Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jin-Hwan Lee, University of Cincinnati; Ali Asgar Bhagat, University of Cincinnati; Karen Davis, University of Cincinnati; Ian Papautsky, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

others. These skills are crucial for future faculty or a career in the industry. One ofthe graduate student mentors in this project was enrolled in a Preparing Future Faculty (PFF)program at the University of Cincinnati.10 Senior projects allowed the graduate student to applythe concepts learned in the PFF courses and experience more teaching activities with students atvarious educational levels. As graduate student mentors, we learned how to gradually introducethe material, rather than overwhelming the undergraduates. It was also critical to identify theneeds and previous educational experiences of the individual students in order to outline acustomized work plan. The work plan included both short-term and long-term goals as well asthe

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Teaching Part Three

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thorsten Wagener, Pennsylvania State University; Sarah Zappe, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

their undergraduate career. The case studies are outlined in Table 1 and Figure 3.Learning objectives start with understanding and using general concepts and end withunderstanding and using actual applied engineering techniques. While the majority of casestudies focuses on geographical areas that the students are familiar with, an explicit attempt ismade to include at least one international study.Table 1. Some details on the case studies introduced.Title Learning objectives LocationNew York City Water Supply Understand and be able to New York City water supply apply the following concepts: reservoir located in the control

Conference Session

Engineering in the Elementary School

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Parry, North Carolina State University; Laura Bottomley, North Carolina State University; Elizabeth Miars, Rachel Freeman Elementary School; Lizette Day, Rachel Freeman Elementary School

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

interest in engineering magnet programs, in North Carolina an elsewhere, makes this topic timely. Even though this school/university partnership is in its first year of full implementation, the need to convey progress to date is vital. Future publications will share evaluation results at all levels as well as progress. Introduction One of the well-documented challenges faced by today’s K-12 educational system is the underrepresentation of minorities and low income students in higher level mathematics and science courses. The resulting effect of few students from these demographic groups pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields is of enormous concern to many people both inside and outside of STEM. In

Conference Session

Assessment of K-12 Engineering Programs and Issues

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Faik Karatas, Purdue University; Amy Micklos, Purdue University; George Bodner, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

EducationAssociation (ITEA)6 has asserted that an increasing knowledge of engineering may increase thenumber of students who choose engineering and technology as their future career. This isespecially crucial because the number of students enrolling in engineering and technology hasbeen constant or declining in recent years. At the same time, the need for engineering andtechnology related school graduates is higher than ever.13 There has been a growing interest in Page 13.1083.2integrating engineering curriculum at the K-12 level as a result of the higher demand ofengineers and technicians.6,14,15 Science education research has shown that conceptions

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics IV

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

B. Kyun Lee, LeTourneau University; Paul Leiffer; R. William Graff, LeTourneau University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

arelessening the likelihood of Gen Yers sticking around. Growing up with computers, cell phonesand being able to immediately upon impulse connect with friends and family around the worldhas made this group accustomed to keeping in touch at all times.”8“Because they are used to a world in which they can be doing multiple things at once, and whichtheir minds are always very active, they’ll come to expect the same degree of heightenedstimulation in the workplace. This means they’ll have to be provided with a regular stream ofnew projects and varied assignments and responsibilities. Not only that, but they will have to beprovided a career path that allows for multiple different jobs and careers throughout theirlifetime.”9“Progressive organizations are

Conference Session

Tricks of the Trade II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Marshall, University of Southern Maine; June Marshall, St. Joseph's College

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

roughtimes and keep on working. Knowing a few faculty members will enhances students’intellectual commitment and encourages them to think about their own values and futureplans. • Make a point to talk with students on a personal level and learn about their educational and career goals. • Seek out students who seem to be having problems with the course or miss class Page 13.968.8 frequently. • Advise students about career opportunities in their major field. • Share past experiences, attitudes, and values with students.Encourage Cooperation Among StudentsLearning is enhanced when it is more like a team effort than a solo race. Good

Conference Session

Research in Multidisciplinary Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Halada, State University of New York at Stony Brook; Mary Frame, State University of New York at Stony Brook; Chad Korach, State University of New York at Stony Brook; David Ferguson, State University of New York-Stony Brook

