Conference Session

Assessment

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mieke Schuurman, Pennsylvania State University; Laura L. Pauley, Pennsylvania State University; Dennis Gouran, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

correlations between student and supervisor evaluations.The purposes of this follow-up study was to assess the reliability of the revised instrument andsecondly to provide more insight in the factor structures. To this end, we phrased all questionspositively. Following the authors’ earlier reasoning, lower standard deviations for the rephraseditems and fewer factors would be evidence of a general response pattern. In particular, thefollow-up study focused on the following four research questions: (1) How reliable was therevised oral communication skills assessment instrument? (2) Did the revised instrument reveal adifferent factor structure? (3) Did students continue to rate their own oral communication skillsdifferently from their supervisors? (4

Conference Session

Design: Content and Context

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mieke Schuurman, Pennsylvania State University; Christine B. Masters, Pennsylvania State University; Peggy Van Meter, Pennsylvania State University; Gül Okudan, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

of Engineering Education, European Journal of Engineering Education and Technovation. She is a member of ASEE and ASME. She is also a National Research Council-US AFRL Summer Faculty Fellow of the Human Effectiveness Directorate for 2002, 2003 and 2004. Page 13.537.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Enhancing Design Learning by Implementing E-PortfoliosAbstractThis paper presents the findings of a pilot intervention that implemented e-portfolios to enhancedesign learning at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). It will answer the followingquestions: (1) What type of guidance do students

Conference Session

Problem Solving and Misconceptions

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thomas Litzinger, Pennsylvania State University; Carla Firetto, Pennsylvania State University; Lucas Passmore, Pennsylvania State University; Peggy Van Meter, Pennsylvania State University; Kelli Higley, Pennsylvania State University; Christine B. Masters, Pennsylvania State University; Francesco Costanzo, Pennsylvania State University; Gary L. Gray; Stephen Turns, Pennsylvania State University; Jonna Kulikowich

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

: Problem-solving processes,domain knowledge, and translations between symbol systems.Since Polya’s seminal work in mathematics,3 the utility of learning and using a sequence of stepsduring problem-solving has been widely accepted. Although several specific models exist, ageneric 4-step model captures most: (1) Represent the Problem, (2) Goal Setting and Planning,(3) Execute the Plan, and (4) Evaluate the Solution. In the first step, problem representation, thestudent must read the problem statement and discern the objective. There are instructionalinterventions for engineering education that are grounded in this theoretical model of problem-solving. For example, Gray et al.4 developed a systematic approach to solving Statics andDynamics problems

Conference Session

ERM Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ashlyn Munson; Barbara Moskal, Colorado School of Mines; Stephen Cooper, Saint Joseph's University; Wanda Dann, Ithaca College

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

in Table 1) were included in this analysis. As Table 3 suggests, no significantdifferences were found within the control groups; however, significant differences wereconsistently found for the treatment groups. Page 13.1238.7 Table 3. Comparison of Courses Implementing Treatment and Control Sections Concepts p-value: Attitude n- n-value Concepts value p-value: Attitude Semester Course

Conference Session

Professional Skills and the Workplace

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Johannes Strobel, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Monica Cardella, Purdue Engineering Education

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

therefore extend the meta-theory.I. IntroductionFor years, reports have validated the importance of problem solving in the workplace. Forinstance the SCANS Report “What Work Requires of Schools” [1], states that problem solving isan essential thinking skill for workers. Engineers, physicians, managers, etc. are hired, retained,and rewarded for their abilities to solve workplace problems. For engineering education, thismeans a challenge to integrate workplace real-world problems into the curriculum and stayingabreast with new challenges and changing roles of engineers in the workplace.If education programs are to fulfill these challenges, a better understanding of the nature ofworkplace problem solving is necessary. This holds especially true for

Conference Session

Professional Skills and the Workplace

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Trevelyan, University of Western Australia

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

qualifications.Each interview took between one and two hours. Open-ended questions encouraged therespondent to talk about the details of the work he or she performed19, provides details. Theethnographic method we used allowed interviews to follow the interests of the subject ratherthan sticking to some predefined rigid format. Field studies were also part of the survey: alimited number of subjects were shadowed (with their consent) for 1 – 2 days to triangulateinterview data. Most interviews were recorded and full transcripts were used for analysis. Incases where recordings were not available, the transcript reconstructed from notes waschecked by the respondent for accuracy. We use standard ethnographic analysis techniqueson interview transcripts, field

