Conference Session

Engineering Ethics: An Interdisciplinary Endeavor

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Herkert, Arizona State University Polytechnic; Jameson Wetmore, Arizona State University; Heather Canary, Arizona State University Polytechnic; Karin Ellison, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

the world. He recently edited two volumes: Technology & Society: Building Our Sociotechnical Future (MIT Press) and the Yearbook of Nanotechnology in Society, Volume 1: Presenting Futures (Springer).Heather Canary, Arizona State University Polytechnic Heather E. Canary (PhD, Arizona State University, 2007) is assistant professor of communication at Arizona State University. Her primary research areas include organizational communication and family communication in contexts of disability and public policy. She teaches courses across the communication discipline, particularly in organizational and family communication. In her courses, Dr. Canary emphasizes ethical implications of

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics: An Interdisciplinary Endeavor

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Edward Gehringer, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

purpose is to, e.g., accommodate larger attachments than inboxes can holdon the employer's e-mail system? Suppose the employer has a policy (as some universities do)of allowing private use of the employer’s computer equipment, as long as it does not hinderofficial use? How can our students protect their accounts against break-ins? Not only does thiscase raise important privacy issues, it also touches on the issue of separation of work andpersonal life, which all of our students will face as they begin their careers.1. IntroductionWhen someone, allegedly David Kernell [1], hacked into Vice-Presidential candidate SarahPalin’s Yahoo account [2] last September 16, he highlighted a distinction that is rapidly growingin importance in today’s social

Conference Session

Tree-huggers, Diggers, and Queers--Oh my!

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erin Cech, University of California, San Diego; Tom Waidzunas, University of California, San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

provided with equality of opportunity to pursue and advance in engineeringcareers”.1; i While this is an important position statement, it is notably missing the humandiversity dimension of “sexual orientation,” ii among other possibilities. Students who identify aslesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) are enrolled in our engineering colleges, but what are theexperiences of these students? Do they have equality of opportunity within Americanengineering schools?Researchers have made impressive strides in understanding the experiences of women andracial/ethnic minority (REM) engineering students, exposing how cultural biases foster chillyclimates which hinder the success of these students. But the issue of sexual orientation inengineering has yet to be

Conference Session

Critical Thinking and Creative Arts

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christy Moore, University of Texas, Austin; D'Arcy Randall, University of Texas, Austin; Hillary Hart, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

unbalanced in the argument.Pathos, Ethos, LogosThe first step in reaching our pedagogical goal to develop students’ critical thinking is to go backto Aristotle. Aristotle’s Rhetoric introduces the concepts of pathos, ethos, and logos as threeessential “modes of persuasion” in verbal argumentation. Pathos refers to the mode by which thewriter/speaker appeals to the emotions of the audience; ethos to the writer’s own credibility;logos to the strength of the argument itself. Today, these modes are usually taught as the threecorners of a “rhetorical triangle”(see Fig. 1), and visual representations are included. Forinstance, in the introductory Engineering Communication lecture, the instructor typicallypresents a rhetorical triangle and illustrates the

Conference Session

Communication and Collaboration

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Alley, Pennsylvania State University; Are Magnus Bruaset, Simula Research Laboratory; Melissa Marshall, Pennsylvania State University; Marianne M. Sundet, Simula Research Laboratory; Sarah Zappe, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

in Norway has collaborated with faculty fromPennsylvania State University to pilot a national workshop (given in English) forNorwegian Ph.D. students on communicating scientific research. Funded primarily byNorwegian industries, the 3-day workshop was divided into three segments: (1) makingresearch presentations to a technical audience, (2) writing research papers anddissertations to technical audiences, and (3) making research presentations to generalaudiences. The first two segments, on making research presentations and writing researchdocuments to technical audiences, were based on a workshop series that was developed atnational laboratories in the U.S., taught to more than 1000 professionals and graduatestudents, and formally

Conference Session

Critical Thinking and Creative Arts

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Beth Todd, University of Alabama; Garry Warren, University of Alabama; Susan Burkett, University of Alabama; David Cordes, University of Alabama; Marcus Brown, University of Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

primaryreasons for the existence of this group. At the same time, faculty members and engineeringprograms can use our reading group to assess ABET criterion 3, outcome j, a knowledge ofcontemporary issues, by making assignments that involve attending and discussing a news articlewith the group. The ability to measure this type of knowledge gain is important. In 2007, astudy involving a small number of senior students in eight different engineering programs foundstudents to be relatively unaware of contemporary issues in their field and unaware of currentglobal concerns 1. Their ability to communicate and participate in discussion without eitherdominating or withdrawing was also a problem.Faculty members are addressing measurement of knowledge of

