at ATA Engineering where he worked as a structural analysis engineer for nine years. During this time, he both took and taught multiple professional courses and realized how many technically brilliant instructors struggled to convey information in a way that could be readily absorbed by the students. Now in his eighth year in academia Michael is researching how various teaching methods and study habits affect the absorption and long-term retention of class material in the hopes of best preparing students for their future as engineers. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024 Reflections on Integrating MATLAB Grader Across a Mechanical
’ related matters and policies. He is also the Academic Coordinator of the first year engineering program (Schulich Studio) since June 2023. Dr. Ghasemloonia is a registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) in Alberta. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024 Classification of alternative grading approaches: review and reflections from practiceAbstractThe purpose of this paper is to review and categorize how alternative grading has been practicedin higher education and reflect on how we, as instructors in a university, apply it in their courses.In this paper, the potential issues of traditional grading are characterized in three aspects: (1)judgemental, (2) high
for instructors to maximize student learning andcommunication skills in a third year mechanical engineering course that uses computer aideddrafting (CAD) for a design project. The current framework mirrors the review process thattakes place in industry and motivates students to keep up with major deadlines. Students need tolearn how to accept feedback, review other’s work, and communicate their designs to besuccessful in industry. The framework has been developed over three semesters and incorporatesscaffolded milestones, (peer) design reviews, and reflection. This paper presents instructorobservations of lessons learned and graduate TA observations from lab with the goal of makingthe framework accessible to other instructors of design. The
Engineering Education include team learning, virtual teams, and team decision-making.Mr. Francisco Cima Francisco Cima is a PhD student of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at Old Dominion University. He obtained his Masters in Business Planning and Regional Development from the Technological Institute of Merida. His areas of interest are innovDanielle Marie Rhemer, Old Dominion University ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024 Reflections of Undergraduate Engineering Students Completing a Cross-Disciplinary Robotics Project with Pre-Service Teachers and Fifth Graders in an Electromechanical Systems CourseAbstract. Engineering is becoming increasingly cross
collaborative skills,and solving complex problems. Many of these works present effective techniques to augment the learningprocess, whereas our study places emphasis on methods to improve students’ ability to synthesize andcommunicate their learned knowledge to a broad audience.This study explores the potential of Gala – a new, open-source, case-based learning platform – to helpstudents meaningfully package and present their learnings from project, problem, and service-basedlearning. Gala’s digital, open-access structure and focus on sustainability education attracts creators withdiverse expertise, intent, and backgrounds [8,9]. The variety of creator’s interests is reflected in Figure 1,which highlights the spread of case studies across the globe. The
the process of the coursedevelopment. These included course syllabi, assignments, and grading rubrics. Second, was the firstauthor’s ongoing reflection and further discussion of his experiences during the analysis process (i.e.,member checking and structured reflection).Facilitated autoethnographyAutoethnographic methods, generally, focus on analyzing a researcher’s own stories of their personalexperiences [22]. Analyzing such experiences aids understanding of and connection to the broader world(e.g., cultural, social) in which those stories exist. Doing so enables researchers to critically examine thedominant narratives and themes in which those experiences otherwise exist without question or analysis[15]. Autoethnographic research is useful
questions are: 1. How do interdisciplinary courses influence the interdisciplinary understanding and mindset of students over the semester? 2. What dispositions and mindsets toward interdisciplinary learning are displayed in student reflections?5. MethodologyWe rely on retrospective survey methodology to obtain student reflections on the courses taken.The basis of the Fall 2023 Trainee survey was to gather data on improving students’ experienceand measuring progress toward program goals after taking the Leadership course. Students arecurrently enrolled in the Business course (Spring 2024), and will take the Psychology course inSpring 2025. Thus, the current study is based on our preliminary data from the Fall
experiences: one group prototyped a wristband to relieve anxiety, and anothergroup designed a damper system to prevent bolt bounce in firearms. Throughout the process,students were tasked with generating ideas both individually and in groups, interviewingstakeholders, and reflecting on the value added for their proposed projects. To prepare forprototyping, students were assigned safety and machine shop equipment training early in thesemester.Mechanical Vibrations utilizing the new project structure was taught across three differentsemesters with three different faculty members, using a variety of delivery methods. Facultycollaborated closely, both during the course's developmental phase and throughout the semester,to ensure a common entrepreneurially
