Conference Session

First-year Programs Division Technical Session 2: Design in the First Year: Challenges and Successes

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathleen A Harper, The Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Paper ID #12126Implementing and Evaluating a Peer Review of Writing Exercise in a First-Year Design ProjectDr. Kathleen A Harper, The Ohio State University Kathleen A. Harper is a senior lecturer in the Engineering Education Innovation Center at The Ohio State University. She received her M. S. in physics and B. S. in electrical engineering and applied physics from Case Western Reserve University, and her Ph. D. in physics from The Ohio State University. She has been on the staff of Ohio State’s University Center for the Advancement of Teaching, in addition to teaching in both the physics department and college of

Conference Session

Communication Across the Divisions I: Communication in Engineering Disciplines

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mike Ekoniak, Virginia Tech; Molly Scanlon, Virginia Tech; M. Jean Mohammadi-Aragh, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering, Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

Paper ID #13867Teaching Peer Review of Writing in a Large First-Year Electrical and Com-puter Engineering Class: A Comparison of Two MethodsMr. Mike Ekoniak, Virginia TechMolly Scanlon Scanlon, Virginia Tech Molly J. Scanlon is an Assistant Professor at Nova Southeastern University where she teaches undergrad- uate and graduate writing courses. She received her PhD in Rhetoric and Writing from Virginia Tech. Her research interests include visual rhetoric, public rhetoric, and writing across the disciplines.M Jean Mohammadi-Aragh, Mississippi State University Dr. Jean Mohammadi-Aragh is an assistant research professor with a

Conference Session

New Engineering Educators Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Evelyn C. Brown, East Carolina University; Mary A. Farwell, East Carolina University; Anthony M. Kennedy, East Carolina University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

, Ireland. Page 26.1776.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2015 Writing and Implementing Successful S-STEM ProposalsAbstractFor over 10 years, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has been funding S-STEM proposals.The S-STEM program “makes grants to institutions of higher education to support scholarshipsfor academically talented students demonstrating financial need, enabling them to enter theSTEM workforce or STEM graduate school following completion of an associate, baccalaureate,or graduate-level degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics disciplines1.”Currently

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mariajose Castellanos, University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Joshua A Enszer, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

Paper ID #12430Promoting Metacognition through Writing Exercises in Chemical Engineer-ingDr. Mariajose Castellanos, University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyDr. Joshua A Enszer, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Page 26.1276.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2015 Promoting Metacognition through Writing Exercises in Chemical EngineeringAbstractA high-level goal of all disciplines is for students to develop the capacity for lifelong learning. Todevelop the capacity of lifelong

Conference Session

Communication and Literacy

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kai Jun Chew, Stanford University Designing Education Lab; Autumn Turpin, Stanford University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

communicate ideas to other engineers, and that “relevant peers” providean example and standard for writing. From these opinions, we can conclude that students do notseem to consider engineers good or interesting writers, and that there is no need to consider awider audience for their writing. However, Winsor (author, “Writing Like an Engineer”) findsthat engineering writing is rhetorical and that the audience matters. Including these impressionsof engineering writing for students could help their understanding of the importance of technicalwriting and some of its subtleties.Students are also frustrated with course materials that do not relate to real-world applications orare sometimes obsolete4 , resulting in a non-motivational course structure

Conference Session

Communication Across the Divisions I: Communication in Engineering Disciplines

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alyssa Catherine Taylor, University of Washington; Stephanie Pulford, Center for Engineering Learning and Teaching (CELT)

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering, Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

bedemoralizing4,6. Students also often defer to their reviewers’ suggestions without engaging withthem or making meaning out of them, in order to attain better grades5,6. And though studentsprefer to receive honest and straightforward critiques, they are not all yet in a position to give it;there is great variation in both participation and quality of feedback among peer discussants6.These drawbacks are reminiscent of similar ones within peer-to-peer review activities in writingcourses. Among writing educators, these shortcomings are often mitigated by providing morescaffolding within the peer review activity itself. Recommended practices include providingstudents with guiding questions to help them focus on important feedback7; instructing studentsto

Conference Session

Design as a Social Process: Teams and Organizations

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joy M. Adams, University of Michigan; Mical D. DeGraaff, University of Michigan; Gail S Hohner, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

