Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Christopher J. Lowrance

each and every lesson is not the ideal method of instruction. As Idiscovered, engineering is perfectly suited for reflection pauses during the lesson in order to givestudents time to analyze and absorb the new material as they work on in-class problems relatedto the lesson material.IntroductionLast fall was my first semester as a college engineering educator, and I certainly learned moreabout teaching than I ever expected. After studying various teaching literature andexperimenting in the classroom, I quickly discovered that there are many variables thatcontribute to effective teaching and student learning. After experimenting with various methodsof instruction in the classroom, I found a particular teaching technique to be very effective, and

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Peter J. Shull; Jessica M. Crandall

that there may be a difference between what theybelieve is quality work and what the customer (the instructor) wants? The methodology used isto code student engineering reflections on a project that purposefully creates a conflict betweenthe beliefs surrounding the meaning of “always strive to do a job 100%” and the reality of doinga good quality job. The results will show that students’ perceptions as to what elements of theirwork are important are often in conflict with what is required.IntroductionMuch of engineering education is driven by the needs of industry. Engineering programsrespond to these changing needs by implementing topics that are deemed to have the mostpotential to meet the diversity of industrial needs—teamwork

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Andrzej Zarzycki

his memorable adage from around 450 BC: “Tell me, andI will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand.” In more recenttimes, David Kolb defined the concept of Experiential Learning Theory (ELT)2 using twocontinuum axes: active experimentation–reflective observation and abstract conceptualization–concrete experience. The result was a matrix of four learning types: converger (activeexperimentation–abstract conceptualization), accommodator (active experimentation–concreteexperience), assimilator (reflective observation–abstract conceptualization), and diverger(reflective observation–concrete experience). Each of four learning types consists ofexperimentation, experience, or reflection as an active component of the

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Christopher L. Reitsma

and simple BOE-Bot, the simple activities that thevendor provides are easily incorporated into daily lectures as in-class exercises. This approachprovides the students with demonstrations, incorporates self-implementation of the activities,reinforces concurrent and active learning and allows reflection by the students to build on thetopics of the course over a longer period of time. This approach to tinkering is a great andfundamental approach to an active, hands-on approach to learning. Older generations hadtinkered to understand theory and to provide motivation, while the current generation wantsinstant gratification and the internet.4 In order to supplement this need by current students,technology and the internet are integrated. The

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Christopher L. Reitsma

actualperformance. This gave an impression of equality across many semesters and depended on thenumber of students in a course and performance was relative. During graduate studies at theUniversity of Southern California, every course had a grade scale, where many assignments andfinal grades were curved. This gave a relative grade, bell-curved, at the end, makingintermediate assessments difficult. In a time-intensive environment, additional unknowns to astudent’s grade cause anxiety and unpredictability which can hinder encouragement to self-learning and motivation. The courses under research remain without curves which allowaccurate reflection of interim and final course grades.In Lowman’s5 book, he pointed out that students need to be motivated to

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

AS Ward; MN Gooseff; RY Toto; SE Zappe

outside” of the simulationallowing them to better understand the underpinning concepts, an ability not likelyfeasible in most physical lab experiments.5 The work of McAteer6 and colleaguesexemplifies how technology mediated practical work can change lab practice in the lifesciences. The authors found that there were no differences between simulated and virtuallabs in the way that students talk about experiments or the way that the students engagethe instructor and their peers. The value that online labs in engineering may provide isfurther reflected in a recent literature review by Ma and Nickerson7 who sought tocompare the value of hands-on labs, simulated (or virtual labs), and remote labs. Theyfound that most of the labs discussed in the

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Robert Avanzato

of a model of the well-known Fallingwater structure (physicallylocated in Bear Run, PA) are shown below in figures 5 – 8. As can be observed, themodels are embedded in a realistic landscape that reflects the architect’s emphasis on therelationship between structures and the natural surroundings. Figure 7 depicts an avatar(this author) navigating the stairs in the Fallingwater 3D model. The ability to movethroughout the structure and to interact with the structure enhances the immersiveexperience and has instructional and educational benefits. A user in Second Life also hasfull control of the camera view and the user can translate, pan, tilt, and zoom the viewindependent of the avatar position. This build also contains a few animated

