Conference Session

New Developments in ECE

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arthur Ball, Virginia Tech; Liesl M. Baum, Virginia Tech; Lisa D. McNair, Virginia Tech

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

education, communication studies, identity theory and reflective practice. Projects supported by the National Science Foundation include exploring disciplines as cultures, liberatory maker spaces, and a RED grant to increase pathways in ECE for the professional formation of engineers. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2019 Work in Progress: Creating a Climate of Increased Motivation and Persistence for Electrical and Computer Engineering Students: A Project-Based Learning Approach to Integrated LabsAbstractThis work in progress studies the impact on students and faculty and their perceived value ofintegrating project-based labs with lectures on student learning in a

Conference Session

New Developments in ECE

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Saharnaz Baghdadchi, University of California, San Diego; Zoe Nemerever, University of California San Diego; Paul Andreas Hadjipieris, University of California, San Diego; Sheena Ghanbari Serslev; Carolyn L. Sandoval, University of California, San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

and watching the pre-lecture videos, andstudents who took the tests and/or watched the videos. The final exam grades and the surveyresults were used as the assessment tools for analyzing the effectiveness of the new componentsadded to the course and the revised structure of the course in the Spring quarter. Additionally,instructor reflections on the process of revising the course from Winter to Spring quarter areprovided in this paper.Literature ReviewThere has been an ongoing effort to improve engineering instruction and create learningexperiences that echo practical skill-sets in the field (Felder et al., 2000). Accordingly, there hasbeen a breadth of research that examines various teaching methodologies in the discipline. Toframe this

Conference Session

Engaging Community through STEM partnerships

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jessica A. Kuczenski, Santa Clara University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Community Engagement Division

is characterised by the use of realworld problems as a context for students to learn critical thinking skills and problem solvingskills and to acquire knowledge of the essential concepts of the course.” In fact, it has beenshown that learning to apply theoretical principles is much better done when given real problemsand hands-on activities in projects [​2​].Overall, PBL has been described as ‘reflecting the way people learn in real life’[​11​] and lendsitself as a teaching strategy that leads students to ‘learn to learn’ and encourages students todevelop critical thinking and problem solving skills that they can carry for life [​12​]. The goals ofPBL include fostering active learning, interpersonal and collaborative skills, open inquiry

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sanjay Tewari, Missouri University of Science & Technology

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

concepts and techniques.However, a major portion of teaching still takes places in classroom settings. Educators adoptvarious pedagogical practices, teaching-aids, and technologies to engage students in learningthe course contents effectively within the controlled environment of classrooms. In ideal classsettings, an instructor should be able to reach out to all students regardless of their learningstyles. These learning styles could be sensory, intuitive, visual, verbal, reflective, active,sequential and global as defined in the Index of Learning Styles (ILS) classification system[1] - [5].Active and hands-on learning in environmental engineering is not new. More recently, theauthor has been involved in multiple studies focused on promoting

Conference Session

Mechanics Division Technical Session 4

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Diana A. Chen, University of San Diego; Sarah Wodin-Schwartz, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

engineers capable of working in both the social and technical dimensionsof contextualized, open-ended problems [6]. Wisnioski, a historian of engineering studies,reflected in his 2015 editorial that, while calls for engineering education reform towards “global,economic, environmental, and societal context” [7] have been existent since as early as the1920s, “each wave of reform has come with incomplete efforts to establish institutional rewardsthat value such historical and contextual work.” [8] However, since Wisnioski’s editorial, muchprogress towards contextualization has been made in the engineering community, largely in partdue to support from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and theNational Science Foundation (NSF

Conference Session

PCEE Resource Exchange

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michelle Jordan, Arizona State University; Milton Johnson, Bioscience High School; Allison Wolf; Xavier A. DeLeon, QESST; Mayra Ramos; Meredith Marie Morrissey, Mountain Pointe High School; Alyssa Johnson, Kyrene School District; Scott Richard Currier; Lauren D’Amico

Tagged Divisions

Pre-College Engineering Education

grade, 3 hours): Working in small groups, studentscreate a solar scribbler and use the engineering design cycle to refine their STEAM design basedon a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, (i.e. Build, Test, Reflect, Refine, Repeat). For the entire set of lesson instructions and materials, please click here.This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE) under NSFCA No. EEC-1041895. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and donot necessarily reflect those of NSF or DOE.