additional assignments. The goal of these assignments wasthat students could either learn a new skill or improve upon what they had previously learned.The additional assignments included the following options: • SOLIDWORKS Tutorials – 3% each (up to 15%) • Build your own item – 5% each (up to 10%) • Build your own assembly – 15 % • Make your own tutorial – 10% • Learn to use a different CAD tool – 5%Each assignment required deliverables such as proof of completion, for example an engineeringdrawing of the item they built, and a written reflection on what they learned from completing theassignment. Students could earn up to 35% towards their CAD grade from any combination ofthe assignments they chose.Starting in week three of the
learn about the case. Bywriting about the experience, they could reflect on their use of problem-solving and criticalthinking skills. In the case study report, the students also reflected on how much their perceptionof AI changed from the beginning of the module to the end of it.The assignment was introduced immediately following a unit on vapor power plants. Theassignment, as given to students, is included below:Each group will be given a real-world case study that involves nuclear energy and artificialintelligence. With your group, you will review the case study using a “Case Study Analysis” and“Independent Research” Worksheet. Your group will make a presentation on the case study tothe class. The presentation should include the following
collected from undergraduate engineering students assigned to groups in thecomparison and treatment conditions from Fall 2019 to Fall 2022. Data was collectedelectronically through the CATME teammate evaluations and project reflections(treatment, n = 137; comparison, n = 112). CATME uses a series of questions assessed on a5-point Likert scale. Quantitative analysis using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Covariance(ANCOVA) showed that engineering students in the treatment group expected more quality,were more satisfied, and had more task commitment than engineering students working withintheir discipline. However, no statistically significant differences were observed for teamworkeffectiveness categories such as contribution to the team’s work
; and the integration of reflection to develop self-directed learners. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2024 Indicators of Change in Mechanical Engineering Instructors’ Teaching Practices Across Five YearsAbstractCurrent best practices in teaching and learning are often not implemented in engineering courses,including those of mechanical engineering. The low rate of the adoption of best practices inteaching and learning can be attributed to the variation in training among individual educatorsand a lack of time to learn about and implement new teaching strategies. A significant disruptionto higher education in 2020 created an opportunity for instructors to change their
further tested for student motivation in the future.Maalouf and Putzeys (2020) blended multiple interventions focusing on learning withtechnology and conducted a hybrid classroom before the pandemic lockdown. The paper waswell structured and used a very consistent standardized language and presented every aspect ofits work in detail explaining how they conducted their intervention and why. Their outcomeswere similar to Davishahl et al. (2022) in the sense that despite its results lacking significance,the students’ written and surveyed responses showed a preference for new changes incomparison to other previous traditional courses.Goldberg et al. (2015) conducted a practice-based intervention focused on student reflection andself-regulation
/controversial topics c. Reflect upon their own professional identity and personal ethical values and the intersection with the discipline 3. Demonstrate ethical decision-making. 4. Demonstrate societal awareness through an ability to identify needs, challenges, and problems in a local, regional, and global context. a. Engage as a citizen leader professionally and academically b. Demonstrate engagement in professional societies c. Demonstrate the consideration of social justice in decision-makingD. Teamwork, Leadership, and InclusivityProgram Goal: The successful student will be able to contribute to a successful team by takingon different roles within the team, and through creating a collaborative
proved to be daunting, for both participants and organizers.For best possible participant availability the workshop was held during an academicbreak on consecutive days. However, the short calendar span was not conducive toin-depth reflection or detailed course planning, and there was definitely no time forimplementation and testing. Although enthusiasm was high after the workshop, thebeginning of the spring academic semester quickly pushed planned activities to theback burner, and momentum fizzled. Course assignment changes and changes infaculty positions further complicated implementation of the course changes plannedduring the workshop. In addition, the planning and presentation of the workshop contentwas up to the organizers, and this
