Conference Session

Engineering Management Applications

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gene Dixon, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering

development is a key aspect of student learning10 and defineprofessional identity “as personal identification with the duties, responsibilities and knowledgeassociated with a professional role.” (p631). The LID model is shown in Figure 1 as a table.The model is shown in a simplified representation for the sake of brevity. The tablerepresentation falls back to a linear representation and fails to capture the dynamic nature of therepeating development cycles, or stages, that make the model, in application, a system. The sixstages of increasing leadership KSA proficiencies include: Awareness, Exploration/Engagement,Leader Identified, Leadership Differentiated, Generativity, and Integration/Synthesis8. Asindicated by Thornton and Nardi18, identification

Conference Session

Frontiers in Engineering Economy

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Hartman, University of Florida; Jennifer Smith, University of Florida

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy

process for a given week of lectures (generally consisting of three): 1. Update lecture notes (slides) as deemed required. In this case, the instructor utilizes examples from current media, so the lecture notes (examples) were updated accordingly. 2. Forward notes to technical support team. Slides are “upgraded” with visuals for examples and background for online course “theme”. 3. Notes are returned to instructor for use in traditional class. Any errors (such as a miscalculation caught by students) are fixed and returned to technical team for final processing. (Steps 1-3 are repeated for all three lectures in a week.) 4. Instructor delivers three lectures in studio captured by video and synched with slide

Conference Session

Advances in Engineering Economy Pedagogy

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christopher Jablonowski, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy

= an b (1)yn = cost or duration metric of well n, n = order of well in drilling sequence, and a, b = parameters tobe estimated. The parameters a and b can be estimated using non-linear regression. In someapplications, this simple form of learning may be adequate.Brett and Millheim Model. Brett and Millheim propose an alternate learning curve specificationin their influential paper on the subject.3 Their model is attractive because of its simplicity, andfor the intuitive interpretation of the parameters. The Brett and Millheim specification is asfollows:y n = C 1 e (1 − n ) C 2 + C 3 (2)yn = cost or duration metric of well n, n = order of well in drilling sequence, and C’s

Conference Session

Advances in Engineering Economy Pedagogy

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Emily Evans, University of Arkansas; Heather Nachtmann, University of Arkansas; Kim Needy, University of Arkansas

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy

and investigated: 1) the faculty that teach it, 2) the coursecontent and mechanics itself, and 3) the students that take the course. We are currentlyembarking on a follow-up data collection effort to conduct a longitudinal analysis of this priorstudy. This survey paper presents a review of the most relevant literature published since thissurvey. The pedagogy highlighted in this paper includes problems with current teachingmethods, modern technological advances in the engineering economy classroom, and newapproaches to enhance the classroom experience. These findings support our long term goal ofimproving engineering economy pedagogy by increasing visibility, enhancing instructorknowledge, and influencing external stakeholders such as

Conference Session

Advances in Engineering Economy Pedagogy

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Kauffmann, East Carolina University; Stephanie Sullivan, East Carolina University; Gene Dixon, East Carolina University; B.J. Kim, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy

skillsdeveloped in previous courses. Using this focus, concepts can be mapped from one course to thenext, can be reinforced, and can be developed in a richer and more applied context. The paperaddresses integration of a natural and related group of three topical areas found in manyengineering programs and identified as high priority skills by industry: statistics, engineeringeconomics and project management. Page 15.780.3Curriculum ContextThe basic course plan of the curricular integration implementation rests on the sequence ofcourses described in Figure 1. Although it is not always possible to predict the requirements ofthe capstone project, the

Conference Session

Frontiers in Engineering Economy

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ted Eschenbach, TGE Consulting

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy

opportunity for an exchange of content, emphases, and approaches thatcan enrich the classrooms of both fields.This paper analyzes the similarities and differences of typical engineering economy and finance(1) texts, (2) students, and (3) faculty. For example, most engineering economy texts will havechapters of detailed coverage with 20-year projects that may have different cash flows in everyyear. In contrast, the typical project in a finance text has a five year life and uniform cash flows.The engineering students are on average better with mathematics, tables of factors, andspreadsheets, but the finance students analyze problems more quickly by using financialcalculators.The textbook authors and classroom teachers in each field have honed their

