Paper ID #41718Reflections on a ”Math Disaster”: the Role of Instructor Confusion in theClassroomDr. Lorena S. Grundy, Tufts University Lorena Grundy is an ASEE eFellows postdoctoral fellow at Tufts University, where she works with Milo Koretsky to study chemical engineering education. She received her BSE from Princeton in 2017 and PhD from UC Berkeley in 2022, both in chemical engineering. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024 Reflections on a “Math Disaster”: the Role of Instructor Confusion in the ClassroomAbstractWhen enacting active learning
Paper ID #43035Building a Great Student Chapter: Reflections on Workshop Activities UsingEntrepreneurial MindsetProf. Matthew W Liberatore, University of Toledo Matthew W. Liberatore is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Toledo. He earned a B.S. degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, all in chemical engineering. From 2005 to 2015, he served on the faculty at the Colorado School of Mines. In 2018, he served as an Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. His research involves the
, and meet objectives.These emphasize ethics and values of students as crucial to earning an engineering degree.However, at many schools these discussions are saved for specific courses on ethics or designrather than intentional integration across the degree. This paper explores the intentional andexplicit inclusion of character and virtue building in the context of a traditional chemicalengineering course during the sophomore year.Student taking their first chemical engineering specific course, Introduction to ChemicalEngineering Processes, were asked to reflect throughout the semester on the importance ofvirtue/character in their development as a chemical engineer. These reflections were graded workwithin the class and either replaced or
self-care. Students were asked to reflect in the middle of the quarter on if their plan was being followed, and to perform adjustments if necessary.(22) 4 b) “Reflection leadership assignment” which consisted of five reflection questions: (i) describe their long-term goals (>10 years), (ii) list the most important and least important personal values, (iii) describe ineffective leadership habits that were presented and discussed in class, and how they could overcome such habits, (iv) identifying major successes and failures in the next month as well as five years, and (v) describe leadership roles along with a
less than 50% of the class admitted that they used the resourcesavailable.IntroductionThe Felder-Soloman Index of Learning Styles is a validated and accepted tool for assessingwhere on the spectra (visual-verbal, sensing-intuitive, active-reflective, sequential-global)students fall with respect to the different stages in the learning process [1-3]. To date, theinventory has been used as a guide to help instructors vary their classroom instruction to usemethods that will ultimately address all learning styles by cycling through instruction approaches[2, 4-9].Over the last two decades, a group of educational psychologists have attempted to refute thevalidity of learning styles in the design of instruction, stating that doing so is a detriment
between steps,essentially learning in “leaps.” Comics in relation are inherently tailored to sequential learners aseach panel within a comic follows a very specific order for the reader to follow along. Whilst it ispossible to grasp the big picture of a comic, much of the understanding and storytelling aspectsare done through the connections between panels.Sensing learners prefer learning facts and concepts as opposed to intuitive learners who preferabstract relationships and concepts. Finally, active learners prefer application of concepts learnedwhereas reflective learners ponder questions surrounding issues at hand. Essentially, activelearners like very hands-on work whilst reflective learners prefer thinking alone about the problemfirst
cannot be a prerequisite for ABC 101 because then there would be no way to takeeither of them. This makes the graph abstraction both directional and acyclic. Within this representation,the number of credits for each course is reflected by the node size. The course level graph abstraction can allow for the scheduling of one’s term and visualizing howcourses interact with one another. However, these dependencies rely on the accuracy of the prerequisiteswhich could have been established years prior and the courses and, more broadly, the curriculum couldhave changed since. For example, students may be encouraged by their adviser to take ABC 103 and ABC104 in the same term. From the graph abstraction, this need is not clear perhaps because ABC 103
a burgeoning recognition of the need for DEI withinengineering [11]-[13]. The current state of DEI in the discipline is one of active evolution andcommitment. Institutions, professional societies, and industry leaders are increasinglyemphasizing the creation of more inclusive environments that attract and support a diverseworkforce. Efforts are being made to dismantle the barriers that have historically led tounderrepresentation in engineering fields. Initiatives ranging from outreach programs aimed atyoung students to institutional reforms in hiring and retention practices reflect this shift towardsa more inclusive engineering community.The relevance of DEI in engineering cannot be overstated, as the field significantly impactsevery aspect
