Conference Session

Capstone Design in ECE

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ibrahem E. Atawi, University of Tabuk; el-Hadi M. Aggoune, University of Tabuk; Fares S. Almehmadi, University of Tabuk

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

excellence in engineering education and positioning itself for ABET accreditation,the College of Engineering (CoEng) at the University of Tabuk (UT), Tabuk located in SaudiArabia has integrated a strong engineering practice component into its educational programcurricula. This component relies on a series of courses that foster a variety of soft skills wrappedaround four design project courses and two four-week practical training periods at a company orresearch facility. Furthermore, students at the senior level are strongly encouraged to undertakerealistic projects. In this paper, we describe our experience with three groups of students fromthe Electrical Engineering (EE) Department who undertook projects sponsored by the SensorNetworks and

Conference Session

The Value of Interpersonal Skills Training in Engineering Education: An Interactive Panel Discussion with the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Futures Program

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katy Luchini-Colbry, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

process. On the advice of the LEES program chairperson for 2016, I amre-submitting the abstract (below) along with this explanatory note. The Value of Interpersonal Skills Training in Engineering Education: An Interactive Panel Discussion with the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Futures ProgramFor more than two decades, the Engineering Futures Program of Tau Beta Pi (the EngineeringHonor Society) has provided engineering students with training in the “soft skills” necessary forsuccess in the workplace. Engineering Futures (EF) seminars cover interpersonalcommunications skills; team building and management techniques; creative problem solving;and effective presentation skills. The EF program won the 2007 Excellence in EngineeringEducation

Conference Session

Capstone Design in ECE

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mike Borowczak, Erebus Labs; Andrea Carneal Burrows Borowczak, University of Wyoming

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

work looks at the impact of authentic value- added capstone projects on student’s soft skills by comparing results of a multi-year collaboration survey given to multiple senior capstone teams. The observed trends suggest that projects with community impact (irrespective of size or geographic constraint) foster increased communication, participation, and ultimately collaboration.Introduction There is a worldwide push to engage and develop K-12 student interest in Science,Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines1. Some STEM collegiate programs,such as civil and mechanical engineering, seem to have a plethora of incoming and returningstudents.Why?Buildingblocks

Conference Session

Design in Engineering Education Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jenni Buckley, University of Delaware; Amy Trauth, University of Delaware; Jeannie S. Stephens, University of Delaware; Sarah Ilkhanipour Rooney, University of Delaware; Dustyn Roberts P.E., University of Delaware

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

sector, and non-profit and start-up entities. The recent rollout of our multidisciplinary senior design program provides us with aunique opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach in relation to overall careerreadiness as well as select “soft skills” such as project management and ability to work inmultidisciplinary teams. Presently, we have relatively large cohorts of recent graduates from boththe single (<2012) and multidisciplinary (2012+) sections, and, in this study, they were assessedon their experiences in the senior design program. The findings from this work-in-progress studywill provide empirical support for multidisciplinary experiences for students by highlightingeducational and career-development

Conference Session

Size, Civility, and the Classroom Culture: Setting Class Tone with a Student-centered Perspective

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ralph Ocon, Purdue University Calumet

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

Paper ID #16112Integrating Civility into the Classroom: Practicing and Teaching Civility toPrepare Students for Career SuccessProf. Ralph Ocon, Purdue University Calumet c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016 Integrating Civility into the Classroom: Practicing and Teaching Civility to Prepare Students for Career SuccessAbstractThe focus of most engineering and technology programs is to provide students with the technicalskills required for success in their future careers. Often overlooked, but equally important forcareer success, is training on the “soft skills.” In particular, faculty need to

