Conference Session

Technical Session M5C

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Thomas J. Siller, Colorado State University; Erica J Marti, University of Nevada - Las Vegas; Cory Budischak, Temple University; Matt Gordon P.E., University of Denver; Carlo Salvinelli, University of Colorado Boulder

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Department as an Instructor and Department Chair before transitioning to his current role at Temple University. When Cory is not educating or researching, he enjoys backpacking, yoga, volleyball, and hiking with his family. More information about Cory can be found at www.bit.ly/corybud.Dr. Matt Gordon P.E., University of Denver Dr. Matt Gordon is Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. His research areas include numerical and experimental plasma physics, chemical and physical vapor deposition, elec- tronic packaging, and bio-medical engineering. He has supervised to completion 26 MSME students and 5 PhD students. Publications include 1 book chapter, 32 journal publications, 47 refereed

Conference Session

Technical Session M5C

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

William C. Oakes, Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE); Srinivas Mohan Dustker, Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)

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Engineering Education, 2022 Community-Engaged First-Year Learning CommunityIntroductionFirst-year programs lay the foundation and serve as the front door for engineering programs.They play a significant role in recruiting and retention of a diverse student body as well asproviding the foundational preparation for the upper levels of engineering programs. Programsoften integrate advising and students development with curricular preparation. Many programshave common first years that a foundation for all or most engineering majors within theinstitution, presenting challenges to meet the needs of multiple majors across engineering [1].Since the first year is critical for retention, many institutions have adopted initiatives that

Conference Session

Technical Session T1A

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

James R McCusker PhD, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Christopher John Brigham, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Afsaneh Ghanavati, Wentworth Institute of Technology

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EngineeringIntroductionIt is well established that first-year engineering programs have far reaching impacts on the overall qualityof and student persistence in first-year engineering programs. Most of the attrition occurs during aprogram’s first year wherein approximately 24% leave for a non-engineering major or college altogether[1]. In addition, student performance in first-year courses can serve as a predictor for overall studentsuccess regardless of their understanding of course material [2,3]. The impact of student attrition on thefinances of academic institutions is well documented, however the impact on the students departing thediscipline can be far more drastic for the actual students. The financial burden on the withdrawn studentsgoes beyond just the

Conference Session

Technical Session M5B

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Heath Aren Schluterman, University of Arkansas; Aysa Galbraith, University of Arkansas; Leslie Bartsch Massey, University of Arkansas; Brandon Crisel; Candace Auburn Rainwater, University of Arkansas

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University of Arkansas to teach general Introduction to Engineering and to coordinator for the First-Year Honors Innovation Experience.Mr. Brandon Crisel, I am a 12 year veteran instructor at the University of Arkansas with a BS and MS in Mathematics with emphasis in Statistics and applied Math as well as an MS in Industrial Engineering. I began working in the Math Department, teaching service courses such as College Algebra, Math for Elementary Teachers 1&2, Mathematical Reasoning, and Finite Mathematics. I also helped spearhead the Math Department’s online initiative to create an online program for our service courses while simultaneously implementing a flipped course teaching method to the traditional classes. I

Conference Session

Technical Session T1B

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Amanda Marie Singer, Michigan Technological University; Katrina L Carlson, Michigan Technological University; Akua B. Oppong-Anane, Montana Technological University; Michelle E Jarvie-Eggart P.E., Michigan Technological University; Sarah Tan, Michigan Technological University

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Diversity, Full Papers

Society for Engineering Education, 2022Influences on the Choice to Study Engineering: Insights from a Cross-University StudyIntroductionTo improve how students are recruited into engineering, it is imperative for the engineeringeducation community to recognize and understand the factors that influence students’ choice topursue a degree in engineering. Research conducted within this area has identified numerousfactors reported by students to have influenced the choice to pursue engineering as a college major.These factors include math- and science-related interest [1-2], prior STEM experiences inelementary and secondary school [3], earning potential [1, 4-5], and positive self-assessment ofone’s math, science, and/or problem-solving skills [2, 6-7

Conference Session

Technical Session M5A

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Katrina L Carlson, Michigan Technological University; Akua B. Oppong-Anane, Montana Technological University; Michelle E Jarvie-Eggart P.E., Michigan Technological University; Amanda Marie Singer, Michigan Technological University

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two universities, Michigan Technological University (MichiganTech) and Montana Technological University (Montana Tech). Systems Engineering is notavailable at Montana Tech, and it is currently offered as a minor and pathway of study under theBachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree at Michigan Tech. Student responses to thisopen-ended survey question were analyzed using deductive and inductive coding techniques toidentify common terms and emergent themes. When viewing the collective results, studentdefinitions of Systems Engineering most commonly referenced the following terms and themes:systems, modeling and design, project and systems management, and Systems Engineeringapplications.BackgroundDue to its relative newness as an ABET [1