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

elements of this courseinclude:1. Training as mentors for the freshman/sophomore projects, providing peer advisement and feedback.2. A structure that provides a forum for students to learn professional development skills (including advanced presentation, proposal writing, and scientific publication skills), assist in the mentoring process, and network with members of the professional scientific and industrial communities. These activities will help to further develop the research projects students have been involved in as part of the minor program, and will provide strong preparation for successful careers in science and engineering. As part of this effort, students will prepare a journal quality manuscript on their work and a NSF

Conference Session

Research in Multidisciplinary Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carol Barry, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Jacqueline Isaacs, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

the REU program.Technical CommunicationSince technical communications skills are essential in technical careers2, one of the ABETcriteria is the “ability to communicate effectively.” The teaching of technical communication,however, is a long-term process. Such training is often integrated into curricula3-6. As a result,all three University’s provide workshops on aspects of technical communication and theUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell’s College of Engineering requires the review (and revision)of at least one piece of student writing every semester during an undergraduate student’suniversity career. The challenge, therefore, was to provide some technical communicationtraining in a 10-week-long research program.During Year 1, training in

Conference Session

Engineering and ET Relationships & Professional Development

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Lambrechts, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

, and this may well be an arduousjourney, because we want to retain our roots in ‘hands-on’ education while satisfying therequirements for full engineering instruction. However, this departure from civil engineeringtechnology would leave a void in the preparation of civil engineering ‘technologists’ both for siteengineering and the traditional “number-cruncher” in the office. It would appear that there willbe an increasing demand for technologists for both field and office engineering, but career pathpotential has not yet been established in education and industry. The technologist will be in evergreater demand as the educational background and expectations of graduating civil engineerswho directly pursue their Master’s degree grow. This paper

Conference Session

Potpourri II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elizabeth Waterfall, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Elizabeth Albrecht, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Stephen Williams, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Owe Petersen, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

• Extend advising to the classroom; advising is not limited in function, location, time, etc. • Utilize a developmental advising approach according to Winston, Ender and Miller:14 o Academic advising is a continuous process with an accumulation of personal contacts between advisor and student – these contacts have both direction and purpose. o Advising must concern itself with quality-of-life issues, and the advisor has a responsibility to attend to the quality of the student’s experience in college. o Advising is goal related; the goals should be established and owned by the student and should encompass academic, career, and personal development areas. o Advising requires

Conference Session

Entrepreneurship Education: Unique Approaches

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shawn S Jordan, Purdue Univeristy; Robin Adams, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

brief discussion of future directions forresearch. Figure 1: Picture of the author’s paper-shredding Rube Goldberg machine Page 13.1.3Background and contextReuben Lucius Goldberg (1883 – 1970) started his engineering career designing sewer systems.In 1914 after six months, he left engineering practice to become a cartoonist. His cartoons took asatirist point of view on technology, with his major underlying message being that technologymisapplied often makes life unnecessarily complicated. According to Goldberg, his cartoonsrepresent “a symbol of man’s capacity for exerting maximum effort to achieve minimal results.”He conveyed this

Conference Session

Issues in the Professional Practice of Faculty Members in Civil Engineering

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Rose, University of Pittsburgh -Johnstown; Norman Voigt, Penn State, New Kensington

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

similar attributes appropriate to the program educational objectives. Individual faculty members must have educational backgrounds, industrial experience, professional practice, communication skills, and technologically current knowledge that support the field of instruction and program educational objectives. Collectively, the faculty must be capable of providing students an appropriate breadth of perspective and effective instruction in the use of modern technical and non-technical Page 13.1257.3 methodologies in careers appropriate to the program educational objectives.”2In both cases, engineering experience, professional practice

Conference Session

Survivor: The First Few Years

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adrienne Minerick, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

advanced degree or pursue acareer in research. Therefore, it is necessary to have well-defined projects that enable successively moreindependence as the participant’s competency grows. It is important that the project enable true research and thatthe participant does not simply act as a lab technician for a graduate student’s project. This section will discuss howto structure 10-week REU student projects to maximize productivity for the faculty member’s research whilesimultaneously facilitating a transformative and positive experience for the undergraduate both in the laboratory andin crafting their own professional career credentials

