Conference Session

Engineering for Nonengineers: Ideas & Results

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Deborah Mechtel, U.S. Naval Academy; Andrew McCue, U.S. Naval Academy; Keith Kintzley, U.S. Naval Academy; Robert Voigt, U.S. Naval Academy

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

Systems Engineering. The major topicsconsist of the principles of energy conversion, ship stability and operability, and theory ofweapons systems, respectively.The courses are taught by officers with at least a Masters degree in Electrical Engineeringand civilians with PhDs in Electrical Engineering. A civilian and an officer are co-coordinators of the course. They are responsible for implementing the topic areas chosenby the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Curriculum Committee via asyllabus, textbook choice and learning objectives. In cases where an appropriatetextbook isn't available, the instructors write the required course material. In addition,laboratory or “practical exercises” have been developed by course instructors for

Conference Session

Trends in Construction Engineering Education I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gabriel Alungbe, Morehead State University; Xiaolong Li, Morehead State University; Jason Stepp, Morehead State University; Ahmad Zargari, Morehead State University

Tagged Divisions

Construction

1971. The AIC ConstructorCertification Commission was organized under the sponsorship and support of the AIC. Thecommission expanded the qualifying process to include examination and offering of certificationprocess which is recognized internationally to AIC members and nonmembers alike. Thecertification process is developed with the support and input of peers with the objective of settinghigh standards for the education, knowledge, skills, and conduct of the certified constructor.The Construction Manager Certification Institute (CMCI)3, an independent administrative bodyof the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) administers the CMCertification Program. The Institute is comprised of construction management

Conference Session

Special Resources and Activities for Minorities

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Xiaoqing Qian, Alabama A&M University; Zhengtao Deng, Alabama A&M University; George Seweryniak, DoE Computational Science Division

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

-3.6 3.6-3.8 3.8-4.0 GPA Range Figure 2. Actual GPA history in academic year of 200-2001, 2003-2004, 2005-2006 and 2006-2007.Due to the strong competition, the minimum GPA required for receiving scholarship wasincreased from 3.0 to 3.25 in 2006. To apply for the scholarship, students need to fill out theapplication form, write an essay about their goal towards high performance computing, alongwith a faculty recommendation letter. Upon receipt of the scholarship, students agree tomaintain a GPA of 3.25, successfully complete a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester,and maintain a major in science, mathematics or engineering. Recipients are

Conference Session

Global Engineering in an Interconnected World

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Javier Paez Saavedra; Lina Margarita Prada Angarita

Tagged Divisions

International

characterizes our students, alumni, faculty, staff and graduates, and itwill let us join the knowledge society in an increasingly more effective way.The international dimension emphasizes these activities and include: the development ofalliances and agreements with universities and research centers abroad; the presence in ourundergraduate and graduate programs of visiting teachers, visiting and advising of academicprocess; exchanging teachers and researchers with academic peers of other higher educationinstitutions; having our teachers complete their studies abroad; exchanging of undergraduate andgraduate students with similar international universities by dual degree programs, exchangeprograms, foreign language studies, apprenticeships, research and

Conference Session

Assessing the Efficacy of Non-traditional Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Melani Plett, Seattle Pacific Univ; Donald Peter, Seattle Pacific University; Steven Parsons, Seattle Pacific University; Brad Gjerding, Seattle Pacific University

Tagged Divisions

Continuing Professional Development

pursuing one. To serve this population, and enable theirrich practical work experiences to enhance the education of our traditional on-campus students,we are implementing the following scenario.Local technical workers stay in their offices at lunch-time sitting at computers armed withheadphones and microphones to attend, and participate in, an electric circuits class via aninternet connection. Other students, on the university campus, sit in a traditional classroomsetting augmented with room microphones. Both groups of students view the electronicwhiteboard that is generated by the instructor writing on a Tablet PC projected to the campusclassroom through an LCD projector and to the off-campus students through Adobe Connectsoftware. Two students

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jin-Hwan Lee, University of Cincinnati; Ali Asgar Bhagat, University of Cincinnati; Karen Davis, University of Cincinnati; Ian Papautsky, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

in an active laboratory experience.5 Both senior projectswere designed to give undergraduate students an opportunity to introduce and experience amultidisciplinary research project, which is common to the fields of MEMS and BioMEMS. Page 13.1042.3Furthermore, team projects provided an opportunity for peer learning, teaching, and tutoring aswell as expository instruction from faculty members.II. Typical project structureA typical senior project in BioMEMS consists of three quarters, and an additional fourth quarteras an advanced optional research during the following summer. Throughout the course of theirprojects, senior students are required to

