Conference Session

Social Media and In-class Technology: Creating Active Learning Environments

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Xin Chen, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Mihaela Vorvoreanu, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Krishna Madhavan, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

recommendation purposes. Thisstudy uses social media monitoring tool Radian6 to collect data from Twitter about engineeringstudents’ college experiences. The data are analyzed both in Radian6 and manually usingqualitative content analysis. The results shed light into the academic context and social contextof engineering students’ learning experiences. This exploratory study also considers the potentialof social analytics tools for engineering education research. Social media analytics toolsspecifically for educational purposes need to be developed in the future.1. IntroductionMaintaining the U.S. scientific and technical talent pool has been a top priority in highereducation. In 2005, the National Academies report “Rising Above the Gathering

Conference Session

Online Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lance Kinney P.E., University of Texas, Austin; Min Liu, University of Texas, Austin; Mitchell A. Thornton Ph.D., P.E., Southern Methodist University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

explore these perceptions to understand the reasons behind the lowrate of implementation in engineering programs. In addition, concerns about tool andtechnology issues and their applicability to engineering distance education could play arole. Therefore, the following research questions are proposed to investigate faculty andstudent perceptions of online education: 1. What are the perceptions of engineering faculty and students about online engineering courses? 2. What are the perceptions of engineering faculty and students about different technologies and educational methods employed in engineering courses delivered online?MethodData was collected via an online survey delivered to a convenience sample of

Conference Session

Computers and Simulation

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hatem M. Wasfy, Advanced Science and Automation Corp.; Tamer M. Wasfy, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Jeanne Peters, Advanced Science and Automation Corp.

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

joint/contact constraints. An asperity-basedfriction model is used to model joint/contact friction. A bounding box binary tree contact searchalgorithm is used to allow fast contact detection between finite elements and other elements aswell as general triangular/quadrilateral rigid-body surfaces. The following experiments aremodeled: mass-spring systems, pendulums, pulley-rope-mass systems, air-hockey, billiards, 1Dand 2D frictional and frictionless motion with and without gravity, roller-coasters, planetarymotion, gears, cams, robotic manipulators and linkages.1. IntroductionA flexible multibody system is a system of interconnected rigid and/or flexible bodies. Thebodies are connected using various types of joints including spherical, revolute

Conference Session

Computers in the Laboratory

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Marie Catchpole; Steven F. Barrett, University of Wyoming; Cameron H.G. Wright P.E., University of Wyoming

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

them to be closely involved as a project mentor.There is no shortage of students looking for meaningful, challenging projects. All accreditedundergraduate programs of engineering and computer science require a capstone designexperience. ABET criteria states: “Students must be prepared for engineering practice through acurriculum culminating in a major design experience based on the knowledge and skills acquiredin earlier course work and incorporating appropriate engineering standards and multiple realisticconstraints.”1 The criterion also provides a list of student outcomes commonly referred to as 3(a)to 3(k). Many of these student outcomes may be practiced by students participating in an FSBSproject. Potential student outcomes include:• “an

Conference Session

Tablets Large and Small

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Smitesh Bakrania, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

mobile-based apps that can perform selected tasks, there are none that aredesigned to effectively address three critical features. These three features include the ability to:1. Generate a photo roster for each class, 2. Randomly select a student, and 3. Rate the studentresponse. In addition, it is just as important to have an app with a functional yet simple designfrom user’s standpoint.A new mobile-based app, called Pikme, was designed by senior engineering students at RowanUniversity for Apple’s iOS platform to address the specific requirements outlined. The app waspublished on iTunes App Store in May 2011 and has been recently updated to add new usabilityfeatures. The app is available as a free download for Apple’s iPod Touch, iPhone nd iPad

Conference Session

Best of Computers in Education Division

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Xin Chen, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Adithya Raghavan; Ji Soo Yi, Purdue University; Krishna Madhavan, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

method. It also serves as a qualitative evaluation of the iKNEER platform.Providing a better understanding of how this research tool influences novice researchers’decision-making process, results of this study could inform further development and futuredesign of such tools.1. IntroductionEngineering Education Research is a newly emerging and highly interdisciplinary field ofresearch1–5. Many researchers in this field come from an engineering background. They mayencounter difficulties of shifting mindset from solving specific engineering problems toconducting rigorous educational research using educational and sociological methodologies6.Novice researchers in a new field usually encounter intellectual and social challenges at the pointof maximum

Conference Session

Topics in Computer Science and Programming

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Talbert, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