Conference Session

Integrating Engineering Economy into Curricula

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Wilck IV, East Carolina University; Paul C. Lynch, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA; Paul J. Kauffmann P.E., East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy

, and 4 unspecified) enrolled in anundergraduate engineering economics course, near the end of the semester at the PennsylvaniaState University’s University Park campus in the Fall 2013 semester [IRB approval on 2/8/2013;human subjects assurance number 42153]. The questions involving engineering economics as ageneral education course are provided in Table 1.All of the students surveyed were either juniors or seniors in an engineering degree program, andall of the students had completed either microeconomics or macroeconomics at theundergraduate level (24 of the students had taken both microeconomics and macroeconomics). Page 24.494.7Table 1

Conference Session

Integrating Engineering Economy into Curricula

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christina Jauregui Barboza, Stevens Institute of Technology (SSE)

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy

in the world’s energydemand. Figure 1, shows the increase in world energy consumption for the past 200 years andincludes a breakdown of the energy sources utilized for consumption19. As shown in the figure,the fossil fuels coal and oil have been the major energy sources since 1900. Environmental andsustainability science discuss the IPAT equation, which suggests that the product of thepopulation (P), affluence (A), and technology (T) indicate the human impact (I) on theenvironment 4. Therefore, careful consideration of the figures for population, affluence andtechnology will allow a calculation of the approximate human impact generated on planet Earth. Figure 1 – World Energy Consumption As the increasing

Conference Session

Integrating Engineering Economy into Curricula

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gene Dixon, East Carolina University; Joseph Wilck IV, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy

method.IntroductionEngineering capstone design courses are recognized as “a culminating experience” wherestudents apply “knowledge and abilities to practical engineering problems”1 that “draws on allprevious course work”2. The capstone experience permits students to connect theory andpractice in the final academic process of developing professional skills of engineering design,professional relationships, and teamwork. Capstone texts each have variations of the designprocess such as stage-gate, systems engineering, and systems engineering lifecycle; however, noconsensus on what specifically constitutes engineering design was found3. Research indicatesthat experienced engineers recognize that the common process being described by these terms isiterative in nature and

Conference Session

Instructional Design

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

K.J. Rogers, University of Texas, Arlington; Melanie L. Sattler, University of Texas, Arlington; Andrea M. Graham, University of Texas, Arlington; Stephen P. Mattingly, University of Texas, Arlington

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

25.1505.2IntroductionSustainability has been identified as one of the global grand challenges of the 21st century. Inorder for future generations to enjoy a satisfactory quality of life, the current generation mustfind ways to meet humanity's needs for energy, shelter, food and water in ways that areenvironmentally, economically, and socially sustainable.Sustainable engineering may be defined as engineering for human development that meets theneeds of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their ownneeds.1 Due to population growth and expanded global development, the next generation ofengineers must be able to design with fewer resources for a wider variety and greater number ofend users.2 According to National Academy of Engineering (NAE

Conference Session

Engineering Economy Division Technical Session

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Hubert Wilck IV, East Carolina University; Paul J. Kauffmann P.E., East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy

notes provided, identical homework assignments, consistentweekly topical schedule, textbook, and online quizzes using a lockdown browser (Respondus).The primary difference was that the face to face section had a live lecture and the online sectionhad specifically made videos produced with Camtasia screen capture software.In general, most weeks covered one chapter in the text. The general sequence of activitiesinvolved:  Coverage of course topics either by lecture or by video using consistent power point slides. Figure 1 provides a screen capture of a typical video.  For the online section, Centra chat / white board sessions were held on Tuesday and Wednesday. An example screen capture is shown in Figure 2. These sessions

Conference Session

Integrating Research

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Karen M. Bursic, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

higher education and while somemay argue that the use of this type of technology results in more “entertainment” than inincreasing learning, many improvements to the classroom environment, learning, and assessmenthave been identified and reported. Kay and LeSage did a review of 67 peer-reviewed papers Page 25.479.2related to the benefits and challenges associated with ARSs.1 They found that while much of theresearch has focused on issues such as whether clickers increase student attendance, attentionlevels, and engagement in the classroom many studies have also looked at learning benefitsincluding whether student performance has increased. Other

