Conference Session

Measuring Success of Graduate Program Components

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lokesh Padhye, Georgia Institute of Technology; Gretchen Goldman, Georgia Institute of Technology; Nadia Szeinbaum, Georgia Institute of Technology; Scott Rogers, Georgia Institute of Technology; Recep Goktas, Georgia Institute of Technology; Zohre Kurt, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

increaseaccessibility6, we believed that, in our case, an online administration would increase surveyaccessibility based on graduate engineering students being the target population. Considering allof these factors, it was expected that the survey would be well received if it was administered inan online format. This paper describes in detail the successful employment of the online surveyin addressing student concerns in our engineering graduate program.Survey DesignDesign ObjectivesSurvey design objectives that we considered important to ensure accurate results in this studywere (1) identifying prominent student concerns, (2) designing questions that are specific enoughto adequately collect information on these concerns, (3) reducing biases arising from

Conference Session

Graduate Student Experiences

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erin Weir, Purdue University; Edie Schmidt, Purdue University; Jonathan Davis, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

students at Purdue University.Physiological Needs (Figure 1)The physiological needs of any human (food, shelter, sleep, etc) are most important and in orderto accomplish any goal, these types of needs must be met11. Due to the fundamental biology ofthis specific level—physiological6, it is of utmost importance that as students seek continuingeducation, the fulfillment of their physiological needs ranks highest among the institution goals. Figure 1—Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Physiological Needs11The orientation packet addresses the physiological needs of the students by providinginformation related to the basic necessities associated with daily operations. The housing andtransportation section provides information pertaining to

Conference Session

Measuring Success of Graduate Program Components

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Phillip Sanger, Western Carolina University; Ken Burbank, Western Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

comprehensive peer review. Can the economic advantage of job creation besufficient proof of scholarly achievement?Comprehensive universities now have major roles in the economic vitality of their regions. Asthe scholarship of application becomes an accepted and desirable form of scholarship for tenure-track faculty, uniform measures of success are necessary.IntroductionThis paper seeks to develop a rationale for the scholarship of application within the context ofengagement for the purposes of economic development. The issues that will be explored are:1) Why is it important for faculty to be engaged with the community at large and to whatpurpose?2) If it is accepted that engagement is important, how does it fit in the metrics by which tenuretrack

Conference Session

Improving the Teaching Skills of Graduate Students

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elaine Crocker, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Ramachandran Venkatesan, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Steven Shorlin, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Nabil Dawood, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

University of Victoria, and the University of Western Ontario also offer suchopportunities2.Wulff and Austin (2004) argue that graduate teaching assistants should be given avariety of teaching assignments as part of a systematic process3. This is possible within theTOGA model.Evolution of ModelThe original model for TOGA that was piloted throughout our university from 2005 - 2007encompassed three main categories of teaching assignments for graduate student teachingassistants (TAs). Teaching assistants at level 1 were considered to be beginning or novice TAswho would not provide much direct instruction to undergraduate students. At level 2, a graduateteaching assistant would be more involved in providing instructional support to undergraduatestudents

Conference Session

Measuring Success of Graduate Program Components

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amanda O'Neill, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Jessica McCormick, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Matthew Steinkamp, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Patricia Fox, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Rachel Meyer, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Steven Brown, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Brandon Medcalf, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Nathaniel Greene, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

engineering and technology education. The researchers seek to determinein what areas the quality of an education can be improved. The information gathered ultimatelywill not only benefit the researchers as they continue their education, but the school, faculty, andinstitution.Method of Data Collection Page 14.1254.6Data was collected through a survey administered directly to all interested undergraduate andgraduate students of the School of Engineering and Technology, regardless of major, by theresearches on a voluntary basis, 330 students chose to participate. Appendix 1 contains acomprehensive list of all degrees offered by the School. The survey

Conference Session

Mentoring Graduate Students

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Linda Hirsch, New Jersey Institute of Technology; John Carpinelli, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Howard Kimmel, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Angelo Perna, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Kwabena Narh, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

studies and the obstacles students face in pursuing advanced degrees.Agreement is measured on a five-point scale where 1 indicates strong disagreement and 5indicates strong agreement. Most statements are phrased positively such that agreement isdesirable, but some statements are phrased negatively and disagreement is desirable. Forexample, one item states “The research requirements necessary to complete a graduate degreeare undesirable.” To score the entire survey, responses to the negatively phrased items are Page 14.872.3reversed so that higher average scores reflect more positive attitudes toward graduate studies.A pilot study was conducted to

