Conference Session

Learning Outside the Classroom

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cheryl Allendoerfer, University of Washington; Jessica M. Yellin, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

InteractionsAbstractThis exploratory study addresses the need to increase the numbers of traditionallyunderrepresented minority (URM) students in engineering careers through an investigation of therole of research mentoring in recruiting and retaining URM students in engineering. Mentoringstudents in engineering and science research has long been acknowledged as an effective way toengage undergraduates in engineering majors, and is also an essential component of the doctoraldegrees that represent the gateway to careers in engineering research. This study was guided bythe following questions: 1) What can we identify as best practices in mentoring and supervisingURM students as they conduct engineering research? 2) How is the effectiveness of thesepractices

Conference Session

Active and Inquiry-Based Learning

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonte Bernhard, Linköping University, Sweden

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

primarily responsible for the reported learning achievements:“1. Students focus on the physical world. 2. Immediate feedback is available. 3. Collaboration isencouraged. 4. Powerful tools reduce unnecessary drudgery. 5. Students understand the specificand familiar before moving to the more general and abstract. 6. Students are actively engaged inexploring and constructing their own understanding.” However in an earlier paper8 I havedemonstrated that not all labs in which probe-ware is used lead to high post-course achievementsin mechanics conceptual tests. Page 22.973.3Prior research has suggested that a common attribute of successful physics

Conference Session

Persistence and Retention II: Curricular Issues

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bart M. Johnson, Itasca Community College; Ronald R. Ulseth, Itasca Community College; Glen D. Hodgson, Itasca Community College; Ed Damiani, Itasca Community College; Glen Duane Hodgson, Itasca Community College

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

their STEM classes taught in a four-week block format • 8-Week Block Group – Students who started in the Fall of 2004 and Fall of 2005 and had a majority of their STEM classes taught in an eight-week block formatThe most striking result of the Itasca model is that students who start their engineering educationat Itasca in the block scheduling format average 8.7 semesters to completion of a bachelor’sdegree in engineering. In addition, there appears to be no significant statistical difference in theirsemesters to graduation between students whether they start their math sequence in calculus 1 orpre-calculus. Student graduation rates are also comparable to or higher than the institutionsItasca students transfer to and for institutions

Conference Session

Persistence and Retention II: Curricular Issues

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alison A. Dingwall, Howard University; Lorraine N. Fleming, Howard University; Robin Adams, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Junaid A. Siddiqui, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

processes will be influenced by participant‟s prior knowledge andbeliefs (assumptions, values, etc.) about curriculum inquiry and the context in which thecurriculum will be designed and implemented. As such, the workshop evaluation plan focusedon the impact of the workshop on (1) participants, in particular their professional development asit relates to curriculum inquiry in an institutional context, and (2) institutions through theimplementation of participants‟ curriculum projects.The evaluation plan includes formative and summative elements, and seeks to provide answers tothe following questions: 1. What are the outcomes from the workshop in terms of curriculum development and institutional development? 2. How did participants

Conference Session

Professional Identity

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katherine M. Morley; Alice L. Pawley, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Shawn S. Jordan, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Robin Adams, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Gender and Engineering: Photo Elicitation as a Method of InquiryAbstractIn this paper, we explore the application of photo elicitation as a method of understanding andchanging the perceptions of engineering held by professors and undergraduate students ofvarying disciplines, including engineering and technology. Our research questions in this paperare: 1. How is engineering conceptualized by undergraduate students and professors? and 2. Using photo elicitation, how are these concepts and perceptions gendered?The data set comprises a series of interviews including two individual interviews and one groupinterview. The study includes

Conference Session

Research in Engineering Education II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joachim Walther, University of Georgia; Nicola Wendy Sochacka, University of Georgia; Nadia N. Kellam, University of Georgia

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Data, and ii) a flexible typology of fundamental processes ofvalidation (theoretical, procedural, communicative, pragmatic) and the notion of processreliability. Both of these aspects of the framework are illustrated with examples from theaforementioned study. Future work is planned to further develop the conceptual framework as alanguage for the engineering education community to engage in a discourse around shared,contextual and flexible understandings of research quality.Introduction: Questions of quality in qualitative engineering education researchEngineering education research is an inherently interdisciplinary endeavor [1-3] that is currentlybeing undertaken by a community of engineers, social and educational researchers with diverseand

