Conference Session

Sustainability in Engineering Curricula

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Hoffmann, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Inez Hua, Purdue University; Ernest Blatchley, Purdue University; Loring Nies, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

-themed courses, they were developing modules or exercises withsustainability themes to add to existing courses in their departments. In this way, students seesustainability as an integral part of the core curriculum, rather than as an added “special interest”or optional course.The workshop had two primary identified goals: 1) to provide faculty members with resources and information necessary to tie sustainability concepts, questions, and problems into their engineering courses; and 2) to assist faculty in the development of a single course module, activity, or assignment that can be inserted into a course in the 2009-2010 school year.Faculty from all disciplines who teach all courses were welcomed, but particular effort was madeto

Conference Session

Engaging Students

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nicole Berge, University of South Carolina; Joseph Flora, University of South Carolina

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

AC 2010-1752: ENGAGING STUDENTS IN CRITICAL THINKING: ANENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING EFFECTNicole Berge, University of South Carolina Dr. Nicole Berge received her BS and MS degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of South Carolina in 1999 and 2001, respectively. In 2006, she received her PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Central Florida. From 2006 – 2008, Dr. Berge worked as a Postdoctoral Associate at Tufts University. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina.Joseph Flora, University of South Carolina Dr. Joseph Flora is currently an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina. He received

Conference Session

Sustainability in Engineering Curricula

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary McCormick, Tufts University; Kristina Lawyer, Michigan Technological University; Meredith Berlin, University of Colorado - Boulder; Chris Swan, Tufts University; Kurt Paterson, Michigan Technological University; Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder; Jonathan Wiggins, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

experiences. One approach,sustainable engineering through service learning, appears to have pedagogical advantages, buthas yet to be rigorously explored. This paper outlines an approach to evaluate if such anadvantage exists. Our goal is to determine if (and how) service learning provides an appropriatemethod to instill sustainable engineering educational outcomes in engineering students. Servicelearning has been shown to enrich students’ learning experiences and to be intrinsicallymotivational to engineering students. Consequently, we are evaluating the outcomes resultingfrom the explicit integration of sustainable engineering and service learning in engineeringeducation. Sustainable engineering via service learning efforts, both curricular

Conference Session

Engaging Students

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Junko Munakata-Marr, Colorado School of Mines; Jennifer Schneider, Colorado School of Mines; Barbara Moskal, Colorado School of Mines; Carl Mitcham, Colorado School of Mines; Jon Leydens, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

sanitation.Content was integrated into the course using a case-study approach. Between weeks three andseven of a 15-week semester, students investigated and contrasted common sanitation practicesin the U.S. and developing nations and then began work on mini-case studies focused on specificcommunities in developing countries. Guest speakers supplemented instruction by sharingexperiences from living and working in such communities and overseeing sanitation-engineeringprojects. In week nine, student teams described their chosen community, its relevantdemographics, current sanitation practices, and the team’s initial sanitation options. In week 12,student teams identified key community stakeholders, conducted a sanitation options assessment,and assembled

Conference Session

Engaging Students

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leslie Hadaway, Norwood High School; Megan Urbaitis, Norwood High School; Regina Lamendella, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Daniel Oerther, University of Cincinnati; Andrea Burrows, The University of Cincinnati; Mike Borowczak, The University of Cincinnati; Anant Kukreti, The University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

-cultural theory as the framework of this research. We look to the process oflearning, not the product constructed as evidence of authentic practice. There is an emphasis onthe interaction between learners and learning tasks. Since STEM education is currently in thespotlight, gaining insights into Project STEP’s sustainability, using a socio-cultural perspective isimportant. Working with the urban youth in Cincinnati, Roth and Lee’s [1] statement that “aresearcher… does not separate the poverty or culture of urban students’ home lives fromconditions of schooling, consideration of the curriculum, problems of learning, or learning toteach under difficult settings” (p. 218) becomes vitally important. Wertsch [2] also shows therelationship between all

Conference Session

Enhancing Environmental Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mysore Narayanan, Miami University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

called for anew standard of quality, one based on the quality of student development. Pascarella andTerenzini have also concluded that there is an urgent need for a shift in the decision-makingorientation of administrators toward learner-centered management. The main objective of theinstructional module generated by instructors must be to ensure that the subject matter content iseffectively integrated with the presentation format (Grasha, 1990, 1996). In other words, thetask in front of the instructor would be to blend the content and presentation in theory as well aspractice (Gagne, 1992; Briggs, 1991). Here, the instructor assumes the role of a facilitator andeffectively utilizes modern technology to experiment on innovative ideas that can