Conference Session

Electromagnetics & Power Education

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donald M. Peter P.E., Seattle Pacific University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

nottraditionally be found in an introductory course but should be considered. Others asked whattopics they would recommend de-emphasizing and what soft skills were most important.Finally, they were asked to provide any other relevant comments they wished to share, whichprovided a rich collection of practical wisdom.Demographic ResultsI contacted a sampling of 84 power engineering professionals in the greater Pacific Northwest includingWashington, Oregon, Idaho, Western Montana, Northern California, and Alaska who agreed toparticipate in the online survey. Of these, 73 completed the survey during the month of June 2015,which is an 87% response rate. Of these 92% were male and 8% female. The distribution ofrespondents per state is the following

Conference Session

Construction Session 4: Outside of the Construction Curriculum

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph A Raiola III, Central Connecticut State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Construction

othercategories.Although many “new” BIM related construction management skills and competencies,“traditional” skills and competencies are a top response in each respective category. Withinthese “traditional” skills was the reinforcement of soft skills. BIM is a collaborative projectmanagement system so many soft skills are more important than with traditional projectmanagement systems. BIM requires some efficient communication along with strong soft skills,an area reinforced by the findings of this research.As BIM diffuses into the construction community, social systems interested in increasing BIMusage should augment “traditional” skill sets with the “new” BIM related skills andcompetencies. Any academic programs seeking to implement BIM related topics into

Conference Session

Innovative Project-Based Learning Practices in Manufacturing

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tzu-Liang Bill Tseng, University of Texas - El Paso; Aditya Akundi, University of Texas - El Paso; Teresa Wu, Arizona State University; Yirong Lin, University of Texas - El Paso

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

the Mechanical Engineering curriculum. The potential impact that workingin a team or individually has on a student will be assessed by evaluating the performance of eachstudent with a written report and an in-class quiz regarding the topics of the project.INTRODUCTION The focus of Engineering Education is to provide engineering students with better tools,combining technical and soft skills, to face the evolving challenges in modern industrial settings.However, the core of engineering education relies heavily on a traditional lecture-basedapproach. In this setting, the information is transmitted by the instructor to the students and canresult in the latter selectively learning part of the material while dismissing the rest1. This

Conference Session

Innovative Graduate Programs and Methods, Developing Master's & Ph.D. Programs and Graduate Teaching Assistants

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Saeed D. Foroudastan, Middle Tennessee State University; Karly Anne Danhausen, Middle Tennessee State University; Chelsea Rae Nihill, Middle Tennessee State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

to enter the workforce with excellent soft skills andprofessionalism. It’s no longer enough to be solely technically savvy. Potential employees mustalso possess exceptional communication, leadership, and management skills. The success of theMSPS program is the result of the innovative courses which focus on grooming students to honein on their soft skills along with technical skills. This is what sets MSPS graduate students apartfrom inexperienced students.The MSPS program gives individuals who have a strong scientific background the option tointegrate that knowledge with the business side of the STEM industry. This degree prepares itsstudents for careers in academia, business, government, and nonprofit organizations. Studentswho do not wish

Conference Session

CEED Paper Session 1: Using Co-Op and Internships to Improve Diversity, Retention, Learning, and Assessment

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Scott R. Hamilton, Northeastern University; Jack Fitzmaurice, Northeastern University; Paul John Wolff III, Northeastern University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

Drexel University, employers evaluatecandidates on 4 critical skill categories. First is academic skill, mostly reading, writing and mathat a level commensurate for the job. Second is occupational skills; those skills necessary forsuccess in a certain job. Third is workplace skills, these are usually referred to as soft skills. LiveCareer.com has compiled a list of the top 10 skills in demand in today’s global economy, notablymany are what are considered soft skills that are not often included as a focus in university-levelcoursework. Soft skills include communication skills, interpersonal skills, adaptability, andemotional intelligence. [7] Companies are increasingly focused on these skills as they look to hirethese new employees and not have

Conference Session

Professional Skills development in Design

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Schmitt, Florida Institute of Technology; Elisabeth Kames, Florida Institute of Technology; Beshoy Morkos, Florida Institute of Technology; Ted A. Conway, Florida Institute of Technology

