Conference Session

Learning to Communicate with Engineers and Non-Engineers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mieke Schuurman, Pennsylvania State University; Michael Alley, Pennsylvania State University; Melissa Marshall, Pennsylvania State University; Christopher Johnstone, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

expert in the discipline of engineering, thedifference might be confusing to a novice. Although many engineering students do not feel thecontent of the general speech course applies to them, the truth is that the content—listeningcritically, audience analysis, and the classical canons of rhetoric—actually has deep connectionswith engineering [1]. However, the engineering student needs to see those connections. That many of the students do not make connections between the principles of the generalspeech course and the presentations they make in engineering was made apparent in a study atour institution. This study surveyed co-op supervisors on the presentation skills of ourinstitution’s students. The study revealed that the differences in

Conference Session

Redefining the Boundaries of Engineering and Liberal Education: Contributions to the Year of Dialogue

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erin Cech, University of California-San Diego; Kara Boettcher, Montana State University; Heidi Sherick, Montana State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

in the vertical hierarchies of their organizationsand thus cannot be used to make any claims about increased gender inequality over the lastdecade. The retention of women engineering graduates in technical fields remains less then theretention of men, maintaining the under-representation of women in the technical fields. Moreimportantly, the narrowing trend is evident even for women engineers, who have historicallytaken up non-technical careers at a higher rate than men. Table 1: Percent of Respondents Employed in Non-Technical Jobs 1993 1997 2003 Total Population of Engineering Graduates 42.0% 40.1% 33.3% Women only Engineering Graduates

Conference Session

Approaches to Learning Outcomes Assessment in Liberal Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steve Lappenbusch, University of Washington; Jennifer Turns, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

, institutional, discourse, and natural.IntroductionA subtle activity for emerging engineers is the formation and integration of their identities asengineers. Not only must their content knowledge cohere into expertise, they must understandthemselves to be the kind of person who can and should possess that expertise. They must thinkof themselves as engineers. In recognition of this, identity is emerging as a promising lens forengineering education research. For example, the issue of identity is one of three threads in anongoing multi-institutional NSF-funded study of the engineering student learning experience 1 23 . Researchers in engineering education are drawn to issues of identity because of thehypothesized link between identity development and

Conference Session

Ethical Responsibilities of Engineers in the World of Corporate Business

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donna Riley, Smith College

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

literature that may be adapted for work in developing communities? Through aseries of case studies, we explore models for engineering development projects and studentparticipation in them. Potential pitfalls are examined, and the implications for globaldevelopment efforts within engineering education are discussed. Page 12.1240.2IntroductionThere has been an explosion of interest in global development engineering within engineeringeducation in recent years. ABET’s criterion 3 requires that students obtain “the broad educationnecessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic,environmental, and societal context.”1 The interpretation of this phrase varies widely withinengineering

Conference Session

Writing and Communication I: Innovative Models for Curriculum and Assessment

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marie Paretti, Virginia Tech; Lisa McNair, Virginia Tech; Diana George, Virginia Tech; kelly belanger, Virginia Tech; Lisa Norris, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

students’ abilities to cross disciplinary boundaries successfully. To begin addressing thesegaps, we have established a partnership between Engineering Education and the First-YearWriting Program. Together, we have developed an experimental pilot course of first yearcomposition that explicitly connects the ABET professional skills to the WPA outcomes first toestablish a metacognitive framework for learning communication skills and second todemonstrate that curricular choices in the humanities not only promise a “liberal education,” butalso provide valuable tools for developing the ability to think like a 21st century engineer.Specifically, the goals of this course were to: 1) help students develop a rhetorical framework forcommunication practices

Conference Session

Liberal Education Division Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregory Tonkay, Lehigh University; E. Zimmers, Lehigh University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

many more students with an opportunity for leadership training.Leadership Honors ProgramThe Information and Systems Engineering Leadership Program (ISELP)1 was an honors programdeveloped for students in the Information and Systems Engineering degree program. Themotivation for the program came from alumni in leadership positions advocating that a formalleadership program would provide theory and practice in leadership and better prepare studentsfor leadership roles in their careers. ISELP was developed at the same time as the I&SE degreewith the intention of attracting highly qualified students to the university and providing themwith a broader education than the typical engineering student. ISELP began in 2002 and ispresently being phased

