Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Curricula II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tracy Thatcher, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

AC 2007-2469: INCORPORATING ACTIVE LEARNING INTOENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERINGTracy Thatcher, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Page 12.870.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 Incorporating Active Learning Into Environmental Engineering Lecture CoursesIntroductionThe benefits of incorporating active learning into science and engineering classes have long beenrecognized. Traditionally, the active learning portions of courses have been primarily relegatedto laboratory and ‘discussion’ sections. However, during recent years, there has been arecognition that the same techniques that make laboratory classes so valuable can also transformthe traditional

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ian Papautsky, University of Cincinnati; Erik Peterson, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

thesequence is a new laboratory focused on design, fabrication, and characterization of microfluidicbiochips, introduced in spring 2006 with support from the National Science Foundation.Many undergraduate and most of the graduate students take the “BioMEMS sequence”concurrently with the “MEMS sequence,” which includes courses focused on principles ofmicrofabrication and microsystem design. Thus, for most students, the ECES607: Introductionto Biomedical Microsystems course is not only the first exposure to BioMEMS, but also toMEMS.The “Introduction to Biomedical Microsystems” CourseThe objective of the course is to expose students to biomedical microsystems and to teach themfundamental principles of MEMS applications in biology and medicine. Topics

Conference Session

Computer Education Management Tools

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Promiti Dutta, Columbia University; Alexander Haubold, Columbia University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

-basedcourse focuses on teaching students basic engineering design principles and professional skills.In conjunction with these lectures are additional laboratory components in which students learnto use software packages for computational needs (MathWorks Matlab) and 3D designrenderings (Alias Wavefront Maya). Throughout the academic semester students haveassignments relating to both the technical aspect as well as their final project. The course finalproject is team-based and encompasses skills learned in class applied to a design problemproposed by a community partner. These projects are known as service-learning projects sincethe client is a non-profit community organization. Deliverables required by each team include afinal presentation with

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jianxin Tang, Alfred University

classical DC motor control as primary examples and laboratory projects. On the other hand,many new and challenging control systems are emerging and one of them is the magneticlevitation (maglev) system. Maglev train systems have been built in Japan, Germany, and recentlyin Shanghai, China. The one in China can reach a speed of 430km/h (268mi/h) [1]. At this speed,a maglev train could match gate-to-gate air-travel time on routes of less than 1000 km.Compelling advantages of maglev train include susceptible to weather delays (than flying), quietride since it is a non contact system, and environmentally friendly. The Shanghai maglev line is Page

Conference Session

Issues in Computer Education-HDL

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ronald Hayne, The Citadel

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

AC 2007-372: VHDL PROJECTS TO REINFORCE COMPUTER ARCHITECTURECLASSROOM INSTRUCTIONRonald Hayne, The Citadel Ronald J. Hayne, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Citadel. His professional areas of interest are digital systems and hardware description languages. He is a retired Army officer with experience in academics and Defense laboratories. Page 12.1588.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 VHDL Projects to Reinforce Computer Architecture Classroom InstructionAbstractExploration of various

Conference Session

Student Teams And Project Based Learning / The Critical First Year in Engineering Education / Student Teams and Project-Based Learning

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tamara Moore, University Of Minnesota; Heidi Diefes-Dux, Purdue University; P.K. Imbrie, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

assembled for the sole purpose of completing Tire Reliability MEA duringone laboratory session in Week 6 of the semester. After the completion of this MEA, thesestudents resumed working with their long term teams that had been set up in Week 3 of thesemester.The experimental group was chosen from another teaching assistant who has been extensivelytrained to implement and write MEAs. This choice was to reduce bias from the difference inteaching assistants. The experimental group also consists of eight teams – six teams from one Page 12.1296.9section and two from another. Missing data prevented using all eight teams from the

Conference Session

Technology Integration in the Classroom for Manufacturing I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yongjin Kwon, Drexel University; Shreepud Rauniar, Drexel University; Richard Chiou, Drexel University; Horacio Sosa, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

experiment results suggest that online laboratory learning can be substantiallyenhanced by the use of even the simplest form of artificial graphical information and moststudents prefer having an instructor present even the lab is taught online. The implications fromthis study can be used to benefit many schools that begun offering online lab courses.I. Introduction A current trend for manufacturing industry is shorter product life cycle, remotemonitoring/control/diagnosis, product miniaturization, high precision, zero-defect manufacturingand information-integrated distributed production systems for enhanced efficiency and productquality1-6. In tomorrow’s factory, design, manufacturing, quality, and business functions will befully integrated