Conference Session

Developing Communication/Teamwork Skills in ChEs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joan Alabart, University Rovira i Virgili; Sibel Özgen, University Rovira i Virgili; Magda Medir, University Rovira i Virgili; Hans-Joerg Witt, Witt & Partner

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

the fourth year of the program, a new course that enabled fourth-year students to simulate thepractice of a project manager was thought to be a great idea. In this way, the idea of project Page 13.673.2teams formed by first-year students and led by a more experienced student, not a course peer,could be put into practice. This asymmetric team setup has eventually proved to be an excellentlaboratory to develop personal competences such as leadership.3Leadership development has ultimately come to our attention as a natural evolutionary step inour efforts to improve the effectiveness of PMP students. The education part of the PMP coursewas

Conference Session

Solar Power, Wind Power, and Energy System Initiatives

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Swedish, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

maintain a log book for the duration of the project. Thislog book could be examined by the instructor at any time. Two interim written reports wererequired. At the conclusion of the project, an oral presentation was given, in which all of thestudents participated. Finally, after a short space of time for a final edit based on comments fromthe oral presentation, a final written report was submitted. The students received both an individual and a team grade for the course. The individualgrade was based on the student’s performance within the team, as evaluated both by the Page 13.1410.4instructor and by the student’s peers. Peers twice

Conference Session

ET Leadership, Administration, and Articulation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jerry Samples, University of Pittsburgh -Johnstown

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

to new instructors as theylearn to teach. Many are the way of ABET, faculty and student evaluations, and the expectationsof ones peers. They have been updated to reflect the changing methodologies of teaching andthe “student centeredness” of learning in Chickering and Gamson’s3 "Seven principles for goodpractice in undergraduate education." 1. Encourages contacts between students and faculty. 2. Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students. 3. Uses active learning techniques. 4. Gives prompt feedback. 5. Emphasizes time on task. 6. Communicates high expectations. 7. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning.Note that there is no reference to knowing the subject matter as this is certainly a given

Conference Session

Our Future in Manufacturing

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Danny Bee, University of Wisconsin-Stout; Richard Rothaupt, University of Wisconsin-Stout; Linards Stradins, University of Wisconsin-Stout

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

integratedactivities, the program has been brought back to 183 students. Figure 1 depicts the enrollmentdata for the manufacturing engineering program. It clearly shows a precipitous decline after theinitial startup spike and highlights a period of growth as a result of the recruiting strategies used.Since there has been a steady enrollment increase since 2004, it is unclear whether a true steady-state enrollment has been found. At the time of writing, the Fall 2007 applications are exceedingany prior year application rates. Historically, the manufacturing engineering program has aaccepted application fall show rate of roughly 70 percent, thus indicating Stout’s program is afirst choice program for students. This show rate is significantly higher than most

Conference Session

Capstone Design II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Widmann, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

, sponsorsand each other.TeamingAfter the first year it was apparent that the students needed more team-work skills. An entirelecture and lab period dedicated to basic team skills along with team check up surveys have beenadded to the class. The challenge to keep students on a functioning team for twenty weeks cannotbe understated. Formal teaming knowledge, skills and attitudes are stressed and the students aretaught Tuckman’s ideas of team development based on “Forming, Storming, Norming andPerforming.”4 There is also training on communication and conflict resolution. The studentstake the CATME5 online survey several times during the project and receive peer feedback ontheir teaming performance. Finally the students are made aware of Social Styles

Conference Session

Web-Based Learning in Engineering Technology

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charlie Edmonson, University of Dayton

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

it helps create a feeling of community and classroom cohesion. Students get to know the instructor and other students through verbal interactions.Disadvantages of Asynchronous On-line Learning - Lack of human contact. Some students need or want the face-to-face contact with instructors and other students. Some students say that they learn better when they can see a person's face and converse in real time with a peer or instructor. - Requires self-discipline. The primary drawback of asynchronous on-line learning is that students must be self-disciplined. Students must take the initiative to login to participate in on-line discussion groups and to complete other course assignments. Some students