Conference Session

Technical Session M5B

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Haritha Malladi, University of Delaware; Jenni Buckley, University of Delaware

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and qualitative information that can be used to individuate student performancewithin teams [1]. To effectively address interpersonal issues in teams, it is important to detect theincidence and root cause of team conflicts.This paper investigates the prevalence of team conflicts in a large-enrollment introductoryengineering course. Using weekly CATME peer evaluation data, end-of-semester student polls,and final scores in the course, this study characterizes the type and incidences of team conflicts.Results indicate that “social loafing”—tendency for individuals to expend less effort whenworking collectively than when working individually—is a dominant issue, which has beenidentified in previous studies as the most prevalent problem within

Conference Session

Technical Session M5A

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Sean P Brophy, Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE); John H Cole, Purdue University; Srinivas Mohan Dustker, Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE); William C. Oakes, Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE); Carla B. Zoltowski, Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)

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Diversity, Full Papers

shown that most first-year engineering programs include programming orcomputer tools courses in their first-year curriculum [1]. Many challenges occur in teachingcomputing and computer tools in first-year engineering education courses. Students’ preparationand prior experience vary significantly. Students demonstrate difficulty learning the concepts incomputing and applying those concepts to writing code in a specific language [2][3]. Forengineering students, there can be a disconnect between the learning outcomes desired byinstructors and students’ perception of the connection of writing code to their future profession.This disconnect can impact engineering students’ performance to write code. One of our majorlearning outcomes for our students

Conference Session

Technical Session T1B

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Jenahvive K. Morgan, Michigan State University

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the ability to work together while solving an open-ended designproblem, and being able to overcome any obstacles that arise. These obstacles involve differingwork ethics, personalities, and communication styles. Inevitably, these differences can lead toconflict, and a need to resolve disagreements within the team. These ever-present emotionalaspects to working in a team are found not only in student projects, but also on the projects theywill be working on once they graduate. Finding the skills as a student to successfully navigatethe myriad of issues that may arise when working with others, sets student up for success in theirengineering careers after graduation, as shown by Jones (1996) [1] and Seat et al. (1996) [2].Often students who are

Conference Session

Technical Session T1A

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Jessica Martin, Baylor University; Jana Roste, Baylor University; Austin T. Smith, Baylor University; Shane Michael Meyer, Baylor University; Emma G Cartisano, Baylor University; Emily Sandvall, Baylor University; Andrea Pouso Morales, Baylor University

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a growing number of STEM roles.Marginalized populations are disproportionately absent from these fields, which NationalScience Foundation (NSF) has sought to address through the funding of programs aimed atimproving STEM students’ success [1]-[2]. Thus, Baylor University created the Engineering andComputer Science (ECS) Scholars Program—a NSF-funded program to support the success ofhigh achieving, low income (HALI) STEM students. Because student success literatureoverwhelmingly evidences the positive relationship between involvement and success [3]-[4],this study explored how HALI STEM students in the ECS Scholars Program perceive andexperience involvement and success as related to their most salient identities.Guiding Research Question(s

Conference Session

Technical Session M5B

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Natalie C.T. Van Tyne, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Juan David Ortega, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University / Universidad EAFIT

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totally online environment in Spring 2021, due to COVID-19 restrictions, and ten teams thatoperated in person in Spring 2022. All teams consisted of students in their second semester ofcollege.The following research question was explored through this study: How does first-year design team development vary between online and in-person operation?Participants were asked to respond individually to a team development survey informed byexisting literature. The results indicated that most team members of both online and in-personteams considered their team to be in either the Performing stage or in a transition between theNorming and Performing stages. However, response bias was possible, as demonstrated in aprior study [1]. Examples of response

Conference Session

Technical Session M5C

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Surupa Shaw, Texas A&M University

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projects integrated with the undergraduate engineering curriculum. Dr. Surupa Shaw | Texas A&M University | Higher Education Center at McAllen TX I. INTRODUCTION The undergraduate engineering curriculum forms the fundamental knowledge base for our future engineerswho would be serving the global society. It is imperative for the undergraduate engineers to get a reality checkon the utility of their classroom knowledge that would help them shape their career path and would providethem a valuable appreciation of the course content. Phylis Blumenfeld et al. [1] emphasized on the compellingargument of making projects an integral part of the learning process, as they promote student