. Page 25.883.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 Learning MATLAB in the Inverted ClassroomIntroduction: The traditional classroomUniversity courses have retained the same basic structure for hundreds of years. That structurefollows an easily identifiable work flow:1. Students come to a class meeting during which a lecture is given. Students take notes and occasionally ask questions.2. Following the lecture, learners are assigned work to be completed outside of class. This usually takes the form of homework, test preparation, or writing papers.3. The outside-of-class work is submitted or assessed in class. The cycle then repeats.Learning theorists would note that parts 1 and

Conference Session

CoED General Technical Session I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan M. Hill, University of Hartford; Devdas Shetty, University of Hartford

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

inexpensive than the priorsystem, in particular, it is more multi-disciplinary, providing entirely new educational value. Thesystem allows students to more closely study principles involved in sampling and signalconditioning, as well as the opportunity to study data acquisition software, but without involvingintensive programming. These goals were achieved with an inexpensive acquisition systemalong with two software tools, namely Python and MATLAB.The overall system comprises the experimental apparatus, signal conditioning electronics, a dataacquisition module, and a host computer. The experimental apparatus includes a laser, reflectivefilm, and a position sensitive device (PSD), arranged as in Figure 1. A change in position dy ofthe reflective film

Conference Session

Online Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan L. Miertschin, University of Houston (CoT); Carole E. Goodson, University of Houston; Barbara L. Stewart, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

were analyzed. Using the results of this survey and related literature, this paperaddresses the following issues. 1. What are student perceptions of the impact of course delivery format (on-line or face-to- face) on their time management skills? 2. Do students perceive that there are factors of time management that influence their course performance? 3. How do student perceptions of time management in on-line and face-to-face courses vary among factions of the student population?Analysis of the survey results and implications for on-line delivery of courses are presented.BackgroundBooks, articles, and stories abound that offer advice to people about how to better manage timein order to achieve personal goals and reduce

Conference Session

Social Media and In-class Technology: Creating Active Learning Environments

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mihaela Vorvoreanu, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Erin E. Bowen, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Dawn D. Laux, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

technologists agree thatsocial media have good potential applications to support learning 1-3. Increasingly, abstractarguments about potential applications of social media are followed up with scholarship thatdocuments specific uses of Web 2.0 tools in education and the impact they have on students.This paper presents the results of an exploratory study that investigated the application of asocial medium – specifically, microblogging – in the large lecture classroom in order to assesswhether microblogging can make participation in the large lecture classroom more comfortablefor students with high communication apprehension. We present original data collected in thecontext of a freshman Technology large-lecture course in which microblogging service

Conference Session

Social Media and In-class Technology: Creating Active Learning Environments

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Patrick Hogan, Missouri University of Science & Technology; Dan Cernusca, Missouri University of Science & Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

over issues related to the structure of educational process forboth students and instructors. The spreading of computer and information technology in bothsocial and educational environments enhanced the generational issues and stimulated morefocused research on those generations that were either exposed early or were born with advancedtechnology tools. Researchers identified, among others, the “Net Generation” 1, the “Millennials”2,3,4 or “Me Generation” 5,6, depending on the main characteristics used to define the generationalgroup. Among these, the Millennials attracted a significant body of research that extended fromgeneral characteristics7,8 , to learning4 and to work related issues and strategies9,10.From the learning and

Conference Session

Topics in Computer Science and Programming

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rajeev K. Agrawal, North Carolina A&T State University; Zachary Kurmas, Grand Valley State University; Venkat N. Gudivada, Marshall University; Naser El-Bathy P.E., North Carolina A&T State University; Cameron Seay, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2012-3083: MOTIVATING STUDENTS TO LEARN PROGRAMMINGUSING GAME ASSIGNMENTSDr. Rajeev K. Agrawal, North Carolina A&T State University Rajeev Agrawal is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Electronics, Computer, and Information Technology at North Carolina A&T State University.Dr. Zachary Kurmas, Grand Valley State University Zachary Kurmas is an Associate Professor at Grand Valley State University. He teaches primarily CS 1, CS 2, and computer architecture.Dr. Venkat N. Gudivada, Marshall University Venkat N. Gudivada is a professor of computer science at Marshall University, Huntington, W.V. He re- ceived his Ph.D. degree in computer science from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. His current

Conference Session

CoED General Technical Session I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hatem M. Wasfy, Advanced Science and Automation Corp.; Tamer M. Wasfy, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Jeanne Peters, Advanced Science and Automation Corp.; Riham M. Mahfouz, Thomas Nelson Community College

