphasizes the need for multi-disciplinary design experience in undergraduate education. Students completing an engineering technology degree in Youngstown State University’sCollege Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (CSTEM) in Civil & ConstructionEngineering Technology (CCET

Conference Session

Research in Multidisciplinary Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Halada, State University of New York at Stony Brook; Mary Frame, State University of New York at Stony Brook; Chad Korach, State University of New York at Stony Brook; David Ferguson, State University of New York-Stony Brook

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

ITS 102 students from students sections Hofstra entering Minor UniversityFigure 1: Schematic of interdisciplinary minor in nanotechnology studies (NTS)learning development, and appropriate mechanisms for assessment and evaluation.The structure of the minor is unique in that it provides four key elements for success: strongrecruitment potential, an interdisciplinary base, research and professional development activities,and full integration into the existing majors and programs in engineering. Page 13.414.5Our approach

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

Engineering Professional Development for K12 Teachers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian Howell, Western Carolina University; Robert Houghton, Western Carolina University; Elaine Franklin, Western Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

with them to achieve the goals above.Available TechnologyAt the same time that Southwestern had received funding for the GEAR up program, the LEGO®Corporation had released the next generation of its popular Mindstorms® product. The NXT®provides an easy-to-use robotics package suitable for application to the sixth grade level. Assuch, an international competition has evolved, called the First LEGO® League, which pits teams Page 13.1177.3of students against the clock and each other and a sequence of themed missions.Phase 1: Southwestern Community College Gear Up Robot CompetitionsA decision was made to fund purchase of the Mindstorms® NXT® kits

Conference Session

Computer Applications in Energy Courses

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Clayton Hochstrasser, The Ohio State Univ.; Joseph Werner, The Ohio State Univ.; Donald Kasten, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

just illustrating the mechanics of the solution for a specificoperating point, a number of operating points can be calculated and results displayed in anorganized fashion. Tools such as this can make the instructional process investigative in nature,by addressing what-if scenarios. Visual Basic was chosen as the software to do this developmentwork.Visual learning“Visual learning is an important method for exploiting students’ visual senses to enhancelearning and engage their interest.” 1 Though this reference focuses on underrepresented studentsin the technical fields, the concepts are applicable across the range of the student population.Ref. 1 was part of a special issue of the IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications society on“innovative

Conference Session

Projects & Laboratories in Mechanical ET

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Razwaan Arif, Farmingdale State College; Han Chu, Farmingdale, SUNY; Yeong Ryu, State University of New York, Farmingdale; Adam Filios, Farmingdale, SUNY; Hazem Tawfik, Farmingdale State College; Kamal Shahrabi, Kean College of New Jersey

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

operatingtemperatures.This paper presents an optimized humidity control system, which monitors vital data fromhumidity sensors and makes necessary adjustments to the external humidification apparatus at allgiven load conditions. This method ensures maximum power efficiency at all load and operatingconditions.1. IntroductionHumidity is one of the critical parameters which affect the performance of the fuel cells.Humidity is often referred to as a water management problem. Properly hydrated membranesmaximize the performance and extend their lifetime, but poorly dehydrated ones can reduce theperformance dramatically and shorten the life of the membranes. However, excessive humiditycauses water flooding inside the fuel cell that blocks the flow of gases and covers the

Conference Session

The Impact of Engineering Disciplines

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Venetia Dover, Howard University; Dawn Williams, Howard University; Lorraine Fleming, Howard University; Viara Quinones, Howard University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

findings provide insights about the role that academic climate plays on the postbaccalaureate decision making process.IntroductionResearch suggest that the number of women earning baccalaureate degrees in science andengineering has increased every year since 1966 (excluding 1988) and by 2004 women earned44% of master’s degrees in science and engineering (as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2)1.Although the number of baccalaureate degrees for men in science and engineering reached over224,000 in 2004, the number of master’s degrees earned by men in the sciences and engineeringdeclined during the 1990s (as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2)2. Figure 1. Bachelor's degrees awarded in S&E and non-S&E fields

Conference Session

Institutional and Curricular Reform

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arunkumar Pennathur, University of Texas-El Paso; Louis Everett, University of Texas-El Paso

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

including students, faculty, and other stake-holderssuch as employers, the tools used in the learning enterprise including traditional and moderntechnology tools, and the environment for learning. Using the framework presented, variablesassociated with the task, the players, the tools, and the environment can be visualized andanalyzed in 3-dimensional space using multidimensional scaling and neural network methods.One aspect of the framework, reflections from an engineering faculty member, is analyzed todemonstrate how strategic planning can be facilitated through assessment and analysis with theframework.1. Model for strategic assessment planningAdapted from the Task, Operator, Machine, Environment (TOME) framework from the humanfactors

Conference Session

Reaching Students: Innovations to Curriculum in ET

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sofia Vidalis, Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg; Joseph Cecere, Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

into the classroom for maximum technological use between the studentsand the instructor. Since the release of Tablet PCs in 2002, they have slowly gained attention as auseful tool for educators. Tablet PC’s are traditional notebook computers that have the ability toprocess digital ink by writing with a stylus on the computer screen. The computer screen isconvertible and looks like a traditional laptop except the screen may also be swiveled 360degrees and turn to lie flat on the keyboard to become slate 1. This allows students a flat surfaceto write on.The renovation to the room included customized long tables and chairs. The tables weredesigned with locking multi directional rollers on its legs. These rollers permit the tables to bemobile from