Paper ID #11199Evaluating the Pre-Professional Engineer: Exploring the Peer Review Pro-cessJoy M. Adams, University of Michigan Joy Adams is the Program Manager for the Multidisciplinary Design Program at the University of Michi- gan. In this role, she focuses on Corporate Sponsored Projects, Communications and Student Performance Appraisals. She has seven years of diverse professional Human Resources experience, including prior roles in Training & Development, Campus Recruiting and Talent Management/Leadership Development at various Fortune 500 firms.Mical D. DeGraaff, University of Michigan Mical DeGraaff is a

Conference Session

Manufacturing Materials and Processes

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dave (Dae-Wook) Kim, Washington State University, Vancouver; Wendy M. Olson, Washington State University, Vancouver

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

in Professional Writing, Journal of Engineering Education, 99:427-438.[4] Yalvac, B., Smith, H. D., Troy, J. B., and Hirsch, P. (2007). Promoting Advanced Writing Skills in an Upper-Level Engineering Class, Journal of Engineering Education, 96: 117-128.[5] Ekoniak, M., Scanlon, M.J., Mohammadi-Aragh, M.J. (2013). Improving student writing through multiple peer feedback, IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, 626 – 628.[6] Furman B. and Robinson, W. (2003). Improving Engineering Report Writing with Calibrated Peer Review,The 33rd ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, November 5-8, Boulder, CO.[7] Smelser, R. E. (2001). How to Build Better Engineers A Practical Approach to the Mechanics of Text. Quarterly-National

Conference Session

Materials Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nancy Ruzycki, University of Florida

Tagged Divisions

Materials

Paper ID #11347Writing, Speaking and Communicating – Building Disciplinary Literacy inMaterials Science Undergraduate Students.Dr. Nancy Ruzycki, University of Florida Director of Undergraduate Laboratories, Faculty Lecturer, Department of Materials Science and Engi- neering Page 26.1778.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2015 Writing, Speaking and Communicating – Building Disciplinary Literacy in Materials Science Undergraduate StudentsAbstractDisciplinary

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Approaches for Enhancing Non-technical Skills

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Reneta Davina Lansiquot, New York City College of Technology; Candido Cabo, New York City College of Technology

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

Media at Polytechnic University (now NYU Polytechnic School of En- gineering), and her Ph.D. in Educational Communication and Technology at New York University. Her mixed methodology research, focusing on interdisciplinary studies, has been presented at numerous na- tional and international conferences and published in peer-reviewed book chapters and journal articles on varied topics such as technical writing, the future of science education, game design, virtual reality, and problem solving. Her book is entitled Cases on Interdisciplinary Research Trends in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Studies on Urban Classrooms (Information Science Reference, 2013).Dr. Candido Cabo, New York City College of

Conference Session

Communication Across the Divisions I: Communication in Engineering Disciplines

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David A. Saftner, University of Minnesota Duluth; Mary U. Christiansen; Adrian T. Hanson, University of Minnesota Duluth; Jill D. Jenson, University of Minnesota Duluth; Sara Ojard; Rebecca L. Teasley, University of Minnesota Duluth; Emily Woster, University of Minnesota Duluth

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering, Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

presentationskills are repeatedly identified as important to employers looking to hire new engineers.7, 8Presenting the writing guide and relevant evidence of the importance of communication skillsearly on in the students’ career will help them develop strong habits to be reinforced throughouttheir time at school. Additionally, the guide will help make it easier for instructors to provideuseful feedback by aligning their comments with the elements found on the rubric, byreferencing the writing guide, and by having students use the guide to peer review each other’swork, all strategies proven successful in improving writing skills.9, 10Developing the writing guideMotivation for creating a department writing guide came from consistent weaknesses in

Conference Session

Technical Session: Student Experience & Perspectives

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Krista M. Kecskemety, Ohio State University; Andrew H. Theiss, Ohio State University; Rachel Louis Kajfez, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Student

. (2000). Integrating Writing Instruction into Engineering Courses: A Writing Center Model. Journal of Engineering Education.3. Ekoniak, M. Scanlon, M.J., & Mohammadi-Aragh, M.J. (2013). Improving Student Writing Through Multiple Peer Feedback. Frontiers in Education Conference, IEEE.4. Travers, P.D. Better Training for Teaching Assistants. (1989). College Teaching, Vol. 37, No.4.5. Mena, I.B., Diefes-Dux, H.A., & Capobianco, B.M. (2013). Socialization Experiences Results from Doctoral Engineering Teaching Assistantships. The Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 84, No. 2.6. Luft, J.A., Kurdziel, J.P., Roehrig, G.H. & Turner, J. (2004). Growing a Garden without Water: Graduate Teaching Assistants in Introductory Science

