Conference Session

Student Learning Techniques & Practices in Engineering Technology

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marilyn Barger, University of South Florida; Jodi Sutton, HCC; Eric Roe, Hillsborough Community College; Richard Gilbert, University of South Florida

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

. Page 13.1272.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 The Toothpick Factory© A Simulation Game for the Soft SkillsAbstract:FLATE, a NSF-ATE regional center for manufacturing education has as one of its goals toprovide curriculum and related professional development for community college faculty andteachers that meets the needs of employers. Responses to every industry survey andquestionnaire FLATE has ever conducted throughout the State overwhelming indicates softskills, including teamwork and all aspects of communication, are high on the list of necessary,but still absent skills. One of FLATE’s first objectives was to mitigate this need.To reduce the skill gap for soft skills

Conference Session

Continuous Improvement & Assessment of ET Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy Skvarenina, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

AC 2008-1900: INCORPORATING AND ASSESSING ABET “SOFT SKILLS” INTHE TECHNICAL CURRICULUMTimothy Skvarenina, Purdue University Tim Skvarenina was born in Chicago, Illinois. He received the BSEE and MSEE degrees from the Illinois Institute of Technology and the Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Purdue University. During his college career he worked four summers at U.S. Steel as an assistant electrician, rewinding motors and installing electrical equipment. He served 21 years in the U.S. Air Force, including six years designing, constructing, and inspecting electric power distribution projects for a variety of facilities. He spent five years teaching and researching pulsed power systems

Conference Session

Curriculum Development and Applications

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jana Whittington, Purdue University Calumet; Kim Nankivell, Purdue University Calumet; Joy Colwell, Purdue University Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Design Graphics

AC 2008-381: MEETING STUDENT AND INDUSTRY NEEDS THROUGHEXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND SOFT SKILLS STUDY IN COMPUTERGRAPHICSJana Whittington, Purdue University CalumetKim Nankivell, Purdue University CalumetJoy Colwell, Purdue University Calumet Page 13.884.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008Meeting Student and Industry Needs through Experiential Learning and Soft Skills Study in Computer GraphicsAbstractStudents in a Computer Graphics (CG) degree program need a variety of “real-world” portfolioprojects and experience before graduation to prepare them for their careers. One way toincorporate “real world” experiences is to use experiential

Conference Session

Methods & Techniques in Graduate Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joy Colwell, Purdue University Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

technicalexpertise. The need to develop these skills can be met through courses in those areas, or throughincluding learning activities designed to develop these skills within other courses.From a review of these objectives, the soft or conceptual skills will play a vital role, since thedegree is intended to prepare the graduates for leadership and/or academic roles in the field. Outof the five program outcomes, there are several undisputed soft skill outcomes (communication,teamwork, and constructive professional and interpersonal skills).Statistics for outlook and need for degreeAs mentioned above, another source of information about curriculum needs (gap analysis) is theemployment outlook for the degree graduates. The Bureau of Labor Statistics maintains

Conference Session

Institutional and Curricular Reform

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pierre Lafleur, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal; Yves Boudreault, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal; Richard Prégent, École Polytechnique de Montréal

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

describe: • contents and assessment modes for each course; • preferred teaching methods for each course; • description of the process of multiple course integration and interaction; • specific support and supervision of the new students; • integrated projects; • other elements to incorporate in the first year, such as internationalization, soft skills (personal and relational), etc.The following figure shows how the 120 credits four years curriculum of our engineeringprograms were distributed before and after the implementation of the new programs. The oldprograms started with a 30 credits common year of mathematics and science courses followedby a block of 60 credits (2 years) of engineering courses coupled with

Conference Session

Cooperative Education and Engineering

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jacqueline El-Sayed, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

industrial advisory boardsand employers of engineering graduates has brought to the forefront that practical know-howmust be integrated into engineering education. It is not enough to be “book smart.” Industrywants engineers who are flexible, savvy and can produce quality results in real world situations.Higher education must find ways to educate engineering students with both practical andtheoretical knowledge to ensure the student’s success.ABET1 has led the charge by instituting learning outcomes for accreditation. Many of theseoutcomes are not technical but are considered “soft skills.” Soft skills include interpersonal,“people” skills. Following ABET’ s lead, higher education is experimenting with methodologiesto address all outcomes, and to

