Page 22.1214.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Re-engineering engineering education: A comparison of student motivation, ability development and career paths in traditional and cross-disciplinary engineering degree programsAbstract With the breadth and complexity of global problems engineers will face comes a blurring ofboundaries among engineering disciplines, and between engineering and social sciences.Schools in both the U.S. and abroad have addressed this call for change in engineering educationthrough innovations in traditional engineering curricula to broaden disciplinary perspectives.This study examined the impact of two engineering degree
AC 2011-725: SE CAPSTONE: A PILOT STUDY OF 14 UNIVERSITIESTO EXPLORE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING LEARNING AND CAREER IN-TEREST THROUGH DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PROBLEMSElisabeth W McGrath, Stevens Institute of Technology Elisabeth McGrath is Senior Research Associate at Stevens Institute of Technology and Executive Director of the Stevens Center for Innovation in Engineering & Science Education, Hoboken, NJ.Susan Lowes, Institute for Learning Technologies, Teachers College/Columbia University Susan Lowes, Ph.D., is Director of Research and Evaluation, Institute for Learning Technologies, Teach- ers College/Columbia University.Chris Jurado, Stevens Institute of Technology Chris Jurado is involved in the development of research
on student ability development and career paths. An undergraduatesurvey was distributed to freshmen and again to seniors. Students were also asked to report theirlevel of confidence in their engineering, science, professional and integrative disciplinaryabilities used in complex problem solving as well as career plans at each point in time. Inaddition, seniors were asked about their participation in global initiative activities includinginitiative choice, type of activities, length of participation, and motivations for choice. Thosewho engaged in exploration of a global initiative area reported higher self-efficacy forintegrative disciplinary and professional ability factors than non-explorers. Significantdifferences were also noted for
careers in STEM fields and graduate education.During the four-year duration of the scholarship project, the project team indicated that it woulddevelop a program structure and arrange activities to achieve the following objectives: Objective 1: Provide 20 scholarships per year for academically talented, financially disadvantaged STEM majors, especially those from underrepresented groups. Objective 2: Build a referral network arrangement between Gannon University, the Erie City School District, and the local U.S. Department of Education Talent Search program to identify and recruit financially disadvantaged students from underrepresented groups who meet SEECS scholarship eligibility requirements
implementing a similar model at theirinstitutions. Page 22.65.2Theoretical FrameworkEngineering majors leaving the field is a common problem across the US campuses. Among thereasons reported as engineering majors’ reluctance to remain in engineering was “the lack, orloss of interest in science” and “the belief that non-STEM majors hold more interest, or offerbetter education” (Seymour, 1995). The lack of student interest or loss in their excitement topursue engineering as future career options can be associated with their learning experiences inundergraduate courses.Courses offered in undergraduate engineering programs can be highly technical and
Page 22.7.2the US workforce in general. Within the DoD, jobs associated with capability planning andrequirements definition, as well as much of the studies and analysis efforts that support pre-acquisition decision making, are typically not counted as part of the acquisition workforce, butthey often require individuals with STEM proficiencies. Within the STEM career fields, theDoD has singled out Systems Engineering (SE) as a critical need in order to improve the abilityto conceive , develop, sustain, modify and eventually retire its’ warfighting systems. Thosepersonnel identified as occupying critical positions (typically those in the acquisition workforce)receive training and certification on SE through a series of Defense Acquisition
computerscience course. The projects were designed to engage students in cross-disciplinary activitiesand to enhance their career opportunities in the job market. The first project was concerned withthe design of a data acquisition software system and the second project involved a standard dataacquisition system for condition monitoring of computing equipment. The students who workedon these projects were involved in hands-on activities and gained knowledge and skills that werecross-disciplinary in nature.IntroductionIn recent years, there has been an increasing trend in industry to recruit college graduates withinterdisciplinary as well as cross-disciplinary skills1. Many educators have also emphasized thatit is essential to engage students in
is largely embodied in the interaction among its components, and not in the components themselves when addressing stakeholder requirements (6, 8). Demonstrate an ability to produce a well thought out system design and well managed interface specifications as critical to successful system integration (6, 8). Use early modeling and inspection as a means to a well conceived system design (2, 6, 10). Develop communication skills to successfully work on interdisciplinary teams (26). Develop communication skills to communicate stakeholder/problem domain and solution domain content (26). Identify the role Systems Engineering plays on larger projects and SE career options (24).The project is intended to embed a systems