Conference Session

Writing and Communication II

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Luke Niiler; David Beams, University of Texas-Tyler

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

writing samples gathered inportfolios). It employs several assessment strategies (quantitative analyses of student writingsamples, quantitative analyses of written surveys, and qualitative analyses of interviewtranscripts).This paper is the second in a series of four planned EWI reports to ASEE. While last year’spaper articulated a baseline set of data with regard to student attitudes, practices and skills, thisyear’s report will include data demonstrating what students have learned in addition topreliminary considerations of how this study can begin to affect instructional practice in UT-Tyler Engineering courses.BackgroundWith some estimates suggesting that “as much as 80% of an engineer’s work time is spent oncommunicating,”1 significant

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary and Liberal Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hilkat Soysal, Frostburg State University; Oguz Soysal, Frostburg State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

the scientificreasoning skill and technological literacy of students in all majors.In Frostburg State University an interdisciplinary course titled “Science Technology andSociety (IDIS 160)” was developed with the motivation of the Undergraduate EducationInitiative (UEI) [1] approved by the Faculty Senate in February 2005. IDIS 160 isdesigned as a pilot freshman course for mainly non-science/engineering majors to meetthe new general education requirements.The main purpose of the course is to introduce the “models of research, the developmentof science and technology, and the application and subsequent impact of thedevelopments on society and the environment.” The course goal is consistent with theFSU general education program, which

Conference Session

Questions of Identity

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mike Graham, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Amy Wendt, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Paul Peercy, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Patrick Farrell, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Jay Martin, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Sarah Pfatteicher, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Jeffrey Russell, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

than our common goal to assist in improving the college.The retreat also provided an opportunity to determine if there was sufficient commitment,including time and money, to engage in a deliberate activity of redesign of the college.At the conclusion of the EELI retreat, we established a goal of culture change in the UW-Madison College of Engineering to align the culture and behavior with the needs of “TheEngineer of 2020”. A plan of action involving 8 steps was also developed at the retreat: 1. Formalize the implementation task force 2. Frame and communicate CoE Vision 2010 3. Assess faculty and staff aspirations for CoE 4. Identify changes needed and develop action plans 5. Define and populate core teams 6. Empower faculty

Conference Session

Engineering for Social Justice

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Schreier, University of Dayton; Carl Eger, University of Dayton; Margaret Pinnell, University of Dayton

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

-learning is the integration ofcommunity service projects into the curriculum that also help to develop fundamentalengineering skills through experiential learning. Service-learning has been found to helpstudents develop technical and non-technical skills, make connections between classes, developracial and cultural sensitivity, enhance their commitment to civic responsibility and increase theirethical awareness and awareness of the impact of professional decisions on society and theenvironment. 1-5 Page 11.1164.2Another increasing popular addition to the curriculum of many engineering programs isinternational learning experiences such as study

Conference Session

Integrating H&SS in Engineering II

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

M. Pinar Menguc, University of Kentucky; Ellie Hawes, University of Kentucky; Jane Jensen, University of Kentucky; Ingrid St. Omer, University of Kentucky

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

2006-2360: IMPACT OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES ON SOCIETY: FROMAQUEDUCTS TO NANOTECHNOLOGYM. Pinar Menguc, University of KentuckyEllie Hawes, University of KentuckyJane Jensen, University of KentuckyIngrid St. Omer, University of Kentucky Page 11.717.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 IMPACT OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES ON SOCIETY: FROM AQUEDUCTS TO NANOTECHNOLOGY M. P. Mengüç1, E. Hawes1,2, J. Jensen3, I. StOmer4 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering 2 Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering 3