emphasizing the need to adjust theirstrategies based on the problem's unique context. “As problems become novel and complex, sodoes the need to adapt and be ready to pivot our approach”, according to another engineer thatwe interviewed. This reflects the literature's suggestion that solving complex problems requires abalance between systematic methods and flexible thinking [9].Decision TreesThe use of decision trees was mentioned as a specific diagnostic technique, providing astructured framework for decision-making. An engineer remarks: "… (they) help us organizeour thoughts and highlight the complexity of troubleshooting and the importance of data-drivendecision-making,". Our discussions with engineers reveal a multifaceted approach
discussion in [3]). The demographics of those earning Bachelor’s degrees mayhave been skewed by COVID. Further, there are inconsistencies in the timing of the AASHEratings, course counts, and graduates. The data don’t reflect students’ processes of selectinginstitutions and persisting to graduation (e.g., students graduating in 2020-2021 likely wereselecting colleges in ~2016, but the information available and actual sustainability content incourses can vary over time).Results and DiscussionThe results of correlation tests with the 2019-2020 demographics of ME undergraduate degreerecipients are shown in Table 3, across all institutions, public institutions, and private institutions.The dark tan color highlights correlations that meet the
utility of grades. Onecommon understanding is that grades should reflect students’ achievement or mastery of courselearning objectives. Traditional points-based approaches to grading are common in college-levelcourses, but these approaches unfortunately emphasize the extrinsic motivational factor ofaccumulating points rather than the intrinsic motivation of mastering the course learningobjectives [1, 2]. Furthermore, the variation in scores given in points-based grading by differentinstructors and teaching assistants may require curving or adjusting grades in a way that is notconsistent between courses or sections. This may lead to uncertainty in grades and studentanxiety. Students may also be disincentivized to collaborate with one another if
, and then share their thoughts withthe class [24], [25]. Additionally, the use of discussion boards provides students with a platformto engage in collaborative and reflective discussions on course topics, thereby promoting deeperunderstanding and critical thinking [8], [26]. Furthermore, the "muddiest point" techniqueencourages students to identify and articulate the most challenging or unclear aspects of thematerial, allowing instructors to address these areas of difficulty directly. By integrating theseactive learning strategies into the course, students are provided with opportunities for peerinteraction, self-reflection, and clarification of complex topics, ultimately contributing to a moredynamic and effective learning experience in the
engineeringeducation. The significant improvements observed in students' scores on the EntrepreneurialMinset Learning Assessment (ESEMA) surveys indicate that these pedagogical approaches havethe potential to enhance both theoretical understanding and practical skills. Despite the challengespresented by the traditional emphasis on theoretical knowledge, the integration of PBL and EMLhas provided students with practical skills and an entrepreneurial mindset essential for success inthe field.In reflecting on the results of this study, it becomes evident that the integration of Problem-BasedLearning (PBL) and Entrepreneurial Mindset Learning (EML) holds promise for enhancingmechanical engineering education. The significant improvements observed in students
Education at Purdue University. She is currently a Professor in Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Her role in the College of Engineering at UNL is to lead the disciplinary-based education research initiative, establishing a cadre of engineering education research faculty in the engineering departments and creating a graduate program. Her research focuses on the development, implementation, and assessment of modeling and design activities with authentic engineering contexts; the design and implementation of learning objective-based grading for transparent and fair assessment; and the integration of reflection to develop self-directed learners.Dr. Grace Panther, University of Nebraska
([2]). In this case of PSPP application, trials of different processing methods,such as shallow and deep compaction, over excavation and replacement, deep replacement,drainage and dewatering, preloading, deep mixing and grouting, ground anchors and soilnailing, fill reinforcement, etc. are used to help improve the reinforced earth structures.Consequentially, the properties are improved to meet the project performance requirements.3 Reflections for MSE Program Initiation Courses Offering and OptimizationsThis paper is intended to be informational and constructive based on the limited researchreview and findings of three different universities MSE courses and programs. Based on theexperience of teaching and learning pertinent MSE courses at