Conference Session

Tools for Teaching

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tobia Steyn, University of Pretoria; Alan Carr, University of Pretoria

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

of elementary school curricula and its use with childrento develop better thinking skills has been widely researched and reported.4 However, Logo hasalso been used extensively in undergraduate computer courses at the University of California atBerkeley.1 During the 1980s and 1990s much was written on Logo and its (potential) educationaluses, but this enthusiasm for Logo seems to have diminished. In the United States, TerrapinSoftware is still actively involved in promoting Logo as a tool for learning.5 In all the interfacevariations, the Logo philosophy and the basics of the Logo language have remained the same,namely, that Logo offers a participatory, hands-on environment and promotes self directedlearning. We are of opinion that Logo is

Conference Session

Student Recruitment and Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Bullard, North Carolina State University; Richard Felder, North Carolina State University; Dianne Raubenheimer, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

toinclude cooperative learning (some homework assignments solved by student teams, withmeasures taken to hold individual team members accountable for the solutions to all problems)and inductive (inquiry-based) learning. Specific examples of how these methods wereimplemented are given in Reference 1. The student-centered approach just described was not implemented as an experiment tosee if active, cooperative, and inductive learning work, or to determine whether they work in anengineering class. Hundreds of such experiments have already been carried out, and theoverwhelming body of evidence attests to the superiority of those methods over traditionalteacher-centered instruction in which course content is delivered exclusively in lectures

Conference Session

ERM Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stacy Wilson, Western Kentucky University; Dennis George, Western Kentucky University; john bruni, Western Kentucky University; Mark Cambron, Western Kentucky University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

activities.The Electrical Engineering (EE) Program is one of the three majors in the department. Themission of the EE program is to build a foundation of knowledge in electrical engineering byintegrating a variety of project experiences at every level throughout the curriculum.1 Themission statement and desired qualities of graduates of the EE program directly support theABET Criteria 3 A-K.2 Throughout the curriculum, EE students are provided many opportunitiesto grow in the various roles of engineers.Several assessment measures have been employed to determine that the mission of the EEprogram has been achieved. However, it is desired to show that more engaged student are betterprepared student in terms of ABET Criteria 3 A-K. Correlations between

Conference Session

Problem Solving and Misconceptions

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Douglas Holton, Utah State University; Amit Verma, Texas A&M-Kingsville; Gautam Biswas, Vanderbilt University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

; ∀ ∃ ! ) ∋ ∗ ∃ ∋ + ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ Page 13.228.2∋ , & ∀ −./ ∃ % 0 1 0 1 3 4

Conference Session

Emerging Issues in Engineering Education Research and Pedagogy

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joachim Walther, University of Queensland; David Radcliffe

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

overall measure ofresearch quality; (iii) to mitigate this, we propose a process view of establishing research qualityin a documented and demonstrated procedure.1. IntroductionEngineering education research is commonly viewed as an emerging discipline.1-5 The currentdebate is concerned with possible research areas of interest to the discipline,5, 6 appropriateresearch methods7, 8 and ways of conducting research of acceptable quality.1, 4, 9 In this contextBorrego4 asserts that “the field of engineering education has not yet developed its first paradigm”with the term paradigm relating to “common terminology, methodologies, and standards ofrigor.”Due to the interdisciplinary nature of engineering education research, approaches and elementsfrom both

Conference Session

STEM Pipeline: Pre-College to Post-Baccalaureate

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Julie Trenor, University of Houston; Olga Pierrakos, James Madison University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

benefits of undergraduateresearch experiences was conducted by SRI International, under contract to the NSF4, 5. Thestudy involved a nationwide, large-scale evaluation of undergraduate research, encompassingscience, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and social, behavioral, or economic sciences.With 3,400 individuals surveyed over a period of three years the study focused on researchparticipation and research experience effects. Some of their major findings from the STEMindividuals are: (1) undergraduate research experiences were important in shaping careerdecisions and interests, (2) undergraduate research, especially sponsored research, seemed toencourage individuals to pursue a doctorate, (3) no statistically significant differences

Conference Session

Emerging Issues in Engineering Education Research and Pedagogy

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Walden, University of Oklahoma; Cindy Foor, University of Oklahoma; Deborah Trytten, University of Oklahoma