Conference Session

Writing and Communication I: Innovative Models for Curriculum and Assessment

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

April Kedrowicz, University of Utah

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

Intensive Capstone Experience and Incremental IntegrationIntroductionWith the advent of ABET’s EC 2000, much focus has been placed on equipping engineeringstudents with the necessary professional skills to be effective in the workplace.1-3 As such,research highlights various approaches to teaching students how to communicate (write, speak,and work in teams) effectively.4-5 One primary method through which to facilitatecommunication skill development includes an emphasis on integrating communication into anintroductory and/or capstone engineering course. 6-8 While this approach to teaching technicalcommunication to engineering students does in fact meet the objectives of EC 2000,concentrating the development of

Conference Session

Liberal Education Division Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tom Moran, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

,noting that the single “A” grade was in English, and sarcastically suggesting that his son mightbetter pursue “literary engineering” rather than the real thing.1 Hickam finished his engineeringstudies and enjoyed a successful engineering career but he is best known for his “literaryengineering”, in particular a narrative of the rocket launching campaign he and his friends, all thesons of West Virginia coal miners, embarked upon in the shadow of Sputnik, a story brought tothe screen as the popular movie October Sky.Hickam is not alone. Engineering has provided a starting place for a surprising number of quitesuccessful creative writers, including poets, short story writers and novelists. These writer-engineers have won awards, gathered smash

Conference Session

Normative Commitments and Public Engagement in Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Downey, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

Division, he is also co-founder of the International Network for Engineering Studies (www.inesweb.org) and co-editor of its journal Engineering Studies (www.tandf.co.uk/journals/engineeringstudies). Page 15.1368.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 1 What is Global Engineering Education For?: The Making of International Educators1 One approach to the question “What is global engineering education for?” is to examine thecareer trajectories of

Conference Session

Liberal Education for 21st Century Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Heywood, Trinity College Dublin

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

Technological Change.1 Her general thesis was accompanied by illustrationsfrom the history of MIT, where as a social historian, she is Director of MIT’s program inScience, Technology and Society. Subsequently in 2003 she published a short butcontroversial paper in The Chronicle of Higher Education with the intriguing title“Education for the profession formerly known as engineering.” 2Williams argues that engineering has lost its identity because it “has evolved into anopen-ended profession of everything in a world where technology shades into science,art, management with no strong institutions to define an overarching mission”.The consequence of this for engineering education is that there are numerous forces thatpull engineering in different

Conference Session

Liberal Education for 21st Century Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Betty Harper, Pennsylvania State University; Lisa Lattuca, Pennsylvania State University; Alexander Yin, Penn State University; Patrick Terenzini, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

Education for a Changing World, commonly referred to as theGreen Report.3 The Green Report argued that “with the end of the Cold War, engineeringeducation needed a new set of guiding principles to replace those that had been developedfollowing World War II. Rather than a world based largely on superpower competition andnational security, engineers now faced a world of intense international economic competition andwidespread public uncertainty about the uses of technology” (Preface, paragraph 1) The reportcalled for an increased focus on skills and activities such as teamwork, communication,appreciation for diversity, multidisciplinarity, and understanding of societal contexts and largelyforeshadowed the changes to ABET’s (Accreditation Board for

Conference Session

Normative Commitments and Public Engagement in Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erin Cech, University of California, San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

constructparticular areas of social reality.1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Because of their unparalleled influence in the complextechnical systems pervading post-industrial society, engineering professionals are obligated toengage in work that serves the public good and to engage with issues of public welfare whensuch issues come into contact with their professional domain.4 Professionals acknowledge thesocietal obligations bestowed upon them by learning and following formal and informal codes ofethical practice.6 A responsibility for taking public welfare into account as they practiceengineering is central to the professional duties of the engineer: “Engineers hold paramount thesafety, health and welfare of the public in the performance of their professional duties

Conference Session

Innovative Courses/Pedagogies in Liberal Education II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Heard, Carnegie Mellon University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

! ∀ ∀ ∀ # ∀ ∃ % # &∋ ∀ ( ∀ ) ! ) ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∀ ∗ ∀ ) ∀ ∀ + % ! , ∀ + − ∀ ∀ ∗ ∀ .∋ − Page 15.750.2 /∋ ( + 0∋ 1 ∀ ∗ ∗ 23

Conference Session

Communication - Needs and Methods

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Lockwood, University of Calgary; Daryl Caswell, University of Calgary; Marjan Eggermont, University of Calgary