Conference Session

Assessment and Accreditation in Engineering Management

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David S. Cochran, Southern Methodist University and Meijo University; Makoto Kawada, Meijo University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

theunderstanding gained during a system design and learning process.IntroductionCollective System Design (CSD) is an enterprise and manufacturing system design,implementation and management methodology. CSD is being developed in response toproblems that many enterprises face in implementing and sustaining the Toyota ProductionSystem, Lean and Lean-Six Sigma. Evidence in the application of lean as it is being taught andimplemented today is that “lean” is sustained in just five percent of the applications after threeyears [1, 2].The lessons learned in developing the CSD approach are the result of many years of systemsengineering, implementation and management experience. Enterprise and manufacturing systemdesign is an emerging discipline as it addresses the

Conference Session

Improving IE Course Content

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yosef S. Allam, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach; Scott Sink, Ohio State University; Joseph M. Cerrato, Ohio State University; John A. Merrill, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering

currentstudents, a basic gate valve assembly featuring three model variants (sweat, threaded, andcompression attachment types) with mostly interchangeable parts and two handle colors for atotal of six possible product variations was selected selected, as seen in Figure 1 with just one handlecolor. This product oduct type was selected for ruggedness, parts interchangeability, design stability,and availability.Figure 1: Gate valve models from left to right: threaded, compression fitting, and sweat.Finally, there was also a general call to limit the number and scope of concepts students wereexpected to learn to allow for more depth of understanding with a slightly smaller set of terms

Conference Session

Innovations in the IE Curriculum

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Heidi A. Taboada, University of Texas, El Paso; Jose F. Espiritu, University of Texas, El Paso

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

variety of disciplines. It hasbeen found that multi-disciplinary approaches to research and education are essential tounderstanding and resolving complex environmental and social issues. Through BGREEN,students will experience that most real problems are not defined within a single domain but theycross disciplines. This paper highlights the education component of BGREEN and shows howindustrial engineering departments can broaden and strengthen their research areas through thetype of multi-disciplinary research performed under this project. The paper also shows how theBGREEN model can be easily replicated at other institutions.1. Introduction Today’s energy challenges stem from an unsustainable energy infrastructure, largelydependent on fossil

Conference Session

Methods, Cases, and Directions

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bidhan C. Roy, University of Wisconsin, Platteville; Osama M. Jadaan, University of Mount Union; Mitchell Dean Cornelius, University of Wisconsin, Platteville

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

studies in mechanical engineering and complete research within the biological and nanoscience area of interest. Page 25.77.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 Big money in an infinitesimal world - A nanotechnology module within the current course in Engineering Economy Mitchell Cornelius1, Bidhan Roy2, Osama Jadaan2 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2 Department of General Engineering University of Wisconsin – Platteville, 1 University Plaza, Platteville, Wisconsin 53818, USAAbstract: For the past couple of years, the

Conference Session

Innovations in the IE Curriculum

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Denise H. Bauer, University of Idaho, Moscow; Jessica L. Heier Stamm, Kansas State University; Lesley Strawderman, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

how to effectively deliver andmanage these courses. According to Farr et al.3, a successful capstone design course is one inwhich students utilize a variety of analytical tools, function in a team-based environment, solve areal-world problem, work to close any non-technical competency gaps, and follow a total designprocess. Many of these essential course features are echoed by Beyerlein et al.,1 includingfocusing on not only the solutions students develop through a capstone design course, but alsohow each student develops individually. To this end, it becomes important to structure coursesthat support not only program curriculum and educational objectives,5 but also the professionaldevelopment needs for each student.1One of the primary ways

Conference Session

Engineering Management Applications

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig G. Downing, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering

interviews yielded substantive Page 25.156.4information. To complement and corroborate the qualitative data obtained from the interviews, abrief three-item survey was administered to a larger population of recruiters, approximately 165,visiting the RHIT fall Career Fair. With the exception of Executive Recruiters (not present at theCareer Fair), the larger group contained similar demographics to face-to-face interviews.The quantitative aspect of this endeavor asked participants to answer the following questions: 1. Do you know the difference between Engineering and Engineering Technology Baccalaureate Degrees (e.g. Mechanical Engineering vs

Conference Session

Improving IE Course Content

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leonardo Bedoya-Valencia, Colorado State University, Pueblo; Nebojsa I. Jaksic, Colorado State University, Pueblo