Conference Session

Educating Students for Professional Success

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Bertoline, Purdue University; Mark Schuver, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

Conference Session

Improving the Teaching Skills of Graduate Students

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erin Crede, Virginia Tech; Maura Borrego, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

in a university setting, with centralprogrammatic focus on the instructional aspects of being a faculty member. The exact timelinefor each fellow varies slightly, but the prescribed program progression has the fellow teachingthe first year with the college’s freshman program, then moving to his or her home departmentfor two years of a mentored teaching experience. The fellow will see an increase in teachingresponsibility that spans the 3 years of the program, culminating in sole responsibility for an Page 14.975.2undergraduate course. A detailed program description 1 includes the major results from theinitial assessment conducted in 2006

Conference Session

Mentoring Graduate Students

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Audeen Fentiman, Purdue University; Susan Fisher, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

there are the costs and time involved in beginning thetraining of a new graduate student to replace the one who left. Scott Smallwood points out thatattrition rates do not appear to change. “What is changing is the university administrators’willingness to do something about the problem.”1 Most would agree that actions should be takento promote positive experiences for the student while at the university and to reduce attrition ofPh.D. students. One of those positive experiences is social and collegial interaction – being partof a group.Because so much of graduate life revolves around research, isolation for hours or days is not anuncommon experience for a Ph.D. student. Although students interact with others, it is oftenwith a small, select

Conference Session

Graduate Student Experiences

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Soumya Srivastava, Mississippi State University; Adrienne Minerick, Mississippi State University; Anurag Srivastava, Mississippi State University; Noel Schulz, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

a list of eleven most common concernswith 1 as the greatest concern and 11 as little or no concern. These common concerns are listedbelow: 1. Transcript evaluation 2. Meeting the deadlines for admission 3. Getting VISA 4. Being accepted into the program 5. Housing 6. Language and culture change 7. Funding/ Support 8. Finding a good academic advisor 9. Finding good courses Page 14.788.4 10. Finding job after graduation 11. Safety and security of the CampusRanking data obtained by all respondents were averaged and inverted by subtracting from 11(lowest rank possible) to find the composite average rank. Same

Conference Session

Mentoring Graduate Students

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tony Mitchell, North Carolina State University; Robyn Fillinger, North Carolina State University; Marcia Williams, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

qualified to review the proposal and/or persons they would prefer not review the proposal.These suggestions may serve as one source in the reviewer selection process at the ProgramOfficer's discretion. Submission of such names, however, is optional. Care is taken to ensurethat reviewers have no conflicts of interest with the proposal.All NSF proposals are evaluated through use of the two National Science Board (NSB)-approvedmerit review criteria: intellectual merit and the broader impacts of the proposed effort. In someinstances, however, NSF will employ additional criteria as required to highlight the specificobjectives of certain programs and activities. Brief descriptions of merit review criteria follow: 1. What is the intellectual merit of

Conference Session

Graduate Student Experiences

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

and N. Hewitt, Talking about Leaving: Why Undergraduates leave the Sciences,13. Sant. A. Santiago and M. Einarson, The graduate experience in engineering and the physical sciences:gender and ethnic differences in initial expectations and departmental incorporation, American EducationalResearch Association Annual Meeting, New York, April 1996.14. R.M. Marra, K.A. Rodgers, C. Shen, and B. Bogue, Women engineering students and self-efficacy: a multi-year,multi-institution study of women engineering student self-efficacy, Journal of Engineering Education 98 (1), January2009, 27-38.15. C.M. Golde and T.M. Dore, At cross purposes: what the experiences of doctoral students reveal aboutdoctoral education, A report prepared for The Pew Charitable

Conference Session

Mentoring Graduate Students

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sorraya Khiewnavawongsa, Purdue University; Edie Schmidt, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