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

team drawn from all divisions of engineering, fine arts andcommunications. This paper serves to examine the role and work of the communicationsinstructor within that interdisciplinary team, and to offer some insight into the ways thatcommunications can be integrated into the engineering curriculum, as well as the benefitsthat communications brings to the instructor team.Because of the unique interdisciplinary structure of these courses, the communicationsinstructor holds a tri-partite position as a solo instructor, a team instructor, and as thecourse technical writer.As a solo instructor, the communication instructor delivers 6-8 1-hour lectures persemester, on a combination of communication theory and practical writing and oralpresentation

Conference Session

Innovative Courses/Pedagogies in Liberal Education II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katherine Wikoff, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

: Lessons on Innovation from Creative Communities “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” ~ Ernest HemingwayIn his commencement address to Stanford University’s graduating class of 2005, Appleco-founder Steve Jobs recalled how, after dropping out of Reed College in his freshmanyear, he stuck around campus and experienced what can arguably be described as one ofthe most fortuitous learning experiences in the history of the world [1]: Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on ever

Conference Session

Innovative Courses/Pedagogies in Liberal Education I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Layton, DeVry University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

sciencefundamentals have picked up the high school method of using science fiction to teach science.Because of the high-school science orientation, lessons using science fiction often avoid mattersof ethics. Gary Raham’s5 Teaching Science Fact With Science Fiction (2004) proposes usingscience fiction to “turn kids on” to science (p. 1). Raham seeks to use science fiction to “generatescience-based epiphanies” (p. 5). Sample concepts from Raham’s curricula include teaching thedifference between instinct and learning (p. 3), using scientific errors in TV and film sciencefiction to teach correct science (p. 49), learning about insect metamorphic life cycles (p. 52),teaching Newton’s theory of gravity (p. 57), and so on. Raham wants to avoid many of theethical

Conference Session

Liberal Education for 21st Century Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nadia Kellam, University of Georgia; Joachim Walther, University of Georgia; Tracie Costantino, University of Georgia; Bonnie Cramond, University of Georgia

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

communicating effectively.1-5 Unfortunately, the implementation of this drive toprovide breadth to an undergraduate education often results in a general education curriculumwith a set of disparate and disconnected courses, instead of an integrated experience.6-7 Webelieve that the undergraduate experience must provide some coherence across courses,extracurricular activities, service learning and student life. In the Greater Expectations report, theAssociation of American Colleges and Universities recognizes the “fragmentation of thecurriculum” as a significant “barrier to high quality”.8 Similarly, the Boyer Commission onEducating Undergraduates in the Research University explains that “the freshman experienceneeds to be an intellectually integrated

Conference Session

Innovative Courses/Pedagogies in Liberal Education II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Ross, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

professionalism; theestablishment of social and intellectual communities improve student attitudes and retention.The FIGs program at UW-Madison is a cross-campus opportunity; most FIG courses are NOT inengineering – note that data summarized in Table 1 is based on 32 FIGs classes, only TWO ofwhich were in the College of Engineering – and both were “freshman comp” classes.In brief overview, students elect to join the FIGs program for their first semester work; they thenregister for a core class plus two linked classes. They usually have the same dorm housing andare encouraged to build a social and intellectual community within the larger university setting.For an overview of FIGs at UW-Madison, visit: http://www.lssaa.wisc.edu/figs/As already stated, the

Conference Session

Normative Commitments and Public Engagement in Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Catalano, State University of New York, Binghamton; Caroline Baillie, Western Australia; Donna Riley, Smith College; Dean Nieusma, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Chris Byrne, Cascadia Community College; Margaret Bailey, Rochester Institute of Technology; Katy Haralampides, University of New Brunswick

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

groups and encouraged totalk about the various parts of the problems, each student is ultimately responsible for submittinghis/her own work.Additionally as part of the grading structure in place for this course, students have weeklyhomework assignments, an out-of-class final exam and an in-class final exam. Theserequirements add up to 60% of the total final score.Integration of Issues using Course ModulesStudents were assigned four course modules after the introductory portion of the course. Eachmodule accounted for 10% of the final grade and in addition each had both a technical part and areflective essay part. Brief descriptions of each of the various modules used in the first twoofferings of the course follow. ≠ Course Module 1: Gini