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

the same time period, the compoundannual growth in the number of students taking at least one online course was 18.3%1. Thismeans that students who are taking online classes are becoming a larger proportion year afteryear of the overall population of higher education students. The same trend is taking placeelsewhere around the globe and to a lesser degree in K-12 education. For example, in China, in2006, there were 66 universities offering 8,557 online courses with a total enrollment of around 3million students2.According to numerous studies up to 2001, students who learn solely using high quality onlineresources, achieve the same level of proficiency as students who learn in a traditional classroomsetting3. A more recent study by the U.S

Conference Session

CoED General Technical Session II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yaomin Dong Ph.D., Kettering University; Arnaldo Mazzei, Kettering University; Raghu Echempati, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

simulation byunderstanding the kinematic and dynamic behavior of the mechanism, and also verifying thestress analysis of critical members via simple hand calculations. A preliminary assessment to the approach was conducted via a web-based survey. The surveycontained several questions aiming to gauge students’ overall opinion of the use of the softwarepackages in the courses. The overall results are very positive and warrant further exploration anduse of the approach.IntroductionNowadays most manufacturing companies rely on computer aided engineering (CAE) softwarefor the design of their products. In a previous work 1 one of the authors discussed the advantagesof using high-end CAE software in mechanical engineering design courses. In that

Conference Session

Online Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael E. Auer, Carinthia University of Applied Sciences; Diana Vasilica Pop; Danilo Garbi Zutin P.E., Carinthia University of Applied Sciences

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

out in a distance learning mode via the Moodle platform whereall the learning materials are available. The necessary support to accomplish of different tasksis given via E-mail or Skype meetings.The assignments mentioned are composed mainly of lab work where students have toperform some exercises with a “CPLD Board”, a prototyping board developed by theTechnical University of Ilmenau, Germany; CPLD stands for Complex Programmable LogicDevice. This board is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 The CPLD Prototyping BoardBecause of the special conceptual design of this board, students are able test all the topicscovered by the given lectures, e.g. basics of Boolean algebra, combinational logic and simplesequential circuits, etc

Conference Session

Social Media and In-class Technology: Creating Active Learning Environments

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gonca Altuger-Genc, University of Massachusetts, Lowell; Yegin Genc, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

mandatory senior level Process Control course in PlasticsEngineering Department at University of Massachusetts Lowell. In the Fall 2011semester 33 undergraduate students were enrolled, 31 of them choose to participate in theself-directed lifelong learning experience. The course teaches principles of controlsystems, process block diagrams, feedback control, process monitoring, DOE, SPC/SQC,and Taguchi methods. The class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 1 hour 15 minutelong sessions. Following each class meeting, students were assigned homework. DuringFall 2011 semester a total of 22 homework assignments were given. The total weight ofthe homework assignments was 25% of the course grade. The course also included twoseparate projects, both of which

Conference Session

CoED General Technical Session II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Howard Whitston, University of South Alabama; Adam Thomas Moore, University of South Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

, inBoolean Algebra, one plus one is not two. It is shown to be 1 + 1 = 1. In fact, Boolean variablesand constants may only have one of two possible values, either one or zero2.Similarly, a circuit in a digital system can be in one of two states, HIGH or LOW. Thiscorresponds with the idea that computers operate in 1s and 0s, with 1 being HIGH and 0 beingLOW. Digital logic students will often begin the study of circuits by learning two logic gates, theAND gate and OR gate. The AND gate can take multiple inputs, and will go HIGH when all ofits inputs are HIGH , and be LOW the rest of the time. The OR gate will go HIGH when any ofits inputs are high and LOW if and only if all of its inputs are LOW.In Boolean Algebra, OR is represented by '+' and AND is

Conference Session

Best of Computers in Education Division

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Barry E. Mullins P.E., Air Force Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

and collecting metrics for determining success in any course can be difficult. We usethe results of national exercises (e.g., CDX), student feedback in the form of anonymous onlinecritiques and test scores as our metrics. Results show the students are learning the finer points ofcomputer systems as they hone their cyber warrior skills necessary to defend our informationsystems.1. Introduction and MotivationSecuring information systems from intentional or unintentional information disclosure hasquickly become one of our nation’s top priorities. There are countless published examples ofcorporations and organizations loosing data due to cyber attacks. A recent high-profile exampleis the cyber attack on Google; this incident, codenamed Operation

Conference Session

Computers in the Laboratory

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erik A. Mayer, Pittsburg State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

materialfor the lecture and labs was drawn from documents found on the Altium website1. The lecturesand labs were designed such that they built on skills acquired in previous lectures and labs.Table 1 shows a listing of the lectures and the labs associated with them. It also shows thehardware and software used in the labs. The lectures and labs covered the following topics:implementing combinatorial and sequential logic circuits using FPGAs, performing simulationand synthesis with VHDL, writing VHDL testbenches, using embedded instruments for testingFPGAs, and configuring and programming soft processors.Before being used in the undergraduate advanced digital logic course, initial versions of thelectures and labs were used in a graduate course. This