Conference Session

Epistemic Research

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erick Jacob Nefcy, Oregon State University; Edith Stanley Gummer, Education Northwest; Milo Koretsky, Oregon State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

data. The study reportedin this paper uses the same analysis framework, but at a finer grain size using “think-aloud”protocol analysis.The following research questions frame the study: 1. How do the Model Maps created using the coarser grain analysis based on work products compare to the finer grain analysis based on protocol data? 2. Do the coarser grain data give a reasonable representation of a team’s modeling process?Assessing Learning in Virtual LaboratoriesVirtual laboratories, simulations, and educational games have recently been receivingconsiderable attention as an alternative mode to university instructional laboratories to achievelearning.7,8 In engineering and science, the virtual laboratory is most commonly used as

Conference Session

Understanding Our Students I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Herold, University of California, Riverside; Thomas Stahovich, University of California, Riverside

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

assignment (Figure 1 shows one of the problems from this assignment), aretypical of the prompts we used: 1 Why did you select the system that you used for your free-body diagram? 2 Could you have selected some other system and still solved the problem? 3 How did you model each of the reaction forces? For example, did you consider the reaction to be a pivot, roller, contact with friction, etc.? 4 When computing moments for the moment equilibrium equation, why did you choose the particular point that you used to compute moments about? For example, if you computed moments about point A, why did you pick A and not some other point? 5 Could you have simplified the analysis by picking some other point to take moments about? 6

Conference Session

Thinking About the Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Geoffrey L. Herman, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Mark H. Somerville, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering; David E. Goldberg, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Kerri Ann Green, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

structures and significant time investments for training of faculty as two majorimpediments to change. In this paper, we present our efforts to minimize these “costs” anddevelop low-cost, intrinsic motivation course conversions. This intrinsic motivation courseconversion aims to lower faculty costs and promote students’ intrinsic motivation to learn inorder to create sustainable reform and life-long learners. We describe our design process tocreate such an IM course conversion, and present our evaluation of the conversion. The resultsindicate that we can create a shift towards intrinsically-motivated students who experiencepositive learning experiences at low cost to the faculty.1 Introduction Much attention has been devoted in recent

Conference Session

Research in Engineering Education I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sandra Loree Dika, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Jae Hoon Lim, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

in engineering such aswomen and ethnic minority students. The authors suggest that future research should includethe re-development of the social engagement concept to reflect distinguishing characteristics ofengineering fields.Introduction During the last two decades, the retention and academic success of engineering studentshas emerged as a major topic for discussion among policy makers and researchers in highereducation. However, the current record of engineering student retention and graduation doesnot suggest a positive outlook. Based on the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statisticsprojections 1, the demand for qualified engineering graduates will grow 11% between 2008 and2018, yet the number of engineering graduates remained

Conference Session

Identity and Culture

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tiago R. Forin, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Robin Adams, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Kristen Hatten, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Nadine Undergraduate ExHum/Soc Octavio Undergraduate ExHum/Soc Queenie Undergraduate ExMgt Sebastian Undergraduate ExE Uma Undergraduate ExHum/Soc Vladimir Graduate ExE Wallace Graduate ExSci Xavier Graduate ExE Page 25.371.8 Yancy Post-doc ExHum/Soc Zoltan Graduate ExSci Table 1. Study participants

Conference Session

Thinking About the Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Judith A. Sunderman, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Raymond L. Price, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

instructional design. Studentsvolunteer to participate by enrolling in an experimental course or program. Departments reviewproposed experimental curriculum, support faculty participation, and allow students to exchangeenrollment in experimental sections with credit for a similar course in the official curriculum. Page 25.376.2 1 Because the concept of curriculum incubation is a relatively recent outgrowth ofeducational improvement initiatives, the model is still evolving. Little research exists onincubator effectiveness at producing