Conference Session

Issues of Cooperative Education II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jean-Claude Thomassian, State University of New York, Maritime College; Anoop Desai, Georgia Southern University; Patrick kinnicutt, Central Michigan University

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

and outside of class time. To achievethis goal, design projects designed to make students work in teams are assigned during the courseof the semester. Active learning techniques are not new [1-7]. On the other hand, its support forteaching at the university level has been a hot topic of research in recent years [8-19]. Accordingto Bonwell and Eison, Active Learning is described as follows: "When using active learningstudents are engaged in more activities than just listening. They are involved in dialog, debate,writing, and problem solving, as well as higher-order thinking, e.g., analysis, synthesis,evaluation." [4].According to Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, Cooperative Learning is described as follows: "Is aninstructional paradigm in which

Conference Session

Student Learning Techniques & Practices in Engineering Technology

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

is the teacher’s responsibility to teach themeverything they need to learn. These students like the traditional teaching method oflecturing. It has been extensively studied in the literature that other learning styles such asactive learning, self-learning, and cooperative learning are more effective1. As pointedout by Donawa et al2, the primary purpose of all education is to teach students how tolearn effectively. Various efforts have been made to get the students actively involved in thelearning/teaching process3, 4, 5 over the last century. Extensive research on peer teaching4suggests that having students teach each other is an extremely effective way to increasestudent learning. Recently, Plett et al6 experimented with students grading

Conference Session

The Year of Dialogue: What We Have Learned So Far

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

J. P. Mohsen, University of Louisville; Ronald Barr, University of Texas at Austin

Tagged Divisions

Campus Representatives

discussions at many of the section meetingsmade that clear. If one wants to pursue a pathway to rigorous research in engineering education, theresearch methodology in engineering education should be no different than the samemethodological approach used in technical engineering research: 1. define the research questionor hypothesis, 2. write a proposal or plan, 3. seek funding or other appropriate support, 4. do thework rigorously, and 5. publish the results in peer-reviewed journals. In this sense, engineeringeducation research should be considered favorably in promotion and tenure. One caveat ineducational research is that the student (human subject) is the target of study, and it makes the“experiment” more complicated. Thus, it is reasonable

Conference Session

Assessing Design Coursework

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Graham Thomas, Texas Southern University; Esther Thomas, Texas Southern University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

write papers;and debate and critique topics during the teaching-learning process in purely academic settings;the classroom – traditional or virtual. Formal evaluations are the basis for feedback on howstudent’s felt about the course and the instructor’s approaches to teaching and organization of thecourse. Usually formal evaluations capture the basics through responses that are measured usingvarious scales and administered at the end of the semester. Most students avoid the sections onthe evaluations forms provided for additional comments on the course; many because at that timethey are anxious about course outcomes – research papers, final exams, and grades. To capturestudents’ voice on the effectiveness of teaching styles a different approach

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Design Constituents

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Catherine Skokan, Colorado School of Mines; Michael Ewing, Colorado School of Mines; Barbara Moskal, Colorado School of Mines; Heidi Barker, Regis University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

address a variety of mathematical and scientific topics, includinghand-writing analysis, trigonometry, lenses, the human eye, and spherical astronomy.After viewing this lesson, the participating mathematics teachers reviewed polygons andangles, and used these concepts to complete an exercise concerning the minimum numberof guards needed to secure an art gallery with specified dimensions. The science teachersstudied lenses and the human eye. Jointly, the mathematics and science teachers appliedthese skills by constructing a sun dial and analyzed hand-writing samples. Page 13.1324.4 Table 1: Summer Workshop –– The Math and Science of NUMB3RS

Conference Session

Sustainability in Construction Engineering

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Korman, California Polytechnic State University; Lonny Simonian, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Construction

, noxious gases may beproduced and may enter the building and waste will not properly leave the building. Systemperformance depends highly upon quality installation, which is the primary reason why buildingcodes have opted to write codes in a prescriptive manner.Students now read about DWV systems in textbooks, and use the prescriptive building codes to draftdiagrams the systems - which in industry are used to fabricate and install the DWV systems, but failto understand the physics behind why DWV works and often cannot adapt the code to situationswhich are not specifically prescribed in the code. Several practices are used for the installation ofDWV piping in buildings. These include, but are not limited to the following