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering

results presented in this work show an improvement in student modelingabilities as well as high student satisfaction with the described experiment. Master levelstudents, already exposed to the concepts of modeling and optimization, were slightly lesssatisfied than bachelor level students that have never been exposed to the same concepts. Both,master and bachelor level students showed an improvement in their modeling abilities.JustificationMorse and Kimball (1951)1 defined Operations Research (OR) as "a scientific method ofproviding executive departments with a quantitative basis for decisions regarding the operationsunder their control". OR follows a scientific approach to analyze problems and to support anydecision making process. OR

Conference Session

Engineering Management Applications

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Syed Athar Masood, National University of Sciences & Technology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering

increasingproject staff5.Unfortunately, project managers are somewhat limited in how far they can go to reducemanpower without running a high risk to corporate profitability. Capital equipmentprojects are not always the answer. Therefore, project managers have to look in detailsfor the solutions to their problems. Many project managers are not willing to accept change and are inflexible when itcomes to adapting to different alarming factors. The project management approachrequires a departure from the traditional business organizational form, which is basicallyvertical and which emphasizes a strong superior–subordinate relationship.As shown in figure-1, normally companies are structured. There are always “class orprestige” gaps between various levels of

Conference Session

Pedagogical Advancements in Engineering Management

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

S. Jimmy Gandhi, Stevens Institute of Technology; Brian Sauser, Stevens Institute of Technology; Brian E. White, Complexity Are Us - Systems Engineering Strategies; Alex Gorod, Visiting Fellow, University of Adelaide; Vernon Ireland, University of Adelaide

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

cross-cultural and/or international conflicts, for example. Critical Systems Heuristics relates to the partial pre-suppositions that underpin system judgments. This methodology provides Ulrich’s twelve boundary questions that affect pro- ject scope,6 and focuses on who is marginalized and suggests techniques that allow these groups to be heard. Emotive forces in groups are recognized. Post-modern Systems Thinking recognizes conflict between groups and critically ques- tions 1) power relations; 2) the role of language; 3) the extent to which people are self- determining; and 4) the roles of signs and images, and provides a technique for first and second phase deliberation, debate, and decision. Total

Conference Session

Technology and Equipment to Improve IE Instruction

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dave Yearwood, University of North Dakota; Alex Johnson, University of North Dakota

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

costly to operate and maintain. Faced with these challenges, institutionswill have to adapt and innovate by pursuing alternative and creative approaches to educating 21stcentury students. Two issues were examined in a recent study: 1. To ascertain the extent towhich less costly bench-top metal lathes can be used as viable alternatives in provide studentswith an understanding about the design and creation of manufactured items And 2. Determinethe levels of acceptance by faculty and industry about the use of smaller lathes as viablealternatives to their industrial size cousins. A study was conducted into the use of bench-topmetal lathes in a post-secondary educational institution. A metal lathe was chosen for this studyprimarily due to its

Conference Session

Student Development and Assessment in IE Programs

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mysore Narayanan, Miami University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

, which is shown in Appendix B. A bar chart was generated based on likert scale and this is shown in Appendix C.Data Analysis Referring to the bar chart, one can draw certain conclusions and make thesefollowing important observations. It is interesting to note that none of the characteristics observed secured themaximum possible likert scale score of 5. We should also observe that none of thecharacteristics studied secured the minimum possible likert scale score of 1. Five characteristics have recorded an acceptable score of 4 on Likert Scale,indicating that there is enough of room for improvement. These characteristics are: • Reduce dependence on lectures

Conference Session

Pedagogical Advancements in Engineering Management

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mysore Narayanan, Miami University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

learning methodologies do necessarily require additional work onthe part of students as well as faculty (Barrows, 2000). A pioneer in the area of problem-basedlearning, McMaster University Professor Emeritus, Dr. Donald R. Woods describes acurriculum that is significantly different from the traditional discipline centered curriculum(Woods, 1994). Discovery approach aims to march a step further, when compared with problem-basedlearning. Here the instructor may benefit from the ideas provided by Intel Education. (http://www.intel.com/education/designprojects/) 1. Authentic project work puts students in the driver's seat of their own learning. 2. Instructors should take advantage of curriculum developed by teachers in a large