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

AC 2008-601: SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION:LESSONS LEARNEDSusan Walden, University of OklahomaCindy Foor, University of OklahomaDeborah Trytten, University of Oklahoma Page 13.1089.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Social Science Research in Engineering Education: Lessons Learned Deborah A. Trytten1,2, Cindy E. Foor2, and Susan E. Walden2 1 School of Computer Science and 2Research Institute for STEM Education University of OklahomaIntroductionThe Journal of Engineering Education recently published an article about difficultiesexperienced by trained engineers

Conference Session

Tools for Teaching

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alfred Ducharme, University of Central Florida; Ali Mehrabian, University of Central Florida; Diala Gammoh, University of Central FLorida

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

universities and reported tothe Board of Regents4.Providing a non-degree seeking enrollment at the university where the course was offered whilemaintaining the student’s enrollment in the degree granting university, allowed the graduatestudents to enroll in courses offered at any of the member universities. Video tape was the modeof delivery for all FEEDS courses from 1982 to 2000. Each day FEEDS courses were recorded,duplicated and then delivered by currier to the student’s home university or branch campus. Atthe time, state-of-the-art video recording and editing equipment was utilized to generate standardNTSC (National Television System Committee) VHS (Video Home System) tapes. Typicaldelay was anywhere from 1-3 days from recording to availability

Conference Session

Writing and Portfolios

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Warren Hull, Louisiana State University; Warren Waggenspack, Louisiana State University; Lillian B Bowles, Louisiana State University; Jennifer Farrell, Louisiana State University; David Bowles, Louisiana State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

compiled results reflected a high regard for the skills learned and an understanding of thevalue of communications for their future careers. See Figures 1 and 2 below for studentresponses. Page 13.709.7Figure 1. Student Responses in C-I Course QuestionaireFigure 2. Student Responses to C-I Course QuestionaireGiven our Advisory Council members’ senior positions in their organizations, they bring aunique assessment of the communications skills needed by their new hires for future success.They candidly let us know whether LSU graduates meet their perceived criteria and where theysee deficiencies in communications skills. As the members have become

Conference Session

Tools for Teaching

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kyu Yon Lim, Pennsylvania State University; Roxanne Toto, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Hien Nguyen, Pennsylvania State University; Sarah Zappe, Pennsylvania State University; Thomas Litzinger, Pennsylvania State University; Mark Wharton, Pennsylvania State University; John Cimbala, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

results also indicate that student perceptions of annotated note postingvary widely. On one hand, students see annotated notes as a learning aid for studying and self-checking, while others see annotated notes as a reason to not come to class. Practicalimplications and future research are described.BackgroundThe advantages of Tablet PC as an instructional tool are numerous. The Tablet PC has thepotential to combine the advantages of traditional presentation methods such as chalkboards,overhead projectors and PowerPoint presentations while mitigating their limitations[1]. TheTablet PC has several educational applications including; the ability to support active learning inthe classroom, as a lecture aid in classroom, and as a student-centered

Conference Session

ERM Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Crago, Bucknell University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

assessment methods (exam, quiz, lab, and homework grades, along with student, alumni,and faculty surveys of perceived levels of program outcome attainment), these provide a meansto track how readily students attain the required level for each program outcome from year toyear. Since all graduates must pass the required classes in which the outcomes are assesseddirectly, and since no student can pass the class without reaching the required level ofattainment, all students who graduate must have achieved all program outcomes.ExampleOutcome 1 and its performance criteriaFor this program, Outcome 1 is: Graduates of the Civil Engineering Program can applycalculus-based physics, chemistry, mathematics through differential equations, and oneadditional area

Conference Session

Student Engagement and Motivation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dale Baker, Arizona State University; Stephen Krause, Arizona State University; Senay Purzer

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

-efficacy is defined as an individual’s beliefs about their ability to engage in activities thatwill result in successfully attaining specific goals. It is a set of context specific beliefs aboutcompetence rather than beliefs about general ability. It is not the number of skills you have butwhat you believe you can do in specific contexts. If a person feels that that they will not be self-efficacious, they avoid the task and more importantly avoid entire domains such as engineering.According to Bandura’s theory 1, self-efficacy has four sources. These are enactive masteryexperience, vicarious experience, verbal or social persuasion, and physiological and affectivereaction. These factors can support or hinder one’s self-efficacy depending on the