students subsequently analyze thetransient CO2 response to determine the rate of CO2 uptake by the terrarium plants given the rateof CO2 production by the soil bacteria and the diffusion rate of CO2 from the terrarium. As partof the assignment, the students are also asked to reflect on the similarities between the terrariumand the earth's atmosphere. This multifaceted project not only emphasizes fundamental chemicalengineering principles but also explores the broader context of environmental sustainability andclimate change. This activity is part of a recent curriculum change in the chemical engineeringdepartment with a greater emphasis on a larger quantity of focused laboratory activities in placeof fewer and longer unit operation experiments
curriculum needs to support students' development of representational fluencybetter.Appropriately integrating sociotechnical design problems into the curriculum can supportstudents' development of engineering skills, practices, and conceptual understanding whilealso learning design [14], [15]. Sociotechnical problems are design problems that includesocial and technical constraints [16], [17]. Addressing sociotechnical problems reflects theprofessional workplace in which engineers typically address and solve engineering problemsthat merge social and technical constraints [8], [16], [18]. By exploring the students'representational practices and skills, we can design appropriate scaffolds that support them indeveloping expertise. This research aims to
completion of the activity and/or demo. • Completing focus groups with students not in the design group to see if their activity is pedagogically beneficial. • Developing protocols for implementation of the activity and/or demo for faculty and graduate students to teach in their classes.All teams presented their final prototype via poster and a demonstration at the College ofEngineering’s capstone design symposium as well as a final oral presentation in class.Student Authors’ ReflectionsOur team was brought together in our senior Chemical Product Design course. We were joinedby our collective interest in creating a product related to undergraduate chemical engineeringacademia. During initial brainstorming, we reflected on our
in an educational context. To assess the student's performancein the workshop, a teamwork assessment questionnaire is used to help students reflect on learningand evaluate teamwork behaviours. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews and focus groupstudies are conducted after the workshop to investigate students’ perceptions of teamwork in depth.Keywords: International Students; Master’s Students; Team Performance; Engineering Education.Teamwork in Engineering Education:In the context of global higher education reform, engineering education has emerged as a strategicpriority for universities, underscoring the imperative for institutions to bolster their capacities intalent acquisition and development, scientific research and education, as
consequently be less interested in pursuing a career where these are the only perceivable fieldsthat they can work in. These findings are reflected in waning undergraduate and graduate enrollment in chemical,petroleum, and chemical-related engineering. Year-to-year medium percent change in freshmanenrollment in this major had been steadily declining since 2018 in 96 institutions, with a markable10.4% decrease in 20203. In their 2021 Graduate Enrollment Census, The National ScienceFoundation found that chemical engineering had the smallest 1-year growth of 1.4% in 2020-21,and the large 5-year decline of 29.1% in 2017-21 among other engineering disciplines4. Thesestatistics demonstrate a national declining trend in pursuing chemical engineering, and
been offered twice since Spring 2023, with a total enrollment of 15 students. It aims tointegrate first-year students into the MSE department and promote their academic successthrough activities including student panels and lessons on time management and wellness. TheMSE seminar is based on an academic success strategies course developed at the start of thepandemic that emphasized time management, wellness, and reflective change [28]. Both courseswere taught by department faculty and integrated significant peer interactions.This study had two research questions: (1) How do students perceive belonging in the two engineering departments? (2) Are there differences in students’ perceptions of belonging between students who
chemical engineering programs across the U.S. have seen stagnation or decreases inenrollment numbers, there have been efforts to redefine what chemical engineers do. Whilechemical engineering has strong ties to the oil and gas industry, there are also strong connectionsto renewable energy, energy storage, and broader sustainability topics. Students acrossuniversities have expressed interest and desires to learn about sustainability-focused topicsacross disciplines. While many faculty in chemical engineering have been working in researchand practice of sustainability engineering for years, the undergraduate curriculum has beenslower to reflect these changes.Importantly, sustainability is a cross-cutting space that is defined and operationalized