Conference Session

Topics Related To Engineering Design Graphics Division

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nancy E. Study, Pennsylvania State University, Erie

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Design Graphics

drawings quite seriously.Many of them took time to write out notes and comments, often repeating specificinformation/terminology that had been used by the instructor and in the book about the errorsthey found. Anecdotal evidence based on questions asked of students during lab indicated thathaving a peer grade their assignments made them focus a little more on their work and putadditional effort into understanding the necessity of dimensioning rules. Student commentsduring the review sessions included: “It’s hard to figure out what someone else was thinking on their drawing when its dimensions are different than mine.” “Why is it easier to find someone else’s mistakes than it is to find mine before I turn it in?” “I

Conference Session

Computer-Based Tests, Problems, and Other Instructional Materials

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dongdong Zhang, Prairie View A&M University; Xiaobo Peng, Prairie View A&M University; Bugrahan Yalvac, Texas A&M University; Deniz Eseryel, North Carolina State University; Uzair Nadeem, Prairie View A&M University; Atiq Islam, Prairie View A&M University; Deron Arceneaux, Prairie View A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Paper ID #12508Exploring the Impact of Peer-Generated Screencast Tutorials on Computer-Aided Design EducationDr. Dongdong Zhang, Prairie View A&M University Dongdong Zhang is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Prairie View A&M University. He graduated from University of Missouri-Columbia with a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering. His research interests include: Micro- and Nano-Fiber Reinforced Compos- ites Processing Simulation, Transport Phenomenon in Polymer Composites Processing; Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Computational and Numerical Algorithms; Computer

Conference Session

Biomedical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephanie Pulford, Center for Engineering Learning and Teaching (CELT); Alyssa Catherine Taylor, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

Paper ID #12398Work in Progress: Implementation of Peer Review to Enhance Written andVisual Communication Learning in Bioengineering Capstone ReportsDr. Stephanie Pulford, Center for Engineering Learning and Teaching (CELT) Dr. Stephanie Pulford is an instructional consultant within University of Washington’s Center for Engi- neering Teaching & Learning, where she coordinates the Engineering Writing & Communication Devel- opment Program. Dr. Pulford’s professional background in engineering includes a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, an M.S. in Engineering Mechanics, and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering as well as

Conference Session

NSF Grantees’ Poster Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Saryn R Goldberg, Hofstra University; Jennifer Andrea Rich, Hofstra University; Amy M. Masnick, Hofstra University

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

conceptual underpinnings of the subject. The study found thatthere were “positive correlations” between engaging in multi-modal writing tasks and end-of-unit performance.Other studies have also focused on revision as a potentially important component of students’metacognitive competence.9, 10, 11, 12 For example, in another study also involving students inChemistry, researchers had students embed a multi-modal writing task at the end of each unit, aswell as a unit assessment.9 These writing tasks differed depending upon the context of the courseand the particular instructor’s goals. But all of them had in common a “write, react, revise”component, forcing the student to revisit their writing task after input from a peer or instructor orboth. Although

Conference Session

Working in Teams: ERM Roundtable

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nathan Mentzer, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Andrew Jackson, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Kevin Andrew Richards, Northern Illinois University; Angelika N Zissimopoulos, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Dawn Laux, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Paper ID #12371Student Perceptions on the Impact of Formative Peer Team Member Effec-tiveness Evaluation in an Introductory Design CourseProf. Nathan Mentzer, Purdue University, West Lafayette Nathan Mentzer is an assistant professor in the College of Technology with a joint appointment in the College of Education at Purdue University. Hired as a part of the strategic P12 STEM initiative, he prepares Engineering/Technology candidates for teacher licensure. Dr. Mentzer’s educational efforts in pedagogical content knowledge are guided by a research theme centered in student learning of engineer- ing design thinking on the

Conference Session

Women in Engineering Division: Retention of Undergraduate Students

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer I. Clark, Montana State University ; Sarah L. Codd, Montana State University; Angela Colman Des Jardins, Montana State University; Christine M. Foreman, Montana State University; Brett W. Gunnink, Montana State University; Carolyn Plumb, Montana State University; Katherine Ruth Stocker

