Conference Session

Innovative Partnerships

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Anderson-Rowland, Arizona State University; Caroline VanIngen-Dunn, Arizona State University; Debra Banks, Consultant

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

begun between the Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona StateUniversity and five community colleges belonging to the Maricopa County Community CollegeDistrict. Funded by a joint grant from the National Science Foundation, each with their ownbudget, the collaborators set out to develop a program that would interest and supportcommunity college students in engineering, ease their transition to a large university, andcontinue to support them after the transfer, especially for the first year. The program also wasdesigned to especially encourage and support women and underrepresented minority students.The program is called METS: Maricopa Engineering Transition Scholars. Most of the plans forthe project as proposed have been successful, including a

Conference Session

Innovative Partnerships

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Melissa Sternhagen, University of Wisconsin Center-Fox Valley; Jeff Hoerning, University of Wisconsin-Platteville; Cathy Bronold, University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

program utilizes the faculty, pre-engineering curriculumand physical campus of UW-Fox Valley, and the ABET accredited mechanical engineeringcurriculum, faculty, and equipment of UW-Platteville. Through funding donated by localbusinesses in the Fox Valley, and appropriation for equipment from the State of Wisconsin,facilities for a mechanical engineering program were constructed and equipped in time for thedegree to become available in the fall semester of 2002.The program currently has an enrollment of 77 pre-engineering students who plan to finish theirmechanical engineering degree at UW-Fox Valley in the UW-Platteville engineering program.There are 41 students in the mechanical engineering program, which graduated its first fivestudents in

Conference Session

Innovative Lower Division Programs

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Srikanth Pidugu, University of Arkansas-Little Rock; Swaminadham Midturi, University of Arkansas-Little Rock

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

savings, methods ofminimizing waste materials, monitoring and reducing pollutants, and adopting computerizedtools to affect the energy savings in manufacturing industries. The specific goals of the projectare • Develop instructional materials and course offerings for a two-year degree program (Certificate program in energy management) to prepare engineering technicians and tradesmen for careers in energy related and manufacturing industries. • Offer workshops and short-courses for industry to enhance the capabilities of workers in existing energy service and manufacturing industries. Education/training plans will emphasize energy sources, patterns of energy consumption,energy machinery and equipment, efficient energy

Conference Session

Innovative Partnerships

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Theodore Branoff, North Carolina State University; Pooneh Lari, North Carolina State University; Michelle Hsiang, Research Triangle Institute

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

Research Triangle Institute (RTI). RTI isconducting electronic skill inventories during each course, reviewing portfolios of student work,collecting and analyzing contact logs between students and faculty, reviewing recruitment plans,and reviewing curriculum materials from each course. Table 1 shows demographic data from thefirst and second cohorts. Page 11.1029.6 Table 1. Demographic Data from the Cohorts. Gender Male Female Total Cohort 1 3 (33%) 6 (67%) 9 Cohort 2 7 (41

Conference Session

Recruiting/Retention Lower Division

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Geoffrey Wood, Southwest Tennessee Community College

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

successful that ENTC gained three more grants tocontinue its distance learning development. The trial run validated many of the concerns facultyhad about adapting technical curriculum to this medium but it also brought about solutions. Noteverything went as planned and one unexpected problem in particular caused the department torethink its strategy. This paper will examine the ENTC distance learning model and how itattempts to meet the needs of a two-year engineering technology program and the community itserves. The paper will discuss strengths and limitations of the equipment and software and willprovide critical comment on the course management strategy used. Finally, the paper will discusshow the model was redesigned into what is now a

Conference Session

Innovative Partnerships

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christine Shaw, Museum of Science, Boston; Michael Pelletier, Northern Essex Community College

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

and integratedpresentation skills into course work for the engineering students. Northern EssexCommunity College worked with a number of the motor designs to explorealternative power generation connected with the wind blade design. The highschool teachers also worked on a variety of projects through out the year.The leadership team re convened in the spring to plan regional seminar series tobe hosted by each of the community colleges. The goal of these seminar serieswas to expand the number of teachers using contextual learning activitiescentered on the power and energy theme, to address theoretical topics. Each ofthe regions presented a slightly different training, though all offered the windblade design and ‘reverse engineering’ challenge

Conference Session

Innovative Lower Division Programs

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jerry O'Connor, San Antonio College; Dan Dimitriu, San Antonio College

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

. According to the group BusinessRoundtable, a Washington-based coalition of leading U.S. corporations, the number of studentsin the United States planning to pursue engineering degrees declined by one-third between 1992and 2002. ("Business Coalition Focuses on Math, Science Careers," Aug. 10, 2005) TheBusiness Roundtable report also estimates that half the doctoral students graduating fromengineering colleges in the United States are foreign nationals and the National Science Board in2004 reported “a troubling decline in the number of U.S. citizens who are training to becomescientists and engineers…” 1At the same time the U.S. Department of Labor predicts that the number of jobs requiringscience, engineering, and technical training will increase by