Conference Session

Technical Session M5C

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Kelly Salyards P.E., Bucknell University; Benjamin B Wheatley, Bucknell University; Katsuyuki Wakabayashi, Bucknell University

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PurposeMany universities require a first-year cornerstone course for incoming engineering students, andBucknell University is no exception. The college-wide introductory course has been delivered ina seminar-based format to approximately 200 students each year since its last revision in the2002-2003 academic year [1], nearly 20 years ago. While the previous version was successful[2], opportunities for improvement became apparent in recent years. A redesign of the coursewas undertaken in 2020 and first implemented in Fall 2021. The purpose of this paper is todocument the process of the redesign and to share the “lessons learned” from the pilot offering ofthe newly revised course.Background InformationBucknell University is a predominantly

Conference Session

Technical Session T1B

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Hannah Nolte, The Pennsylvania State University; Elizabeth Marie Starkey, Pennsylvania State University; Christopher McComb, Carnegie mellon University; Nicolas F Soria Zurita, The Pennsylvania State University & Universidad San Francisco de Quito

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discuss challenges associated with engagement, the timingof the practices, and logistical issues. Overall, the results of this work encourage the integrationof mindfulness-based practices into introductory engineering courses as students perceive manybenefits. However, it is simultaneously necessary to recognize that implementing these practicescan be challenging for instructors. Future research should investigate the effects of implementingthese practices in other types of engineering courses like a first-year seminar course.IntroductionCollege students in the United States are reporting increased stress [1], likely due to greatereducational and environmental stressors [2]. This additional stress is compounding thesignificant stress already

Conference Session

Technical Session M5A

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

John Cole, The University of Texas at Dallas

Tagged Topics

Diversity, Full Papers

Computer Science Student.” This was basedon work by Steffen Peuker and Raymond Landis [1]. This was also an individual project.Choose from a list of projects supplied by the instructor.MethodologySince there was a wide range of coding knowledge and ability, I ruled out programming projectsof any kind. I also found that asking the students to come up with their own project had twoproblems. Either the project was so simple it could be completed in a day, or it was so complexit would have required a large team and a year or more to finish.The non-electronic computation device was inspired by a paper by Paul Fishwick [2] and wasfun, but students mostly looked things up on the Web rather than doing creative work. I also sawthat these did not lend

Conference Session

Technical Session T1B

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Charles E. Pierce, University of South Carolina

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semester, it is often difficult to prioritize personal time and space for thinking about andreflecting on new academic experiences. Yet this is a critical phase for students to build afoundation from their first-year courses and capitalize on opportunities to discover and practicehow to succeed in engineering.Reflection in engineering education has been underutilized and is often neglected. However,recent growth in reflective activities for engineering courses [1] has led to improvedunderstanding of pedagogical approaches utilized in reflective practices [2]. Reflectionencourages students to make meaning of their learning experiences and to consider future actionsthat are grounded in those experiences. Like other skills, one must practice

Conference Session

Technical Session M5B

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Michael Cross, Norwich University; David M. Feinauer P.E., Virginia Military Institute; Roger J Marino P.E., Drexel University; James R McCusker PhD, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Johanna P Casale, Drexel University

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coping.Before delving into the authors’ views regarding the value of enduring pedagogical andoperational shifts that have resulted from teaching in a Covid environment, it is important toexplore some key trends identified in recent literature. The shift to emergency remote teaching inthe Spring of 2020 spawned a flurry of self-study, casual, collegial conversations, andconsultations with teaching and learning support staff by engineering faculty around the country.In [1], it was found that throughout the second half of the Spring 2020 semester, participation inactivities to assess and redesign teaching pedagogies, modalities, and assessments was high andsustained. Despite this increased energy around pedagogical conversation, self-study, andredesign

Conference Session

Technical Session T1A

Collection

2022 First-Year Engineering Experience

Authors

Susan L. Amato-Henderson, Michigan Technological University; Jon Sticklen, Michigan Technological University

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, have some level of control over their learning [1]. Empowerment is rooted in Deci and Ryan’s self- determination theory [2] [3] [4] [5]. Specifically, motivation is thought to lie on a continuum of autonomy, ranging from completely autonomous (either intrinsic or extrinsic) to controlled. Either autonomous or controlled motivation is sufficient to initiate an activity, but autonomous motivation is required to maintain it. Therefore, factors that can increase autonomous motivation are beneficial within the academic environment. According to the theory of self-determination, autonomous motivation can be fostered when the following 3 basic psychological needs are met: autonomy (sense of control), competence (how much success one