Paper ID #12671Why Think about Learning? The Value of Reflective Learning in First YearEngineering DesignMrs. Natalie CT Van Tyne P.E., Colorado School of Mines Natalie Van Tyne is a Teaching Associate Professor at Colorado School of Mines, where she teaches first and second year engineering design as foundation courses for CSM’s thirteen undergraduate degree programs. She holds bachelors and masters degrees from Rutgers University, Lehigh University and Colorado School of Mines, and studies best practices in pedagogy, reflective learning and critical thinking as aids to enhanced student learning.Dr. M Brunhart-Lupo
Paper ID #12234Assessing first-year students’ ability to critically reflect and build on theirteam experiencesDr. Nick Tatar, Olin College of Engineering Nick Tatar, Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Instructor of Education: Dr. Tatar received his PhD from the University of New Hampshire where he focused on student learning and student motivation dur- ing the high school to college transition. He initiated and developed a first-year seminar course at Olin College, a course that focuses on working in teams, diversity, and self-directed learning. He enjoys collab- orating with other faculty members in the classroom and
Paper ID #13336A reflection on the process of selecting, developing, and launching a new de-sign project in a large-scale introduction to engineering design courseMr. Kevin Calabro, University of Maryland, College Park Kevin Calabro is Keystone Instructor and Associate Director in the Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland.Dr. Ayush Gupta, University of Maryland, College Park Ayush Gupta is Research Assistant Professor in Physics and Keystone Instructor in the A. J. Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland. Broadly speaking he is interested in modeling learning and reasoning processes
framework to guide and help students reflect on their thinking. InFall 2014, faculty sought to enhance and expand critical thinking instruction in the course byproviding students with more meaningful opportunities to apply the framework. Several writtenassignments for this course were crafted around the Grand Challenges. The purpose of theseassignments was two-fold. First, students would have meaningful opportunities to develop theircritical thinking skills by analyzing current engineering issues. Second, it was hoped thatstudents would gain an awareness of engineers’ roles in the global community by exposure to theGrand Challenges.Student written assignments were assessed for their demonstration of critical thinking ability andintegration of the
. While the basic assignment has remained the same each year, the application haschanged in some way each year. In 2012, four regularly scheduled class sessions were cancelledto provide additional time for students to attend or reflect on their events. Students wereprovided a list of possible events to attend and regular announcements were made of appropriateevents that were being hosted around the university. Based on student feedback from the firstyear’s offering, along with the recognition that the cancelled classes provided additionalopportunities to bring in exploration content (and that some students, due to other constraints,could attend only activities during normal class times), the second year offering was modified.The first-year
, retain, andprepare students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields to addresschallenges facing the 21st Century. This paper describes a method for integrating behavioralinstinct learning modules into freshman engineering classes. The method includes an onlineinstinct assessment, in-class activities created to illustrate instinctive behavior related toengineering tasks, practicing awareness through class projects, and reflective writing toencourage students to critically think about this awareness for future classes, activities, andcareers. The effectiveness of the methods described herein will be evaluated through the use ofsurveys, reflective essays, and interviews with faculty and students. The assessments have
experience also asks the freshmen to consider diverse perspectives as theydesign for the targeted populations. The paper describes the project implementation and presentsresults from student reflections and from a survey. Lessons learned and recommendations forbest practices are also presented.Freshmen Year Context and ObjectivesDuring the 2010-2011 academic year the department of Mechanical Engineering at CaliforniaPolytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) began a process of redesigning thefreshmen year experience for its incoming Mechanical Engineering students. At Cal Polystudents enter the university with a declared major and begin taking major courses their firstquarter. The department is large, with 180-240 incoming freshmen