Conference Session

Innovative Courses/Pedagogies in Liberal Education II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Catalano, State University of New York, Binghamton

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

in-class discussions and theseeming increase in interest in sustainability and sustainable engineering. At least the course didno harm. 1. My interest in 13 3 23.1 % Low subject before 4 30.8 % Medium course 6 46.2 % High 2. My interest in 13 0 0.0 % Low subject after 5 38.5 % Medium course 8 61.5 % High 3. Difficulty 13 2 15.4 % Low (relative to other

Conference Session

Communication - Needs and Methods

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christine Nicometo, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Kevin Anderson, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Traci Nathans-Kelly, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Sandra Courter, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Thomas McGlamery, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

identify the ways thatpracticing engineers developed their epistemic frame9.The first of three methods used to collect our qualitative data involved interviews andobservations with practicing engineers within six different organizations across a spectrum ofengineering employers. Specifically, we aimed to work with employers from government andindustry, from small to large-multinational conglomerates in size, and across a broad range ofwork sectors. For more information about the six organizations we worked with during ourstudy, see Table 1. Page 15.1391.3 Table 1: Study Sites Overview. In choosing sites, we focused on getting a range of

Conference Session

Historical Perspectives for Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rachel Maines, Cornell University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

AC 2010-605: ENGINEERING AS LAW: INJURY EPIDEMIOLOGY ANDCONSENSUS CODESRachel Maines, Cornell University Page 15.477.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 1 Engineering as Law: Injury Epidemiology and Consensus CodesAbstract British Field Marshal John Slessor observed during World War II that the first socialservice a nation can provide for its people is to keep them alive.1 As the recent experience of theHaiti earthquake has forcefully brought home to us, engineering safety codes and standards playa major role in this vital function of government.2 ,3 From the point of view of keeping citizensalive, the

Conference Session

Liberal Education for 21st Century Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cherrice Traver, Union College; J. Douglas Klein, Union College

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

”) courses.The grant supported several methods to help faculty find one another, including social events,faculty meetings, as well as direct suggestions from the PIs. As noted in the assessment sectionbelow, some of the most successful matches were likely to have happened even in the absence ofthe grant because one or both of the faculty members involved were predisposed to make thekind of connections that the grant promoted.Table 1 provides a summary of each of the kinds of interactions, and this is followed bydescriptions of particular examples. Page 15.779.4Type of Interaction Description Duration

Conference Session

Communication - Needs and Methods

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Alley, Pennsylvania State University; Joanna Garner, Pennsylvania State University, Berks Campus; Sarah Zappe, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

projecting onto slides. This paper first presents a theoretical basis for this metric and then applies themetric to several situations. Two of these situations are common practice situations inengineering education: (1) presentation of research at a national ASEE conference, and(2) presentation of research by graduate students. Three other situations involvealternative slide structures: (3) the assertion–evidence slide structure;9, 23 (4) theslide:ology slide structure,10 which is similar to the Presentation Zen structure;11 and (5)the Larry Lessig method of presentation.12 The paper concludes with recommendations ofhow many projected words per minute would be appropriate for engineeringpresentations

Conference Session

Innovative Courses/Pedagogies in Liberal Education I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Deborah Sinnreich-Levi, Stevens Institute of Technology; Susan Metz, Stevens Institute of Technology; David Silverstein, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

’ engagement with “multiple stakeholders –government, private industry, and the public” and remarks, “The increasing imperative foraccountability will necessitate an ability to communicate convincingly and to shape the opinionsand attitudes of other engineers and the public.” 1 Further, In Raising Public Awareness ofEngineering, the NAE concludes that the need to improve public awareness about engineeringamong an array of lay audiences is considerable. Elected representatives are ill-equipped to makedecisions about technology-related issues, and students, parents and teachers remain uninformedabout engineering and the contributions of the field which continues to deter students fromstudying engineering. 2 The American Association for the Advancement