challenged with a specific problem;team settings that promote group divergent thinking, discussions and competitions; and,collectively, where all students generate ideas for a given challenge. Some activities are designed to be self-paced; others have strict time constraints,leading to ideation under pressure. The instructions for the activities are very clear andconcise allowing participants to be relieved from unnecessary constraints or assumptions.Following each activity, a short discussion session is facilitated to reflect on the activity’sgoals, challenges and results. Even though some of the activities may not be new, they are stillintroduced with different twists and/or with a new set of instructions. This paper describes a
determining the values of critical design parameters, using focused physical or focused analytical prototypes. c. Perform a basic FMEA analysis to identify critical risks that should be addressed in a project. d. Manage the complexity of the detailed design phase through the use of a Work Breakdown Structure and project schedule based on that structure. e. Create a final prototype that reflects, to the extent possible, the product information package. f. Perform and document acceptance tests that determine how well the final prototype meets the final specifications developed in the concept
equipped with 2D digital whiteboards, 3D wall display andspecialized software for engineering visualization combining both qualitative and quantitativedata from observation, interview, survey, and examination of students’ work16.The studies above collect data using traditional methods such as survey, interview, focus group,and observation. Traditional prompt methods such as survey and interview usually require theparticipants to remember and reflect on what they have experienced, which may not be accurateand fresh anymore. Even with observation, the participants might behave unnaturally knowingthey are being observed. Moreover, data collected through these methods are usually confined tospecific institutions or classes. This paper complements
examination question which required some form ofapplication, inference or analysis.9From their first days in an academic environment, students are trained to study for examinationsand often use memorization.12 Beyond that, the practice most students get in math based coursesare focused on the fundamental concepts and thus exist as in-class or homework problems wherethe student takes given variables and uses newly- learned concepts and solves for an answer.“Standard exercises ask students to carry out mathematical procedures, not to think aboutthem.”13 Hubbard notes that exercises involve substituting into a formula and carrying out a listof procedures which rarely ask students to reflect on the results or extend thought beyond thenumerical answer
reflected the average of thetotal number of attempts for that assignment. For example, if a student scored 80, 90, and 100for the three assignment attempts for Homework #1, the Homework #1 assignment score wouldbe 90. If another student scored 90 and 100 and used only two attempts for Homework #1, thenthe assignment score would be a 95. Students quickly realized that in this scenario they wouldearn a higher score if they repeated the assessment a third time to earn a second 100 and increasethe average.Because these homework assignments were identical for each student and the questions hadmultiple choice answers, the instructors realized that either guessing or the sharing of answersamong students was possible. To counteract the effect of this
strategies being developed are broadly applicablewe will just present one instance, with the civil engineering cartridge, of the identification ofmisconceptions and experimental design for assessing the impact of the DLM on learning. Theassessment includes a pre- and post-test assessment to determine improvement in understandingbasic concepts and persistence and/or repair of misconceptions. Concrete Experience IntroductionHands on teaching methods have a long historyof use in science and engineering. Usually this is Active Experimentation Reflective Observationseen in the form of laboratory classes that eitheraccompany a lecture course to reinforce con-cepts and teach research skills
activities that support declared goals and student learning, often referredto as educative assessment (8, 27) .This would include decisions on how to provideinformation on students’ strengths and their mastery of course material, as well asguidance on how to proceed with learning activities to insure compliance withdefined goals and how to improve students’ performance and their grasp of newmaterial. Students will eventually need reliable feedback on their performance thatallows them to move forward as learners and deepens their understanding of thesubject matter. This feedback could come from the instructor, their classmates, theirown self-reflection, or a combination of the three.(27, 28)Another important factor in the optimization process is to
c American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 Integrating The Charrette Process into Engineering Education: A Case Study on a Civil Engineering Capstone CourseABSTRACTAs engineering educators rethink the structure and value of capstone courses, many have turnedto practical applications. In order to reflect the recent approaches within engineering, capstonecourses can be enhanced through the integration of charrettes. Charrettes are hands-on,collaborative sessions where stakeholders come to a design consensus. These sessions provideopportunities for students to improve communication, technical evaluation, teamwork, peerevaluation and professionalism skills. This research provides a framework for adapting thecharrette
engineering. Two interview protocols reflected the nature and level of participation in the incubator,but it became apparent almost immediately that knowledge of the incubator was bounded by theduration of association, specific circumstances, and intensity of participation.36 For this reasoninterviews varied widely lasting as few as 44 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes. All of theinterviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Identifying information was removed; thetranscription was dated, and a code assigned. The transcription code identified the tier and aninterview sequence number. An excel file served as the interview code key. The code keyremained the only identifying link between interviewee and interview data. Interviews were