AC 2009-1298: ASSESSMENT OF THE MENTORING RELATIONSHIP BETWEENTHE FACULTY AND GRADUATE STUDENTS AT PURDUE UNIVERSITYSorraya Khiewnavawongsa, Purdue UniversityEdie Schmidt, Purdue University Page 14.261.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009Assessment of the Mentoring Relationship between the Faculty and Graduate Students at Purdue University Page 14.261.2Abstract Purdue University is world renowned for many of its graduate programs. In 2006-2007academic year, there were more than 7,000 graduate students enrolled at Purdue University [1],West Lafayette campus and about 2,000 tenure track

Conference Session

Methods and Techniques in Graduate Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bimal Nepal, Texas A&M University; Paul Lin, Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

inTable 1.Table 1: M.S. in Technology Courses Offering Fall 2006 to Fall 2008 Semester Course Title Graduate Undergrad Enrollment Enrollment2006-F ECET 581 Wireless Sensor Network Sys & Apps (CPET 499) 2 42007-S CPET 581 Mobile Computing Tech & Apps (CPET 499) 2 52007-S IT 507 Measurement and Eval in Indus & Tech 6 N/A2007-F ECET 581 Wireless Sensor Network Sys & Apps (CPET 499) 2 12007-F ECET 581 Advanced Network Security (CPET 499) 5 52007-F IT 508

Conference Session

Methods and Techniques in Graduate Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pauline Johnson, University of Alabama; Philip Johnson, University of Alabama; Beth Todd, University of Alabama; Joan Barth, University of Alabama; Bettie Aruwajoye, University of Alabama; Hannah Beatty, University of Alabama; Kendrick Gibson, University of Alabama; Sarah Dunlap, University of Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

section students score elements of theexperience using the five-level Likert scale to evaluate 12 course elements. In addition,the students are asked four open-ended questions that allow for both qualitativeassessments and additional comments (Table 1). Students agreed strongly that the coursewas an effective learning experience with regard to communication, learning outside theclassroom, teaming, and assessment of societal impacts and leadership. In the qualitativesection, students were asked to identify five areas of learning not found in a traditional Page 14.787.3classroom categories were related to positive aspects of: communications

Conference Session

Measuring Success of Graduate Program Components

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mysore Narayanan, Miami University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

three more.They are: Naturalist Intelligence, Spatial Intelligence and Existential Intelligence.1. Word Smart: Linguistic Intelligence2. Number Smart: Mathematical Intelligence3. Picture Smart: Spatial Intelligence4. Body Smart: Kinesthetic Intelligence5. Music Smart: Musical Intelligence6. People Smart: Interpersonal Intelligence Page 14.253.27. Self Smart: Intrapersonal IntelligenceHoward Gardner is the Director of Harvard Project Zero and Professor of Cognition andEducation at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He has received numeroushonors and written dozens of books (Gardner, 1983). Howard Gardner was the firstAmerican to receive the

Conference Session

Graduate Student Experiences

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Catherine Hovell, University of Texas, Austin; Kimberly Talley, University of Texas, Austin; Kathy Schmidt, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

five or six studentsfor a concrete cast or for running a test, itis never difficult to find volunteers. Aswell, when visitors come to the lab, almostany student can give a detailed tour, withdetails of each project on the lab floor.The student benefits from the additionalknowledge that their peer is discovering, Figure 1: Students working together to cast a largeand visitors benefit from the thorough concrete specimensummary of current activities.These may seem like minor comments on the social and work structure of this lab, but the resultsare extraordinary. A communal working attitude spills over into friendships, extra-curricularactivities, and a sense of school

Conference Session

Educating Students for Professional Success

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Dyrenfurth, Purdue University; Kathryne Newton, Purdue University; Mark Schuver, Purdue University; Stephen Elliott, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

and economical, accrue to students, faculty and the industrial partners [1], [2]. Muchof this work is done pursuant to graduate students’ masters or doctoral theses/dissertations. Theperspective advanced by this paper is to detail the shaping of such work that has resulted fromWeekend Master’s Program (WMP) in the College of Technology so that it is not solely ofacademic merit, but simultaneously also of direct value to the industry where the problematicsituation arose. This M.S. in Technology degree program for off-campus professionals in an on-campus weekend plus distance education format began in the fall of 1998 [3].“The WMP program was developed in response to industry demand for graduate distanceeducation in technology that would meet

Conference Session

Educating Students for Professional Success

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shekar Viswanathan, National University, San Diego; Howard Evans, National University, San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