Conference Session

Critical Thinking and Creative Arts

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bill Genereux, Kansas State University, Salina; Elena Mangione-Lora, University of Notre Dame

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

simulationsand multiple video projects would likely be more effective. It is interesting to note that the Fall2008 semester Networking 1 class did not choose to complete a video project due to acompletely different classroom dynamic and lack of student interest. Michael Wesch notes: “Students would prefer less technology in the classroom (especially *participatory* technologies that force them to do something other than sit back and memorize material for a regurgitation exercise) 14Looking back, the Networking 1 teacher wonders if he should have pressed the issue hardergiven that the project deals with participatory 21st century literacy and communication skills.While some students may be reluctant to take an active role in their

Conference Session

Liberal Education and Leadership

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Val Hawks, Brigham Young University; John Harb, Brigham Young University; Alan Parkinson, Brigham Young University; Spencer Magleby, Brigham Young University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

comprehensive approach, resulting from this initiative, to define, develop, and implement theteaching of leadership in the context of engineering and technology curricula. After a rationaleexplaining why the college chose an emphasis on leadership, efforts in and selected results of theleadership initiative are documented, including 1) the development of a leadership modelappropriate to engineering and technology education, 2) the definition of specific outcomes andcurricular material related to leadership, and 3) the development of a framework for using themodel and implementing leadership education throughout the college. The implementationstrategy is based on Kolb’s Learning Cycle and takes advantage of college, departmental andexternal resources to

Conference Session

Tree-huggers, Diggers, and Queers--Oh my!

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Catalano, State University of New York, Binghamton; Caroline Baillie, Queens University, Kingston

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

modern era as well as new ideas which have justrecently been applied to the professions. In the spirit of the Diggers from the 1960’s, thepresent work offers new ‘frames of reference’ from which you can consider your decisions.The Diggers focused on promoting a new vision of society free from many of the trappingsof private property, materialism and consumerism. Our hope is to offer a new vision ofengineering which takes into account many of the elements of our society and our planetwhich have been historically ignored.As described by NSPE, “engineering ethics is (1) the study of moral issues and decisionsconfronting individuals and organizations involved in engineering and (2) the study ofrelated questions about moral conduct, character, ideals

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics: An Interdisciplinary Endeavor

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Brocato, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

forassessing their performance relative to ABET Program Outcomes (f) (professional ethicalresponsibility) and (g) (effective communication).Case Study 1: The Pendergrass E-mail ExerciseThe beauty of using narrative case studies in educational settings is their finiteness: they createscenarios with a relatively closed set of details wherein students can analyze a realisticprofessional situation as a way of preparing for similar situations in their upcoming careers.Below we discuss one such case study that has proven especially useful.The “Pendergrass Circuits E-mail” exercise (hereafter simply called Pendergrass) provides ashort-story-like narrative that puts students directly into the scenario described in the case itself(first line: “You are an

Conference Session

Liberal Education and Leadership

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Julia Williams, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Richard House, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Anneliese Watt, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

communication more frequently into their technicalcourses but that they are motivated to do so primarily from motivations having to do withhelping their students model professional practice.Project Rationale: EC 2000 and Professional SkillsAdopted in 1996, ABET, Inc. Engineering Criteria 2000 promised to transform engineeringeducation in two fundamental ways. First, EC 2000 expanded the definition of engineeringcompetencies to place much greater emphasis on “professional skills, such as solvingunstructured problems, communicating effectively, and working in teams.”1 Second, the newcriteria “shifted the basis for accreditation from inputs, such as what is taught, to outputs—whatis learned.” 1 These two changes were expected to be transformative

Conference Session

Liberal Education and Leadership

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Hanson, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Julia Williams, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

session was conducted during the afternoon and lasted roughly 5 hours.For the second Academy class, begun in the fall of the 2008-09 academic year, the sessions meton three Saturdays—in October, in January, and in March. These sessions lasted from 9:00 AMto 4:00 PM.The goals of the Academy are as follows:Leadership Academy is a hands-on experience designed to build each participant's: ≠ Confidence in their ability to lead; ≠ Consciousness of various leadership approaches; ≠ Connection with leadership resources & mentors; and ≠ Civic awareness.CurriculumThe curriculum of the Leadership Academy is as follows: Page 14.458.4Session 1

Conference Session

Tree-huggers, Diggers, and Queers--Oh my!