, worth 37.5%. The intervention group had two midterm exams (worth 30%) andone group research presentation (7.5%). We included the research presentation for the purpose ofthe intervention. The mindset interventions [2] included the following tasks: (1) contemplating theidea of intelligence and the importance of having a growth mindset while studying chemicalengineering after watching a talk [3] and a video [4] on growth mindset during the first week’sgroup session, (2) having reflections on various attributes related to growth mindset (response tofeedback, learning new things, response to making mistake or failure) through hypotheticalscenarios incorporated into the homework problems, (3) practicing learning from mistakes byresubmitting midterm
' approaches, the strategies used, and challenges they faced. These discussions revealedseveral common strategies, which were subsequently supported by the instructor with additionallecture content describing the troubleshooting process (Figure 1), commonly employedtroubleshooting strategies, and the significance of domain knowledge.Module 1. Valley of the Kings: The first troubleshooting module was adapted from Michaeli andRomeike's [4] use of escape room tasks for teaching code debugging, reflecting the growinginterest in live escape rooms as training tools.In this module, students were provided with the coded map in Figure 2, featuring a highlightedroute, directional instructions in a legend, and directional arrows corresponding to the route
active learning techniques such as game-based learning in undergraduate classes as well as innovation and entrepreneurship.Dr. Emily Dringenberg, The Ohio State University Dr. Dringenberg is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Ohio State University. She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (Kansas State ’08), a M.S. in Industrial Engineering (Purdue ’14) and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education. Her current career purpose is to learn about and reveal beliefs that are widely-held as an implicit result of our socialization within systems of oppression so that she can embolden others to reflect on their assumptions and advance equity in their own ways. ©American
Component Final Grade Assignment Homework 15% 1.9% Quiz 12% 3.0% Midterm 30% 15% Final Exam 20% N/A Design Project 15% N/A Engagement (iClicker participation, writing 8% N/A reflections) A majority of students in this section
length is a concern, faculty can omit the questionson overall responsibility, identity, persistence and demographics. We have found some value inincluding the survey as part of the normal post-laboratory assignments, as the questions aboutrelevance and consequential agency jointly provide an opportunity for students to reflect on theirexperience and provide additional insight for faculty about how students perceive the laboratoryexperiment. As such, we encourage faculty to assign minimal completion points (not extracredit), in line with an activity that takes around 10 minutes to complete. Research emphasizesthe value of reflecting on experience, as this helps cement and organize learning [38]. Inaddition, faculty may benefit from gaining
sources. They are also encouraged to share their own biographical information. Students are also provided with a sample of a previous bio-sketch. The assignment is scheduled for the first month of the course, but with flexibility to adapt to circumstances such as late matching, busy schedules, etc. Students are also advised to propose a meeting schedule for the project. • The “exchange” assignment requests from students to provide a narrative of 3-4 pages with the most relevant information exchanged in the meetings that students select for sharing. • The “personal assessment” assignment is intended for students to provide a one-page reflection on the added value of this project and some
include foundational sustainability principles, corporateenvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting, decarbonization, sustainability inmaterials, life cycle assessment (LCA), renewable energy, and sustainable engineering designprinciples. In addition, students participate in three lab components—two experiments and onedemonstration—exploring alternative energy sources including the production of H2 fuel, solarpower, and polymer pyrolysis to fuel oil. Student learning is assessed through reflection papers atthe end of each unit, two lab reports, and a group project at the end of the semester. A newcourse in LCA will be taught in the department in Spring 2024 to supplement the sustainabilitycurriculum.The Introduction to Sustainable
often regret that I chose chemical engineering. 3. Overall, chemical engineers are considered good by others. 4. Overall, being a chemical engineer has very little to do with how I feel about myself. 5. I feel I don't have much to offer chemical engineering. 13Does endorsement of masculine ideals predict sense of belonging and identity over performance and peer interactions? 6. In general, I'm glad to be a chemical engineer. 7. Most people consider chemical engineers, on the average, to be more ineffective than other groups. 8. Being a chemical engineer is an important reflection of