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

, especially in STEM-related programs 6,7.Nonetheless, the soft skills necessary to succeed in engineering are highlighted in accreditingagencies such as ABET 8,9To mitigate the lack of empathy, employers will often hire engineers who share empathy with theproduct’s target user. For example, the automotive industry has recognized that while femalesbuy 52% and have a significant influence on 85% of all car purchasing decisions, less than 20%of the automotive workforce is comprised of females 10. To address this disparity, theautomotive industry is actively seeking means to increase female employees within variousautomotive sectors. Likewise, it is important that engineering careers that design forhandicapped or elderly target users attract handicapped

Conference Session

Engineering Management: Project Management and Partnerships

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Angolia, East Carolina University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

pedagogicalapproach utilizing active learning modules for instructors to teach currently demanded projectmanagement core competencies. In order to create the pedagogy, the Kolb Learning Cycle andthe Felder-Soloman Index of Learning Styles are used as foundational theories. The structureand methodology include technical objectives and development of soft skills required foreffective project management. The approach considers project management capability maturitymodels from Kerzner’s and the International Institute for Learning. Their model is adapted toanalyze core competencies presented by the pedagogy, and is directed at the shop floor level formanufacturing operations.This paper defines a core set of project management competencies determined through

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Youssef, San Diego State University; Vladimir Arutyunov, California State University Northridge

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

MechanicalComponents (referred to as Machine Design). These courses are very important in educatingstudents on the fundamentals of engineering, mechanics, and design, where in some cases systemsynthesis is emphasized. In this educational paradigm, students are expected to link the chain ofknowledge together with little to no guidance. Youssef and Kabo recognized this issue andproposed a new approach to teach Machine Design, where they integrated more systems designconsiderations as well as soft-skills such as communication [2]. They reported significantimprovement in the quality of students as the students moved into capstone courses and industry;however, this course was at the junior level and their approach requires substantial investment ofprofessors’ time

Conference Session

Trends in Accreditation and Assessment

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Atsushi Akera, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

there may besome questions as to whether all of the relevant constituencies were consulted, the task force amassedthrough this process no less than 75 recommended additions to Criterion 3. Its analysis of evaluationoutcomes meanwhile suggested not only that the struggles over meeting the many outcomes—especiallythose associated with the so-called “soft skills”—were not only hindering innovation, but producinginconsistencies in evaluation outcomes. While the following is speculative, it seems plausible that it wasin recognizing the impossibility of incorporating the recommended additions to Criterion 3 that TF-3considered the radical alternative of reducing the number of learning outcomes, specifically to allowprograms to experiment with the

Conference Session

Minorities in Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Krystel Castillo P.E., The University of Texas - San Antonio; Mauricio Cabrera-Rios, University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez; Michael W. Persans, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; Hudson R. DeYoe, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

not considered in academic programs, which are rigid and only aim to providefundamental technical skills. A valley of death (i.e., gap or disconnection) exists between thestudents’ competencies and the needs of industry, government and the emerging green sectors,which often place more emphasis on pragmatic knowledge and soft skills instead of on highlyspecialized theoretical training (hard skills).A major reason for low retention in STEM programs is that students are exposed to core coursesfor more than half of their program with no exposure to experiential learning related to theirmajors. The traditional education model is significantly lacking in the development ofcompetences such as interdisciplinary training. Students usually take core

Conference Session

Curriculum Development in Engineering Leadership

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Bayless, Ohio University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Leadership Development Division

students themselves reflected that theapproach presents a more “formulaic” method to leadership compared to similar offerings theyhad received. They noted that while the approach is not truly algorithmic, it has aspects that areallow more logical thinkers to implement while developing the soft skills needed to be effectiveleaders. This paper will explore both the reasons for the student’s conclusions and how otherprograms could adapt this approach in a variety of leadership development situations.IntroductionThe approach described in this paper towards engineering leadership development is a single-semester class experience for selected student leaders, all with significant previous leadershipexperiences. Therefore, while the information presented