Conference Session

Project-Based Education in Energy Conversion

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mahmoud Alahmad, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Herbert Hess, University of Idaho; Brian Johnson, University of Idaho

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

universities are adapting to technological advancesand society needs by introducing new courses, new programs and concurrently implementinginnovative methods to complement the class room teaching. Fundamental engineering theoryconcepts are still the core material in introductory courses, however, implementation andapplications of this theory is becoming more and more specialized. Specialized fields inengineering disciplines continue to grow in order to meet this demand. As a result engineeringcurricula must provide relevant examples for students, be based on the needs of society, anddevelop methods used by real world engineers1.One such specialized field is the current demand for engineers with fundamental understandingof building system design. This

Conference Session

Outstanding Contributions to ME

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hakan Gurocak, Washington State University-Vancouver

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2007-150: MECHATRONICS COURSE WITH A TWO-TIERED PROJECTAPPROACHHakan Gurocak, Washington State University-Vancouver Hakan Gurocak is Director of School of Engineering and Computer Science and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Washington State University Vancouver. His research interests are robotics, automation, fuzzy logic, technology assisted distance delivery of laboratory courses and haptic interfaces for virtual reality. Page 12.1052.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 Mechatronics Course with a Two-tiered Project ApproachAbstract - In this paper, we present a

Conference Session

Computer Tools for Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jianyu Dong, California State University-Los Angeles; Nancy Warter-Perez, California State University-Los Angeles

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

andimplementation challenges will be discussed for future improvement.IntroductionThe ability to design a system or a component to meet practical requirements is one of theessential skills that students should acquire through engineering education 1-2. To enhance thestudents’ design skills, many engineering educators have proposed various approaches, one ofwhich is Project Based Learning (PBL) 3. PBL has been recognized as an effective way toreinforce course theory and to improve students’ hands-on skills. However, how to incorporatePBL into the curriculum remains an open question. This is particularly challenging on acommuter campus with a 10-week quarter and no teaching assistants, where students are oftennot on campus outside of class hours, there are

Conference Session

ChE: Innovations in Student Learning

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Golter, Washington State University; Bernard Van Wie, Washginton State University; Gary Brown, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

AC 2007-2972: COMPARING STUDENT EXPERIENCES AND GROWTH IN ACOOPERATIVE, HANDS-ON, ACTIVE, PROBLEM BASED LEARNINGENVIRONMENT TO AN ACTIVE, PROBLEM-BASED ENVIRONMENT.Paul Golter, Washington State UniversityBernard Van Wie, Washginton State UniversityGary Brown, Washington State University Page 12.381.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007AbstractTwo questions that frequently come up when developing a teaching method that tries to combine bestpractices from multiple pedagogies are: Is this better than how we normally teach? And whichpedagogy is giving the most benefit. In the spring semester of 2006 we had a large enough junior classto separate our required Fluid

Conference Session

Educational Software

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Norman Chonacky, Yale University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

, atmospheric physics, applied computer science, sensor engineering, instrumentation, and environmental engineering. He has been associated with, among other institutions: the Southern Connecticut State and Columbia universities; Bates, Bowdoin, and The Evergreen State colleges; the Rome Air Development Center of the U.S. Air Force; and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. In addition to the ASEE, he is a currently a member of the American Association of Physics Teachers, the American Physical Society, the IEEE-Computer Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1967

Conference Session

Digital and Embedded System Design

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Bolding, Seattle Pacific Univ; Dave Van Ess, Cypress Semiconductor

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

core.When designing such a course, the selection of a particular microcontroller is a very importantdecision. The selection should consider not only what microcontrollers are currently popular, butalso the ease of project development using the system, the availability of support to students, thecosts of starting up a lab, and the flexibility of the platform to fit into a course with multipleobjectives. This paper reports on using Cypress Semiconductor’s Programmable System on aChip (PSoC) as the basis for a microcontroller systems design course. The experience ofselecting the PSoC, designing a curriculum around it, designing laboratory exercises andmanaging the course are described. Furthermore, considerations such as the technical andfinancial