conclusions about real-world problems.a The “short name” indicates an abbreviated name of the outcome for use in the presentation of the data.For the student survey, two additional reflective questions were included. These questions askedstudents to reflect on their weaknesses in the lab learning outcomes as well as any weaknessesthey perceived in their departmental curriculum for these learning outcomes. These questionswere included to get the views of students currently in the programs, as these views may differfrom the views of faculty in the programs and alumni perceptions may be skewed by changes tocurricula over time and time since graduation.The survey design was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at University ofKentucky. The
center alumni working in industrywere recruited to describe their job and journey to reaching it to the students. Representatives fromthe University of Arkansas transfer office provided valuable information and guidance to thestudents regarding the process to transfer into a STEM program from NWACC. Workshopsincluded discussing how to reflect on the research experience in such a way that it will be usefulwhen applying to further opportunities and how to present the data they collected over the summer.A key outcome for the program relating to assessing the students’ interest in pursuing future STEMopportunities was the desire of the students to present their research at a conference. Both regionalmeetings and national meetings were targeted as
-reported levels of stress (students with latersubmissions generally report higher levels of stress) [5].The final decision we made was to have no penalty for late work, as long as it was submittedbefore sample solutions published within the LMS. This was helpful for making sure thatproblem set grades reflected only student learning, and not time of submission. Since allassignments were scored to the same rubric with no penalties applied for late submission,individual problem performance could more easily be reviewed and analyzed for continuingimprovement and direct assessment needs for accreditation.Other faculty and our department advisory board expressed surprise and curiosity at theimplementation of the above policy, especially for the entry
, physics, and upper engineering labs Figure 3. Distribution of credit hours for labs and electives. Credit hours are normalized to 128 total hours.The two outliers for the general education credits both have multiple types of credits. The first isthe standard social study requirements, while the other is an unrestricted elective. So, the largeamount of general education credits required reflects more freedom in the curriculum rather thanan emphasis on social studies.MS/BS program:Out of the 35 schools examined in this study, 30 (86%) had a chemical engineering master’sdegree program. All statistics from this section will be in reference to those 30 schools.50% of schools with a MS program offer a MS/BS program. However, out of those 15 schools
engagement. As the communication landscapecontinues to change, instructors should consider soliciting feedback from industryrepresentatives relevant to their graduates.AcknowledgementsThis work is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant number 2120775 . Anyresults expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NationalScience Foundation. The authors would also like to acknowledge the industry representatives fortheir time in completing the survey.References[1] D. P. Dannels, "Learning to Be Professional: Technical Classroom Discourse, Practice, and Professional Identity Construction," Journal of Business and Technical Communication, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 5-37, 2000/01/01 2000, doi
, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2009.10.007.[27] M. Pilvankar. "How to deliver effective research posters." https://youtu.be/2L6trywEMjA (accessed Feb. 07, 2024).[28] A. N. Ford Versypt. "Conference Best Practices." https://youtu.be/2L6trywEMjA (accessed Feb. 07, 2024).[29] A. N. Ford Versypt, "Self-reflection assignments for evaluating non-technical skills and setting goals for professional development," presented at the ASEE Annual Conference, Columbus, OH, 2017.[30] A. N. Ford Versypt, "Self-evaluation and reflection for professional development of chemical engineering students," Chem Engr Ed, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 157-161, 2019.[31] C. S. Dweck and E. L. Leggett, "A Social-Cognitive Approach to
effectiveness in pumpingwater through coffee beans. These pumps are crucial in handling low viscosity fluids and areoften overlooked in traditional education settings. The laboratory limits its operational pressureto 5 bar for safety reasons, although it can handle pressure up to 15 bar. Students can comparethe capabilities of two vibratory pumps with a centrifugal pump, providing a hands-on learningexperience that reflects real-world applications.The laboratory conducted three experiments on vibratory pumps. The first involved examiningthe impact of vertical height on flow rate and power. Students selected three to four heights torun the pump, recording flow rate, pressure, and outlet height. The second experiment focused onthe effect of downstream