possible in order to obtain significant amount of data in terms ofthe effectiveness of the 5-Step ALC model. 4. ConclusionsIn this paper, we share our experiences related to the development of teacher workshops andstudent camps focused on educational robotics based on an active learning model. Ourconclusions can be summarized as follows: Understanding a concept entails having a mental model that reflects the structure of the concept and its relationship to other concepts. Therefore, presenting organized knowledge through concepts that are combined to form propositions that show the relationship among concepts is essential. Learning is an active and continual process, where knowledge is constructed, continually updated, and
and validation work performed on the prototype.One of the current projects at YCP reflect the growing need for multidisciplinary thinking [2] and theapplication of a broad range of engineering tools: the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition (IGVC)project. For the 2010-11 academic year, a team of ten computer, electrical and mechanical engineeringstudents designed and fabricated an all-new ground vehicle for YCP’s second showing at the IGVC [4].The vehicle was designed for autonomous operation to include the capabilities of detecting and reactingto obstacles in its path, recognizing and following established lanes, and navigating to and fromprescribed way points. A variety of sensing, computing, structural, and electromechanical
value and they can do the calculations and they don’t think too much about it. ...my life experience comes in handy and sometimes the professor will talk about an abstract topic and I’ll see all the kids glaze over because they Page 25.136.12 don’t understand what he’s talking about, but I’ll have a life experience that actually does.” Leadership skillsHalf of the informants reflected that they have been able to apply management and leadershipskills to working with groups of other engineering students, by helping team members tocommunicate with one another, manage conflict, stay focused, and distribute tasks
other programs. As one of the fastest growing areas,computer networks is experiencing a dramatic need of professionals with solid foundations andpractical hands-on experience. This need has been reflected, to some extent, into the curricula ofcomputing degrees such as Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Information EngineeringTechnology, and others, where computer networks is now unquestionably included. Forexample, the curriculum guidelines for undergraduate degree programs in InformationEngineering Technology of ACM and IEEE Computer Society consider networking as a pillarfor any modern program 1. Page 25.149.2Despite these recent
). Page 25.225.6 It is important that the aims and objectives of discovery approach are reflected in everyaspect of the learning environment created. The creative new approach should documentaccomplishments at the upper levels of Bloom's Taxonomy Triangle (Bloom, 1956 & 1976;Boud & Feletti, 1991). Scholars in the area of cognitive science and educational psychologyhave identified four features that clearly separate a problem-based curriculum from a traditional,topic-based curriculum (Nickerson, et. al. 1985).Assessment Procedure Assessment of the Discovery approach was carried out by the author using severalproven, well established and widely recognized tools (Rowntree, 1977). Sample quizzes, homework assignments
Education should not be focused on teaching technical skills about a list of Page 25.1276.13 processes that are, at best, obsolescent if they are already in use!• Topics taught should look to the future and reflect the skills needed to compete in a global marketplace.• Teaching methods should incorporate the latest technologies and provide opportunities for students to collaborate and mentor with industry professionals.• Graduate opportunities should be available to those interested in pursuing a degree beyond the standard 4-year program.• Teach from the ground up. One must be able to understand and apply knowledge. For
confirmed by students’ provision on feedback in one dimensionthat is really intended for another dimension. Potential strategies for improving studentparticipation in peer feedback were discussed. Means for improving students’ understanding ofdimensions along which they are to assess peer work and provide peer feedback were alsodiscussed.AcknowledgementsThis work was made possible by grants from the National Science Foundation (DUE 0717508and EEC 0835873). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed inthis material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NationalScience Foundation.Bibliography1. Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research
revolve around the delicate balance that must bemaintained between educating and graduating engineering students who are suitably prepared forprofessional practice in engineering fields without adding credit hours to undergraduate programrequirements.Recent changes in the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) criteria forCivil Engineering graduates require that students be able to address Civil Engineering problemsin terms of global and societal context3, 4. New outcomes include educating students who areaware of contemporary issues and capable of effectively using modern engineering tools. Thesenew requirements reflect the changing role of the Civil Engineer in society, and ABET’srecognition that stakeholder expectations must
syllabus. One of the mainobjectives is to teach students from novice to expert users preparing them with adequate fluidmechanics fundamentals and hands-on CFD project works to prepare for their capstone designprojects, higher education and advanced research in fluid mechanics. We have planned toincorporate a CFD educational interface for hands-on student experience in fluid mechanics,which reflects real-world engineering applications used in companies, government research labs,and higher education research.1. IntroductionComputational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been included as a senior-level Thermal-FluidsEngineering course in the curriculum of mechanical engineering program at many USuniversities. In some universities, this course is adopted in
electronic productand systems were identified and retained. These include basic analog and digitalcircuits/electronics, embedded hardware/software design, wired and wireless communications,instrumentation, and control systems. Second, the content and objectives of these courses weremodified to reflect a strong system design and integration perspective. As part of this, mostcourses have become project-based, requiring teams of students to work on open-ended, industrydesigned projects. Finally, courses have been added to the curriculum in areas that supportproduct development such as testing, quality assurance, engineering statistics, andproduct/system development processes. Once the new curriculum was designed, it was vetted with an industrial