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics and Global Issues

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christan Whysong, Virginia Tech; Jenny Lo, Virginia Tech; Kumar Mallikarjunan, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

studentsreview genetic modification of major food crops, such as cottonseed. Students may also studyhow different countries view genetically modified products while looking at labeling laws foundin each country. Patents can be studied when looking at the patenting of specific genes and theidea of the terminating gene.It was concluded the best method for incorporating ethics training into the BSE curriculum is toutilize already existing labs and projects by adding ethics material to them. Sophomores in BSEare currently required to take an Introduction to Biological Systems Engineering course in whichthey perform an oil extraction laboratory with cottonseed. As part of this laboratory, studentswere provided with a brief introduction to genetically

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Rusek, Oakland University; Barbara Oakley, Oakland University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

lines and wave propagation: CRC Press, 2001.[5] "The Bergeron method: A graphic method for determining line reflections in transient phenomena," Texas Instruments, http://focus.ti.com/lit/an/sdya014/sdya014.pdf[6] L. D. Feisel and A. J. Rosa, "The Role of the Laboratory in Undergraduate Engineering Education," Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 94, pp. 121-130, 2005.[7] F. Jalali, "Transmission Line Experiments At Low Cost," 1998 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition: Engineering Education Contributing to U. S. Competitiveness, 1998. http://www.asee.org/acPapers/00580.pdf[8] D. M. Hata, "A low-cost approach to teaching transmission line fundamentals and impedance matching," 2004 ASEE Annual Conference &

Conference Session

Utilizing On-Line Technology in Entrepreneurship Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jay Porter, Texas A&M University; Joseph Morgan, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

Engineering Education, 2001. 90(4): p. 589-596.15. Clark, W.A. and A.J. Czuchry. Technology-based business incubators: Living laboratories for entrepreneurial students. 2004. Salt Lake City, UT, United States: American Society for Engineering, Washington, DC 20036, United States.16. Oberst, B.S., R.C. Jones, and I. Tiginyanu. Teaching entrepreneurship to engineering students. 2005. Portland, OR, United States: American Society for Engineering Education, Chantilly, VA 20153, United States.17. Wierman, J.C. and M. Camerer. Lessons from starting an entrepreneurship program. 2003. Nashville, TN, United States: American Society for Engineering Education, Washington, DC 20036, United States.18. McCorquodale, M.S. and R.B

Conference Session

Manufacturing Engineering Technology Curriculum

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Otieno, Northern Illinois University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

AC 2007-1327: DEVELOPMENT OF SCADA EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEMSTHROUGH STUDENT PROJECTS TO ENHANCE THE AUTOMATIONCURRICULUM IN A MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGYPROGRAMAndrew Otieno, Northern Illinois University Andrew Otieno is an associate professor in the Department of Technology at NIU. He has done extensive research in experimental and theoretical analysis of metal machining problems. His research and teaching interests include machine vision, manufacturing processes, finite element analysis, and manufacturing automation. Page 12.539.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 Development of SCADA

Conference Session

BME Assessment and the VaNTH ERC

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Schreiner, Western New England College; Judy Cezeaux, Western New England College; Diane Testa, Western New England College

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

is measured at leastthree times throughout the curriculum using a variety of direct assessment instruments such as inclass exams, laboratory reports, and homework. A summary of the courses in which eachprogram outcome is assessed is given in Table 2. Notice that we only measure outcomes in coreengineering and BME courses that all students will be taking, simplifying the assessmentprocess. Also, there can be a tendency to try to measure every possible outcome that is relevantfor a particular course, but this approach is overly cumbersome5. Meaningful conclusionsregarding student attainment of program outcomes can be drawn with a focused set of measures.To keep the system simple and manageable by our small faculty, we aim to assess (measure

