Conference Session

Research Informing Teaching Practice I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Cole, Northwestern University; Robert A. Linsenmeier, Northwestern University; Timothy Miller, Binghamton University ; Matthew R. Glucksberg, Northwestern University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

particular design solutions. Specifically, they struggle with creating,manipulating, and critiquing mathematical models to assist in the design of a product or process.The ultimate aim of our work is to improve students’ ability to use models in capstone designafter being exposed to instruction on mathematical modeling.This study was a continuation of an earlier project in which we explored how studentsdeveloped, used, and interpreted mathematical models. In the previous study, students weregiven instruction in the steps of mathematical modeling and a scenario in which they were askedto assist a hypothetical design team by creating a mathematical model that could be used inmaking decisions about the design. The instruction and the scenario broke

Conference Session

Research in Assessment

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alan Chong, University of Toronto; Lisa Romkey, University of Toronto

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

. Page 25.594.2IntroductionMany undergraduate engineering programs include one or more significant “capstone”experiences, designed to give students an opportunity to demonstrate significant learning throughthe integration of knowledge and skills from across the degree1, 5. Such a learning experience, anindependent research project required for all senior students in a large, Canadian multi-disciplinary engineering program, forms the context for this paper. This thesis course givessenior undergraduate students an opportunity to work with a faculty member to define and designan original research project, as well as to conduct and communicate engineering-related research.In the 2010-11 school year, nearly 200 students in the program worked with 112

Conference Session

Epistemic Research

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erick Jacob Nefcy, Oregon State University; Edith Stanley Gummer, Education Northwest; Milo Koretsky, Oregon State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Page 25.304.2graphical representations are termed Model Development and Usage Representations, or ModelMaps, for short. The result of the previous study showed a significant difference in the modelingcharacteristics in the Virtual CVD Laboratory Project when compared to two capstone physicallaboratories. Based on the analysis of work products (design notebooks, design memoranda andfinal reports) of 14 teams, the Virtual CVD Laboratory Project showed significant increases bothin the number of model components students used and the variety of those model componentsfrom team to team.However, we have been concerned that the characterization of the number and types of modelcomponents is under articulated given the relatively static nature of the

Conference Session

Before and After: Matriculants and Alumni

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Irene B. Mena, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Sarah E. Zappe, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Thomas A. Litzinger, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

communicators, and have the skills towork globally and in multidisciplinary teams. For evaluation purposes, the Universityperiodically sends out surveys in which engineering alumni are asked about how well preparedthey perceive themselves to be for their post-graduation employment. Using the results from the2010 administration of this survey, this study seeks to answer the following questions: (1) Whatare alumni’s perceptions of their preparedness in these areas: ethics, innovation, communication,project management, global and international work, and multidisciplinary teamwork? (2) Canclusters be identified from the survey results? (3) What undergraduate engineering experienceshelped prepare them for these skills, and in what ways do they believe the

Conference Session

Thinking About the Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Olga Pierrakos, James Madison University; Anna Zilberberg; Christopher W. Swan, Tufts University; Angela R. Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder; Kurt Paterson P.E., Michigan Technological University; John J. Duffy, University of Massachusetts, Lowell; Sean Mcvay, James Madison Univeristy

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

been active in the ASEE since 2001, currently serving as the Program Chair for the Commu- nity Engagement in Engineering Education constituent committee. Swan’s current research interests in engineering education concern project-based learning and service-based pedagogy.Dr. Angela R. Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder Angela Bielefeldt is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has incorporated service-learning projects into the senior capstone design course for environmental engineering since 2001. Her engineering education research interests include sustainable engineering, ethics, and retention of female

Conference Session

Thinking About the Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter H. Meckl, Purdue University; Marc H. Williams, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Carolyn Percifield, Purdue University; Monica E. Cardella, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Michael T. Harris, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Leah H. Jamieson, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

planning. Maximum freedom to the developers of the courses and educational projects, within well defined framework of attainment targets, learning objectives, and distribution of study loads over the various disciplines and skills to be attained.Other survey respondents suggested that curriculum changes should be grounded in empiricaldata as well as other evidence of prior success: Having data (e.g. a comparison of other curricula) to support decisions. Past success --- ECE department here at Our University changed its curriculum in a dramatic way about twenty years ago and became a symbol for change in electrical engineering undergraduate curricula. Given the positive effects of that effort, we

Conference Session

Research on Engineering Design Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christopher B. Williams, Virginia Tech; Marie C. Paretti, Virginia Tech; Yoon Suk Lee, Virginia Tech; John S Gero, George Mason University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

curricula. To observe potential effects ofdesign education, students from two curricula at a large research-intensive state university arebeing studied. The control group is a major focused on engineering mechanics, which has atheoretical orientation that focuses on mathematical modeling based on first principles and haslittle formal design education prior to the capstone experience. The experimental group is amechanical engineering major that uses design as a context for its curriculum. In order to providea uniform basis for comparing students across projects and years, the authors use a task-independent protocol analysis method grounded in the Function-Behavior-Structure (FBS)design ontology. This paper presents results from the first-year of the

Conference Session

Problem-based and Challenge-based Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Holly M. Matusovich, Virginia Tech; Marie C. Paretti, Virginia Tech; Brett D. Jones, Virginia Tech; Philip R. Brown, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

include the role of motivation in learning engineering, construction of engineering identities, and faculty development.Dr. Marie C. Paretti, Virginia Tech Marie C. Paretti is an Associate Professor of engineering education at Virginia Tech, where she co-directs the Virginia Tech Engineering Communications Center (VTECC). Her research focuses on communica- tion in engineering design, interdisciplinary communication and collaboration, and design education. She was awarded a CAREER grant from NSF to study expert teaching practices in capstone design courses nationwide, and is Co-PI on several NSF grants to explore identity and interdisciplinary collaboration in engineering design.Dr. Brett D. Jones, Virginia Tech