textbook.The text was written to follow the sequence needed to develop 3-D spatial skills.3 In thebeginning of the course, students were introduced to the need for spatial visualization skills andprimarily focused on isometric and orthographic sketching. The curriculum built upon this skillwhile adding various application problems, discussing engineering drawings, and focusing onpattern development. Approximately half way through the curriculum, students were exposed towireframe geometry as they concentrated on two and three coordinate drawings. Transformationsbecame integral at this point as students used translations, dilations, rotations, and reflections toview objects as they are rotated about axes and investigated cross-sections.3 Data
assigned as well as in-class activities with librarian andfaculty present in class to assist as needed. The assignments from the librarians were reinforcedin course work assigned by faculty. In this way, the information literacy component was Page 25.534.3seamlessly integrated into the curriculum.2.1 Modified Learning ObjectivesCourse learning objectives were modified to reflect the new emphasis on expanded technicalwriting skills. The learning objectives were framed as expected student outcomes. Existingstudent outcomes were clarified by specifying activities related to preparing technical reports thatstudents will be able to do upon successful
Page 25.560.86. ClosingWe concluded the session by once again revisiting the training objectives. A final opportunitywas given to the trainees to ask any other questions that may not have been covered during thetraining. We also take this opportunity to inform the students any resources available on campusthat may be of value to them during their TAship. The facilitator who shared the “Golden TA”closed with reflections on how their own attitude had changed after they had finished their firstTA appointment at the University.6.1 SurveyAt the end of the two sessions, we administered a brief survey to gauge the overall effectivenessof the program. The survey consisted of eight five-point Likert-item2 questions and threefreeform questions. For
athand without much relation to earlier knowledge. The types of questions asked are often ofthe type: “How do I solve this problem?”, “Why cannot this equation be used?” or “What iswrong with my solution?”. Although these kinds of questions are perhaps necessary, they arequite narrow and give not a deeper level of understanding. During the projects in the course,however, the students proceed further, for example reflected over the theory and its practicalimplications. The students are enforced and/or motivated to really understand how things aretied together – to understand “the whole picture”. Similar results were obtained in 16, wherealso new kind of learning emerged in the group.The method used in this study is mostly qualitative. It would be
University online systems. University and COE administrators were invited to ENGR 30to discuss and demonstrate to students how to utilize tools like the degree auditing system(DARS) and MyRED, the academic portal. Both systems are used by students to navigatecurriculum requirements, course content, and student information. Introducing students to thesetools led to an interactive discussion led by the COE’s Director of Undergraduate StudentAdvising explaining the nuances of transferring credit and proper course sequence. In Anderson-Rowland, et al’s1 reflective paper on community college students who transition intoengineering, they found that students’ GPA was hindered because they choose to take coursesout of sequence so they could take courses
graded events aredue. Instead, their perceived time spent on class is likely a reflection of classes when nothingspecial was due.Table 2-Summary of students surveyed Average Actual Sample Sample Average Actual Course Reported Prep Course Prep Surveyed Size Reported GPA GPA Time (min) Time Control course 54 3.41 3.23 36.1 63.0 Course using 39 3.1 3.05 43.3
with development of a module incorporatingNASA activities and content into the teaching of calculus. For example, students will beintroduced to information about the shape of various space crafts and shown that the volumes ofsuch space crafts can be computed by using the disk and shell methods in calculus. Other issues Page 25.609.4such as computing light reflection on different shapes of mirrors will be included in the modules.Mathematics Module I:The project “Design Crew Module and Find the Volume” In teaching Calculus II, we used a module which involves using Disk method to computethe volume of revolving object. This project is
participate regularly, though to alesser degree, and another six students have helped out occasionally. When HPVC leaders wereasked to rate the ease of meaningful contribution as described for the Aero Design project above,the response averaged 2.5. Both leaders added a comment that it would have been even easierhad they been asked earlier in the year. “This is a very young, inexperienced team so newcomerswould not be that far away from the more ‘seasoned’ ones.”Level of participation in the Robotic Football Competition, being a formal capstone projectassigned to a certain group of students, is less a reflection of commitment. The hours devoted by
activity throughout thedesign project and the number of times each student team revisited the activity on a weekly basiswas recorded. This information was requested to provide insight into the students' experienceswithin the design cycle.The items discussed in this section reflect the beginning of a more thorough consideration of thestudent-teams academic experiences in multidisciplinary industry-sponsored capstone project-based learning environments. Given that the seven design and project management activities inthe aforementioned team-based surveys represent a reasonably full set of activities for most anydesign project, several favorable outcomes are expected from analyzing the data, including howthe project course "tempo" effects the design
to real worldexperiences gained in the workplace, in the community or in co- and extra-curricular activities.Each qualifying experience involves a minimum of 15 hours of outside activity and thecompletion of a 1000 word reflection paper on the values of the activity. Two experiences arerequired for graduation, preferably one sophomore year and the other senior year.ConclusionAn intertwining partnership of engineering and liberal arts and business education is required toadequately prepare engineering graduates with the necessary attributes to be competitive in thecurrent and foreseeable career environment. Engineering education by itself is not capable ofmeeting the educational needs of its students. Further, adding courses is not a