Conference Session

Innovations in ME Laboratory Instruction

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregory Davis, Kettering University; Craig Hoff, Kettering University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

theexercise.Requiring the teams to perform the laboratory exercise on their own time provides a bettersimulation of the requirements they will face in their careers. The teams will need to becomeself sufficient, learning to rely on the use of manuals, and professional standards, etc. in order toperform their jobs. In order to help them begin to achieve this process, faculty members providea more detailed tutorial to the host team, and lists of references for all teams. Two hour timeslots are setup to conduct each exercise. If a team fails to complete the exercise during this timeslot, they must schedule another time with the host team. This encourages teams to comeprepared to test.An example laboratory exercise is presented in the Appendix. This exercise, a

Conference Session

Engineering Student Involvement in K12 Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Malinda Zarske, University of Colorado at Boulder; Jacquelyn Sullivan, University of Colorado at Boulder; Daniel Knight, University of Colorado at Boulder; Janet Yowell, University of Colorado at Boulder

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

is now amechanical engineering instructor at CU-Boulder and is involved in grant-sponsored researchinto the reasons high school girls go on to choose a career in engineering. Another former Fellowstarted a company which offers the opportunity for high school students to become involved inbuilding elementary schools in developing communities. Yet another Fellow alumnus is teachingaerospace engineering at a high school as part of Project Lead the Way. Last, but not least, a pastFellow is coordinating the current incarnation of the TEAMS program and co-authoring thispaper. Even years later, some of our former Fellows harbor big dreams, envisioning for their ownfuture some deeper involvement in K-12 engineering activities such as developing a

Conference Session

Student Recruitment and Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

P.K. Imbrie, Purdue University; Joe Jien-Jou Lin, Purdue University; Alexander Malyscheff, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

’ Retention based on Cognitive and Non-cognitive FactorsAbstractEngineering students’ affective self-beliefs can be influential factors directly or indirectlyaffecting their academic success and career decision. This paper examines whether students’non-cognitive factors can be used, alone or in combination with cognitive factors, in artificialneural network (ANN) models to predict engineering student’s future retention. Four ANN basedretention prediction models using different combinations of non-cognitive and cognitive factorsare presented. The independent variables includes survey items from nine non-cognitiveconstructs (leadership, deep learning, surface learning, teamwork, self-efficacy, motivation,meta-cognition, expectancy-value, and major

Conference Session

Educational Software

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cameron Wright, University of Wyoming; Michael Morrow, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Mark Allie, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Thad Welch, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

snapshot ofthree different progress points for incorporating real-time DSP into these activities.4.1 At the University of Wisconsin-MadisonThe Society of Women Engineers holds a one week summer program entitled “Engineering To-morrow’s Careers” for young women between their junior and senior years in high school. Theintent is to expose them to engineering and allow them to interact with people who work in a Page 13.1352.8variety of engineering disciplines. As part of this experience, we have hosted a 90-minute combi-nation classroom/lab session entitled “What is digital? (and why do I care?).” In the classroom,we start off by asking them to

Conference Session

Focus on IE Course Design and Assessment

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Kauffmann, East Carolina University; Cathy Hall, East Carolina University; Gene Dixon, East Carolina University; John Garner, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Industrial Engineering

AC 2008-2708: PREDICTING ACADEMIC SUCCESS FOR FIRST SEMESTERENGINEERING STUDENTS USING PERSONALITY TRAIT INDICATORSPaul Kauffmann, East Carolina University Paul J. Kauffmann is Professor and Chair in the Department of Engineering at East Carolina University. His industry career included positions as Plant Manager and Engineering Director. Dr. Kauffmann received a BS degree in Electrical Engineering and MENG in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Penn State and is a registered Professional Engineer.Cathy Hall, East Carolina University Cathy W. Hall is a professor in the Department of Psychology at East Carolina University. She