Conference Session

Student Development and Assessment in IE Programs

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yaseen Mahmud, Morgan State University; Masud Salimian, Morgan State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

analytical courses.Given such critical importance, it is crucial for IE students to: 1. Develop understanding of the concepts of decision variables, constraints, and measures of performance. 2. Develop skills in creating abstract mathematical programming models (LP, ILP, NLP) from real world problems. 3. Develop operational skills in carrying out procedural steps necessary for algorithms (the HOW skill). 4. Develop in-depth knowledge of the logic behind algorithms and their concepts, and learn to extend them to new horizons (the WHY and WHAT-IF skills).Looking at the above list of capabilities, it is clear that the majority of those skills to bedeveloped rely on understanding the underlining concepts and being able to

Conference Session

Student Development and Assessment in IE Programs

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Terri M. Lynch-Caris, Kettering University; Jonathan Weaver, University of Detroit Mercy; Darrell K. Kleinke, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

grading rubric allowed the professor to fairly and objectively evaluate the finalpresentations. The prototype BIT will be modified based on student assessment data andexperiences in the classroom.PurposeStudents can be empowered to learn by balancing academic and experiential educationalprocesses with a goal of work-integrated learning. Integrating work experiences with theeducational process can be facilitated by specific activities and intentional assessment. Intern, co-op and capstone experiences and preparation for professional certification provide learningexperiences and relevance in technical programs.1, 2 Through engagement in problem-basedlearning and experiences in the innovation process in the classroom, students may come toappreciate

Conference Session

Engineering Management Applications

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

S. Jimmy Gandhi, Stevens Institute of Technology; Alex Gorod, Visiting Fellow, University of Adelaide

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering

systemic risk management. The authorsfurther discuss how systemic risk management can be integrated into engineering managementeducation.Introduction Engineering has long been regarded as a set of technical processes that are used to solveproblems. Engineering is defined as, “The application of science to practical uses such as thedesign of structures, machines, and systems.” [1]. However, as a result of continual pressure forgrowth, most companies have expanded their product lines and also the geographic region inwhich they are offered [2]. Due to this expansion, the complexity associated with projects thatmost organizations undertake has increased exponentially. According to Jagersma [3], thiscomplexity manifests itself in many forms

Conference Session

Technology and Equipment to Improve IE Instruction

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leonardo Rivera, Universidad Icesi; Andrés López, Universidad Icesi; Andrés Calderón, Universidad Icesi

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

, in which agame is considered serious when it is used with an objective other than entertainment. This paperexplains the objectives of the use of the game in the class, the regulations and learning guides thatwere employed, the experiences the students lived, the main points the students take away fromthe use of the game and other experiences that take place in the class in addition to the delivery ofcontents and development of skills. This experience took place at Universidad Icesi, in Cali,Colombia.1. IntroductionEducation nowadays has to concern itself with more than the mere transmission of contents. Ithas been clear for some time that students must also develop skills and abilities to applyknowledge and concepts to actual work

Conference Session

Assessment and Accreditation in Engineering Management

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy K. Zander, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

program is listed as first accredited since the dateof their first accredited graduating class. The length of the accreditation process means that theaccreditation announcement and program listing takes place two years following the listedaccreditation date.) As seen in Table 1, there are now accredited engineering managementprograms in the U.S., Kuwait, Egypt and Turkey.2The first continuously accredited engineering management program was accredited in 1936 atOklahoma State University. Growth in the number of program began slowly, with the nextprogram appearing in the 1970s. The seven most recent additions to the list have taken placeonly in the last decade. Figure 1 displays the number of accredited EM programs accredited inany given year since

Conference Session

Methods, Cases, and Directions

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ted Eschenbach P.E., University of Alaska, Anchorage; Neal A. Lewis, University of Bridgeport; Yiran Zhang, University of Bridgeport

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

expenditure of the federal budget in Fiscal 2010. Social Securityaccounted for 20.3% of the budget, compared to 23.6% for discretionary defense and 20.8% forMedicare/Medicaid.1 Thus, analysis of the program is a full-time job for many, as well as beingthe subject of ongoing political discourse.Nevertheless, at the level of personal decision-making much of the available information doesnot seem to properly consider the time value of money. Since how to properly consider that timevalue is the subject of engineering economy courses, the topic is a suitable one for a case study.More importantly, like a real world problem, analyzing this case study can require students tosearch out the needed information from many possible sources, read and understand