Conference Session

Works in Progress: Curricula and Pathways

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bingbing Li, California State University - Northridge; Robert G. Ryan, California State University - Northridge; Nancy Warter-Perez, California State University - Los Angeles; Yong Gan, Cal Poly Pomona; Hadil Mustafa, California State University - Chico; Helen Cox, Institute for Sustainability, California State University - Northridge; Li Ding, California State University - Northridge

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

: Implementation of ProjectAbstractThe objectives of our educational research are as follows: 1) Faculty from engineering andfaculty from the social sciences and humanities shall develop strong working relationships andtogether implement and evaluate strategies for working across disciplines. 2) Students ofengineering and their counterparts in the liberal arts and humanities shall engage in peer-to-peerlearning and work together to solve problems. 3) Liberal arts and humanities content will bebetter integrated into the engineering curriculum. 4) Engineering students will understand thevalue and relevance of their General Education. 5) The engineering programs will be betterpositioned to assess their performances on the “soft skills” ABET outcomes (above

Conference Session

Works in Progress: Curricula and Pathways

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alma H. Rosales, Colorado State University; Andrea M. Leland, Colorado State University; Olivera Notaros, Colorado State University, ECE Department; Richard F. Toftness, IEEE High Plains Section; Thomas J. Siller, Colorado State University; Michael A. De Miranda Ph.D., Colorado State University; Alistair Cook, Colorado State University; Melissa D. Reese, Colorado State University; Zinta S. Byrne, Colorado State University; James Warren Weston, Colorado State University; Anthony A. Maciejewski, Colorado State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Engineering has worked for years to continuouslyimprove its approach to professional formation, relying heavily on input from constituentsranging from alumni and corporate partners to faculty and current students. The most influentialstakeholder group has been the department’s Industrial Advisory Board (IAB), and for the pastdecade the IAB has driven a number of initiatives designed to teach and build capacities forprofessional skills, often called “soft skills.” As shown in Table 2, the IAB’s recommendationshave been delivered in silos, mostly via the senior design capstone experience. ECE 202 CircuitTheory Applications – which now includes a project design component in the sophomore year –has served as the vital lower-level course for introducing

Conference Session

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bernd Steffensen, University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

for granted and do not come to auser’s mind when market researchers attempt to identify opportunities for future productimprovements and innovations. Companies, i.e., their employees, need empathy to understand thissituation and why certain experiences and performances with products are meaningful to theuser12.McDonagh13 defines empathy as “the intuitive ability to identify with other people’s thoughts andfeelings – their motivations, emotional and mental models, values, priorities, preferences, andinner conflicts”. In an engineering class the theoretical concept of empathy is probably perplexingand will be rated by the students as a very soft skill or as a psychological approach beyond (a) theboundaries of the engineering disciplines and (b

Conference Session

New Trends in ECE Education II

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ronald F. DeMara, University of Central Florida; Navid Khoshavi, University of Central Florida; Steven D. Pyle, University of Central Florida; John Edison, University of Central Florida; Richard Hartshorne, University of Central Florida; Baiyun Chen, University of Central Florida; Michael Georgiopoulos, University of Central Florida; Ronald F. DeMara, University of Central Florida

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

instrumentsfacilitates design problems beyond rote multiple choice. Thus, problems with partial credit,which are isomorphic to pencil-and-paper based exams, become deliverable electronically.Meanwhile handwritten image files are retained for strengthening the learner’s soft skills throughone-on-one clarification with Content GTAs. Second, STEM learners require extensive guidanceand student-specific coaching to hone their proficiency on subtle design aspects. A hierarchy ofexpertise facilitates these roles within a rapid feedback loop. A detailed financial cost model wasdeveloped which indicates that tutoring can be provided at no additional expense, by attaining abreakeven point between the grading hours avoided and the test proctoring hours required. Thisis