Conference Session

Research in Assessment

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Luanna B. Prevost, Michigan State University; Kevin C. Haudek, Michigan State University; John E. Merrill, Michigan State University; Mark Urban-Lurain, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

about key concepts in STEM disciplines and informassessment practicesIntroductionOver the past twenty years, there has been increasing focus on the development of initiatives toimprove STEM education 1–3.The use of formative assessment can help instructors gain betterunderstanding of student learning in STEM disciplines 4–6. Authentic and effective assessmentprovides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding and allows instructorsto give feedback on students learning. However, the prevalence of large-enrollment STEMcourses, particularly at the introductory level, has led to the use of multiple-choice assessments,which are cheaper and less time-consuming to implement and grade.Multiple-choice assessments may not elicit

Conference Session

Before and After: Matriculants and Alumni

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Helen L. Chen, Stanford University; Michelle Marie Grau, Stanford University; Samantha Ruth Brunhaver, Stanford University; Shannon Katherine Gilmartin, SKG Analysis; Sheri Sheppard, Stanford University; Michelle Warner, Stanford University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

of Engineering Alumni ResearchSurvey (PEARS) which was piloted with geographically distributed engineering alumni fromfour institutions in fall 2011. Designed in summer 2011 as part of the broader NSF-fundedEngineering Pathways Study, PEARS builds upon the prior work of the Academic Pathways ofPeople Learning Engineering Survey (APPLES) that was deployed to over 4,500 undergraduateengineering students at 21 institutions (Chen et al., 2008; Donaldson et al., 2007; Donaldson etal., 2008).The anticipated findings from PEARS will: 1) inform the field’s understanding about how the Page 25.385.2college experience advances engineering students

Conference Session

Research on Engineering Design Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lindsey Anne Nelson, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

poverty.E.F. Schumacher, an economist, critically observed modern industrialization created markedseparation between urban and rural areas in developing countries.1 He called for the developmentof “intermediate technologies” to improve the quality of rural life. For Schumacher, soundtechnological development required conserving fossil fuels, respecting the tolerance levels ofnature, and affirming human dignity. Schumacher’s associates helped him establish theIntermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) in 1966. The Appropriate Technologymovement grew out of a groundswell of interest to develop these intermediate technologies.2Development professionals, environmental activists, and social activists gravitated towardsSchumacher’s broad message.Paul

Conference Session

Research in Assessment

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Baba Abdul, Washington State University; David B. Thiessen, Washington State University; Bernard J. Van Wie, Washington State University; Gary Robert Brown, Portland State University; Olusola O. Adesope, Washington State University, Pullman

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

which we believe adequately mirrors cognition in themacroscopic analysis of fluid and thermal systems. We believe this rubric is concise, moreexplicit and relatively easy to use and can be employed in the rating of all the assessmentartifacts by a trained rater. The current version of this rubric is appended at the end of this paper.Our hypotheses are: 1. that we would find consistent FAI ratings for all assessment artifacts (textbook problems, worksheets and examinations) that would correlate with ratings obtained fromtraditional professor-crafted scoring keys, 2. the rubric scores would be more descriptive andhence more representative of learner cognitive trajectory. This we believe would be more useful

Conference Session

Educational Research and Methods Poster Session

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

So Yoon Yoon, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Miles Griffin Evans; Johannes Strobel, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

cognitive procedure in the formation of teacher self-efficacy, which iscyclical in nature (See Figure 1). Rooted on Bandura’s (1986)13 four sources of self-efficacy(verbal persuasion, vicarious experience, physiological arousal, and mastery experience), theinteraction between teachers’ analysis of a teaching task and assessment of teaching competenceresults in their self-efficacy that shapes their personal goals, amount of effort, and level ofpersistence in teaching students. Therefore, teachers’ performance in class is affected by theirteaching self-efficacy, and, in turn, the outcome of their performance becomes the foundation ofnew sources of self-efficacy. Through this cycle, teacher self-efficacy is developed and changed.Here, note that

Conference Session

Identity and Culture

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elliot P. Douglas, University of Florida; Mirka Koro-Ljungberg, University of Florida; David J. Therriault, University of Florida; Christine S. Lee, University of Florida; Nathan McNeill, University of Florida