Conference Session

Design: Content and Context

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christine B. Masters, Pennsylvania State University; Mieke Schuurman, Pennsylvania State University; Gül Okudan, Pennsylvania State University; Samuel T Hunter, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

involving faculty from Engineering Design, Engineering Mechanics, CivilEngineering, and Mechanical Engineering, we hope to answer just that question.Critical evaluation to determine the effectiveness of any curricular innovation requires some typeof concrete baseline evaluation prior to implementation of the innovation. An assessment ofimprovements to design learning is no different. Design learning and the related design abilityhave a three-pronged foundation: 1) design process knowledge, 2) creative processing ability,and 3) design analysis knowledge. During the fall 2007 semester, baseline data related to each ofthese components was collected from students across all four years and several engineeringdisciplines using the Comprehensive

Conference Session

Student Recruitment and Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elif Kongar, University of Bridgeport; Mahesh Baral, University of Bridgeport; Tarek Sobh, University of Bridgeport

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

2004 semester.Keywords: Graduate Enrollment, Engineering, Decision Making, Engineering Education, DataEnvelopment Analysis.1. IntroductionEvaluating candidates for graduate degree programs has always been a concern of both academicand administrative personnel at Universities. The difficulty of this task has increased over time dueto growing complexity and size of the pool of applicants as educational programs extend to theglobal arena. Many Universities are facing a significant increase in the number of internationalstudent applications to graduate degree programs.With this being the motivation, this study aims at determining the key criteria for applicants to thegraduate programs at the University of Bridgeport, School of Engineering. In this

Conference Session

Institutional and Curricular Reform

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pierre Lafleur, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal; Yves Boudreault, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal; Richard Prégent, École Polytechnique de Montréal

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

the actual context ofthe market place; such as independence, communications and teamwork skills, managing peopleand tasks, and mobilizing innovation and change. (1)It was time for a good and thorough analysis of our educational model and a consequent reviewof all undergraduate programs, according to a contemporary vision of the engineering professionand a corresponding philosophy of teaching engineering.But time mattered! After many thoughts, our president mandated the Dean of studies to proposea process of review of our programs that would involve the profound changes needed. Becauseof the competition with other universities, and more importantly because of the long period ofimplementation of these changes (during the following four years of

Conference Session

Faculty Attitudes and Perceptions

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Zappe, Pennsylvania State University; Natalia Kapli, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

faculty development seminar in the College of Engineering on any campus andyou are likely to hear a similar mantra. If an instructor wants to improve his or her teaching andsubsequently increase student learning, he or she should use active learning techniques. Activelearning is arguably the most prescribed solution to easing educational problems and enhancingstudent learning for faculty within any discipline. In fact, research has generally supported thatactive learning strategies are likely to result in higher student engagement and greater learninggains than traditional instructor-centered methods.1 However, what is missing from the literatureis a balanced perspective regarding the use of active learning including empirical research onwhy

Conference Session

Curricular Innovations

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Manuel Jimenez, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; Ana Nieves, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; Cristina Pomales-Garcia, University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez; Nayda Santiago Santiago, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; José Vega, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez; Vilma Lopez, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Page 12.197.3active learners, which are learning styles proposed by Felder and Silverman11. Spink12conducted a case study to empirically investigate how an information seeker multitasks and thepatterns of multitasking information behavior and information task switching. This was achievedthrough a mix of data collected through observations, journal entries, and interviews. The modelsuggests that multitasking information behaviors and information task switching is affected by:(1) the nature and complexity of content in relation to the information seeker’s domainknowledge, (2) the amount and depth of information processing required for differentinformation tasks, (3) the information seeker’s level of interest, including their attention andfocus

Conference Session

Student Teams and Project-Based Learning

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Margaret Huyck, Illinois Institute of Technology; Daniel Ferguson, Illinois Institute of Technology; Rachel Wasserman, Illinois Institute of Technology IPRO Program

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

teamworkskills, improving communication and project management skills, and practicing ethical behavior.All undergraduate students must participate in at least two semester-long three credit hourprojects. Projects vary widely in focus, including Service Learning, Entrepreneurial, ProductDevelopment and others; some projects have participating external sponsors. We are collectingdata on ca. 36 - 40 teams each semester, enrolling approximately 400 students.We have developed several strategies for assessing teamwork effectiveness: (1) a self-assessmentof the extent to which each student feels that they have developed teamwork competencies, (2) aKnowledge Test of teamwork concepts drawn from the vast literature on teamwork, (3) a TeamExcellence and Trust