reviewTeams were asked to identify aspects of their draft that were better than those they read, as wellas describe modifications that they would make to their report based upon what they saw fromtheir classmates. The complete instructions of the team portion of the exercise are Part 2 of theassignment in the appendix. The reflection was turned in, along with the feedback they providedto their classmates. Credit for both parts of the assignment was essentially effort-based. Teamsthen received the peer feedback and began working on the subsequent first-half draft of thereport. This draft included the two sections that were the subject of the peer review, plus a few
visions and responsible for their own experiences and decisions1. Self-authorship includes a number of different enrichment processes, which most higher educationinstitutions strive for their students to achieve1-4. The enrichment process for studentdevelopment focuses on intellectual, identity and relationship development5. Self–authorship isseen as growth from internal to external ideas1, 2. Starting the process of developing self-authorship for students at the freshman level will be beneficial in laying the groundwork forthem to continue the development throughout their undergraduate education1.To address this need, we modified an elective first year survey course, Engineering (Engr.) 110.This change reflects an initial effort to educate the
networkgame, to verify how a two-semester sequence may reflect on the quality of the final product.The students worked on a team to design and develop the software requirements and relateddocuments in addition to building the software. The objective of the demonstration to the freshmen class was twofold: (1) illustrate theprocess of software development comprising multiple stages over two semesters, and (2)outline typical game programming technology with the use of professional tools. Page 26.769.63.2 Detailed Project Descriptions The data acquisition and control projects were all developed in LabVIEW and focused on acompletely different kind of
incorporate real-world problems, issues, and scenarios into mini or majorprojects that are devised to prompt students to investigate, gather, and apply knowledge.Project-based learning aims to engage students in realistic, thought-provoking problems;typical projects present a problem to solve, a phenomenon to investigate, a model todesign, or a decision to make3. At the core of project-base learning are the following4: ● Students learning knowledge, processes, and methods in order to wrestle with realistic problems they would encounter in the “real-world” ● Increased student control over their personal learning ● Teachers serving as coaches of inquiry and reflection ● Students working in
2Presentations from Professional Engineers 5.59 1.11 2 Page 26.418.11Proposed Experimental ActivitiesIn this section, we propose six experimental activities to facilitate the growth of inclusiveengineering identities: student trading cards, egalitarian social norms, panel of professionalengineers, reflective writing assignments, examples of diversity benefiting engineering practice,and interactive theater sketch. We identified these activities based upon criteria for developingprofessional identities25, 26, review of literature, and student feedback from the surveys. Inselecting these activities we have sought to identify
on a four-stage cycle shown in Figure 1 that, while it can beentered into at any stage, is explained as follows. Concrete Experience (Facts) Active Reflective Experimentation Observation (Futures) (Feelings) Abstract Conceptualization (Findings) FIGURE 1. KOLB’S CYCLE OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING.First
requirements, the process for obtaining eachbadge included at least the following: introduction to the new topic (e.g., participation and animpromptu classroom presentation or discussion, hands-on activity in class); reflections on thedesign and development of the project and on their own learning; application of new materials;and finally, the final project itself accompanied by the narrative/reflection and artifact(s). Whilesome projects were to be completed independently, for others, students were encouraged orrequired to work with peers. In addition, some projects could be in part used to meet sub-competencies across multiple badges. Students completed projects on their own timeframe and inthe order they preferred. While there were soft deadlines
competitiveness, economic prosperity, and security. Creativity isdefined by some cognitive researchers as the introduction of new variables, significant leaps,or novel connection, and is a process resulting in a novel products1,2. Torrance concludedthree characteristics of creativity: originality, idea fluency, and flexibility, and claimed thatevery person has his or her creativity and that creativity could be cultivated3. Amabileestablished a psychological model of creativity that includes four factors: intrinsicmotivation, domain knowledge, creative skills, and environment4. Metacognition refers to theawareness of and reflection on one’s learning process and is higher-order mental processes5,6.Metacognition includes making plans for learning and