Conference Session

Sustainable Energy Issues in Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cortney Martin, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Barbara Bekken, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Sean McGinnis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

credits) met five of the seven generaleducation requirements at the University. Only the writing and discourse and quantitative andsymbolic reasoning requirements were not explicitly met, although both were integral to thecourse. ES met three times each week. A 75-minute period on Tuesday allowed the wholegroup to meet with a guest speaker or faculty lecturer. A second 75-minute class on Thursdayswas devoted to discussion of the speaker and the week’s readings. A three-hour workshop onFridays provided a block of time for field trips or activities of longer duration. On Thursdaysand Fridays, students generally met in smaller communities of 20-30 students. In addition to atraditional text book that spanned all four semesters, students were asked to

Conference Session

Engineering and ET Relationships & Professional Development

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daphene Koch, College of Technology - Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

designed to collect the most common responses that would make the final surveyinstrument entirely multiple-choice. Samples included questions asking, “Did anyone influenceyour decision to enter this program?” They were directed to circle yes or no, and if yes, write inthe influential person. A pilot study was conducted with a small sample to validate the directionsand items in the instrument. This survey was initially administered to 78 students in a seniorlevel course in program C.A second pilot study was conducted by administering the survey to 157 students with acombination of different levels (1st year through 4th year) of students at one university. As afurther assessment of the face validity and readability of the instrument, semi

Conference Session

SE Curriculum and Course Management

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Clifton, University of Wisconsin-Platteville; Rob Hasker, University of Wisconsin-Platteville; Mike Rowe, University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Tagged Divisions

Software Engineering Constituent Committee

. B.5.b. Student course assessment surveys for SE 4130. B.5.c. Graduate exit survey. B.6: Maintains an existing software system B.6.a. Faculty and peer assessment of each student’s contribution to the maintenance project in SE 3860. B.6.b. Student course assessment surveys for SE 3860. B.6.c. Graduate exit survey.For each performance criterion, the first measurement listed is always a direct measurement. Fora few performance criteria, there are two direct measurements. The direct measurements aredone in the upper-division courses to better tie in with the ABET notion that “… programoutcomes are statements that describe what students are expected to know and be able to

Conference Session

Preparing Engineering Students for International Practice

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michelle Clauss, Grove City College; Blair Allison, Grove City College; Mark Reuber, Grove City College; Stacy Birmingham, Grove City College; Vincent DiStasi, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

International

six credits and took two courses, an engineeringelective taught by a University faculty member and a humanities elective taught be an Indianprofessor. The University of Texas at Austin has also offered several six-week, six creditprograms4. Students are encouraged to travel while studying abroad since the program isarranged to have no classes on Friday through Sunday.Many universities and colleges have long offered semester study-abroad programs often throughthird party organizations. Grove City College has participated in such programs throughout theyears; however, engineering majors have never been able to take part without significant issuesassociated with transferring of credits and remaining “in sync” with their peers. LafayetteCollege

Conference Session

Student Recruitment and Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Anderson-Rowland, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

challenge to getting more underrepresented minoritystudents to graduate school is get them to more frequently consider the graduate school option.The myths and reasons given by students on why they do not consider or want to attendengineering graduate school are many. Engineering faculty have the prestige to effectivelycounteract the attitudes about graduate school that the students have formed based onmisinformation, peer pressure, the mass media, campus information sources, and family not toattend graduate school.4 Here are some of these attitudes: • Tired of school7 • Want to start earning a living7 • Want to work at least a while before going to graduate school7 • Going to graduate school results in loss of industrial

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rose Marra, University of Missouri; Demei Shen, University of Missouri; David Jonassen, University of Missouri; Jenny Lo, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Vinod Lohani, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

students are asked to do their ownanalysis of the case based on what they have learned in the cases 1 and 2 and then enter theiranswers to questions that are asked. Students received feedback on their answers in the form ofexpert answers that were provided when students submitted their answers. Figure 2. Practice Case in E.Y.E. The fourth and final case is for assessment, and participants are asked to write a caseanalysis essay to describe how they would resolve the provided case. Students responded to ashort series of questions which required them to both propose and justify their solution. Theresearch team used their case analyses (in the form of short essays) to measure their engineeringethics problem solving ability. Completing