Conference Session

Mentoring Graduate Students

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ram Mohan, North Carolina A&T State University; Vinaya Kelkar, North Carolina A&T State University; Ajit Kelkar, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

directly from their undergraduate semesters, armed with Bachelorsdegrees, but unhappy with the job market and their career prospects.Just as their motives for being in this class are diverse so are their academic backgrounds for theCSE graduate students. Many students have undergraduate degrees in mathematics orengineering, whereas some have majored in Biology, Business, Physics, agricultural sciences.Their level of knowledge of statistics is also varied, although, most have had at least someelementary statistical theory. Teaching statistics to students from different backgrounds is notdifficult, statistics is, in essence, an applied science and lends itself well to most disciplines thancan be quantified. However, all the different backgrounds and

Conference Session

SE Curriculum and Course Management

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arthur Pyster, Stevens Institute of Technology; Devanandham Henry, Stevens Institute of Technology; Richard Turner, Stevens Institute of Technology; Kahina Lasfer, Stevens Institute of Technology; Lawrence Bernstein, Stevens Institute of Technology; Kristen Baldwin, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, Logistics)

Tagged Divisions

Software Engineering Constituent Committee

Page 13.34.1 Larry Bernstein is the Distinguished Service Professor of Software Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ. He wrote “Trustworthy Systems Through Quantitative Software Engineering,” with C.M. Yuhas, Wiley, 2005, ISBN 0-471-69691-9. He had a 35-year executive career at Bell Laboratories managing huge software projects deployed worldwide. Mr.© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Bernstein is a Fellow of the IEEE and the Association for Computing Machinery for innovative software leadership. He is on the Board of Center for National Software Studies and Director of the NJ Center for Software Engineering and is an active speaker on Trustworthy

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ronald Kander, James Madison University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

and technical challenges?• How can engineers best be educated to be leaders, able to balance the gains afforded by new technologies with the vulnerabilities created by their byproducts without compromising the well-being of society and humanity?• Will engineering be viewed as a foundation that prepares citizens for a broad range of creative career opportunities?• Will engineering reflect and celebrate the diversity of all the citizens in our society?To quote from the NAE report: “To maintain the nation’s economic competitiveness andimprove the quality of life for people around the world, engineering educators and curriculumdevelopers must anticipate dramatic changes in engineering practice and adapt their programsaccordingly

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christopher Anderson, U.S. Naval Academy; Richard Buehrer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

equipmentfailures.Although it is too early to assess the impact of the research experience on these students’ careers,the experience appears to have been a success. All four students reported a greater depth ofunderstanding of the concepts taught in electromagnetics and communications courses.Additionally, students gained valuable experience in developing and carrying out fieldexperiments—sometimes in less than ideal conditions—and as a result of this experience, somestudents expressed a desire to pursue a graduate degree. Designing this research project alsoprovided several valuable lessons to the instructors which will aid in the further development ofhands-on learning activities for electromagnetics and communications courses. Page

Conference Session

ERM Potpourri

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amy Miller, University of Pittsburgh -Johnstown

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

the challenges ofpractical application.Sometime around a student’s sophomore or junior year, they realize that engineering is not anexact science. Conditions surrounding the choice of theories and/or equations are often the mostdifficult to judge. During their academic studies, they are helped in the decision-making by thesectioning of material but once they begin their professional career they suffer from doubt,uncertainty and the loss of the answers in the back of the book. The challenge then forengineering and engineering technology professors is in preparing students to apply classroommaterial to “real life” situations while still supplying them with the essential fundamentals.This paper discusses a class assignment that inspires students

Conference Session

FPD5 - Teaming and Peer Performance

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arlisa Labrie Richardson, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Services in the NASA Center for Success in Math & Science at Estrella Mountain Community College, she utilizes her academic preparation and extensive engineering background to prepare students for successful careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields through student internships and summer research experiences. Page 13.1289.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Tinkering Self-Efficacy and Team Interaction on Freshman Engineering Design TeamsIntroductionIn the book Talking about Leaving, Seymour and Hewitt interviewed hundreds of

Conference Session

SPECIAL SESSION: Describing the Engineering Student Learning Experience Based on CAEE Findings: Part 2