Conference Session

First-Year Programs: Wednesday Cornucopia (Educational Research)

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Karen E. Rambo-Hernandez, West Virginia University; Melissa Lynn Morris, West Virginia University; Anne Marie Aramati Casper, Colorado State University ; Robin A. M. Hensel, West Virginia University; Jeremy Clinton Schwartz, West Virginia University; Rebecca A. Atadero, Colorado State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

engineering can beexplored.MethodsStudy contextIn fall 2017, students in a total of eight sections of a common first-year engineering course tookfour surveys throughout the semester and were taught by three distinct instructors. Eachinstructor had an equal number of intervention (four sections, n =116) and comparison sections(four sections, n = 137).The students in the intervention sections participated in multiple activities, which are describedsubsequently. Table 1 shows when each of the activities occurred throughout the fall term.Table 1. Activities and Timeline Activity Week of Semester Dean’s Talk and Reflection Questions 2 Teamwork

Conference Session

PCEE Resource Exchange

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Lorenzo Greene, Arizona State University, Polytechnic campus; Christine Nguyen, University of Pittsburgh; David V.P. Sanchez, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

Pre-College Engineering Education

-on engineering design challenges in the modules. During thisprocess, the phenomenon is also mapped to NGSS to ensure that material would be appropriate for a middleschool teaching environment.Hands-On Activities. Each module included hands-on engineering design challenges for the students toperform while working through the associated phenomenon. During these activities, students are required towork in pairs, which facilitates an environment conducive to learning through collaboration and integrativecomplexity. Additionally, after each section of the modules, students are required to reflect on their ownreasoning, which challenges them to compare their misconceptions about a concept before the module and theirfindings after the module

Conference Session

ERM Technical Session 8: Survey and Instrument Development

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adurangba Victor Oje, University of Georgia; Nathaniel Hunsu, University of Georgia; Peter H. Carnell, University of Georgia; Nicola W. Sochacka, University of Georgia

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

reflects the ability to bounce back from adversity and unfavorable conditions.Previous studies have shown the importance of resilience to succeed in the workplace, as well asacademic career. Being resilient is particularly significant in engineering programs; encouragingstudents to develop resilience may be a key catalyst for academic improvement and subsequentcareer success.While the literature pertaining to academic resilience is well-developed, there are not manyinstruments that measure the construct. With a focus on engineering students. The current studyexamines the structure validity of the Academic Resilience Scale (ARS -30). Participantsincluded 113 engineering students enrolled in an engineering class who completed an onlinesurvey of the

Conference Session

Biomedical Division Postcard Session

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Higbee, Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis; Sharon Miller, Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical Engineering

approaching a design problem orproject. Students’ self-reflections of design confidence before and after each project werecollected. Students were also asked to rate how worthwhile and how enjoyable they found eachproject using a reflection grid [16].Results and DiscussionDemonstrating Knowledge of Engineering Design Process: Students engaged in each projectdemonstrated knowledge gains of the BME design process (Table II). Specifically, both projectshelped students identify components of the FDA waterfall diagram (p < 0.005) and apply themappropriately. Students in the 200-level course made gains in identifying design specifications (p= 0.028), whereas students in the 300-level course showed increased knowledge of designrequirements (p = 0.014

Conference Session

Incorporating the Community into the Classroom

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ann D. Christy P.E., Ohio State University; Tara Gupte Wilson, Ohio State University; Owen J. Meehl, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Biological and Agricultural Engineering

decision matrix poster focusing on one user perspective from the three designs documented in the previous assignment (group gallery walk, stakeholder randomly assigned).Assessment and analysis methods. The project was qualitatively assessed through analysis ofreflections collected over two years from the faculty teaching the course, the graduate teachingassistant, a community volunteer who organizes mobile produce markets for the local foodbank,and undergraduate student participants. What follows is in their own words. 23. ResultsFaculty reflections. I wanted to introduce more active learning to a course that is traditionallytaught via lecture, and was encouraged by my participation in a

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy Summerville, Miami University; Jennifer Blue; Brian P. Kirkmeyer, Miami University; Brielle Nikole Johnson

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

reflect onperformance early in the course would improve student outcomes. In particular, we examinedcounterfactual thoughts, thoughts about “what might have been.” These thoughts contribute tocausal reasoning and play an important role in making plans for the future. Additionally, weexamined behavioral intentions, specific plans for future actions in the course, which researchhas also shown improves student outcomes.After the first exam in a large-enrollment class taken by first-year engineering majors, 290students were randomly assigned to either generate counterfactuals about what they personallycould have done differently that would have resulting in doing better on the exam (vs. describetheir actual performance) and to either generate