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dean Nieusma, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

to both the constraints to and the opportunities for innovation in each ofthe systems under consideration, which arguably cannot be accomplished effectively entirelywithin any of the existing disciplinary domains but must be addressed between or among them.In the terminology of sustainable design scholar Ezio Manzini, sustainability requires both a“strategy of efficiency,” or doing things better, and a “strategy of sufficiency,” or simply doingless, at least in terms of production and consumption of material goods. According to Manzini’sapproach, “ecological quality will emerge from compound strategies and compoundinterventions in different areas.” 1 In each of these ways, the concept of sustainability serves toreinforce efforts to promote

Conference Session

Writing Is Fundamental

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Murali Krishnamurthi, Northern Illinois University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

a new technique, and it has beenin use for a long time, especially in K-12 and special education environments2. Scaffolding is aproblem-based learning technique, which is often used to teach students to solve ill-structuredproblems in a cooperative learning manner8.According to McKenzie11, instructional scaffolding involves eight characteristics:1. Provides clear directions to students on what they should do and reduces their confusion.2. Clarifies the purpose of what students are asked do and why it is important.3. Provides structure and keeps students on task so that they do not wander off from the task.4. Clarifies expectations by providing quality examples of work as references.5. Directs students to available resources which they can

Conference Session

Writing Is Fundamental

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Beams, University of Texas, Tyler; Luke Niiler, University of Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

assessment 1; a plan for the incremental implementationof writing skills instruction in Engineering courses 2; an outcomes assessment 3; the use ofwritten workplace materials in Engineering courses 4,5 ; a review of shared assumptions aboutwriting skills among Engineering faculty 6; a multiple-trait scoring guide 7; and the first threeiterations of this longitudinal study 8,9,10. To date, there is no other longitudinal study ofEngineering students’ writing skills on record. Our four years of work therefore begins toaddress this gap in knowledge, and it is hoped that this project will be understood as (a) adescription and analysis of trends observed within a single cohort of subjects; and (b) aninvitation for other researchers to begin contributing

Conference Session

Writing Is Fundamental

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Beth Richards, University of Hartford; Mohammad Saleh Keshawarz; Hisham Alnajjar, Computer and Electrical

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

Conference Session

Critical Thinking and Creative Arts

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Helen Donis-Keller, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

Global Century (2007), acknowledges theneeds for all college students to prepare for twenty-first-century challenges by gaining fouressential learning outcomes: 1) knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world,focused by engagement with big questions, both contemporary and enduring 2) intellectual andpractical skills, including inquiry and analysis, critical and creative thinking, written and oralcommunication, 3) personal and social responsibility, including foundations and skills forlifelong learning, ethical reasoning and action, intercultural knowledge and competence and 4)integrative learning, including synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general andspecialized studies. For Engineering students in particular

Conference Session

Communication and Collaboration

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sally Blomstrom, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Hak Tam, University of California, Santa Barbara

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

students at our institution are required to take a course in speech. Someof the student learning outcomes for the course relate to the learning outcomes identified incategory 3 of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) accreditationrequirements (2001) [1]. Specifically, ABET expects that “Engineering programs mustdemonstrate that their students attain the following outcomes: Category 3(d) an ability tofunction on multi-disciplinary teams and… (g) an ability to communicate effectively”. In thisstudy, we examine the gains in communication and team skills in different sections of a requiredspeech course. The students enrolled in these sections are primarily freshmen. Most of them areengineering and aviation majors. The course is

Conference Session

Communication and Collaboration

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Julie Sharp, Vanderbilt University; Marilyn Dyrud, Oregon Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

writing. Peer review can be a helpful tool to improve students’writing. Through peer review, students can understand how to improve their writing and benefitfrom seeing how other writers have handled the same project.Background and RationaleThe technical communication course (ES 210w) for engineering majors at Vanderbilt Universityprovides instruction in both written and oral communication. The course has two main goals forstudents: 1. Communicate effectively in both written and oral reports 2. Communicate effectively in job search communication tasksAlthough students conduct peer reviews of both written and oral assignments, this paper focuseson peer review of written assignments. Peer review of first drafts is an important part of