Conference Session

Cognitive and Motivational Issues in Student Performance II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

P.K. Imbrie, Purdue University; Joe Jien-Jou Lin; Tayo Oladunni, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Kenneth Reid

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

’ persistence In this study, the status of students’ persistence after their first year in engineering wasclassified into five possible categories as described in Table 1. Students who are ‘retained’ inengineering fall into the first two groups: lower-division and upper-division engineering.Students who are ‘not retained’ are those who have transferred or left the university. Engineering freshmen students’ status after 1st year Possible statuses Dichotomous statuses Upper-division engineering: completed first year requirements and move to upper divisions (UE) 1. Retained in

Conference Session

Assessment and Evaluation in Engineering Education II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jenefer Husman, Arizona State University; Christa Lynch, Arizona State University; Jonathan Hilpert, Arizona State University; mary ann Duggan, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

improving engineering education Page 12.1581.2 Validating Measures 2 In recent years, engineering education has undergone a marked increase in researchdevoted to understanding student academic outcomes and persistence [1-2]. Researchershave demonstrated that although many engineering educators believe high attrition ratesamong engineering students are evidence that weaker students are being weeded-out, thisconception is flawed [3]. Rather, the grade distributions of students who drop out arestatistically similar to those who persist, and many students who drop out of the

Conference Session

ERM Potpourri I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elif Kongar, University of Bridgeport; Tarek Sobh, University of Bridgeport

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Fall 2004 semester.Keywords: Graduate Enrollment, Engineering, Decision Making, Engineering Education, DataEnvelopment Analysis.1. IntroductionToday, the global demand for U.S. graduate engineering programs is increasing rapidly, causing theapplication evaluation process to be a very cumbersome and time consuming task. Furthermore,most evaluation processes are handled by a variety of admission committee members depending ondifferent preference criteria, leading to a less objective, and non-standardized decision makingprocess. One efficient way to lessen the subjectivity and to develop a more uniformed decisionmaking process is to utilize a common tool that provides rapid and objective efficiency scores for theapplicants.Data envelopment

Conference Session

Physics Education Research (PER) Relevant for Engineering Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mel Sabella, Chicago State University; Stephanie Barr, Chicago State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

representations and gender issues. Page 13.712.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Implementing research–based instructional materials to promote coherence in physics knowledge for the urban STEM studentAbstractFunding from the National Science Foundation – Course, Curriculum, and LaboratoryImprovement (CCLI) Program has allowed the physics program at Chicago State University tomake major changes to the algebra and calculus-based physics classes through theimplementation of innovative, research-based instructional materials. This instructional reformeffort seeks to (1) improve learning for all students in the

Conference Session

Physics Education Research (PER) Relevant for Engineering Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chandralekha Singh, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

calculus-based introductory physics courses forscience and engineering majors. The Physics Education Research literature is full of studies ofstudent difficulties in introductory mechanics.1 Student difficulties in Electricity and Magnetismhave not received nearly as much attention2-8. The Washington group under the direction ofMcDermott has developed tutorials on electric field, potential, potential energy, and magnetismrelated mostly to bar magnets3. Maloney et al.9 and Ding et al.10 have developed broad surveys toevaluate students' conceptual knowledge of all of electricity and magnetism covered inintroductory physics. Here, we discuss research on students' difficulties with concepts related to magnetism covered inintroductory calculus-based

Conference Session

ERM Potpourri

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy Miller, University of Pittsburgh -Johnstown

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

”. One team in each class is awarded the annual “Big Drip” award and presented witha trophy. See picture below in Figure 1. The team earning the highest grade for the project andpresentation combined are crowned the winners. Classmates contribute to the presentation grade. Figure 1: “Big Drip” Award and the “Great Gear Factor” AwardEach year the instructor’s expectations have been exceeded. Students have contacted theengineer in charge of the fountain located in the three rivers in Pittsburgh, visited and reportedon the pump house. They have researched and reported on supercavitation andsonoluminescense. Researched and reported on the aerodynamics of dimples on golf balls andthe baseball curveball. Many students choose to