Conference Session

Industry and Engineering Technology Partnerships

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joy Colwell, Purdue University Calumet; Shoji Nakayama, Purdue University Calumet; Carl Jenks, Purdue University Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

for, and an ability to engage in lifelong learning, i. an ability to understand professional, ethical and social responsibilities, j. a respect for diversity and a knowledge of contemporary professional, societal and global issues, and k. a commitment to quality, timeliness, and continuous improvement.It is interesting to note that only four of the eleven criteria apply to technical areas. All otherscover “soft skills” (i.e., communication, teamwork, and appreciation for diversity), which are themain focus of the OLS program. And by improving the courses offered by the OLS programwith advisory committee guidance, the OLS courses which are used by the various technologyspecialties also benefit, since many of these OLS

Conference Session

Educating the Whole Engineer - Building Life Skills

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kate Thomes, University of Pittsburgh; Beth Bateman Newborg, University of Pittsburgh; Kate Joranson, University of Pittsburgh; Dan Budny, University of Pittsburgh; Steven Abramowitch, University of Pittsburgh; Carol Washburn, University of Pittsburgh; Carol Baker, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Libraries

that non-engineering faculty and academic departments have brought to the Pitt Experience. We willemphasize the process of designing curriculum with multiple learning outcomes that address abroad range of professional and academic goals, and we will provide examples of assignmentsand tools, developed by instructors and librarians from across curricula, that support research,communication, and critical thinking towards educating the “whole engineer.”"When students leave the university unable to find words to render their experience, they areradically impoverished.”1Introduction: The Collaborative WholeCurrent ABET accreditation requirements emphasize the importance of “soft” skills in planningand achieving excellence in engineering education

Conference Session

ET Leadership, Administration, and Articulation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Saeed Khan, Kansas State University-Salina; John DeLeon, Kansas State University-Salina

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

average A.A.S. or certificate programs, and engineering degrees. It also indicates our graduates will have comprehensive theoretical background, superior technical skills and a layer of soft skills sitting on top (Figure 2). We define a super technologist as a person who not only possesses desirable technical skills, but has also amassed necessary leadership, management and other soft skills (personal and interpersonal). By our definition, the super technologist can be an engineering technologist, an engineer, or even a successful entrepreneur with a high school degree. The super technologist must possess the necessary attributes to thrive in a global economy. It is, however, our belief that the Engineering Technology program is

Conference Session

Innovation in Construction Engineering Education II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gouranga Banik, Southern Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Construction

life learning (3.43). Technical and design understanding is important but not important asother soft skills. But for the experience contractors, ability to design a system, component orprocess (3.21) and analyze and interpret data (3.56) are important like other soft skills such ascommunication skill (4.02), ability to work in multidisciplinary team (3.68) and importance oflife-long learning (3.52).What is the role of information technology, both as a computing and communications tool and asa method of educational delivery? A demonstrated understanding that construction is affected byinformation technology was the most highly ranked outcome in the “knowledge of contemporaryissues” criterion. Unquestionably, informationtechnology impacts how

Conference Session

FPD6 - First Year Curricula Development

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregory Wight, Norwich University; R. Danner Friend, Norwich University; Jacques Beneat, Norwich University; William Barry, Norwich University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

design process Page 13.1009.2through project-based instruction with a blend of technical skills and non-technical or so-called“soft” skills. At the time of the writing of this paper, the first semester course, EG109, had beencompleted, and EG110 had just begun. The objective of this paper is to describe thedevelopment, design, and first year implementation of the course.After six years of discipline-specific freshman engineering courses for Civil Engineering,Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering majors, it was decided that all Engineeringand Construction Management majors would share the same curriculum during their freshmanyear. The

Conference Session

Teams and Teamwork in Design II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Chang, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering; Allen Downey, Olin College of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

approach to assigning students to project teams for ayear-long, industry-sponsored senior capstone course. Successful assignment requires knowl-edge of at least individual project requirements, student skills, student personalities, andstudent project preferences. This mix of hard skills, soft skills, and interpersonal impres-sions requires human involvement to produce a high-quality assignment. The importance offaculty input often requires that the assignment process be labor- and time-intensive.Our approach attempts to reduce the time required to perform this assignment by selectivelyautomating parts of the task flow. An automated search uses a randomized greedy algorithmcombined with local optimizations to explore a large space of solutions