Conference Session

Computers and Simulation

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kurt C. Gramoll, University of Oklahoma

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

, current mobile devices have incredible screenresolutions (over 300 dpi in some cases). A recently released smart phone by Samsung, theGalaxy Nexus [1], has a resolution of 720x1280 which is the same for most mid-range laptopcomputers. Granted, the pixels are tightly packed, but they are capable of rendering detailedstress plots or flow fields.The next issue is the relatively slow CPU speed of mobile devices. They are constantlyimproving, but they are not designed with engineers in mind and will always be slow for intensenumerical calculations like finite element analysis. This paper addresses a solution to thisproblem by off-loading calculations to a server cluster through a web-based analysis tool. Whileclusters are not new, they generally are

Conference Session

Computers in the Laboratory

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Biswanath Samanta, Georgia Southern University; Jonathan G. Turner, Georgia Southern University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

) basic instrumentation and measurement,(ii) digital logic and microcontroller programming, (iii) mechatronics sensors with integrateddata acquisition interface, (iv) DC motor control with integrated interface, (v) advanced controlof multi degree of freedom systems, and (vi) mobile robotics. Figures 1(a) and (b) give someoverall views of the lab. (a) (b)Fig. 1. Overall views of the lab (a) from the front, (b) from the middle.In addition to the devices for basic instrumentation and measurement, the lab is well equippedwith a number of educational hardware platforms51, 52 including (i) mechatronics sensor modules,(ii) DC servomotors, (iii) multi-degree-of-freedom systems, both translational and

Conference Session

Computers and Simulation

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Xiaobo Peng, Prairie View A&M University; Blesson Isaac, Prairie View A&M University; Richard T. Wilkins, Prairie View A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

-simulations have been integrated in the teaching of courseELEG4223 “Photonic and Electronic Materials and Devices”. The student survey results arepresented in the paper. Students’ responses show that they believe that the VR simulations arevery helpful in increasing their understanding of nanotechnology.1. IntroductionThe fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology have rapidly developed and received enormousamount of attention in recent decades1. The U.S. has long been playing the leadership role inresearch and development of emerging nanotechnologies. To maintain its technological andeconomic leadership, there are emerging needs for U. S educators to change and enhance theinfrastructure for nanotechnology education2. Rapid development in

Conference Session

Best of Computers in Education Division

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aditya Johri, Virginia Tech; Hon Jie Teo, Virginia Tech; Jenny L. Lo, Virginia Tech; Asta B. Schram, Virginia Tech; Monique S. Dufour, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

day for socializing, studyingand entertainment 18. The study reported that they spent 11-15 hours per week using electronic Page 25.470.3devices, the most common activity being writing papers for coursework (3-5 hours per week),instant messenger activities, i.e. texting or chatting (3-5 hours per week), e-mail activities (1-2hours per week) and surfing the internet for pleasure (1-2 hours per week). Over 99% of thestudents participating in their study used email, over 98% used the internet for coursework andwriting and over 94% used the internet for pleasure.Jones and his colleagues have also replicated and extended their earlier study from

Conference Session

CoED General Technical Session I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dirk Schaefer, Georgia Institute of Technology; J. Lane Thames, Georgia Institute of Technology; Robert Donald Wellman Jr., Georgia Institute of Technology; Dazhong Wu, Georgia Institute of Technology; Sungshik Yim, Georgia Institute of Technology; David W. Rosen, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

business will beconducted in the future [1, 2]. While the concept of cloud computing was originally developed inthe 1960s, it was only a few years ago that it became a feasible aspect of day-to-day ITinfrastructures due to the availability of the Internet and other recent advancements ininformation and computing technologies.Unfortunately, a unique definition for cloud computing does not currently exist as academics,industrialists and government agencies have tried to wordsmith its meaning depending on theirrespective interests, roles and goals [3, 4]. In essence, cloud computing is concerned withdelivering computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software andinformation are provided to computers and other devices as

Conference Session

Social Media and In-class Technology: Creating Active Learning Environments

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gerald C. Gannod, Miami University; Kristen M. Bachman, Miami University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

discuss our experience in using social networking insupport of education. We then comment on how our use of social networking translates to anindustrial setting, and finally discuss lessons learned.Background and Related WorkIn generalBoyd and Ellison define social networking sites as web-based services that allow individuals to(1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of otherusers with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections andthose made by others within the system 3. Since the advent of popular social networking sitessuch as MySpace and Facebook, millions of people have made status updates and virtualsocializing a part of their daily routine. Aside

