Conference Session

Service Learning and Societal Issues in the First Year

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John K. Estell, Ohio Northern University; Kenneth Reid, Ohio Northern University; Jed Marquart, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

AC 2010-197: ADDRESSING THIRD WORLD POVERTY IN FIRST-YEARENGINEERING CAPSTONE PROJECTS: INITIAL FINDINGSJohn K. Estell, Ohio Northern University John K. Estell is Chair of the Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Department, and Professor of Computer Engineering and Computer Science, at Ohio Northern University. He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of research include simplifying the outcomes assessment process, first-year engineering instruction, and the pedagogical aspects of writing computer games. Dr. Estell is a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of ACM, ASEE, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, and Upsilon Pi

Conference Session

Design in the First Year

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sami Khorbotly, Ohio Northern University; Kenneth Reid, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

success in first-year engineering and engineering in K-12. Page 15.431.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Draw Bridge Design: An Interdisciplinary, Project-Based Capstone Course for Freshman Engineering StudentsAbstractEngineering schools have long dealt with issues in recruitment and retention in engineering programs.Retention past the first year of study in engineering is often less than 50%. Efforts to address lowretention often include a redesign of the first year of study, with the intent to of introducing engineeringdesign early in the curriculum.Toward this end, Ohio Northern

Conference Session

Research on the First Year I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Javarro Russell, James Madison University; Olga Pierrakos, James Madison University; Megan France, James Madison University; Ronald Kander, James Madison University; Robin Anderson, James Madison University; Heather Watson, James Madison University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

assist the undergraduate engineering community inidentifying and developing the types of projects that provide students with the best opportunitiesto achieve their learning outcomes. Another long-term goal is to use such a PBL classification tocharacterize other highly promoted projects in engineering education such as capstone designprojects which by nature are more complex and ill-structured.LimitationsFuture studies should also address the limitations within the current study. The indicators ofcomplexity and structuredness were developed while the reverse engineering project was inprogress. This did not allow us to develop a priori classification ratings for each of theindicators prior to students beginning their project. An a priori

Conference Session

Service Learning and Societal Issues in the First Year

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carol Sevier, Boise State University; Seung Youn Chyung, Boise State University; Cheryl Schrader, Boise State University; Janet Callahan, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

engineering community: ≠ Implement SL early in the engineering curriculum via introductory engineering courses. Traditionally, senior-level students experience a SL type of project-based learning in their capstone courses. This study has shown that engineering students can not only complete SL projects successfully in their introductory course but also significantly benefit by SL in terms of improving motivational attitudes toward collaborative teamwork and self- evaluation of engineering abilities. ≠ Seek funding to support SL in engineering courses. As discussed in this report, a lack of funding for the projects was a limitation of the study and is a possible barrier to continuous implementation of

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary First Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy Hinds, Michigan State University; Thomas Wolff, Michigan State University; Amanda Idema, Michigan State University; Neeraj Buch, Michigan State University; Carmellia Davis-King, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

facility.Future WorkCourse modifications, such as the mapping of course learning objectives and backgroundstatements on assignments, were implemented for fall 2009. Student feedback at this point ispurely anecdotal as specific data has not yet been reduced. It is planned to have that dataavailable for examination prior to presentation of this paper.Our next major undertaking will be to modify the structure of the projects currently offered inEGR 100. Based on instructor and student feedback, we plan to reduce our lab projects fromthree to two by eliminating the second project. This will allow our students to have a morecomplete design experience by transitioning our larger project into more of a capstone-likeexercise.With the continued evolution of

Conference Session

Research on the First Year I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Beverly Jaeger, Northeastern University; Susan Freeman, Northeastern University; Richard Whalen, Northeastern University; Rebecca Payne, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

. Page 15.1143.2So can we attribute part of the success to the “smarter” students we are selecting? To our talentsas faculty? To the support programs? Considering that it is likely a combination of all of theelements listed above –and some others that are less apparent– this new research takes anothertack. The hypothesis, stemming from psychological research, is that success is better predictedby grit than measures of academic skill. The operational definition of grit involves the ability –or propensity– to overcome obstacles, topersist through setbacks, maintain commitment, and to stick to projects and goals over longperiods, even if interest wanes or the going becomes difficult. It is reportedly possible to quantifysome aspects of this

Conference Session

Innovations in First Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Lewis, University of Louisville; Jeffrey Hieb, University of Louisville; David Wheatley, University of Louisville

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

overall critical thinkingprogram, how this relates to ABET outcomes, and the critical thinking goals of the Introductionto Engineering course. Section three describes the critical thinking instructional component ofthe Introduction to Engineering course, including changes made based on analysis of previousyears implementation. Some conclusions and future directions for the ENGR 100 course arediscussed in Section four.2. A critical thinking agenda for the School of Engineering.The i2a initiative is a broad and comprehensive multi-year plan to improve the overall criticalthinking abilities of students that spans general education courses, discipline specific courses,capstone projects, and community engagement1. Dr. Joe Hagerty, of the Civil