into a document for submission along withthe final deliverable the team produced. This served to hold individuals accountable within theteam and helped instructors work the team through team issues, should they arise. In addition,two peer evaluations are used to assess individual performance and contribution in teamworkusing CATME SMARTER Teamwork16-17.Engineering Design ProcessThe engineering design process is introduced early in the course. Before the design process isintroduced, students are asked to reflect on their own design experience and discuss the designprocess used by professionals in a discussion board. Then the design process and various designtools (such as brainstorming techniques, concept combination tables, and decision
) guidancedocuments provided by an advising center are important to effective advising.Some recent advances in advising include various uses of the Internet. Online surveys can beused by faculty to identify students in need of advising.8 Surveys can also be used by students toguide reflection that may lead to greater independence and proactive participation in school.Some colleges are using social media, such as Facebook, to improve advising.9 Various Internet-based automatic advising systems have also been used.10,11 The effectiveness of social media isnot certain. A survey of students in undergraduate teacher education programs at the Universityof West Florida indicated a strong preference for learning about deadlines and other schoolinformation through
. Page 26.1147.6Assignments are given during these weeks that require students to submit a critiqued resume andto document research about three different companies that will appear at the career fair. Thisassignment aims to help prepare students for the research they will be expected to do prior to aninterview. Course evaluations reflect that students really value the Mentor Resume Workshopand the Internship Panel where other mentors can give advice regarding the job search and sharetheir personal experiences. On the Resume Workshop day, the course TA, who also serves in thementorship program, discusses recommended practices for a successful career fair and answersquestions about the career search process.For the next mentor activity, a faculty
Page 26.1461.2student’s first year in college. An integral part of this comprehensive approach is the ENGR100“Introduction to Engineering” course. The data reported in this paper reflects a first pass at ournew approach. At this point, it is too soon to know to what extent this course has affectedgraduation rates; however we can see if our stated goals for the course have been met.Additionally we can look at how many of the freshmen successfully complete their first year incollege.Student retention within the NMSU College of EngineeringOur college of engineering has seven departments and an average undergraduate enrollment ofapproximately 2100 students. The retention rates for the past twelve academic years ofengineering students in our
senior cohorts who were originally enrolled in engineering or computer science were askedto reflect on major influences on their decision to remain within, or leave, engineering. Resultsshowed statistically significant differences (p =0.05) between students who participated in theLLC versus students who participated in other dorms in, among others, the following areas: dormlife in the first two years and interaction with students. This result is interpreted as direct impactof the LLC experience and is consistent with prior studies. This work contributes to the existingliterature as it indicates that higher retention from an LLC, even in a very simple LLC such theone at Gonzaga University, may derive from a combination of both differences in the
linking the formal course content to assignments and assessments that directlyrelate to the to the students’ future professional lives (e.g., real-world problems, “decision- Page 26.967.8making). Each of the course topics is covered with a similar combination of reading questions,class activities, reflection opportunities, and a closely-linked summative assessment in the formof a “concept exam” that serves as a part of the actual learning process. The various assessmentcategories allow more frequent, more appropriate assessments that are organized to link closelywith the key concepts. As the semester progresses, the similarity in the coverage of
Topics (learning objective) First half of semester Second half of semester Expectations Class Management (3,4) Introductions (1) Personal Development (3,5) Keys to Success (3) Diversity (7) Pre-Calculus, Trigonometry (3,4) Well-being (5,6) Engineering Profession (2) Design Project Planning (7) Learning and Teaching Styles (5) Teamwork (7) Career Fair (2,6) Design Project (7,8) Professors and Other Resources (6) Reflection Paper (2,3,4,5,6,7,8) Advising (3,6)The course began by providing supplemental instruction for