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Sunghoon Jang; Kenneth Markowitz; Aparicio Carranza

projects are the culmination of the Electrical Engineering Technology, which involvesthe students in professional level engineering design problems. The main areas completing asignificant project that reflects their Electrical Engineering Technology Program are: • Biomedical applications • Embedded Systems and Control Applications • Network Based Control Systems and Applications • VHDL, and Hardware-Software Co-Design • Alternative, Renewable Energy Sources, and Green Technology Electronics • Sensors and Instruments • Network Security Simulations and Design • A Real Time Wireless Data Acquisition System • Microprocessor and Applications • MATLAB Modeling of Control Systems • Remote Sensing • Digital

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Jenn Rossmann; Karina Skvirsky

0 Before After Before After PHOTOGRAPHY FLUID MECHANICS Figure 3. Student survey data reflecting student confidence in their awareness of and familiarity with the methods of photography and of the physics of fluid flow.ConclusionsThis interdisciplinary course has introduced sophomore students from a variety of majors totechniques of science and art, and to the interactions of these disciplines. While the benefits ofbroader contextualization and liberal arts instruction for engineering students are often lauded,this course offers non-engineering students an entrée into the

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Orla Smyth LoPiccolo

it when the video cut back and forth between the entire experimental set-up to the details of handling/testing the sample. Many other student comments dealt with the production of the video, as opposed to the topical content. Monotone voices, cheesy music, and jerky editing should be avoided. Relative to content, it was expressed that explanations of equipment, instrumentation and software should be detailed, not generic.‖22In summary, this study found that the inclusion of short, topic-specific video programs in lecture-based teaching on the construction methods of ICF and SIPs increases learning to a statisticallysignificant degree, as reflected by student quiz scores. Further study on this topic

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Barbara E. Mizdail

projects reflecting the concerns of today’s students for the environment, positive feedbackfrom research faculty for student contributions with existing projects, and an awareness of thecapabilities of students at this first year level.The First Year ExperienceA first year experience for incoming students is not a new concept to higher education. For morethan twenty years, colleges and universities have contrived and implemented ways to supportstudent success during the critical first year. The majority of all colleges and universities offer afirst year seminar course or experience to their first year entering class. First year experiencescan increase the probability of students successfully completing their first year of study, whichleads to the

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Beth Richards; Karen Walsh

the definition ofnerd was not as unidimensional as it might appear. In complicating this seemingly easydefinition of nerd, we, like Downs and Wardle, tried to avoid framing the reading and writingtasks as a “universal academic discourse” but instead focused on writing as inseparably pairedwith content. To accomplish this goal, we used, as Downs and Wardle describe, reading materialthat “centers on issues with which students have first-hand experience,” data-driven reading, aswell as reflective and research assignments, to lead to increased awareness about writing as wellas improved reading abilities and confidence—including recognition of texts not just asinformation but “as the words of real people.”5So, What Is a Nerd?At the outset of

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

William Hornfeck; Ismail Jouny; John Nestor

in Electrical and Computer Engineering lists the followingeight goals for students: • Educate themselves continually • Adapt to changing job challenges • Function in a team and provide leadership • Apply education in solving a broad range of problems • Excel in their chosen area of professional activity • Be involved in professional/public/community service • Communicate in a mature and effective manner • Appreciate business enterprise, technology management, and social and legal issuesAs a first step, the list of goals should probably recognize globalization trends by mentioningglobal awareness at least once. There are perhaps four of the eight goals that could be modifiedto reflect an emphasis on

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Arthur D. Kney P.E.; Nancy Ball; Traci Shoemaker; Danuta Bukatko; Angela Moran; Joe Colosi

reflections on trip and final*Set course expectations (coordinated *Facilitate students’ hands on activity projectswith ES and MS school curriculum), communication to *Oversee, coordinate finalinclude scientific research on a chosen grade school/middle video conference withtopic, interactions with elementary school partners partners’ PP presentationsschool aged students, other course *Provide expertise for to share what was learnedrequirements all participants as *Post-trip visit to grade*Provide model for deliverables needed school/middle school(activities, games, computersimulations