Conference Session

Assessment of Engineering Leadership Skills

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joshua C. Palmer, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale; Kenneth D. Birchler, Southern Illinois University; Joseph David Narusis, Southern Illinois University; Rhonda K Kowalchuk, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale; Bruce DeRuntz, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Leadership Development Division

skills (e.g., soft skills and leadership)4 The need is so critical that fortune 50 companies such as Caterpillar7, General Electric8,Lockheed Martin9, and Siemens10 among others have created their own internal leadershipdevelopment programs. This not only highlights the need for strong leadership in a workenvironment, but it also reveals the necessity for leadership education in new engineeringemployees. Industry is also responding to this shortage by investing in the creation of technicalleadership development programs at universities via corporate sponsorship. Through thesepartnerships, students supplement their technical skills with soft-skills education and businessacumen3. Universities and industry can also work together to implement

Conference Session

Solid and Structural Mechanics in Aerospace Engineering

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gozdem Kilaz, Purdue University - West Lafayette; Ronald Sterkenburg, Purdue University - West Lafayette

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

to creating a stimulatingenvironment but also to enable the roles of the student and the mentor to become more fluid.Traditional teaching settings as classrooms create a rigid separation between the teacher and thestudent which may in turn diminish the sense of learning responsibility a student should possess.Once implemented effectively, hybrid courses offer students interactive environments where theymay engage with each other and their mentors during evaluating and analyzing the courseprincipals. This is a great advantage over traditional settings where students may get accustomedto being spoon fed (Caulfield, 2011). The student centered, experiential learning style empowersparticipants with significant soft skills such as initiative and

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jenni Buckley, University of Delaware; Amy Trauth, University of Delaware; Michael Chajes P.E., University of Delaware; Lori Pollock, University of Delaware; Kevin R. Guidry; Michael L. Vaughan, University of Delaware; Jeannie S. Stephens, University of Delaware

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

swelling student enrollment and limited human recourses, specifically, that the course mustbe delivered in two, large capacity sections (300-350 students each) by a maximum of threefaculty instructors, who would receive up to half-time teaching release for the course. This work in progress presents the process and logistical details of the redesign of ourFYE course as well as course evaluations from our pilot year (2015) implementing the newcourse. Our course evaluation focuses specifically on student engagement and retention of corecourse concepts, e.g., engineering design process [6] and Engineering Grand Challenges [11].Using historical data from prior year classes, we also examined whether the course preservedFYE “soft” skills such as

Conference Session

Diversity in Community Engagement Implementation I

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ranjeet Agarwala, East Carolina University; William Juhling McClung, Pitt County Robotics; Tijjani Mohammed, East Carolina University; David M. White, East Carolina University; Merwan B Mehta, East Carolina University; Jimmy Bill Linn, East Carolina University; Tamer Omar, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Community Engagement Division

and 1) enhance their awareness of regional advancedmanufacturing careers; 2) increase their STEAM skills, knowledge and abilities; 3) develop theircompetency in innovation processes; 4) develop their leadership/soft skills; and 5) prepare themfor successful, employment and entrepreneurship1,2,3. To meet these objectives, it is required thatstudents demonstrate effective use of technology in real-world, authentic student-centeredapplications. The CET partnered with several departments on campus, middle schools fromaround 13 surrounding counties, and several local industries. Beginning with these objectives,the CET designed and implemented four primary educational modules/components. They were1) Robotics; 2) 3D modeling; 3) 3D Printing or

Conference Session

Professional Skills development in Design

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Julia Smith, University of Calgary ; Genevieve Hoffart, University of Calgary; Tom O'Neill, University of Calgary

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

director of the Individ- ual and Team Performance Lab and the Virtual Team Performance, Innovation, and Collaboration Lab at the University of Calgary, which was built through a $500K Canada Foundation for Innovation Infrastruc- ture Grant. He also holds operating grants of over $300K to conduct leading-edge research on virtual team effectiveness. Over the past 10 years, Tom has worked with organizations in numerous industries, includ- ing oil and gas, healthcare, technology, and venture capitals. He is currently engaged with the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary to train, develop, and cultivate soft-skill teamwork competencies in order to equip graduates with strong interpersonal and