Conference Session

Careers and Professional Development in BME

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy Allen, University of Virginia; Shayn Peirce-Cottler, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

development of technical skills:knowledge of mathematics and the sciences, problem solving, engineering practice,experimentation, and design. However, non-technical skills – the so-called professional skills –are increasingly seen as essential to the complete education of a modern engineer, thus leading tothese skills’ explicit delineation in ABET Criterion 3, Program Outcomes d, f, g, h, i, and j.1However, there has been considerable debate as to how such skills (sometimes less favorably Page 13.278.2referred to as “soft skills”) are most effectively taught and assessed.2A national survey of capstone courses in multiple engineering departments showed

Conference Session

Global Engineering in an Interconnected World

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Saeed Khan, Kansas State University-Salina; Beverlee Kissick, Kansas State University-Salina

Tagged Divisions

International

technologists. They are emphasizing the need for soft skills for engineers andtechnologists, and a more systems approach for the technician (as an example they wouldlike an electronic technician education where components are de-emphasized in favor ofa systems approach8).No one can disagree with the importance of soft skills to engineers and technologists in aglobal economy; however, the approach to technician training needs to be studied morecarefully3-5, 8, 9. A truly successful global technological strategy will require us to movefrom having two major partners, to many major partners in technology2. Indeed, the more Page 13.249.2successful we become

Conference Session

Assessing Design Coursework

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marcia Friesen, University of Manitoba

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

society. In thisessay, Thomas Kuhn’s concept of incommensurability, aspects of constructivist epistemology,and Thomas Green’s framework of professional conscience are used to structure an expandedframework for engineering design, and more broadly, for engineering education and practiceitself.Developments in Engineering Design EducationEngineering design continues to be focal point of discussion and activity in undergraduateengineering education, with the broadly-stated objective to educate engineers with practice-readydesign skills and the soft skills required of practicing professionals. Engineering designeducation requires an integration of mathematics, basic sciences, engineering sciences, andcomplementary studies, facilitated through

Conference Session

Engineering Education in the Mid-East / Asia

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rajeswari Sundararajan, College of Technology - Purdue University; Daniel Dangelo, Intel; kishore N.K., IIT Karagpur; Haritha Mogilisetti, Intel; Sundhasarath Somasundaram, Valliammai College of Engineering; umadevi S., highways; Robert Nowlin, retired

Tagged Divisions

International

grasping of the young, well-educated, andflexible engineering students of both genders. Since “business as usual” doesn’t work anymore,the curricula are kept current and up-to-date. Topics such as mechatronics, bioinformatics arecovered to meet the competition and challenges posed by outsourcing and globalization. Theimportance of soft skills, such as project management skills, IT, and good communication skillsin addition to the basic sciences, engineering sciences and in-depth skills in a specificengineering discipline has been realized and implemented in the curricula. In this paper, thecontemporary curricula in EE at Indian Universities will be investigated and compared to pre-outsourcing curricula. The merits of these curricula and areas for

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

information needed to assess the current curriculum. Learning assessments atthe college level are difficult to obtain; primarily because the learning that takes place at thepost-secondary level is more than data and facts, but also patterns of thinking and conceptualinformation. Some students can apply the theories to contextual settings and some cannottranslate learning to action.Some educators believe that the emphasis and thus the courses required in college-leveleducation must be dominated by each student’s specific field of study, such as computerprogramming, medicine, etc. Others, including many people in the business world, would like tosee more emphasis on soft skills in areas such as business etiquette, communication, andprofessionalism

Conference Session

New Trends in Engineering Management Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patricia Galloway, The Nielsen-Wurster Group, Inc

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

professional, and a certified forensic claims consultant. An internationally recognized leader in civil engineering and construction, Dr. Galloway sees engineering education as the number one challenge facing engineers today as current education does not provide for the soft skills necessary to survive in the 21st Century. Given this passion, she has recently publised The 21st Century Engineer-A Proposal to Engineering Education Reform. Having traveled to nearly 100 countries, Dr. Galloway is known for experience and expertise in global engineering and construction. Her industry experience includes power, oil and gas, transportation, infrastructure, process and specialty structures. She is