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

completing graduation requirements. · Assess and evaluate information for personal use.Together, the Mentors and Mentees had the following shared responsibilities: · Set the mentoring agenda (discussing clear expectations and boundaries). · Practice honest communication and interaction. · Accept the “take it or leave it” option without fear of diminishing the helping relationship.Over the summer, the Peer Mentors participated in group training sessions involving reading,writing and discussion-based assignments in order to prepare to be successful Peer Mentors.Training materials used for the Peer Mentors included: • Students Helping Students: A Guide for Peer Educators on Campuses, F. B. Newton, S

Conference Session

Emerging Computing and Information Technologies II

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Edward F. Gehringer, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Computing & Information Technology

isasked to fill out a rubric that asks certain questions about the student author’s work. Forsummative review, the reviewer is asked to rate the work numerically based on a set ofcriteria (organization, clarity, etc.).Peer review has been widely used in higher education since the 1970s, and onlinesystems have been available for over 20 years. The largest ongoing project in this area isthe NSF-funded Calibrated Peer Review (CPR) project [11], which has been used bymore than a quarter-million students. While the pedagogical benefits of peer review arewell established, students must be trained in how to write an effective review. CPR doesthis by having students review three artifacts supplied by the instructor: one is a modelartifact, and the other

Conference Session

Nuclear and Radiological Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bryndol A. Sones, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Nuclear and Radiological

organized into groups of 2-3 with a direct faculty mentor andan external client who is recognized as a subject matter expert doing current workin that field. In the fall of senior year, the course starts deliberately slow andexhaustive in identifying, analyzing, and communicating design options to peers,faculty mentors, and external clients. Throughout the course, a thread that ties thetwo semesters together is the writing and presenting for an engineeringconference which usually occurs within a month of graduation. All studentsfinish the experience with a publication in the conference proceedings. Ratherthan assess all ABET SOs a-k, the course has a central focuses on assessing theability to design a system, component, or process (SO c) and

Conference Session

Reflective & Critical Pedagogies

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katarina Larsen, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology; Johan Gustav Gärdebo, KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

forteam communication, critical reflection in relation tosources and assumptions. Page 26.1586.3From the perspective of pedagogy and classroom learning, the underlying reasons forimplementing these tools are to:  Advance the student‟s ability of self-assessment through explicitmodels and frameworks for analytical thinking, discussing and writing texts,within the humanities and social sciences.  Practice peer learning through combining web forums and seminars.  Reflect on learning process to achieve a meta-understanding, e.g.awareness of their learning process and ways to improve further.The paper is organized in fivesections

Conference Session

Communication in the Chemical Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elif Miskioglu, The Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

or design of posters. Pairs then translate their mock-ups onto the board for their peers, and the class discusses common components and key differences between designs before establishing a new “best mock-up” together. This guides discussion of why certain components are necessary for the poster, why they are arranged where they are, what else needs to be considered, and how a different prompt may result in a different poster. The final outcome is a general set of guidelines for poster design that the students developed themselves, with mediation from the instructor. • Proposal Writing—students are given a topic on which to write a proposal and asked to develop a proposal outline. They

Conference Session

Women in Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Horstman, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Danielle Jamie Mai, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Yanfen Li, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Rohit Bhargava, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

groups found them to be the most valuable aspects of the program.Pace. iFEAT was designed to be a multi-month program to allow time for writing of applicationmaterials, specifically cover letters, teaching statements, and research statements. Seminars orpanels were held approximately every three weeks, with peer-review groups convening betweenthe scheduled events. Programming began in late October, and the three aforementioneddocuments were to be drafted by mid-January, allowing approximately 2.5 months for draftingthese documents. The program structure dictated when certain application materials should bedone, although there was no particular reason that the seminars were to be done in the chosenorder. Applicants were asked to rank the pace

Conference Session

Women in Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joanna Wolfe, Carnegie Mellon University; Jaime Allen Fawcett, Carnegie Mellon University; Elizabeth A. Powell, Tennessee Technological University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

Paper ID #12741Help Seeking Among Undergraduate Men and Women in EngineeringDr. Joanna Wolfe, Carnegie Mellon UniversityJaime Allen Fawcett, Carnegie Mellon University Jaime Allen Fawcett recently completed her undergraduate studies at Carnegie Mellon University in De- cember 2014 where she received a degree in Professional Writing and an additional degree in Creative Writing. Her research interests include pedagogical practices, educational policy and cultural attitudes that influence learning and development for students with specific learning disabilities.Dr. Beth A Powell, Tennessee Technological University