Conference Session

Impacts of Public Policy on Engineering Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Cady, National Academy of Engineering; Norman Fortenberry, National Academy of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

compliance with the Broadening Participation criteriawithout imposing undue work on the individuals or institutions submitting grant proposals. Thegoals and procedures of the workshop group are described elsewhere [10].RecommendationsAlthough individuals write the funding proposals for their projects, it is their home institutionsthat must account for the education and research activities of their faculty and staff, institutionsthat develop policies that support or impede diversification efforts, and institutions that are morelikely to have (and be able to track over time periods that exceed those of individual grants moreeasily than would an individual PI) data on the demographic characteristics of those involved infunded projects. This led to the

Conference Session

Re-Imagining the Higher Ed Classroom -- Tablet PCs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dewey Spangler, Virginia Western Community College; Kimberly Filer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

technology, the Tablet PC incorporates the portability of the laptopwith the flexibility of writing. In conventional notebook mode, the Tablet PC offeres a keyboardfor typing. When the screen is rotated it transforms into a tablet, and using a stylus students canmake handwritten notes and drawings.Due to the Tablet PC initiative, in fall 2007 sophomore students with the declared major ofmechanical engineering (approximately 300 to 350 total) have Tablet PCs. In an attempt toutilize this emerging technology, a pilot study was conducted by the Mechanical Engineeringdepartment to integrate Tablet PC functionality with course material in two sections of ME 2024– Engineering Design and Economics. With the special capabilities of the Tablet PC, it

Conference Session

Learning from Entrepreneurship Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Karen Thornton, University of Maryland; Jacqueline Rogers, University of Maryland (Retired); Nathan Myers, University of Maryland; Monica Neukomm, University of Maryland

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

shift in recruitment highlighted thetension between keeping the program open to students with unfulfilled academic potential andadmitting students with the requisite skills to graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UM. Therewas a particular concern that some incoming freshman had not proven themselves with college-level classes and needed to be placed into remedial courses. This need for remediation is notunusual at PGCC, where many highly motivated students may arrive from disadvantagededucational backgrounds.Thus, a Provisional Status was created for promising, but unproven recent high school graduateswho are unable to pass PGCC’s entrance exams in reading, writing, and/or mathematics1. AtPGCC, students failing any of these exams are required

Conference Session

Issues of Diversity in Graduate Engineering Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eugene DeLoatch, Morgan State University; Sherra Kerns, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering; Lueny Morell, Hewlett-Packard; Carla Purdy, University of Cincinnati; Paige Smith, University of Maryland; Samuel Truesdale, Rolls-Royce Corporation

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

career so that they willbe more likely to persevere in majors and careers in science.41 Some of these programs addadditional components such as enhanced emphasis on mentoring, development of career plansand actual graduate applications, dealing with time management and work-life balance issues,and identifying a supportive peer group. Such programs have been described by Purdy et al.42and by Crosby et al.43 While many of these programs are highly effective, they do not alwayshave stable funding. .B. MentoringAs noted by Purdy and Wasburn2, "a continuing concern for all graduate students is how to findsufficient mentoring and role models. This need is not limited to academic subjects. Much morethan undergraduate students, graduate students are

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

byfollowing up with appropriate feedback instruments, on a regular basis, such as mid-term andend of term peer and self-evaluations.The paper discusses key elements of teamwork and how they relate to engineering design projectteams. Then a spreadsheet tool and results of its use is presented. The tool requires each studentto evaluate himself/herself and his/her teams mates covering 15 teamwork skills. The tool hasbeen implemented over the last year and a half in the senior design project course andincorporates advanced spreadsheet features including hot-linked graphics, protected macros,student identification numbers, passwords, hidden rows and hidden sheets.IntroductionAs we participate on engineering design projects we learn to appreciate how

Conference Session

Use of Summer Research Programs in Civil Engineering Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chris Ramseyer, University of Oklahoma

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

not aware that their research program isfunding this undergraduate research program and are only interested in solutions to their researchproblem. Assessment methods for the undergraduate research include the standard methods usedfor graduate level research. This includes evaluation of the projects outcome by the sponsors,presentation and discussion at national conventions & peer reviewed journal articles. Theprogram is analyzed and the students experience and its possible impact on their personal andprofessional life is discussed and evaluated in this paper. These aspects of the program areassessed through the use of a survey.OverviewTo summarize Ramseyer1, Camp Concrete developed in response to the unique constraints andopportunities