Conference Session

Innovative Course Structures and Learning Environments

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brian P. Helmke, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical Engineering

rather than on how closely they metthe learning objectives of the activity or assessment.In a “specifications grading” system [2], students earn credit for completing activities (or bundlesof activities) by meeting clearly defined specifications shared at the time of assigning theactivities. If the work does not meet the specifications, then credit is not earned. This system hasseveral advantages. Specifications are closely mapped to the learning objectives for the activitiesand the course, making it easier to document and to reflect on learning. Students focus theireffort on meeting specifications much as they would in the professional field when addressingclient needs or competing for a project bid. Specifications can include aspects of the

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics Division Technical Session - Classroom Practices

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela R. Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder; David Zhao; Alexandra Danielle Kulich, Tufts University; Madeline Polmear, University of Colorado, Boulder; Nathan E. Canney, CYS Structural Engineers Inc.; Chris Swan, Tufts University; Daniel Knight, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

differences in the interests and/or training indifferent majors. The very short responses from many students are somewhat troubling, giventhat all students should be able to readily answer these questions with more complex and detailedresponses after having taken a course that included ethics content. This raises interesting issuesaround students’ feelings about the importance of these topics, and indicates that these questionsmay reflect on the affective domain (e.g. value) to an equal or greater extent than the cognitivedomain (e.g. knowledge, reflected in the response to Q2).IntroductionEngineering has significant and important impacts on society, being critical to providing basicnecessities (e.g. access to clean water) as well as contemporary

Conference Session

ERM Technical Session 6: Technology-enhanced Instruction and Assessment

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jessica Watkins, Vanderbilt University; Merredith D. Portsmore, Tufts University; Rebecca D. Swanson, Tufts University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

he’s such a lovely polite person, he’s not going to argue with me, and he hasn’t tested it yet, so he doesn’t have the evidence to counterclaim or whatever. So I would have really stolen from him the opportunity to think that through. (Interview 5)In her reflection, Margaret recalls specific details of Charlie’s latest rocket design. She notes thathe had been attending to a particular problem—how to keep the rocket from leaking out air. Shealso acknowledges her own understanding of the mechanics underlying his design—the weightof the rocket needed to be considered alongside how well it traps air. While she was aware thatCharlie’s design was too heavy to be launched, she let him try out his ideas on his own. Shereasons that if she were to

Conference Session

First-Year Programs: Professional Skill Development

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathryn Schulte Grahame, Northeastern University; Susan F. Freeman, Northeastern University; Jake Alexander Levi, Northeastern University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

included in the communitypartnerships with two main foci: middle school robotics leagues and a community makerspace.Two surveys (Pre and Post course) helped to identify initial impressions and changes in students’(1) understanding of community partner’s geographic location, (2) impressions of location, (3)propensity to frequent a business in that location, and (4) knowledge of actual persons residing inthe community. Students were asked to write reflections after S-L site visits which acted asassessments of their growth in understanding of course concepts. The reflections were also usefulto see the students’ perception of professional growth and their perception of the community andtheir impact on it.Initial surveys indicated that news and word of

Conference Session

Faculty Development Technical Paper Session

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teresa Lee Tinnell, University of Louisville; Patricia A. Ralston, University of Louisville

Tagged Divisions

Faculty Development Constituent Committee

found the pedagogical changes necessary forcollaborative learning implementation to be slightly overwhelming as an individual faculty.Thus, this faculty member was enthusiastic to join the FLC, when provided the opportunity.Cross-case study findings Explicit or implicit counts are often reflected in qualitative analysis when justificationsare made. For example, we ‘identify themes or patterns that happened a number of times andthat consistently happen a specific way’ [31]. Analysis of the case study data was conductedmainly by coding the interview data, thereby yielding counts and data points that were thenanalyzed further. A starting set of codes was defined (‘Codes are tags or labels for assigningunits of meaning to the descriptive or

Conference Session

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society Division Technical Session 5

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katie Barillas, Rowan University; Stephen Fernandez, Rowan University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

Sky’s the Limit: Drones for Social Good​ courseincludes critical aspects that relate to multiple engineering disciplines, which allows students toidentify the connections between drones and their particular engineering concentration. Thecourse is also multi-disciplinary and encourages critical social reflection. Students consider abroad range of applications of drones with the goal of promoting social good. The courseculminates in an entrepreneurial project that incorporates knowledge and skills from severalengineering disciplines in the context of engineering for social good.Research has found that female, Black, and/or Latinx engineering students are drawn to pursuingcareers that they identify as promoting social justice and a greater social

Conference Session

Communication in Pre-College Engineering Education

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ashley R. Strong, Utah State University; Amy Wilson-Lopez, Utah State University

