Conference Session

Development of Technical and Soft Skills in BME

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Xuwen Xiang, Oregon State University; James D. Sweeney, Oregon State University; Natasha Mallette PhD, Oregon State University; Christine Kelly, Oregon State University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

Conference Session

Development of Technical and Soft Skills in BME

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jean-michel I. Maarek, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

Conference Session

Development of Technical and Soft Skills in BME

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Monica Dominique Okon, The Ohio State University; Tanya M. Nocera, The Ohio State University, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

Conference Session

Development of Technical and Soft Skills in BME

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dianne Grayce Hendricks, University of Washington; Alyssa Catherine Taylor, University of Washington; Stephanie Pulford, University of California, Davis

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

Conference Session

Development of Technical and Soft Skills in BME

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Trevor R Ham, The University of Akron; Rouzbeh Amini, The University of Akron

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

Conference Session

Communication and Professional Skills in BME

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donna Ebenstein, Bucknell University; Joe Tranquillo; Daniel Cavanagh

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

valuable in seniordesign. The first course, taken in the spring of junior year, is aimed at introducing students to awide range of ‘soft’ skills including regulatory issues, teamwork, environmental impacts, andformal decision making. Students then take a course in the fall of the senior year that focuses ondeveloping relevant ‘hard’ skills including CAD, machining tools, rapid-prototyping,mammalian cell culture, and statistics-based experimental design. The other two courses of thissequence make up the two-semester senior design capstone experience that follows a traditionalproject based model. However, in addition to in-depth exposure to the formal engineering designprocess, students are also required to interact professionally with an external

Conference Session

Careers and Professional Development in BME

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy Allen, University of Virginia; Shayn Peirce-Cottler, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

development of technical skills:knowledge of mathematics and the sciences, problem solving, engineering practice,experimentation, and design. However, non-technical skills – the so-called professional skills –are increasingly seen as essential to the complete education of a modern engineer, thus leading tothese skills’ explicit delineation in ABET Criterion 3, Program Outcomes d, f, g, h, i, and j.1However, there has been considerable debate as to how such skills (sometimes less favorably Page 13.278.2referred to as “soft skills”) are most effectively taught and assessed.2A national survey of capstone courses in multiple engineering departments showed

Conference Session

BME Laboratory and Project Experiences

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jamie Lynn Brugnano, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University; Kevin Andrew Richards, Purdue University; Marcia A. Pool, Purdue University; Allison L. Sieving, Purdue University; Juan Diego Velasquez, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Sherry L. Voytik-Harbin, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Ann E. Rundell, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

for students tosuccessfully produce a final prototype or design. However, there are comparatively fewer articlesthat focus on best approaches to formally teach engineering students professional skills(sometimes referred to as the “soft skills”), rather they focus on assessment.5, 14, 19, 26 Althoughassessment of these skills is necessary and required for ABET accreditation, it is equallyimportant to disseminate best practices to effectively teach these professional design skills.Traditionally, these professional skills are passively acquired within the engineeringundergraduate curriculum, culminating in the capstone design experience.5 Despite theacknowledgement that ABET professional design skills can, in fact, be taught30 there is

Conference Session

Innovations in Design within BME Curricula

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Goldberg, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Kevin Caves, Duke University; Julie A. Reynolds, Duke University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

appreciated the opportunity to work ontheir technical writing, although some felt that the peer review feedback was not helpful and thatthe writing process distracted from their work on the projects. In the future, we plan tostreamline the peer review process and to refine the evaluation rubric so that students providemore effective feedback to their peers. Our goal is to further improve the quality of writing,without compromising the students’ focus on the design and development of their projects.IntroductionIt is essential for engineering students to develop a solid foundation in technical skills as well as Page 22.843.2“soft skills”, such as

Conference Session

Careers and Professional Development in BME

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Guruprasad Madhavan, State University of New York-Binghamton; Aimee Betker, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Jennifer Flexman, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA; Barbara Oakley, Oakland University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

between technological progress on the one hand, and existinglimitations in educational and socioeconomic resources on the other, a varied number ofvisionary frameworks and strategic plans have been put forth by commissions of theAccreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET)1, the National Academy ofEngineering (NAE)2, and the National Science Foundation (NSF)3. A strong, consistentrecommendation in these reports is the need for engineering graduates to have professionaldevelopment, or “soft” skills. The visions of these reports have particular relevance tobioengineering, a discipline whose explosive international growth is generating abundant careerdevelopment, professional development, and humanitarian development opportunities