Conference Session

Improving ME Education: Trends in Mechanical Engineering II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Langerman, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; William Arbegast, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; Daniel Dolan, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2007-831: PROJECT-BASED SOFTWARE APPLICATION ANALYSES INUNDERGRADUATE HEAT TRANSFERMichael Langerman, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Dr. Langerman is professor and chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department and Co-director of the Computational Mechanics Laboratory at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. His career spans 32 years including sixteen years in higher education. His primary academic interest is in thermal science.William Arbegast, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Mr. Arbegast is the director of the Advanced Material Processing (AMP) center at the South Dakota School of Mines & TechnologyDaniel Dolan, South Dakota School of Mines and

Conference Session

Learning Needs and Educational Success

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Karen Crosby, Southern University; Samuel Ibekwe, Southern University; Guoqiang Li, Southern University; Su-Seng Pang, Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge; Kun Lian, Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD)

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

education activities will be disseminated through the development ofinterdisciplinary and cutting edge science/technology based curriculum, involvement of theundergraduate and graduate students in the year-round research projects, exposure of the state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, workshops for integrating computer and simulation techniquesand through community services that involve high school students. With the active involvementof the investigators who are responsible for propagating the technology and knowledge obtainedfrom this project into class teaching, mentoring, students advising and human resourcedevelopment. The team hopes it is preparing and educating the next generation of highly skilledpersonnel that can be successfully

Conference Session

Assessment Methods

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Scott Danielson, Arizona State University; Bradley Rogers, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

structured,allowing individual faculty the freedom to incorporate direct assessment into their courseactivities as best fits their individual circumstances.Continuous Improvement SystemThe MMET Department offers two ABET-accredited degrees at the baccalaureate level:manufacturing engineering technology and mechanical engineering technology. Within themechanical engineering technology curriculum, three specialty concentration areas available tostudents aeronautical, automation, and automotive. The Department has an enrollment of justunder 200 students and teaches over 55 courses per year.An ABET accreditation process was conducted in the 2004/2005 academic year under the newoutcomes-based TAC of ABET criteria, and the programs were accredited (an

Collection

2007 ASEE Midwest Section Conference

Authors

Larry A. Glasgow

Teaching (2006).8. Ford, L. P. “Water Day: An Experiential Lecture for Fluid Mechanics,” Chemical Engineering Education,37:170 (2003).9. NSF Report 95-65. “Restructuring Engineering Education: A Focus on Change.” Carolyn Meyers, Chair (1995).10. Mississippi Department of Education website, Tech Prep, “Contextual Teaching” (2006).11. Feisel, L. D. and A. J. Rosa. “The Role of the Laboratory in Undergraduate Engineering Education,” Journalof Engineering Education, 94:121 (2005).12. Weith, J. D. “Sparking Creativity,” Chemical Engineering Progress, 101:49 (2005). Proceedings of the 2007 Midwest Section Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education

Collection

2007 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Laurent Simon; Piero Armenante; Rajesh Dave

, teachers, school administrators,and parents from New Jersey’s inner cities. For the past several years, professional enrichmentworkshops for HS science teachers and science department chairs1,2 have been made available through theCPCP.High school teachers who participate in other professional development activities at NJIT will also bemade aware of this unique opportunity. The Center sponsors a one-day seminar, which includesinteractive presentations, laboratory experiments, demonstrations, and lecture modules at the New JerseyInstitute of Technology. This year, the topic is Learn about Pharmaceutical Techniques. Theknowledge, ideas, notes, and teaching material for activities acquired by teachers in attendance should beeasily implemented in the

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

Annual Conference and Exposition. 2005. Portland, OR.32. Scoles, K. and H.L. Millan. "Bringing Writing into the ECE Laboratory". In Proceedings of American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition. 2005. Portland, OR.33. Seat, E., J.R. Parsons, and W.A. Poppen, "Enabling Engineering Performance Skills: A Program To Teach Communication, Leadership, and Teamwork". Journal of Engineering Education, 2001. 90(1): p. 1-12.34. Sharp, J. "Using Alumni Networking to Teach Technical Communication". In Proceedings of American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition. 2004. Salt Lake City, UT.35. Shwom, B., et al., "Engineering Design and Communication: A Foundational Course for