they need to be effective learners. A syllabus may reflect the instructor’sbeliefs and attitudes about the subject matter and students, making it a guide for the instructor aswell as to the students. Cullen and Harris argue that “a syllabus is more than an outline of course.It represents the mindset, that is the professor’s philosophy of teaching and learning as well ashis or her attitudes toward students, and conceptualization of the course [8].” Cullen and Harrisfurther argue that a review of course syllabi can reveal much about an instructor’s learner-centered practices and have developed a rubric for assessing learner-center qualities of coursesyllabi. Eslami, et al., analyzed undergraduate STEM syllabi and found students enrolled
range, 25 scored in the 2-3 range, 2 scoredin the 0-1 range. These scores reflected the averaging of the two instructor’s scores (eachinstructor would decide on the overall score based on their sub-scores), but there was very goodagreement between them.For the CATME scores, we used their adjustment factor (without self). From the CATME webpage [6]: “The adjustment factor compares an individual student’s ratings with the average ratings of everyone in the team. This helps to see if the student was harsher than the average, or less harsh. There are two different adjustment factors, “Adj Factor w/Self”, which includes the student’s self-rating in the calculation, and “Adj Factor w/o Self”, which does not
having the opportunity to pilottheir learning modules with other students and then iterate on the module will better highlight thepotential contributions of these elements to their learning. To capture the impact of thoseopportunities (i.e., conference publication, piloting modules) in relation to others we included inthe Fall survey, we will also ask students to reflect on the impact of those elements in the post-clinic surveys of future semesters.Future WorkWe will continue to offer this clinic for the next two years, generating a database of modules (upto five new per year) that can be implemented as mini-projects to broaden soft-robotics exposure.We plan to continue to iterate on existing projects, gather the perspectives of student
perform the experiment and complete predictionsand reflections, and the (then preliminary) research indicating the effectiveness of the activitiesto correct student misconceptions. The instructor incorporated these activities into a laboratorycourse (details provided below).Assessment InstrumentsIn order to assess the impact of the change to a PBL pedagogy and the addition of inquiry-basedactivities, this paper reviews 12 years of student comments from the engineering program’sSenior Survey as well as 10 years of pre/post student responses to a concept inventory.Each year, a week or two before graduation, senior engineering students are emailed a link to theSenior Survey. Since students typically take the heat transfer course in their third year
faculty mentors. By intentionally structuringHIPs so that students participate in at least one each year, students will build and sustainacademic momentum toward timely completion (Kuh, High-impact Practices: what are they, whohas access to them, and why they matter, 2008)Additional Evidence-Based Elements in CAMThe following are among the evidence-based programs and practices that the CAM project willemploy. Table 2 summarizes some of these planned HIPs for the CAM scholars.E-Portfolios. The research team plans to introduce E-portfolios where students can reflect on andsynthesize their work in various courses and activities. Here they can collect, organize, andexhibit their work on collaborative projects, capstone projects, or undergraduate
sentiment to the subject, it is often commonly accepted that designtakes time and effort, and that a significant proportion of time needs to be dedicated toperform well, which students can then see as distracting from their other subjects andexamination preparation. Design is the culmination of all subject matters in engineering andgives students the opportunity to show their flare, engineering prowess, understanding ofcomplex concepts and most importantly how to apply theory to a real-life scenario. However,the perception from students and even some faculty members does not always reflect this. Toaddress concerns typically associated with the engineering design modules and to givestudents the time to fully dedicate to design, an innovative
Paper ID #41112Using Concept Maps in an Undergraduate Heat Transfer CourseDr. Najmus Saqib, Marian University Dr. Najmus Saqib is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Marian University. He has been teaching in his field since 2017. Saqib is passionate about student learning. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines, focusing on ”Optical Diagnostics of Lithium-Sulfur and Lithium-Ion Battery Electrolytes using Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared Spectroscopy”. At Mines Saqib was a member of the MODES Lab, led by Dr. Jason M. Porter. His work on Li-S batteries was the first
of RMU being involved. The mechanism was built based on the instructionsobtained from the Rebrickable’s website [12]. The team working on the mechanism calibratedand motorized the design (Figure 5). However, they did not include the two dials of the originaldesign (Callipic and Olympiad dial) in the set-up as seen in Figure 6 below showing its userinterface. Students who worked on the project had to study the mechanical design of the model,including the gear ratios and their astronomical representations. Figure 5. LEGO assemblies for the Antikythera mechanism replica [11] Figure 6. Dials of the Antikythera mechanism replica [12]Following reflections were given at the conclusion of the student’s thesis by the