Conference Session

Professional Graduate Education and Industry

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Norman Egbert, Rolls-Royce Corporation; Eugene DeLoatch, Morgan State University; Donald Keating, University of South Carolina

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

years. Both the professional master and the professional doctoral programs arespecifically designed to be more relevant to the creative practice of engineering for innovationand are intended to further the skill-sets of graduates expected to pursue careers in industrywhere technological competitiveness primarily occurs.1.2 “People … The Heart of Successful Innovation”Underpinning the UK’s effort to improve its competitive edge are three core themes: 1)Innovation is the life-blood of UK’s future economic prosperity and improvement of the qualityof life; 2) People … are the heart of successful innovation, and; 3) Government creates theconditions for innovation to flourish.Accordingly, the objectives of the UK professional postgraduate

Conference Session

Measuring Success of Graduate Program Components

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wendy Crone, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Raelyn Rediske, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Steve Ackerman, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Sharon Dunwoody, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

. Responses were coded on a Likert scale of 1-5 ranging from “NoConfidence” to “Very High Confidence.” Students completed surveys four times throughout the course: atthe beginning of the class, right after the dry run, and following both Science Expeditions and theirmuseum experience at MSI.The largest gain in students’ self perceptions of skills, not surprisingly, occurred between the start of thecourse and after demonstrating their exhibit at the MSI. The experience of employing an iterative designapproach to practicing and refining their messages moved the students one full scale point, fromMedium/Good Confidence to Good/High Confidence, in perceptions of their own ability and theirinformal education product ’s ability to communicate to informal

Conference Session

Improving the Teaching Skills of Graduate Students

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anna Fox, Drexel University; David Delaine, Drexel University; Adam Fontecchio, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

communication and leadership skillsfrom working as an assistant to becoming a full instructor. The case study participantsacknowledge this program as invaluable preparation for an academic career, and several attributeit to reinforcing their desire to be engineering faculty.AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to acknowledge the Drexel University Electrical Engineering Departmentfor supporting a collaborative graduate student/faculty teaching initiative and Drs. AdamFontecchio, Tim Kurzweg, and Edwin Gerber for mentoring graduate students as assistants andheavily influencing their successful growth into instructors.References 1. Montgomery, S., “A Hands-On Course on Teaching Engineering”, American Society for Engineering Education

Conference Session

New Trends in Graduate Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Heffner, Lehigh University; Himanshu Jain, Lehigh University; Steve Martin, Iowa State University; Kathleen Richardson, Clemson University; Eric Skaar, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

Page 14.890.3specialized graduate courses. Technology and infrastructure exist to communicate anddisseminate information. The students like the diversity of subject material, top experts asinstructors, and the fact that the course encourages team interaction and building a network ofcolleagues across multiple universities, some being international.1. BackgroundGlass science and engineering has been taught as a discipline of engineering for centuries,although only at very few universities. With increasing interest in more modern amorphousmaterials, many universities in the US hired faculty to teach glass in the late 20th century, whilethe traditional centers of glass education diversified into other materials. So even though the totalnumber of

Conference Session

Educating Students for Professional Success

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hazem Tawfik, State University of New York; K. Shahrabi, State University of New York, College of Technology at Farmingdale; Beverly Kahn, Farmingdale State College - State University of New York

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

the areas of science, engineering technology andmanagement of technology with an opportunity to join an innovative Professional ScienceMaster’s (PSM) Degree program in “Advanced Engineering Technologies-Plus” designed toaddress current industrial needs. This high quality application oriented program will require atotal of 30 credit hours divided into four categories: 1) Core courses, 2) Major required courses,3) General elective courses and (4) Thesis or a project. The core courses are tailored to broadenthe students’ technical entrepreneurialship prospective and require a minimum of nine credithours in the areas of total quality management, financial engineering and technical/ legalcommunication with Technology Transfer applications. New and

Conference Session

New Trends in Graduate Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daphene Koch, Purdue University; Orczyk Joseph, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

the student to be seen and to be heard, as well as tosee and hear what is going on at the host site. This delivery model is a hybrid because there arealso students physically attending the class at the host site. Not only can the students attend classat home or at work, but the student can also attend classes while traveling. The paper will outlinethe technology, curriculum, and development of this online master’s program. IntroductionDistance learning is expanding in all areas of higher education.1 Computer technology hasallowed to expand beyond the early attempts at distance education done via correspondencewatching pre-taped lectures or live television courses to real time, online web-based