Tagged Divisions

Pre-College Engineering Education

teacher then tried literacy instruction and debriefed themwith the coach, with an emphasis on iterative improvement after reflection and with anemphasis on building collaborative relationships.Data for this study included observations, conducted periodically throughout the school year,as well as monthly interviews with each teacher regarding their perceptions and practices ofliteracy instruction. Two researchers analyzed the data using inductive constant comparativeanalytic methods. Specifically, they inductively developed codes from the interviews, such ascodes related to the teacher’s perception of literacy. The research team then inductivelydeveloped codes from the teachers’ literacy instruction. The research team then compared thecodes from

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Douglas J. Hacker; Carolyn Plumb, Montana State University; Rose M. Marra, University of Missouri; Shann Bossaller, University of Missouri-Columbia

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

-directedlearning towards problem-solving. Throughout the problem-solving process, IRE students areengaged with purposefully designed metacognitive reflection activities. The reflection activitiesinclude writing memos centered on their learning and problem-solving strategies utilized whilethe projects are ongoing to completion, and when completed, they write on the processes thathave gone into the projects, including what went well or what could have gone better. Thesewritten memos serve as metacognitive tools [3] that help students to monitor and control theirthinking in the process of attaining desired outcomes—both critical components ofmetacognitive procedural knowledge—and to take stock of what they have learned to helptransfer their newly gained

Conference Session

ERM Technical Session 13: Student Learning and Contexts

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eleanor Leung, York College of Pennsylvania

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

activity has been conducted once a semester in the Iron Range Engineeringprogram since the Fall 2017 academic year and twice a semester in the York College ofPennsylvania program since the Fall 2018 academic year.Feedback was collected via student surveys, student and faculty reflections. Preliminary analysisof student feedback and faculty reflections indicates increased learner engagement, enhancedreview of technical content and a different type of learning experience. Faculty reflections alsonoted that the activity helps students to self-identify those concepts they had successfullymastered and those needing more review. This activity has brought value to the overall learningprocess and will continue to be used to improve teaching and student

Conference Session

Graduate Student Writing and Communication

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Juan M. Cruz, Virginia Tech; Mayra S. Artiles , Virginia Tech; Holly M. Matusovich, Virginia Tech; Gwen Lee-Thomas, Quality Measures LLC; Stephanie G. Adams, Old Dominion University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

return to their institutions(workshops), have time to practice these skills (practice writing time), and discuss how things aregoing (writing clusters). Figure 1. Dissertation Institute Main ActivitiesWorkshop Sessions: Multiple 1 or 2-hour sessions lead by experts in dissertation topics toprovide the participants with ideas, concepts, techniques and reflections about the writing habitsand process, time management, communication with advisors, and overall topics germane to thecompletion of their dissertation.Practice Writing Sessions: Significant amount of structured writing time distributed along theweek to provide students with the opportunity to apply the workshop’s lessons, practice theirwriting, and advance in

Conference Session

ERM Technical Session 5: Assessment

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aaron W. Johnson, University of Michigan; Jessica E. S. Swenson, University of Michigan; Max William Blackburn, University of Michigan; Cynthia J. Finelli, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

explanations [9]. However, thefield of engineering has not yet established a clear idea of what “disciplinary engagement”means.Engineering at its core is about creating solutions to problems using mathematics, science, andcreativity through a design process. The engineering curriculum reflects this by containingdifferent types of courses that teach the mathematical models of natural phenomena (i.e.engineering science courses, or technical core courses), laboratory and experimental techniquesand processes (i.e. lab courses), and fundamentals of engineering design (i.e. design courses).These courses all ask students to engage disciplinarily in different ways, all in support of theoverall practice of engineering to create new solutions. Prior research

Conference Session

ERM Technical Session 9: Persistence and Retention

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bryce E. Hughes, Montana State University; William J. Schell IV P.E., Montana State University; Brett Tallman P.E., Montana State University; Romy Beigel, Montana State University; Emma Annand, Montana State University; Monika Kwapisz, Montana State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

identity is more thanlearning the technical skills and knowledge required to perform engineering work, it alsoincludes aligning one’s sense of self with the field of engineering. In addition, engineeringidentity has shown to be an important factor for broadening participation in engineering, as theidentity development experience also reflects one’s perceived similarity with others in the field,providing a sense of belonging or “fit” [8]. Previous research has demonstrated engineeringidentity also precedes persistence in engineering degree programs through degree completion [4,6, 9], though these studies were somewhat limited in terms of their generalizability due toreliance on small, localized samples.The purpose of this study then is to test the