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Jocuns, University of Washington; Reed Stevens, University of Washington; Lari Garrison, University of Washington; Daniel Amos, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

. I mean, the most successful people, they’re in the industry, and the ones who will, um, be noticed for their work and who will advance in their careers the fastest are not necessarily the ones who, um, are-are the best, um, fundamental engineers. (Darrell, SPRI, Year 3).Darrell noted that the engineers who were successful were not necessarily those who had themost excellent mathematical abilities, but rather those who possessed skills such as working withothers, communication, and the ability to present one’s work. That is, it is not primarily anunderstanding of science that enables one to be successful in engineering, but also, and morecentrally, abilities that have to do with conditions of working with others, such

Conference Session

Writing and Portfolios

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Turns, University of Washington; Kejun Xu, University of Washington; Matt Eliot, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

working on this project - and produced a successful Stirling engine. (1B)The following annotation does not include any first person statements, which makes it difficultfor the reader to necessarily know what the student is claiming that they know. CONCURRENT ENGINEERING Many mechanical engineers will design and create products for a career. By using concurrent engineering, the time and cost of manufacturing can be reduced along with improving the quality of the part. This is done by considering how the product will be manufactured when designing the product, which is concurrent engineering. During the designing process, mechanical engineers should consider what materials are available, how easy it is to form the product

Conference Session

Professional Skills and the Workplace

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Trevelyan, University of Western Australia

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

degree awarded can be a poorindicator of a graduate’s actual abilities”10. Employers expressed “a need for enhancingcourses in terms of their development of practical skills but not at the cost of losing a strongtheoretical base”.There are other signs pointing to the need to rethink the objectives of engineering education.In a recent visit to a representative sample of leading engineering education institutions inIndia I learned that very few of their graduates enter engineering careers: most are employedby IT firms producing software (and associated services). The apparent driver is salary levels:IT firms pay 50,000 Indian rupees/month. (~US$16,000/yr). In engineering companiesgraduates earn about one third as much. Labor market theory tells us

Conference Session

K-12 Engineering Outreach Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Powers, Clarkson University; Bruce Brydges, SUNY Potsdam; Gail Gotham, SLL BOCES; James Carroll, Clarkson University; Peter Turner, Clarkson University; Douglas Bohl, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

applications of the use of computer technology in the classroom. Instructional equipment, including a miniature roller coaster setup, laptop computers, data acquisition apparatus and software, is supplied to the schools.‚ In-class roller coaster design units taught by college students in 8th grade technology and HS physics classes where all students benefit from the data acquisition, mathematical modeling and design experience.‚ Extra-curricular programs for disadvantaged youth that include activities based on the roller coaster project and sessions to provided students and parents with information on college and career preparation in STEM fields and the financial aid and the college admission process.‚ Additional events to get

Conference Session

Philosophy of Engineering Education: Epistemology and Ethics

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gayle Ermer, Calvin College

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

release, and the Three Mile Islandnuclear reactor near melt-down.Causes related to personal ethics include the immoral actions of people that contribute tocatastrophic failures. This type of cause is usually opposed in the engineering curriculumthrough the study of engineering codes of ethics and case studies to help students clarifythe moral responsibilities inherent in their chosen career and to apply them faithfully.Causes related to societal evil include the political and economic contexts in whichmodern technology operates that contribute to engineering disasters. While some of theseissues are dealt with in the context of engineering ethics, often they are better dealt within liberal arts courses which intentionally raise the consciousness

Conference Session

Best of the NEE

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Beverly Jaeger, Northeastern University; Margaret Bates, Northeastern University; Brittany Damon, Northeastern University; Alison Reppy

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

Engineering Programming at Northeastern University. These juniors each have had 3 cooperative learning experiences, working outside the university in IE and have taken a strong interest in Motivation and Learning in Engineering Education, undertaking this research above and beyond their course and career work.Alison Reppy, Northeastern University Brittany Damon and Alison Reppy are 5th-year students in the 5-year Industrial Engineering Programming at Northeastern University. These Seniors each have had 3 cooperative learning experiences, working outside the university in IE and have taken a strong interest in Motivation and Learning in Engineering Education, undertaking this research