method captures students’ attention andinterest and allows them to experience the process of doing real-world engineering. The paperprovides background information and methodology for developing an engineering coursethrough murder mysteries. The course rating improved significantly, achieving a rating of 4.9 outof 5.0, the highest in the last twenty years. Comparing student performance between murdermysteries and traditional teaching in an exam shows a statistically significant result. Students inthe murder mystery-style class performed nearly two standard deviations better than those in thelecture-based teaching course.1. BackgroundMany students perceive Geotechnical Engineering as challenging, as evidenced by a straw-pollsurvey conducted in
recommendations about theirteaching are shared. It is hoped that design educators can use learnings from the comparativestudy in course design and teaching to enable engineering students to: (i) understand generalprinciples of design-based problem-solving and develop a designer’s mindset, (ii) linkproblem-solving techniques taught in engineering and non-engineering courses/contexts, and(iii) develop necessary skill and vocabulary sets to interact with non-engineers trained invarious forms of the design framework.1 Dhanani School of Science and Engineering, Habib University, Karachi (Pakistan)2 Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford (UK) 11. IntroductionThe last decade
Saterbak [1] have analyzed the nearly 120 ABET-accredited biomedicalengineering/bioengineering (BME/BioE) programs in the U.S. to identify commonalities in themultidisciplinary curriculum and how university programs develop discipline-based “tracks”based on historical significance, growing workforce needs, and student interests. One such trackin molecular, cellular, and tissue engineering (MCTE) has garnered significant attention thisdecade with increased access to mammalian cell culture, CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering [2],and synthetic biology education [3]. In addition, the U.S. presidential administration enactedExecutive Order 14081 [4] in 2022 to launch a National Biotechnology and BiomanufacturingInitiative that “train[s] a diverse skilled
. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2023 Using a Situational Leadership Framework to Understand the Role of Mentors in Cultivating Innovative Thinking Skills in STEM EducationAbstractLike many faculty, we have organized student innovation competitions and programs (ICPs) andcoached many student teams for various competitions; therefore, we have observed first-handhow transformational the experience has been for our students. ICPs allow students to quicklytest their skills and knowledge, push them beyond their comfort zones, encourage them to takerisks, and provide a safe place to try and fail, as failures can be seen as a critical part of thelearning process [1]. Despite their invaluable
define the structuralbehavior. There are no longer 2D drawings or 3D renders, they are real structures withdimensions, volume, shape and meaning in a complete structure. In some cases, theconstruction site administrators, with high personal security concerns, allow the students toperform some basic activities in the site, such as bending steel bars, distributing and tyingstirrups in a beam rebaring, or supervising the taking of lab samples of concrete cylinders andtheir tagging for identification purposes. All these activities enhance the student’s feeling ofbeing a part of the construction site system. Figure 1. Site visit to an apartment building construction (masonry). Students bending steel bars with the help of construction workers and
Institute for Social Science Research. She received her B.S. in Psychology from Furman University and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2023 Evaluation of a 3-Year Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site Focused on Engineering Solutions in Support of Communicative DisordersIntroductionParticipating in undergraduate research is a high-impact practice for enhancing student success[1, 2]. It is useful in promoting collaborative interdisciplinary research efforts [3], raisingawareness of the societal context of research [4], engaging under-represented students [5, 6
hasmatured and expanded, and through a regular meeting Community of Practice, they have debateddetails of question phrasing to larger questions of how to make use of student responses.Additional issues that are addressed in this article relate to the effect of timing, repetition, andmodality of deployment on student performance.2. Institutional ProfilesTables 1 and 2 provide descriptions of the participating institutions and the modality ofdeployment of the CW questions. Table 1. Summary of Institutions and Modalities for Statics. Institution Description S1: University of Puerto Public, mid-sized, urban, bilingual, HSI. Primarily deployed in class after substantial discussion Rico, Mayagüez (UPRM) on
informs the culture, climate, and discourse of engineering education,leading to an exclusionary culture within engineering as reflected by the lack of diversity andlower retention of students and faculty of color, and contributes to systemic barriers negativelyimpacting racial equity. Moving towards racial equity in engineering education requires afundamental shift in thinking in two important ways: 1) we must reframe how we think aboutunderserved populations from minority to minoritized by a dominant discourse, and 2) to beginto dismantle the impacts of Whiteness, we must first make this barrier visible.In the first year of this project, the diverse team of PIs began to explore scripts of Whiteness inengineering education by conducting a