AC 2011-2472: MAKING A COLLEGE-LEVEL MULTIDISCIPLINARYDESIGN PROGRAM EFFECTIVE AND UNDERSTANDING THE OUT-COMESShanna R. Daly, University of Michigan Shanna Daly is an Assistant Research Scientist in the College of Engineering and the Design Science Pro- gram at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on teaching and learning design and innovation strategies in interdisciplinary contexts.A. Harvey Bell, University of Michigan . Harvey Bell, IV was appointed Professor of Engineering Practice and Co-Director of the Multidisci- plinary Design Program on September 1, 2010 after a 39 year career in the automotive industry with General Motors. During his career with General Motors some of his significant positions
the constraints that had to be overcome to make thisproject a reality. While the data set is small and results only preliminary, the outcome assessmentis promising.IntroductionThese engineering programs began in 2000 with the first EAC/ABET accredited graduatingclasses in Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering matriculating in 2004. The mission ofall three undergraduate-only programs is to deliver a project-based curriculum with a focus onpreparing graduates for careers as engineering practitioners. Hands-on project experiences areintegrated throughout each curriculum in order to build problem solving and team skills that willbe valuable to the graduates’ early career growth. In addition, all three programs are offeredjointly with
, providing people withmeaningful and sustaining careers while improving environmental quality.Community outreach activitiesGTECH has an extensive array of community programs that not only train local residents ingreen jobs, but also involve the community in beautifying their vacant lots. The UPitt teamconducts research on only a handful of GTECH sites, and when possible participates in thevolunteer days for those sites.Community programs created by GTECH are very dependant on the community. For pastprojects, community partners have included Green Teams (self-selected residents interested inneighborhood greening and sustainability), Student Conservation Association Students,Pittsburgh Cares volunteer groups, among others. The majority of community
andwomen, and a stronger civic ethic among students.14,15,16Students, particularly women and underrepresented groups, cite the ability to make a differencein society as one of the main reasons they choose careers in science and engineering.17 However,the impact engineers have on society is more commonly viewed from a corporate standpoint(for-profit companies develop products and technologies that positively impact society), and thusSTEM service-learning has traditionally been integrated from the corporate perspective; e.g.products to benefit society are designed as part of a course. Community-based service learningopportunities offer alternative ways for science and engineering students to become involved andmake a difference in their own
major with biomedical and applied mathematics minors. She is involved with American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Society of Women Engineers. She is also a member of the varsity swim team and a lifeguard on campus. She was the female freshman recipient of the 2010 DeBow Freed Award for Outstanding Leadership at ONU for excellence in academics, athletics, and leadership in various organizations and projects. Her career goals include obtaining a job in research and development or project management in the field of biomedical engineering to help bridge the gap between scientific discovery and public availability
professional careers] as designers or managers”15This multidisciplinary awareness builds system safety literacy which can help engineeringstudents later in their careers contribute to accident prevention by seeking or facilitatingcoordination between themselves (the technical specialists), management, and workers/operatorsover system safety issues. In other words, it will help them seek and engage in productiveconversations pertaining to accident prevention and system safety with different stakeholdersfrom different backgrounds.It was noted in the Introduction of this work that system accidents, also termed “organizationalaccidents”, have an intrinsic organizational contribution to their occurrence beyond the technicaland human error
combines technical strengths from different majorscombined into one project.New Teaching Methodologies: The teaching methodology introduced in this track followinnovative paths. An application will be selected and theories will be covered to serve thatapplication. This is a departure from the traditional curricula.Research-based Learning: This program emphasizes research early in the program and graduatestudents will mentor undergraduate students in research projects.Hand- on Lab Experiences: The new track will provide hands on lab experiences for the studentsand will help them to pursue careers in nanotechnologyIntegration of Knowledge: The new program integrates knowledge from science and engineeringinto nanotechnology projects. Students at the