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

aparticular sort of socially recognizable identity” (p.29). (Note that these socially constructedactivities are typically called “Discourses” with a capital “D” to distinguish them from“discourses”, which focus on the ways in which specific aspects of language are used.) Geeemphasizes that it is not important to count or numerically order Discourses; rather, greater valuecan be found in investigating performances, negotiations, and recognition work that creates,sustains, and transforms Discourses. “Discourses are always defined in relationships ofcomplicity and contestation with other Discourses, and so they change when other Discourses ina society emerge or die.”1 (p. 38) Furthermore, Discourses are coordinations of people, places,languages, and

Conference Session

Research on Engineering Design Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nicholas D. Fila, Purdue University; Senay Purzer, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

desirable to potential users enter commercial production, which includesimprovement on the trial production and its commercial use. The fourth stage, diffusion, capturesdissemination and adoption nationally and internationally8. Here, products, systems, andprocesses must remain desirable, useful, and economically viable in order to remain in use and/orproduction. If an idea stalls any of the four stages, it cannot be considered innovative since it willnever reach a necessary level of diffusion. Based upon this definition of innovation, and thehurdles ideas may face on the journey towards diffusion, Table 1 describes five qualities ideasmust possess to be considered innovative.Table 1. Qualities of Innovative DesignsQuality Description

Conference Session

Understanding Our Students II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy S. Van Arsdale, University of California, Riverside; Thomas Stahovich, University of California, Riverside

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

, and the amount of time spent on each activity. The spatial organization of the work ischaracterized by the extent to which a student revisits earlier parts of a solution to revise theirwork. Regression models have demonstrated that, on average, about 40% of the variance instudent performance could be explained by our features. This is a surprising result in that thefeatures consider only the process of recording the solution history and do not actually considerthe semantics of the writing.1 IntroductionStudents have long been taught that neatness counts. But does it? In this project, we seek tounderstand how the organization of a student’s solution to a problem relates to the quality of thesolution. More precisely, we seek to understand how

Conference Session

Understanding Our Students II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mohammed E. Haque P.E., Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

assembled the attendance records and final grades of 210 formerstudents over the course of three consecutive semesters (Fall, Spring, and Summer). In each ofthese semesters, course contents were divided into three segments, and at the end of eachsegment, students appeared a comprehensive test. Based on the performance of three tests(EXAM-1, -2 and -3) a student received the final grade. Student absences were thus monitoredas follows:Absence Group 1 = Number of absences in segment 1 (first day of semester to day of EXAM-1).Absence Group 1 = Number of absences in segment 2 (day after EXAM-1 to day of EXAM-2).Absence Group 3 = Number of absences in segment 3 (day after EXAM-2 to day of EXAM-3).Probabilistic Neural Net (PNN) based Genetic Algorithm

Conference Session

Research Informing Teaching Practice I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Jane Grigg, Clemson University; Lisa Benson, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

goals of this project include: (1) elucidate how firstyear engineering students utilize problem solving strategies, and (2) evaluate successful andunsuccessful problem solving strategies, as well as errors and misconceptions, in terms ofcognitive and metacognitive processes. Data collected from 36 students in Spring 2011 has beenanalyzed using a validated coding structure. The analysis identifies relevant events within well-structured word problems which had multiple possible ways of solving the problem but only onecorrect answer. To assess mental workload students experience as they solve problems, a taskload index (NASA-TLX) was administered after students completed each problem. The NASA-TLX is a survey with six subscales: three measuring

Conference Session

Epistemic Research

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ji Hyun Yu, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Johannes Strobel, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

’ specific beliefs arecarefully conceptualized and appropriate assessment design and methodologies are chosen, theirendeavors might become more viable and more rewarding engineering practices.The present study is part of a larger study initiated to how individual’s naïve theories (i.e.domain-specific beliefs1, epistemological beliefs, and ontological beliefs) impact theirperformance in engineering. In this paper, a first step in the instrument development to establisha conceptual framework was addressed. We aimed to 1) conduct a thorough literature review thatshows previous attempts to conceptualize the construct of Engineering-related Beliefs, in whichthe construct has been used as a useful independent or dependent variable, 2) extract

Conference Session

Model Eliciting Activities

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Heidi A. Diefes-Dux, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Monica E. Cardella, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

research being conductedon students’ iterative mathematical solutions to an MEA involving decisions with univariatedata. This work has looked at students’ understanding of basic descriptive statisticalconcepts16,17 – where the development of students conceptual understandings of mathematicalconcepts is the most fundamental benefit of MEAs. Exposure of students’ understandings ofmathematical concepts is what MEAs were designed to do.1 Through this research, is has beenrevealed that when a high quality model requires some quantification of the distribution of thedata, student teams have a difficult time moving past looking at only measures of centraltendency and variance even with instructor written feedback. To find ways to overcome this,and while