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teresa L. Larkin, American University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

student writing as a learning and assessment tool in her introductory physics courses for non-majors. She has been an active member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) for over 25 years. Dr. Larkin served on the Board of Directors for ASEE from 1997-1999 as Chair of Professional Interest Council (PIC) III and as Vice President of PICs. Dr. Larkin has received numerous national and international awards including the ASEE Distinguished Educator and Service Award from the Physics and Engineering Physics Division in 1998. Dr. Larkin received the Outstanding Teaching in the General Education Award from AU in 2000. In 2000 – 2001 she served as a

Conference Session

Mobile Devices and Apps

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andreas Karatsolis, MIT; Suguru Ishizaki, Carnegie Mellon University; Marsha C. Lovett, Carnegie Mellon University; Mollie Kaufer, Carnegie Mellon University; Stacie L. Rohrbach, Carnegie Mellon University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

teachingcommunication are geared towards small class sizes and are difficult to adjust for large groups ofstudents. Directly scaling this approach would require a large number of qualified instructors—i.e., to support and assess students' communication activities—at a significant cost. Someresearchers have addressed these problems by developing online writing centers, resources andtutorials for communication skills4-7 .Online peer tutoring has also been suggested as a potentialapproach8. However, these efforts are still new and further investigations are necessary.Despite the increasing efforts, a large scale survey by Reave9 found that there is still a “large gapbetween the workplace needs and graduating engineers’ communication skills.” Based onReave’s work

Conference Session

New Engineering Educators Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura D Hahn, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Chris Migotsky, University of Illinois

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

from the model in Buskit et al.:1. A pre-observation meeting with the Collins Scholar and two observers.2. The observation itself, often videotaped.3. Observer debriefing: The two observers discuss and write up a summary of their findings.4. Self-reflection: The Collins Scholar is invited to watch the video, and writes a self- Page 26.789.2 analysis of the class session.5. A post-observation meeting to discuss the class observed, the participants’ impressions, and strategies for continued improvement.The findings from Brinko’s review of the literature on the effectiveness of peer feedback haveframed and guided the way we train our observers

Conference Session

Working in Teams: ERM Roundtable

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Mott, California Polytechnic State University; Steffen Peuker, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

review survey, the students have anopportunity to write comments about their team and team mates if they wish at the end of thesurvey. At week three there were 159 comments written by the students. Most of the comments(67%) were positive about the team experience, and the students commented on the team Page 26.143.8interdependence and cohesiveness they noticed already at week three. Selected comments fromthe week three peer review are listed below. At three weeks in the term, the students recognizethe power of the teams to work together to solve the problems and that the heterogeneity of theteams is helpful to the team. Honestly the best

Conference Session

Sustainability and Hands-on Engineering Education

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Monica Palomo P.E., California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Jeffrey Alan Cole, Pasadena City College

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

classroom 6,7. More specifically, active learning involving researchprojects in the classroom has been widely supported as an effective pedagogical technique 3, 4, .The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) has advocated the transformation of thecurriculum in undergraduate teaching institutions from a typical lecture-based setup into aninquiry-based or research-based education. Undergraduate research experiences have beenidentified as a powerful way to enhance student learning and to develop critical thinking. Paststudies have reported the following as common characteristics of successful curricula that haveincorporated undergraduate research experiences: 1) reading of relevant literature, 2) workingwith a mentor or learning community (peer

Conference Session

NSF Grantees’ Poster Session

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anant R. Kukreti, University of Cincinnati; Temesgen Wondimu Aure, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Strategies Implemented in the STEP Program Three key issues negatively impact student success in engineering; these issues are especiallyrelevant to the target student population addressed in this paper. Issue I: inadequate academicpreparedness from high school. The target students, by definition, fall into this category. TheirACT scores are 2-4 points below their peer cohort admitted in the CEAS at UC. In addition, onthe UC Math Placement Test (MPT), which is used as a basis for first math course placement,the target students typically score below the cutoff for placement in Calculus I, the first course inthe engineering math sequence and a prerequisite for Physics I. Issue II: inability of the studentsto adapt socially to their new environment1