asked their mentors aboutinstructors or faculty, advice on general education classes, how to dress for interviews andinquired on other activities around campus. At the conclusion of the E2 bridge camp or ENGR 1050 class, peer mentors are allencouraged to continue including protégés in semester activities such as student organizationmeetings, design competitions, professional/personal development seminars and other universityactivities such as Career Day and Fall Fest.C. Recruitment and Training Recruitment and training of peer mentors begins in the spring. In 2008 and 2009,recruitment consisted of contacting past participants of the E2 bridge camp and the ENGR 1050class or getting names from faculty, staff and other peer mentors
rubrics for all measures).Conclusions:The architectural Engineering Program curriculum at University of Wyoming has beenimproved. This paper describe how students are prepared for a professional career and furtherstudy in the discipline through the curriculum and indicate how the curriculum is consistent withthe Program Educational Objectives and Program Outcomes.Integrated design refers to the use of multiple building systems working together. In our case theintegrated design refers to the functionality of the engineering aspect working in conjunctionwith the architectural appeal and usefulness of the building. Both of the examples showed the useof the architectural design as a passive ventilation system. This appears to be a forerunner
workforces. Engineering schools have greatdifficulty measuring their students’ preparedness for globally focused workforces. Globalpreparedness cannot be measured with a traditional examination as it involves difficult tomeasure constructs that fit together as metrics of preparedness. Throughout the past two decades,researchers have attempted to measure related constructs such as citizenry and internationallyfocused readiness. Unfortunately, none of these metrics exactly aligned to career preparednessin the way that this paper begins to describe. Further, in the recent past, no metrics specificallymeasure program components that may assist in global preparedness, nor do they focusdeliberately on engineering education.Research Design and Metric
differences in both the level andmechanisms to impart problem solving and professional skills around the world.Despite the unavoidable differences we still expect that our engineering graduates will, at somepoint in their careers, work with their international peers in collaborative settings. Cognizant ofthis, engineering programs provide opportunities for course level collaborations across multiplecountries to provide students with an understanding of working in global engineering teams.Mostly, programs involve design-based problem solving in order to practice professional skills(i.e., teamwork, communication, leadership) in a context. We have not found an extensivequantitative study showing the differences in the way students and faculty members
ofbuilding the specialty engineering education on a sound systems engineering foundation.Being close to graduation, students enrolled in the capstone design sequence expect that theprojects selected for the course are part of the real-world such that they can apply the knowledgeand skills acquired in their undergraduate program to solving problems that have relevance to Page 22.613.4real-world organizations, and thus being better prepared to start their career, upon acceptance ofa job offer. Students expect to be actively involved with the client organization in data collection,and information sharing with both the management and the engineering
civil,electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineering, computer science, mathematics, and earth andatmospheric sciences, chemistry, physics, and biology. This flexibility allows students to designpersonalized curricula that support their individual career plans or interests.An engineering student completing the ESE program is required to take 127 credits total, withrepresentation in these curricular areas: 38% engineering (with 6/18 of the courses withsubstantial design content), 31% math and basic science, and 31% other. At a minimum, 46 ofthe credit hours are dedicated to environmental topics. Since this is a multidisciplinary programbetween science and engineering, students are able to select courses from a list of science andengineering
general engineering major. At HMC and MIT, the required general educationcurricula also stressed disciplinary connections and thus interdisciplinarity. Institutions –particularly ASU, Howard, and the University of Michigan (UM) – incorporatedinterdisciplinarity into courses and programs: ASU’s Innovation Space course brings togetherstudents from business and engineering; at Howard, senior design courses are interdisciplinary,involving students within engineering and from other fields as well; the focus at UM was on thedevelopment of three interdisciplinary minor programs that would allow students to combinestudies across engineering majors to meet their career goals. At Virginia Tech (VT) and UM,curricular efforts were greatly supplemented by co
students with little or no previous exposure tosystems engineering. Specifically, at the end of the course it was intended that students should Understand what systems engineering is Understand what systems engineers do Understand the qualities and skills that systems engineers bring to projects Develop and practice the skills of systems engineers Understand how systems engineers think (analytic skills) Consider a career in systems engineeringTo reach these objectives, the approach taken was to introduce students to systems engineeringprinciples through the delivery of course modules covering systems engineering topics, whileconcurrently having students apply these principles to their design projects. The