Conference Session

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society Division Technical Session 4

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kristen L. Sanford Bernhardt P.E., Lafayette College; Jenn Stroud Rossmann, Lafayette College

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

contextualized curricula, spurring many technical programs to reform,for example by “humanizing” engineering, developing technical literacy in nonengineers, ortrying to produce more integrative socio-technologists.Several initiatives reflect the mid-to-late 1960s interest in educating “socio technologists” tobridge the gap between competing admiring and critical visions of technology; this period wasinformed by both the triumphs and the tragic consequences of WWII and Cold War technology.Wisnioski [7] calls this gap “a rift about the purposes of engineering and the nature oftechnology...sparked by a combination of changes in the organization, content, and scale ofengineering labor, and by a trenchant critique of technology from intellectuals, activists

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics Division Technical Session - Ethics Across Contexts

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gokhan Egilmez, University of New Haven; Phillip A. Viscomi, University of New Haven ; Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, University of New Haven

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

end, student takes the final challengeassignment, which consists of multiple choice 10 questions. In addition to the 3 self-assessment and onefinal challenge quiz-type assessments, the students complete two reflection essay papers in the 9th an 10thweeks of the semester.Research Survey and Data collectionThe students in the 4th year seminar were asked to complete the online module in the 9th week of the courseduring fall 2018 term and the survey was administered in the last week (Week 10). The online module wasintegrated as a take-home assignment, where students were able to complete the online ethics module onBlackboard (the University’s Learning Management System). A survey consisting of 10 sections with 18questions was given to the

Conference Session

Mechanical Engineering Division Technical Session 8

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Roman Taraban, Texas Tech University; Edward E. Anderson, Texas Tech University; John Richard Schumacher, Texas Tech University; Hani Dulli; David Lamp, Texas Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

during problem solution in order to analyze, solve, and reflect ona problem. Engineering undergraduates enrolled in physics and thermodynamics reported thefrequency of use of problem-solving strategies, confidence in their ability to solve problems, andanswered demographic questions. Measures of performance included course grades. Factor-analytic methods that were applied to students’ reports of strategy use identified three types ofstrategies, which were labeled Execution, Planning and Looking Back, and Low Confidence inAbility. The three factors were significant predictors of course performance, based on correlationand regression methods that were applied to the data. The study provides evidence that usingproblem-solving strategies improves

Conference Session

College-Industry Partnerships Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alyson Grace Eggleston, The Citadel; Robert J. Rabb P.E., The Citadel

Tagged Divisions

College Industry Partnerships

assessment survey that sought to identify pain points for theprogram, growth trajectories, and desired outcomes, initial offerings of this course used aProject-based Learning (PBL) approach to provide sophomore-level exposure to authenticdocuments. PBL-approaches to teaching feature opportunities for reflection, knowledgescaffolding, and confronting the boundaries of one’s knowledge [15]. Studies in STEM-specificPBL approaches suggest that low- and intermediate-performing students, as well as minoritystudents, demonstrate statistically significant performance gains when provided with anexperiential teaching approach, but the reasons for this success are not well understood [16].Students’ work culminated in four projects submitted throughout the

Conference Session

Materials Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Breanne Przestrzelski, University of San Diego; Susan M. Lord, University of San Diego; Michelle M. Camacho, University of San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Materials

feedback from a first implementation offered in Fall 2017. This second moduletook students to a city-wide recycling processing center to observe the sorting processes thatmaterials undergo once they are discarded. Through this field trip, students were able torecognize some of the challenges of current waste disposal and recycling practices. The thirdmodule welcomed a guest expert to share experiences with the global impact of waste disposaland the relative privileges that persist in developed countries. The fourth module asked studentsto critically assess materials for use in a commercial product, inspired by the regional and globalchallenges they were previously exposed to in the course. Following each activity, studentscompleted a reflective

Conference Session

First-Year Programs: Deciding on a Major

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katherine M. Ehlert, Clemson University; Maya Rucks, Clemson University; Baker A. Martin, Clemson University; Marisa K. Orr, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

] revised the DMCI to better map to theSRMDM and revealed a three-factor model addressing the elements of the decision-makingprocess for engineering students. Factor one contains questions relating to the generation andevaluation of options phases of the SRMDM and many of the original DMCI questions. Factortwo contains questions that reflect the lack of a decision-making process or impulsive decisionmaking. Factor three contains questions that relate to reflection in the decision-making process.These factors more accurately map to the original SRMDM phases and are a valuable addition tothis study because they allow specific aspects of decision-making to be isolated for predicting achange in major. Students were asked to rate statements relating to