Conference Session

Innovations in Mechanical Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Messiha Saad, North Carolina A&T State University; Taher Abu-Lebdeh, North Carolina A&T State University; Devdas Pai, North Carolina A&T State University; Cindy Waters, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2007-2645: RECITATION IN CORE ENGINEERING MECHANICS COURSES:IMPLICATIONS FOR RETENTION AND STUDENT PERFORMANCEMessiha Saad, North Carolina A&T State University Messiha Saad is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University. He received his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. He taught mechanical engineering core courses for more than twelve years; he also teaches internal combustion engines, design of thermal systems, and related courses in the thermal science areas. He is a member of ASEE, SAE, and ASME.Taher Abu-Lebdeh, North Carolina A&T State University Dr. Abu-Lebdeh obtained his doctorate degree in Structural engineering

Conference Session

International Case Studies:Collaborations, Exchanges & Interactions

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ian Robinson, Edge Hill University; Michael Bramhall, Sheffield Hallam University; John Rowe, Sheffield Hallam University

Tagged Divisions

International

design complex systems and products.• Improved level of teaching and learning necessary for deep understanding of technical information and skills.• Experiential learning environments provided by laboratories and workshops.• Effective assessment methods to determine quality and improve the learning process.Whilst the aims of this rapidly spreading approach to Engineering education are laudable,they do lack the emphasis upon personal skill development that has driven much of thecurriculum reform of the last two decades. Perhaps skill development in the engineeringcurriculum has had its time?Does the UK lead, or are we on our own?In Germany, East Europe and the Nordic countries the Humboldtian tradition regarding thepurpose of the university and

Conference Session

Emerging Trends in Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Romkey, University of Toronto; Laura Bradbury, Division of Engineering Science, University of Toronto

AC 2007-2268: STUDENT CURRICULUM MAPPING: A MORE AUTHENTICWAY OF EXAMINING AND EVALUATING CURRICULUMLisa Romkey, University of Toronto Lisa Romkey is the Lecturer, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning with the Division of Engineering Science. In this position, Lisa plays a central role in the continuous improvement of the design and delivery of a dynamic and complex curriculum, while facilitating the development and implementation of teaching and learning initiatives and innovations. Lisa is cross-appointed with the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at OISE/UT (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto). Lisa holds a Masters in Curriculum Studies and

Conference Session

Biology and Engineering

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Meyer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; David Jones, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Tagged Divisions

Biological & Agricultural

AC 2007-2729: ADVANCED MODELING IN BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERINGUSING SOFT-COMPUTING METHODSGeorge Meyer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln GEORGE MEYER, Professor, has taught graduate and undergraduate classes that involve plant and animal growth and environmental factors, modeling, and instrumentation and controls for both agricultural and biological systems engineering students for 28 years. He has received national paper awards and recognition for his work in distance education and has received university teaching awards. His current research include measurement and modeling of crop water stress, fuzzy logic controls for turf irrigation management, and machine vision detection, enumeration, and

Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K-12 Teachers – I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leyla Conrad, Georgia Institute of Technology; Edward Conrad, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jill Auerbach, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

applications to engineering as well as theirrelevance to today’s technology. The program runs successfully through collaboration with theSchool of Electrical and Computer Engineering, microelectronics Packaging Research Center(PRC) (an NSF Engineering Research Center) and the School of Physics. The program has threecomponents: (1) to enables teachers to fully take advantage of their subsequent researchexperience, a two -week course on modern physics, with a laboratory component is given; (2) athree day module course on applications of modern physics concepts to microelectronics; and (3)a five and a half week summer research experience. Workshops are also held during the teachersstay at Georgia Tech to help them with the development of lesson plans and

Conference Session

Global Engineering in an Interconnected World

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pedro Gazmuri, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile; Gonzalo Pizarro, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile; Jose Bilbao, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

Tagged Divisions

International

curricular adjustment. In a broader scope,the project would review the actual status and the kind of discussions and issues addressed inrelation to curricular analysis in the rest of the World, particularly in the USA and Europe1.The development of this Project, which is still active, has generated a very rich mind openingprocess in both academic institutions. A key aspect of this process has been the visit ofspecialists from different prestigious universities in the USA. They have offered seminaries andworkshops about issues like curricular design based on competences and skills, course programconstruction, methodologies for teaching – learning, new approaches for the teaching of physics,the relevance of Design in the training of an engineer