Conference Session

BME Assessment and the VaNTH ERC

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Verstraete, University of Akron

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

metric, or metrics, in mind for measuring the level of success orfailure, such as examination or homework questions, or project requirements. Course Objectivesand Outcomes should then be included in the course syllabus distributed to each student on thefirst day of class (Figure 1).At the completion of the course, each instructor completes an assessment report for each BMEcourse they taught. The report includes the following sections; Heading, Catalog Description,Grade Distribution, Modifications Made to Course, Course Outcomes Assessment, StudentFeedback, Reflection, Proposed Actions for Course Improvement. Other sections may beincluded as each instructor or the Department wishes. These extra sections may be used toassess the “soft” skills

Conference Session

Innovations in Design within BME Curricula

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Naomi C. Chesler, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Christopher L. Brace, University of Wisconsin; Willis J. Tompkins, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

of Professional Communication Skills Throughout the BME Curriculum. Proceedings of the American Society of Engineering Education Conference. Hawaii, 2007.6. Cadwell, K.D., Zenner, G.M., Chesler, N.C. and Crone, W.C. Developing undergraduate student design skills using online video modules and active learning exercises. Proceedings of the American Society of Engineering Education Conference. Austin, 2009.7. Hazelwood, V., Valdevit, A., and Ritter, A. “A model for a Biomedical Engineering Senior Design Capstone Course, with Assessment Tools to Satisfy ABET ‘Soft Skills’,” Proceedings of the Capstone Design Conference, Boulder, 2010.8. McKenzie, L.J., Trevisan, M.S., Davis, D.C., Beyerlein, S.W., “Capstone Design Courses and

Conference Session

BME Course and Curriculum Development

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alisha L. Sarang-Sieminski, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering; Debbie Chachra, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

quantitative measurements in living systems; 4. The ability to use modeling techniques as a tool for integrating knowledge; 5. The ability to formulate and solve problems with medical relevance, including the design of devices, systems, and processes to improve human health.This curriculum philosophy captures an important component of bioengineering that isdemanded by industry: the ability to apply an ‘engineering mindset,’ including quantitative andanalytic tools, to biological problems. But there is also an increasing appreciation of the role ofthe so-called ‘soft skills’ in engineering, including teamwork and communication, as well as thevalue of design and problem-solving skills. For example, the National Academy of

Conference Session

Design in BME Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Goldberg, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Robert Dennis, University of North Carolina; Charles Finley, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

at Chapel Hill, we have a small but growing program in Page 15.765.2Biomedical Engineering (graduating 32 students in May 2010). When the faculty first developedthe curriculum, we incorporated a typical two-semester senior design course. However, we soonrealized that the students were entering senior design without the skills needed to be productivein that experience. As a result, we decided to enhance the design component of the curriculum.The design process involves many components, including identifying the need; proposingsolutions; developing prototypes; testing and evaluating prototypes; and building a finisheddevice.10 Other “soft

Conference Session

Developments in BME Pedagogy and Assessment

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alyssa Catherine Taylor, University of Washington; Kelli Jayn Nichols, University of Washington, Seattle, Department of Bioengineering; Laura Wright, University of Washington; Christopher Neils, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

throughout BIOEN curriculum, including Capstone Senior Design sequence. Team work integral to core upper-level lab classes, poster Team projects implemented from freshman year throughProfessional "Soft Skills" (team work, communication and written report required for Capstone course. senior year, oral presentation required in addition to poster skills) and written report for Capstone; Capstone now has option for

Conference Session

"Best" of BED

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anthony J McGoron, Florida International University; Hamid Shahrestani, Florida International University, BME; Michael Edward Brown, Florida International University; James Dennis Byrne, Florida International University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

typicallydone at the end of the semester (term). The Capstone Design experience can be a convenientopportunity to teach Professional Skills (sometimes referred to as the “soft skills”)23 that may notmake it into more traditional lecture courses. Engineering design is where these professionalskills are most important. These have often been difficult skills to assess. There may be as manyways to offer the capstone design experience as there are engineering programs. To give newprograms ideas, groups have reported on the specific elements of their own capstone designcourses10, 14, 22.Assessment tools for evaluating program learning outcomes are freely available9, 13, 28 and we inthe BME program at FIU have developed our own process and tools for the