Conference Session

Contextual Competencies

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nathan E. Canney, University of Colorado, Boulder; Angela R. Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

more holistic engineers9. Thephilosophy behind Humanitarian Engineering is to use engineering skills to address the socialand development problems of underserved populations – similar to the vision of an engineer withwell-developed views of personal and professional social responsibility. HumanitarianEngineering programs are more adept at addressing many ABET ‘professional skills’, includingan understanding of ethical responsibility and of the global and societal impacts of engineeringsolutions in addition to traditional technical skills10.Research QuestionsThe following research questions are the motivations for this paper and study. 1) To what degree does an individual possesses socially responsible ideals and are those beliefs

Conference Session

Research in Engineering Education I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hanjun Xian, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Krishna Madhavan, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

awards. We further identify three categories of research topics thatshow different patterns in terms of level of collaborative engagement. We believe that ourresearch results will provide comprehensive and insightful understanding of collaborationpatterns within the engineering education research community. It also benefits the researchcommunity by offering information perhaps necessary to promote collaboration in certain areasin engineering education.1. IntroductionImportance of communication and collaboration has always been emphasized in academia. Thereare appeals for more intensive collaboration across disciplines and domains with wider sharingof research data, results, and other resources. For example, National Academy of Engineering

Conference Session

Educational Research and Methods Poster Session

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa K. Davids, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

team-based oralformat.For the control group, the written exams each consisted of four fairly simple problems whichcovered the material only on which students had turned in homework. The written exams wereadministered during the 75 minute class-session and allowed 1 equation sheet. For the team-based oral format, each team of four students was provided a team-unique set of problems. Eachproblem set contained four problems (equal to the maximum number of students in a team), andagain, only covered the material on which students had turned in homework. The teams weregiven their problem sets in class the week prior to the oral examination timeslots. Some teamshad exactly 1 week, others had a little more than a week to prepare for the oral

Conference Session

Understanding Our Students II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shannon Ciston, University of California, Berkeley; Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, University of New Haven; Viktoria Zelenak, University of New Haven; Michael J. Hollis, U.S. Air Force Academy

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

25.136.2of perspectives, accomplishments, priorities, and expectations compared to their youngerclassmates.There is a concern regarding recent national trends in engineering education. According to arecent U.S. Department of Education report,1 over the last decade undergraduate degreesawarded in the fields of Engineering have dropped from 6.3 to 5.4 percent of the total degreesconferred in the country (p. 297). The numbers are easily misconstrued by the fact that the rawnumbers of engineering degrees have actually risen during the same time period. However, thisrise in number of degrees is due to the larger number of total degrees conferred. The proportionof students pursuing engineering degrees is declining with students instead populating fields

Conference Session

Understanding Our Students I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kyle B. Reed, University of South Florida

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

is a vital part of the answer itself,confidence in one’s answer is not typically emphasized during schooling. Nevertheless, it is vitalwhen students enter the work force. The confidence-based grading method described in thispaper gives students practice assessing the confidence in their answer and also serves as a metric Page 25.232.2the instructor can use to evaluate how well the students think they know the material.The method is based on grading the student’s answers Table 1: Points awarded for eachaccording to both correctness of the answer as well as the combination of correctness andstudent’s selection of “confident” or “not

Conference Session

Before and After: Matriculants and Alumni

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Xingyu Chen, Purdue University; Matthew W. Ohland, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

to the conversation by studying institutional and state differences inthe effect of college costs and financial aid on access. This study particularly focuses onengineering students to explore access of an important underrepresented group in engineering—students of low socioeconomic status. Therefore, this study aims to answer the followingresearch questions: 1) To what extent do college costs and financial aid (especially merit-based scholarships) interact to affect the fraction of in-state students and access to engineering? 2) To what extent do merit-based scholarships affect the demographics of first-time in- state engineering students? 3) How do these effects vary by state and by institution?To answer these