theperformance descriptors associated with each score for each rubric dimension. Within eachdimension, raters could give a score of 0, 1, 3, or 5. These score options reflect the conceptualdistinctions between performance descriptions. For example, the additional energy literacydemonstration required to move from a score of 1 to a score of 3 was seen as greater than theadditional demonstration required to move from a score of 0 to a score of 1. Each sub-principlewithin the DOE framework was mapped directly to one or two rubric dimensions to facilitateconsistent scoring based on tangible indicators of energy literacy.Data collection Project posters and abstracts from an annual high school energy science/designcompetition held in the Pacific
(1)Astronauts go on spacewalks to make repairs, do experiments and test new equipment . Two big challenges in spacewalks are, first, that space can feel very cold (250 degrees F) to an (2)astronaut in the shade and, second, space can feel very warm (250 degrees F) in the Sun . The reason for this is that an astronaut will be exposed to about 7 times the amount of radiation that we, on the Earth’s surface, experience due in part to the reflectivity of the surface and (3)atmosphere
: provide inputs to other team members from the owner’s perspective (more focus on budget and time control) to support their work; assist in design review and project documentation. ● One (1) Project Engineer (optional): provide inputs to other team members from a project engineer’s perspective (more focus on constructability) to support their work; assist in project documentation.Except for the LEED consultants, other team members were encouraged to rotate roles duringthe process to enhance their learning experience. The overall assessment plan of this studyemphasized on the learning progressions and periodical reflections, and included both formativeand summative approaches. Considering the lack of previous exposure
States, 1775-1945” – argues that engineering “drawings were farmore than a tool; they became a language reflective of the context in which they originated”(2000, p. 237).17As US engineering culture developed, Brown argues that engineers began to use shop drawings“to achieve thorough control over the labor of patternmakers, blacksmiths, machinists, anderectors” (p. 216) and, in combination with piecework, facilitated the “firm’s effort to subdivide Page 26.1068.9and standardize work tasks” (p. 217). As Brown continues, “Shop drawings and piecerate payprovided American engineer-managers with two interlocking methods to divide up work tasks,boost
tasks for the upcoming week. This is furthersolidified by weekly status reports that provide additional reflection on the project progress,outline problems, and highlight effort expended. In addition, students are required to draft aProblem Statement, Requirements Specification, Functional Design, Project Plan, and Test Plan.The nature of the projects varies widely from continuing a previous project with well-definedexpectations to venturing into uncharted waters with only a vague sense of a reasonabledestination. Thus all of these documents are flexible in their nature. For example, the test plancould be for the final product or for a milestone. Either way it will contain similar complexityand comprehensiveness. Assessment for this semester
this paper is to share the lessons we learned by reflecting upon our experiences withtechnology lending and teaching workshops while examining data from checkout informationand personal surveys to draw conclusions about best practices and the impact we have on thecampus community.Technology LendingLibraries have very robust systems for lending books to their users, and often use these systemsto loan non-book items. At North Carolina State University Libraries, we have loaned a varietyof technology items (such as laptops and cameras) for over a decade through our TechnologyLending Service. Using the existing infrastructure, adding a new type of item requires only asmall amount of policy decision-making and staff training. For example, in 2010
-directed learningoutside of class create opportunities for the students to apply knowledge and identify questionswhich can be resolved in the SI session. Students follow a set of steps to develop properquestions and find their own solutions by applying critical thinking skills. Finally, project basedlearning creates interactive and collaborative learning opportunities that promote the logicalprogression in creative thinking that leads to critical thinking. This paper presents theobservations made through these learning methods and provides a platform for discussion onthese topic areas. The improvement in students’ critical thinking skills were reflected by thequality of the writing assignments and the higher grades obtained by the group of
Musical Analogies as a Teaching Tool for Engineering ConceptsAbstract This project investigated the inclusion of a music laboratory experience within theexisting core Mechanical Engineering curriculum at Lafayette College. Music is a naturaladdition to engineering curricula as it can easily be used to illustrate many different engineeringconcepts. This allows students to think about their engineering topics from a differentperspective, which helps to improve their understanding of these concepts. Additionally, byusing music as a teaching tool, students are also exposed to topics from the art of music.Students completed a survey both before and after the experience in order to reflect on theirlearning. On average, the students reported a