Conference Session

Methods and Techniques in Graduate Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Brooks, Temple University; Berk Ayranci, Temple University; Keerthi V. Takkalapelli, Temple University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

data was supplied to them. An example of the questions is shown inTable 1. Table 1. Student Performance in Design An Open Ended Problem of Designing a Signalized Traffic Intersection Conduct 6 computer optimization runs using HCS 2000 (latest edition). Submit individual reports. You are provided with options in choosing the following variables on the open ended problem. 1. Signal phasing duration: Red, Green and Yellow timings 2. Design strategy for minimizing the global average vehicle delay of the intersection Answer the following. 1) What is the global minimum intersection delay? 2) Write a report on the project including a critique on the process, progress and results. East-West: Green time= 25-50 Sec., Cycle time

Conference Session

Professional Graduate Education and Industry

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Roger Olson, Rolls-Royce Corporation; Donald Keating, University of South Carolina; Thomas Stanford, University of South Carolina

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

AC 2009-446: STRENGTHENING THE U.S. ENGINEERING WORKFORCE FORTECHNOLOGY INNOVATION: WHY THE PROFESSIONAL GRADUATEDEGREE IN ENGINEERINGRoger Olson, Rolls-Royce CorporationDonald Keating, University of South CarolinaThomas Stanford, University of South Carolina Page 14.1078.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Strengthening the U.S. Engineering Workforce for Innovation: Why the Professional Graduate Degree in Engineering?1. IntroductionThis is the third of four invited papers prepared for the National Collaborative panel sessionconcerning the deliberate advancement of professional engineering graduate education relevantto the needs of creative

Conference Session

Graduate Student Experiences

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jin-Hwan Lee, Georgia Institute of Technology; Carla Purdy, University of Cincinnati; Ian Papautsky, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

pursue careers in academia as the next generation of college anduniversity professors.1 The PFF program was started in 1993 and is now established at 45doctoral institutions and 300 partner schools.1 The program is designed to improve the graduateeducational experience and to address the need for more qualified and trained faculty at variousacademic institutions. UC was one of the original doctoral institutions and an active participantwith a university-wide PFF program since 1993.2,3 The UC PFF in Engineering program Page 14.655.2 1consists of three one-hour courses and a mentored teaching requirement

Conference Session

Professional Graduate Education and Industry

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donald Keating, University of South Carolina; Thomas Stanford, University of South Carolina; Norman Egbert, Rolls-Royce Corporation; Roger Olson, Rolls-Royce Corporation; Joseph Rencis, University of Arkansas; Eugene DeLoatch, Morgan State University; Mohammad Noori, North Carolina State University; Edward Sullivan, California Polytechnic State University; Joseph Tidwell, Arizona State University Polytechnic; Duane Dunlap, Purdue University; Stephen Tricamo, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

innovative capacity of the nation’s engineering infrastructure in industry fortechnology development and innovation. This strength must be sustained by a strong U.S. system ofprofessional graduate engineering education directly relevant to the growth needs of the U.S. engineeringworkforce in industry which is the primary mainstay of our competitiveness as a nation.1. Proposed ─A Bold InitiativeThe National Collaborative Task Force, comprised of leaders from industry and universities across thecountry, proposes to initiate, guide, and implement a major advancement in U.S. professional graduateengineering education that ─ Recognizes that the future industrial strength of U.S. technology for economic prosperity and national security is ultimately

Conference Session

New Trends in Graduate Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joy Colwell, Purdue University, Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

still a problem which needsoversight and control where possible. There is a concern that growth will plateau when the pentup demand for this degree has been met, but the growth to date shows no sign of reaching aplateau. Given the significant foreign student interest and the rate of growth without muchadvertising, it seems that the growth is still rising at least for the short term.As an aid to others who may be facing similar issues, the table below is included with somesuggestions for consideration.Table 1: Suggestions for planning for new programPending Approval of Degree Post Approval—Degree OfferedBegin initial curriculum planning with faculty: Prepare Finalize three year plan of course