Conference Session

Issues in Engineering Technology Education II

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Otilia Popescu, Old Dominion University; Vukica M. Jovanovic, Old Dominion University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

encouragingmore writing intensive assignments with emphasize on critical thinking2,3.One of the definitions of critical thinking, introduced by Paul & Elder, is: “Critical thinking isthe art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it”4. A framework forcritical thinking4 regards it as the application of standards (such as clarity, accuracy, relevance,logicalness and so on) to the elements (such as purposes, questions, concepts, assumptions orimplications for example) as we learn to develop intellectual traits (such as intellectualperseverance, confidence in reason, intellectual integrity or fair-mindedness to name a few).Other projects were focused on the development of core skills (also known as “soft skills”) suchas

Conference Session

Two-Year College Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jill Davishahl, Bellingham Technical College; Joel N. Swisher, Western Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

creating an adaptable program that focuses on developing problem solving skills and providing students with appropriate subject matter content by incorporating relevant clean energy curriculum/instructional material into the foundational (general education) coursework. o Define and focus the program on the basic and core skills that will serve the needs of most employers. These skills include technical skills such as mathematics, problem solving, and clean energy fundamentals as well as soft skills such as communication and teamwork. o Provide a broad based general education that incorporates research, class projects

Conference Session

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation Division Technical Session 10

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Melany M. Ciampi, Safety, Health, and Environment Research Organization; Claudio da Rocha Brito, Science and Education Research Council; Rosa Maria Castro Fernandes Vasconcelos, Universidade de Minho; Luis Alfredo Martins Amaral P.E., University of Minho - ALGORITMI; Victor F. A. Barros Ing.-Paed IGIP, Science and Education Research Council

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

register for economics classes. After three weeks ofclasses they take part in a training class in order to learn how to cause a first good impression withtheir future clients. This is followed by a period at ’The Innovative Office’, in the City Hall. Theirwork starts when they register for the project, which is an opportunity of intensive internship,early in the program.The first idea was to offer an extra course and invite students to enroll the course. However, as ithad, in a first moment, a low number of interested students, the coordination of the projectdecided to offer also an internship opportunity. This idea reached the desired goal and a largernumber of students enrolled the course/internship opportunity.There are some “soft” skills that

Conference Session

First-Year Programs Division Poster Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jacques C. Richard, Texas A&M University; Noemi V. Mendoza Diaz, Texas A&M University; Tanya Dugat Wickliff, Texas A&M University; So Yoon Yoon, Texas A&M University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

under-pinnings orunderlying mechanisms to have students get that teamwork matters and not showing theirindividual strength off (my grades vs. ours). That we are teaching this and seeing somecorrelations between communication and teamwork (and the students in successful teamsobserve themselves) suggest some things we are teaching are leading to successfulenculturation.The study results suggest that enculturation may be more immediate while socializationmay take longer and be more subconscious. They differ but both need to happen.Can teamwork and communication skills really be called soft-skills? Intangibles? Oneclear outcome of this work is that the notion of these as soft skills needs to bereconsidered.Bibliography1. Brophy, S., Klein, S

Conference Session

Curriculum Development in Two-Year Engineering and Engineering Technology Programs

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ibrahim F. Zeid, Northeastern University; Chitra N. Javdekar, Massachusetts Bay Community College; Claire Duggan, Northeastern University; Marina Bograd

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

manufacturing. Based on the recent MIT report, Strengthening theInnovation Ecosystem for Advanced Manufacturing PATHWAYS & OPPORTUNITIES forMASSACHUSETTS, (2015)1 the state has a diverse manufacturing base that encouragescollaboration between industry groups. These local industries require a labor force having skillsessential for their industry to support both the design and manufacturing of products. Employershave also cited the need for additional soft skills that support collaboration and creativity in theworkplace.Massachusetts in addition to many other states has a number of collaborative workforce efforts toaddress workforce challenges including but not limited to The Manufacturing AdvancementCenter Workforce Innovation Collaborative (MACWIC