Taxonomy1 defines higher levels of learning as “synthesis - to create, design,develop, formulate...; and evaluation - to evaluate, rate, defend, predict”. To promote higherlevels of learning (or taxonomies), proper instructional strategies should be implemented. Theseinstructional strategies should include learning elements that provide authentic contexts, criticalthinking, authentic activities, multiple roles and perspectives, coaching and scaffolding, access toexpert performances and modeling, promote reflection to enable abstraction and articulation.These elements should support collaborative construction of knowledge and the use of authentic
use time effectively during class. This paperpresents resources for addressing both of those needs. To uncover a wide variety ofresources, a web-based survey was sent to three listservs for college educators andeducational researchers: the POD Mailing List, the ACM SIGCSE Members List, and theEngineering Technology1 listserv in October 2014. These listservs have a total of about3000 subscribers, but only 32 responses were received. This probably reflects the factthat few educators have yet “flipped” their classes, but since thousands of faculty andhundreds of faculty developers were surveyed, it’s likely that they were able to namemost of the prominent resources and techniques.1 pod@listserv.nd.edu, the listserv of the Professional and
stream table, very similar to the actual stream tablesstudents used in the first activity. Students can adjust parameters for the model such as table slope, soilproperties, and water flow rate. They then make observations of the resulting erosion patterns, and discusssimilarities and differences to the real stream table. Students also reflect on the utility of a computationalmodel.Activity #3: RivertownThe second computer-based activity introduces students to Rivertown, a fictional town within the NetLogosimulation, in a flood plain next to a river. The river can overflow its banks, which will flood the town’s Page 26.1355.2fields
looking for students who excel in the ability to present informationorally. Instances that require effective oral communication include working in teams, dealingwith customers, and making presentations at trade shows and conferences2. A study was done bythe Peter D. Hart Research Associates in which hundreds of companies completed a survey. Theemployees at these companies had acquired at least a bachelor’s degree. Employers were askedabout the skills that potential hires should possess, as well as what learning outcomes universitiesshould put more focus on. Results reflected the importance of oral communication skills incurrent society. Approximately 30% of the companies believed that strong oral andcommunication skills were important in new
. These embedded forms are not made up of “individual acts of meanness by members of[the dominant group],” but by institutional history9.In her distinguished lecture, McIntosh addressed White privilege and the surrounding myths thatpeople can unknowingly propagate. She began by speaking of her upbringing in a “normal”family and of her father working as an engineer at Bell Labs. As circumstance in her life gaveher reason to pause and reflect, she realized that as a White woman, she was allowed to considerherself normal, as she was part of what society considers normal. She referred to her seminalwork, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, in which she discussed earnedstrengths and unearned powers9. These unearned powers accrue into
Seminar course was the engineering entry course for the first-yearengineering students in the first four years of the program. The first iteration of the coursefocused on the student gaining awareness about the multiple disciplines of engineering throughmini-design challenges and providing opportunities for students to meet and speak withprofessionals in field. Assignments ranged from information literacy to reflecting on practicingengineers and upper division students who shared experiences about the discipline and program.In 2012, the seminar course was not offered, leaving only one course in engineering for studentsto take in their first year. Fall 2014 saw the reintroduction of the course under the title,Engineering Opportunities, where the
success,as indicated by parameters like higher course pass rates, higher Grade Point Averages, creditaccumulation, retention, and graduation rates11. Skills can be taught which are consistent acrossprograms, as well as customized to fit individual courses12. E-portfolios can support assessmentby identifying goals and providing a repository for organizing, storing, and sharing records. It isinstructionally valuable in that students can connect their own work with the broader programexpectations, thus self-evaluating their status. Students can engage in reflection, which maydevelop their critical thinking skills.This study is a follow-up to a previous study made by the researchers13 (see Bose & Pakala