Conference Session

Problem-based and Challenge-based Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leema Kuhn Berland, University of Texas, Austin; William F. McKenna, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

-driven6. This emphasis on engineeringdesign in either an introductory or capstone courses is seen in numerous engineering programsacross the country. In addition, this strategy is seen in pre-collegiate education as well. Forexample, the popular high school engineering program Project Lead the Way14 begins with acourse in which students learn and engage in the engineering design process.Recently engineering education has gradually shifted away from treating the science ofengineering and engineering design as different domains and, instead, to integrate them15. In fact, Page 25.1191.2in a synthesis of the state if K-12 engineering education, the

Conference Session

Contextual Competencies

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hyun Kyoung Ro, Carnegie Mellon University; Lisa R. Lattuca, University of Michigan; Dan Merson, Pennsylvania State University; Patrick T. Terenzini, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

AC 2012-4880: MEASURING ENGINEERING STUDENTS’ CONTEXTUALCOMPETENCEDr. Hyun Kyoung Ro, Carnegie Mellon University Hyun Kyoung Ro is a Research Designer and Analyst in the Institutional Research and Analysis at Carnegie Mellon University.Dr. Lisa R. Lattuca, University of MichiganDr. Dan Merson, Pennsylvania State University Dan Merson is a Postdoctoral Fellow for the Center for the Study of Higher Education and the College Student Affairs program at Penn State. He received his Ph.D. in higher education from Penn State in the summer of 2011. While at Penn State, he primarily worked on the NCAA-funded Student-Athlete Climate Study (SACS), a nation-wide project to assess student-athlete’s perceptions and experiences

Conference Session

Research on Engineering Design Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ryan C. Campbell, University of Washington; Ken Yasuhara, University of Washington; Cynthia J. Atman, University of Washington; Sheri Sheppard, Stanford University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

coverage of these important broader considerations, andthus to provide opportunities for broader ways of thinking in engineering education. Commonapproaches to teaching engineering design incorporate some of these ways through project-basedlearning, which finds instantiation in senior capstone design projects [6, 7], first-year cornerstonedesign projects [7], and service learning [7, 8]. Closely related, the Aalborg problem-based learning(PBL) model also focuses on contextualizing learning and problem-solving [9]. Litzinger et al.’s[10] discussion of expertise and engineering education emphasizes the importance of the “context-rich, multifaceted problems” commonly embedded in all of these approaches.Empirical research on engineering design

Conference Session

Contextual Competencies

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joshua David Schwartz, Trinity University; Ashley Ater Kranov, ABET

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

scheduled days. The courses selected for the study at the institution areidentified as i) a freshman design class teaching computer-aided design, ii) a sophomoreintroductory circuits laboratory, iii) a junior design class in controls and electronics, and iv) asenior capstone project class.On the day of the module delivery, the case study was first introduced to students through a shortpresentation by the instructor assigned to this role during which the one-page case study wasread aloud. It is also suggested to include a brief, relevant video clip of a key interview or newssegment on the subject to supplement the text. Whenever possible, contrasting viewpoints bydifferent stakeholders can also be expressed through the selection of video clips to

Conference Session

Problem-based and Challenge-based Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela van Barneveld, Purdue University; Johannes Strobel, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Greg Light, Northwestern University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

different ways and levels of understanding a givenphenomenon (i.e., the tensions encountered) and a level of awareness (Åkerlind, 2008). Theemphasis is on understanding and describing not only the commonalities, but more so thevariation in the individuals’ ways of seeing and experiencing the phenomenon (Marton & Tsui,2004).The target population for this study was US engineering educators who implemented PBL in theearly years of an undergraduate engineering program – Year 1 and/or Year 2. The rationale forthis choice of context was that PBL has less of a presence in the early years of the engineeringprogram than in later years, when project-based capstone courses are widely adopted. Despiteadvocacy for learner-centered pedagogies like PBL in

Conference Session

Research in Engineering Education II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nathan McNeill, University of Florida; Elliot P. Douglas, University of Florida; Mirka Koro-Ljungberg, University of Florida; David J Therriault, University of Florida

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

. National Science Foundation-sponsored SUCCEED Coalition. He has also been active in promoting qualitative research methods in engineering education through workshops presented as part of an NSF project. He has received several awards for his work, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the Ralph Teetor Education Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers, being named a University of Florida Distinguished Teaching Scholar, and being named the University of Florida Teacher of the Year for 2003-04. He is a member of the American Society for Engi- neering Education and the American Educational Research Association and is currently Editor-in-Chief of Polymer Reviews.Dr. Mirka

Conference Session

Research Informing Teaching Practice I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chris Venters, Virginia Tech; Lisa D. McNair, Virginia Tech; Marie C. Paretti, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Virginia Tech Engineering Communication Center. Her research includes interdisciplinary collaboration, commu- nication studies, identity theory, and reflective practice. Projects supported by the National Science Foun- dation include interdisciplinary pedagogy for pervasive computing design, writing across the curriculum in statics courses, and a CAREER award to explore the use of e-portfolios to promote professional identity and reflective practice. Her teaching emphasizes the roles of engineers as communicators and educators, the foundations and evolution of the engineering education discipline, assessment methods, and evaluating communication in engineering.Dr. Marie C. Paretti, Virginia Tech Marie C. Paretti is