Conference Session

Best of Computers in Education Division

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Autar Kaw, University of South Florida; Ali Yalcin, University of South Florida; Gwen Lee-Thomas, Old Dominion University and Quality Measures, LLC; Duc T. Nguyen, Old Dominion University; Melinda R. Hess; James A. Eison, University of South Florida; Ram Pendyala, Arizona State University; Glen H. Besterfield, University of South Florida; Corina M. Owens, Battelle Memorial Institute

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

sixth author from the College of Education at USF, a revised proposal to theNSF CCLI program was funded in 200110. Since then we have received two expansion CCLIgrants11,12 and one more CCLI prototype grant13 for the development, assessment, refinement andrevision of the comprehensive open courseware for Numerical Methods. We call theseresources: Holistic Numerical Methods (HNM).DevelopmentThe topics (Figure 1) covered in the developed Numerical Methods open courseware14 include 1. Introduction to Scientific Computing, 2. Differentiation, 3. Nonlinear Equations, 4. Simultaneous Linear Equations, 5. Interpolation, 6. Regression, 7. Integration

Conference Session

CoED General Technical Session II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert P. Brazile, University of North Texas; Kathleen Swigger, University of North Texas; Matt Ray Hoyt, University of North Texas; Brian Lee, University of North Texas; Brandon Nelson, University of North Texas

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

the need for effective tools that will enable multi-universitiesto effectively schedule those distributed group projects. This paper presents a Web-based toolthat was developed in the context of a globally distributed software engineering course. TheWeb-based software enables instructors from multi-universities to view instructors’ informationand schedule projects throughout the year. The authors of the paper discuss the challenges increating multi-university projects, as well as present the main features of the software and anexample of how it is being used to create globally distributed software projects.1. IntroductionTeaching students how to work in globally distributed teams is difficult. But figuring out how toschedule the various

Conference Session

Computers in the Laboratory

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Babatunde Isaac Ishola; Olawale Babatunde Akinwale, Obafemi Awolowo University; Lawrence O. Kehinde, Obafemi Awolowo University; Kayode Peter Ayodele; Oluwapelumi Olufemi Aboluwarin

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

made to extend the implications to other remote laboratories.Furthermore, the performance of the LabVIEW dll approach to experiment control is comparedwith a previous approach using the NI DAQmx library.KeywordsiLab, Adobe Flex, operational amplifier, realistic interface, RIAs, DFSI. IntroductionPhysical experiments are indispensable for developing skills to deal with physical processes andinstrumentation 1. Experimentation has therefore long been an integral part of engineering Page 25.164.2education, due to the fact that it bridges the gap between theoretical and practical knowledge.Students perform experiments to verify the theories

Conference Session

Tablets Large and Small

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Oscar Antonio Perez, University of Texas, El Paso; Virgilio Gonzalez, University of Texas, El Paso; Mike Thomas Pitcher, University of Texas, El Paso; Peter Golding, University of Texas, El Paso; Hugo Gomez, University of Texas, El Paso ; Pedro Arturo Espinoza, University of Texas, El Paso

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

Society for Engineering Education, 2012 ANALYSIS OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY IMPACT ON STEM BASED COURSES; SPECIFICALLY INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING IN THE ERA OF THE IPAD. The impact of new technologies on teaching and learning engineering is important to study andunderstand for various reasons, including: (1) use of technology tools by students is pervasive, and(2) use of technology tools in schools and college classrooms is increasing rapidly, as new devicesthat balance cost, functionality and portability, shift the use of computing devices from personalpurposes to mainstream course applications. We present the results of studying the impact of usingone such device (the Apple iPad) on students’ academic performance via

Conference Session

Online Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hatem M. Wasfy, Advanced Science and Automation Corp.; Tamer M. Wasfy, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis; Jeanne Peters, Advanced Science and Automation Corp.; Hazim A. El-Mounayri, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

implemented on the equipment2. The term automated as used here means that the course canbe implemented without any need for a human instructor3. This approach offers clear advantagesover traditional classroom lectures, field training, or training manuals:1- Learners can learn at the time they choose. The student can enter the virtual training environment at any time from a networked computer and choose to receive instruction in any topic of his/her choosing for as long as he/she wishes. In classroom-based training on the other hand, an entire group of students needs to convene at a specific time for a specific time to be instructed in a specific topic.2- Learners can learn at their own optimum pace. The student can adjust the speed at