understand the appropriate behaviors to observe and questions toask. The process then moves to observing the client’s pain point experience. Observing is not Page 26.1208.2enough, students need to at least talk with the client and, if possible, experience the pain pointthemselves. All through this process students are framing and re-framing their problemstatements as they collect additional information. The Thinktank concludes with a final revisionand refinement of the problem statement that reflects their empathetic understanding of theirclient’s pain point and preparation for the next phase of the process, ideation.Why is an entrepreneurial
honorsstudents. Preliminary analysis show a student population with normal distributions on the active-reflective, sensing-intuitive, and sequential-global Felder Learning Styles scales and anextremely skewed visual-verbal distribution favoring visual learners with less than 5% of thetotal population self-rated as moderate to strong verbal learners. We report on a comparison ofthe Felder Learning Styles scales, assignment preparation time, and course performance. Theseresults provide insights into significant predictors of student success based on learning style andcurriculum type. The ultimate goal is to provide appropriate preparatory course materials to
approach to teaching professional communication, andintroduce our larger research project, which aims to assess the effectiveness of our program.Finally, we shall briefly reflect on whether the small communication class is really as inefficientas some have suggested. The purpose of this study is to develop the theoretical groundwork fora larger study we are just beginning to conduct on the efficacy of our professionalcommunication program. Using the investigative tools of narrative research and discourseanalysis, we hope ultimately to determine the degree to which our program, which maintainssmall classes and focuses on cultivating students’ rhetorical judgment, effectively graftsprofessional communication onto our students’ burgeoning
bent, positioned and held in a frame to reflect the lightat the focal point where the multi-junction cell is fixed. The system follows the celestial path ofthe sun within 1.6 degree.This project was completed as a senior capstone design project utilizing all of the educationgained thus far in the engineering curriculum along with a large amount of self-directed learning.Every stage in the design and development of the project was an educational test that had to beovercome. Discussion on the short comings, challenges, and the use of the education received toresolve these issues are presented.1. IntroductionAccess to power namely, heat, and electricity is ubiquitous in developed nations. Much of thedeveloping world however, still lacks access to
thesegoals, 3) facilitating positive student group dynamics, 4) providing student feedback, and 5)reflection. It is important to note that this is a collaborative process between the courseinstructor and TA, so the steps in this system involve both parties.BackgroundThe “Active Learning in STEM Courses” mini-course is a series of four 2-hour sessions led bytwo staff members of the University of Pennsylvania’s CTL. The objective of this mini-course isto introduce graduate students and post-docs to active learning techniques and how to createactivities that reinforce and strengthen course goals. This objective is different from the “SAIL(Structured Active In-class Learning) TA Training” (also led by the same two staff members ofthe CTL), which aims to
frustrating.”Basic STEPS AssessmentDraw an EngineerAssessment of the 2014 Basic STEPS Camp included participant pre and post surveys,participant engineering notebooks, and analysis of daily reflections. Participant engagementwith the e-textiles showed the most electrifying measurements. Girls were asked before andafter their STEPS experience to complete an activity called “Draw an Engineer.”4 In this activitythe girls first described what engineering is and then what engineers do. They were then asked todraw an engineer. The drawing in particular is meant to capture stereotypes that students mayhave towards engineering4. Girls at STEPS were given this activity before and after camp toevaluate how their perception of what engineers do changed. Due to
engineering studentswas that critical thinking was often similar or equivalent to problem solving. However, Englishstudents saw critical thinking as a way of forming opinions, forming and defending an argument,and making connections. Common themes for both groups included aspects such as broadeningideas, needing deeper understanding, and needing reflection and metacognition. Both groupsutilized the concepts common throughout their major classes as the physical representation ofcritical thinking. The embodiment of course concepts as critical thinking may be supported bythe idea of engineering identity and self-efficacy. Students may choose engineering, and stick toit, because they relate to the concepts and to how engineers think. However, faculty
Narratives aims to provide students with a toolkit for successfulcommunication in contemporary society and the workplace. This integrated course experience invitesstudents to reflect and use diverse ways of communication in the digital era. During one semester,participants were introduced to oral, written, visual and auditory techniques of communication, anddocumented through various digital media artifacts. Page 26.127.3Our value proposition that artistic storytelling can help students think, communicate and aid in theiremotional wellbeing is backed by a long history of scholarship. Such seminal articles as K. Egan’s“Memory, Imagination