professional development was not sufficient to change the nature of their teachingpractice. So the majority of participants, in practice, had not actually progressed into a trueadoption of innovation9, possibly because of opportunity to collaborate and create a communityto support their burgeoning knowledge and attitudes of learner-centered practice. Drilling down to engineering, in a recent study by McKenna et al., engineering facultyworked in collaboration with learning scientists to develop student-centered conceptual changeinstructional methods. They determined the extent to which engineering faculty felt they werechanging their pedagogy toward student-centered learning and found that the greater the extentof collaborative reflection
accuracy (CE) beforecommunicating the solution (S). Finally, reflect on the process through self-assessment (S).Data Collection MethodsFaculty were not required to use PROCESS in their classes and the level of integration of thePROCESS problem solving structure into classroom lectures varied across instructors. Beforethe semester started, faculty were provided with Figure 1, the PROCESS rubric, and acomprehensive user guide complete with code definitions and grading examples to help themdetermine whether they wanted to utilize PROCESS in their classroom instruction as a problemsolving structure. In addition, all course sections were assigned a graduate teaching assistant thatparticipated in a four-hour interactive training session on grading with
significant difference PRE-STEP toPOST-STEP, qualitative data from this question indicate clear decision making in the reason toleave engineering, and finally, patterns from our study reflect others work in this area. Question: Rank the top ONE (1) to THREE (3) of the following influences on your decision to change your major from engineering to something else. 24.00% Uncertain of future career options 20.00% Initially majored in engineering due to parental 17.00% pressure and later decided it wasn't for me
undesirable impulses, and achieving optimal performance (e.g., making oneself persist) all constitute important instances of the self-overriding its responses and altering its states or behavior. More generally, breaking bad habits, resisting temptation, and keeping good self-discipline all reflect the ability of the self to control itself, and we sought to build our scale around them24.The scale was introduced on the survey with the following question: “With respect to highschool, how frequently does each of the following statements apply to you?” A sample itemreads “I do certain things that are bad for me, if they are fun.” The available responses were (1)Never, (2) Seldom, (3) Sometimes, (4) Often, and (5) Always. The self
deadlines, and perseverance in theface of challenging assignments or topics. We will continue to incorporate math and/orMATLAB with the open-ended design lab activities to illustrate to students the relevance andvalue of these analyses in the design process.AcknowledgementsThank you to Jude Garzolini for her assistance in data collection. This material is based uponwork supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DUE-0856815 (IdahoSTEP). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material Page 26.700.10are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National
repeated in ECS 101 in the Fall. For statistical analysis, data were lumpedinto two groups reflecting the cohorts before the course redesign (2011, 2012) and the cohortsafter (2013, 2014). Comparisons were made using t-tests for equal or unequal variance and datawere determined to be statistical significant at p-values less than 0.05.Results and DiscussionIn 2011 and 2012, a total of 56 students enrolled in the Engineering and Computer Sciencesummer bridge program. All of these students enrolled in and successfully completed thesurvey-style Engineering seminar course that was then offered. These students were a verydiverse group, with respect to race and ethnicity. In 2011-12, 64.3% of the students enrolled inthis program were under-represented
) Average Start of Semester 4.0396 3.4322 3.9299 4.0403 Average End of Semester 4.3990 3.6449 3.9650 4.1044 Difference (End ‐ Start) 0.3594 0.2127 0.0351 0.0641 P value (Rank Sum Test) 0.000*** 0.076 0.863 0.0065**These results may be a reflection of the ways in which each of the institutions addresses theengineering disciplines in the first semester. A prior study by Hoit and Ohland reported up to17% increase in retention based on the redesign of a first-year engineering course to focus ondisciplinary knowledge.9 The Urban Public institution’s first-year engineering program
misunderstandings in communication,factionalism, and disagreements between teammates 15–17. On the other hand, the great advantageof working in multicultural teams is that people from different backgrounds bring a broaderrange of perspectives, points of view and ideas to the team discussion that ultimate lead to morerobust, flexible and innovative solutions 15,18,19. Culture’s structural organization and practices are often reflected on team-member’sperspectives and expectations of team dynamics. In hierarchical, context-orientated cultures such Page 26.1177.2as China and Mexico, levels of authority are well defined and interdependence from others in