Conference Session

Computer and Electrical Engineering Technology Innovations

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Omer Farook, Purdue University Calumet; Chandra Sekhar, Purdue University Calumet; Essaid Bouktache, Purdue University Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

which is assessed based upon itscomprehensiveness and originality. Students are required to master the soft skills ofcomprehensive report writing on a weekly basis and of Technical Project Report writing andproject oral presentation based upon the Team’s Final Project. These classroom practices andlaboratory environment provides a challenging and invigorating environment that prepares themfor a lifelong learning process and career path.Bibliography[1] Microchip Technology Inc. 2355 West Chandler Blvd. Chandler, Arizona, USA 85224-6199 (480) 792-7200 http://microchip.com[2] CCS, Inc. Custom Computer Services, Inc. PO Box 2452 Brookfield, WI 53008 www.ccsinfo.com[3] http://freenet

Conference Session

Teaching Engineering and Public Policy

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Gillespie, Rowan University; Krishan Bhatia, Rowan University; William Riddell, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering and Public Policy

provide both an asset to sustainability efforts in New Jerseyand educational experiences to the students. Specific aspects of ongoing projects that addressvarious ABET A-K criteria are identified. In particular, these projects teach engineeringstudents about the ethical responsibilities of engineers in regard to environmental consciousness,teach them to promote and enact change in the local community, and prepare them for careers insustainability.Project-Based Learning at Rowan UniversityThe engineering clinic sequence is an essential aspect of the Rowan University Engineeringcurriculum. The engineering clinics were established to help students to develop the so-called“soft skills” identified by the ABET A-K criteria, as well as to apply and

Conference Session

Collaborative & New Efforts in Engineering Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Fanyu Zeng, Indiana Wesleyan University

Tagged Divisions

International

in any type of businessenvironment. A collaboratively improved curriculum includes a great deal of curriculumenhancements with focuses on following three themes: • Soft Skills: Research outcomes indicate that fundamental technical skills and professional skills are both equally important and both need to be balanced although developing fundamental technical skills is still the core of the existing curriculum. Additional training on soft skill, such as project management and communication, enhances fundamental technical skill development. • Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills: Students are trained to be able to obtain any resources available and reinforce their progress in problem solution

Conference Session

Preparing Engineers for the Global Workplace

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vijay Renganathan, Institute of International Education; Lester Gerhardt, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Peggy Blumenthal, Institute of International Education; Allen Greenwood, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

International

available to engineering students whoseek international experience.The authors bring diverse perspectives from within the American academicmarketplace. One has spearheaded international education activities at RensselaerPolytechnic Institute, a leading US engineering university, and serves as the foundingChair of Global E3, in addition to being an ASEE Fellow. The other two are based atthe Institute of International Education, an NGO devoted to promoting andadministering international educational exchanges. The paper will discuss vehicles toenhance the “soft skills” increasingly demanded by industry, promote more studyabroad by US engineering students, and train a globally effective engineeringworkforce for the 21st century. We will present

Conference Session

Professional Skills and the Workplace

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ashley Ater Kranov, Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology; Robert Olsen, Washington State University; Carl Hauser, Washington State University; Laura Girardeau, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

, intercultural team interactions thatcharacterize engineering careers in the 21st century. While there have been many program-levelefforts across the nation to develop these “soft” skills, such as capstone projects that incorporatestudy abroad and service learning, no direct method of measuring all six skills simultaneouslyexists in the literature. This project proposes an innovative and direct method of developing andassessing ABET professional skills simultaneously that can be used at the course-level forassessing student performance and at the program-level for assessing efficacy of the curricula.In 2007, the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) at Washington StateUniversity (WSU) collaborated with the College of Engineering and

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

course material to suit the College learning environment. Both courses adoptedactive/cooperative learning approach as an efficient way to address the requirements of ABETEC2000. The careful design of an active/ cooperative learning course ensures that students willacquire technical as well as non-technical or soft skills specified in the famous eleven 3a-3koutcomes. Felder et al3 discuss the instructional paradigms of cooperative learning and problem-based learning and estimate that each of them has the potential to address all eleven Criterion 3 Page 13.996.2outcomes effectively.Participation of the authors in preparing these two courses as well

Conference Session

Professional Practice and AEC Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Dong, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Architectural