cohort of teacher participants. Table 2 reports the results forthe statistical analysis comparing the current cohort’s actual and intended use of various STEMteaching techniques. The researcher focused on these eight items because they are related tocommunication and reflection, which are critical components of STEM learning, and seem to bea recurring them in regards to one of the most important lessons learned from the workexperience. Page 26.1459.4 Table 2. Statistical analysis comparing current cohort’s current (pre) and intended (post) frequency of STEM teaching techniques Question Survey N
have low TM scores than have strong TM scores.• Among older students (at least 31 years of age), more have strong TM scores than low TM scores. In other age categories, there appears to be a more nearly equal division between low and strong TM scores.• Among the students with the highest GPA, 66% have strong TM scores while 34% have low TM scores. Among students with the lowest GPA, 57% have strong TM scores while 43% have low TM scores. The unexpected direction of difference at the lower end of the GPA scale perhaps reflects a wider range of TM score values and/or the very small n for this GPA category.• Among students who are not employed and those who are employed part-time, higher proportions
complementary, and both are necessary if engineers are to helpsolve the most serious problems our societies face [3-4]. This call for engineering education toposition itself so students can meet modern challenges was laid out by the leaders of the NationalAcademy of Engineering (NAE) in their influential reports, The Engineer of 2020 [5-6]. There isnow a need to reflect on how engineering education has positively changed in the decade sincethose reports, and to consider what still needs to be tackled.Our research aligns with one of the key recommendations of The Engineer of 2020: to developengineers whose communication skills will allow them to become successful professionals and,who, in turn, will drive technological and social change. Specifically
step-by-step instructions on how to perform the operation... Process: When an action is repeated and the individual reflects upon it, he or shecan make an internal mental construction called a process which the individual can think ofas performing the same kind of action, but no longer with the need of external stimuli... Object: An object is constructed from a process when the individual becomes awareof the process as a totality and realizes that transformations can act on it... Schema: Individuals collection of actions, processes, objects, and other schemaswhich are linked by some general principles to form a framework in individual’s mind... In APOS theory, concepts are constructed on different concepts and schemas
essential to incorporate teaching and learningmethods that adequately address the different learning styles in the classroom, and to developways to promote student motivation6 and engagement. As stated in the literature, engineeringstudents are predominantly active, visual, and sensing learner types 6- 9. However, most teachingmethods in engineering are geared toward reflective, verbal, and intuitive learner types6. This isthe exact opposite of the suggestions made from multiple learning style studies stated in theliterature 6-9. Teaching in engineering is generally more focused on theory, verbal, and passivelearning, as opposed to deductive learning supported by Felder as the preferred learning methodusing practical applications, visual
architects of change, (b) provide a professional learning vehicle foreducators to reflect on practices and develop content knowledge, (c) inspire a sense of ownershipin curriculum decision-making among teachers, and (d) use an instructional approach that iscoherent with teachers’ interests and professional goals. This preliminary study evaluates theeffects of a CDB professional development program, the PTC STEM Certificate Program, ontwenty-six K-12 teachers who participated in 62 hours of engineering education professionaldevelopment over a six month period. Participants learned about industry and educationengineering concepts, tested engineering curricula, collaborated with K-12 educators andindustry professionals, and developed project-based
among graduate students of the range of choices, opportunities, and challenges that women must navigate, and of the impact of culture, community, and context on women, whether in their personal lives, in higher education, or in the workplace. 2. Encourage and support the development of community among graduate students.The first goal is more specific, and reflects a desire to promote Michigan State University’s corevalue of inclusiveness.4 Graduate students participating in this program were encouraged toreflect on the unique choices and challenges posed to women in STEM fields, and to considertheir own goals and measures of success. The second goal reflects broader efforts within theCollege of Engineering and Michigan State