. One teachesarchitecture, the other teaches structures. As educators, the primary goal is to prepare studentsfor life after college. To that end, a class was developed to emulate real world practice, wherestudents are exposed to the trials and tribulations of communication, negotiation, and the totaldesign process. By exposing students to a class that emulates practice and to issues which designprofessionals face on a daily basis will better prepare them for practice and life after college.This “experimental” course has been offered thrice and student feedback indicates exposures tothe first two soft skills were the most demanding – just like practice.1OverviewAs noted previously, a primary goal for college professors is to prepare students

Conference Session

Preparing Engineers for the Global Workplace

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Annette Casey, Joanneum University of Applied Sciences, Department of Automotive Engineering,; Emilia Bratschitsch, Joanneum Univeristy of Applied Sciences; Adrian Millward-Sadler, Joanneum University of Applied Sciences

Tagged Divisions

International

home or abroad), and one major project inthe 6th semester. To round off the program, business and management subjects (including bothhard and soft skills) and English as a second language should be included. The result was achallenging engineering curriculum, designed to produce graduates with a high degree ofemployability and thus satisfy the market’s need for highly-qualified engineering personnel.The response from industry was very good from the start, with the majority of graduates makinga seamless transition into engineering positions in internationally renowned companies, many ofthem based in Austria. This confirmed that the ‘recipe’ itself was a good one, and that theprogram was succeeding in what it had set out to do. However, like all

Conference Session

Engineering Accreditation Around the World

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Deborah Wolfe, Engineers Canada; Phil Alexander, University of Windsor

Tagged Divisions

International

the criteria governing the accreditation processes and procedures. TheEngineers Canada Board of Directors on behalf of the constituent members approves thesecriteria. The criteria are both quantitative and qualitative, and place emphasis on curriculumcontent and the quality of the students, academic staff, support staff and educational facilities.CEAB also uses these same criteria to conduct substantial equivalency evaluations ofengineering programs outside Canada. The criteria have evolved over the years to reflectaddressing such issues as technological advances and the growth of the engineering team in theworkplace. Over the past decade the CEAB has increased the requirements for complementarystudies (soft skills) and moved from a

Conference Session

Careers and Professional Development in BME

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Guruprasad Madhavan, State University of New York-Binghamton; Aimee Betker, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Jennifer Flexman, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA; Barbara Oakley, Oakland University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

between technological progress on the one hand, and existinglimitations in educational and socioeconomic resources on the other, a varied number ofvisionary frameworks and strategic plans have been put forth by commissions of theAccreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET)1, the National Academy ofEngineering (NAE)2, and the National Science Foundation (NSF)3. A strong, consistentrecommendation in these reports is the need for engineering graduates to have professionaldevelopment, or “soft” skills. The visions of these reports have particular relevance tobioengineering, a discipline whose explosive international growth is generating abundant careerdevelopment, professional development, and humanitarian development opportunities

Conference Session

Electrical ET Curriculum and Projects

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Dutko, Bloomsburg University; Cathy Auburger, Bloomsburg University; Patrick Anderson, Bloomsburg University; Biswajit Ray, Bloomsburg University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

for program accreditationvisits. Project Learning Objectives Project Teaching Objectives‚ Gain experience in interpreting technical ‚ Foster discovery, self-teaching, and encourage specifications and selecting sensors and transducers desire and ability for life-long learning for a given application‚ Understand terminologies associated with ‚ Provide experience in designing instrumentation instrumentation systems system based on specifications‚ Gain experience in developing computerized ‚ Develop soft skills including teamwork, open- instrumentation systems for industrial processes

Conference Session

Preparing a Modern Aerospace Workforce

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Bibel, University of North Dakota

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

authors are motivated by a belief they have found abetter way to explain the science. Few bother to ferret out and develop interesting reallife adventures and applications. One source of information is the NationalTransportation Safety Board (NTSB) crash reports. It can be challenging to reduce thesecomplex aerospace systems to fundamental concepts for educational use.This material presented here was developed for a new disaster course for engineeringstudents and a disaster based science course for non-technical students. The material isalso suitable to supplement more traditional engineering courses such as: strength ofmaterials, material science, finite element analysis, and machine design. Many ABET socalled "soft skills" can also be