Lower-Performant StudentsTo develop the model for identifying lower-performant students, we collected data from the ALPand conducted a descriptive analysis during Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters. The coursewas taught face-to-face during both semesters. The data was collected for 30 topics calledobjectives, each of which had individual lessons called nodes. The data was collected under threecategories, namely activity type, participation type, and performance type.1) Activity Type: These activities are related to ALP interactions for instruction, practice, andreview. Instruction involves covering a lesson before the due date, review involves doing alesson without any changes to the grading criteria, and practice involves redoing the
design and construction projects [1]. Many AE graduates areconfronted with these fragmentation problems in real-world construction projects, such as poorcommunication and lack of cooperative consciousness or experience [2]. Compounding this, the problemof fragmentation also exists in the education field that leads to certain consequences and a cyclic educationdeficit problem. Studies from researchers illustrate that most engineering students were taught technicalknowledge via isolated and, thus domain-specific courses with limited to no teaching of integratedapproaches. This limited educational focus causes a lack of knowledge and experience in collaboration forstudents entering the workforce [3]. Moreover, the education model of the AEC
CCSUgraduates stay in Connecticut upon graduation. This benchmark is much higher for CCSUcompared to graduates of other universities in the state [1].Since 2021, our Master’s in Software Engineering program has been supported by an NSF S-STEM award “Advancing Graduates in Learning Experiences (AGILE)” to attract and retainacademically talented financially disadvantaged first generation and underrepresented minoritystudents. The author of this report serves as the PI on this NSF award. AGILE scholarshipprogram builds on the strengths and experiences of three prior S-STEM programs supportingComputer Science undergraduates at CCSU. This program implements and offers industry-centric curricular and co-curricular activities proven to improve student
diversity.4 The program consists of five classes,unique to the minor, that span across two academic years (4 semesters) and relies on the use ofcohort-based program structure, near-peer mentoring, and project-driven learning. The cohortstructure allows for close relationships to form, combatting the social isolation that historicallymarginalized students may feel in CS classes. Peer mentoring benefits students by offeringfurther academic, social, and professional development support within the program. Project-based learning provides strong ties to students’ major area(s) of study (primarily biology andbiochemistry) and supports students’ future success in fields that are becoming increasingly data-driven.1 Finally, the minor program courses focus
more positive experiences and attitudes toward micropaleontology thanthose in the Control group.Background and motivationThe microfossil remains preserved in sediments play key roles in determining the ages ofgeologic records, reconstructing paleoenvironments, and monitoring modern ecosystems [1–3].However, training undergraduates to identify these microfossils requires a lot of time, and moststudents are not exposed to micropaleontology in their courses, which limits the number of futurespecialists entering fields that use them [4].We developed FossilSketch [5], an interactive software that introduces students tomicropaleontology through educational videos, mini-games, and exercises focused on theirapplications in geosciences, to enable
better understand student’s programming behavior. 1. Introduction This poster presents research that seeks to address a call-to-action for better methods for capturing students’ programming process data by expanding the type and variety of data collected, and making an effort to create a platform with an accessible uni ed infrastructure that uses a standardized data schema. The primary motivation for this research an overarching goal of developing a model of programming skill estimation for introductory programming that is rooted in appropriate learning theories and utilizes arti cial intelligence (AI) and IDE-based learning analytics to
that guides localofficials on accessing the federal funding reserved for supporting innovative and equity-focusedSTEM education strategies from Pre-K–12 grades [1]. Additionally, initiatives such as ‘You Belongin STEM’ and the ‘STEM Education Coalition’ aim to strengthen STEM education locally andnationwide. This push to increase access to STEM courses and experiences has boosted students’knowledge of problem-solving and project-based learning.Research shows successful engineering education requires experiential project-based, hands-on, andinterdisciplinary learning elements to engage and motivate students, increasing retention andgraduation rates [2]–[4]. This includes identifying clear applications of their acquired skills andfinding purpose
[1], [2], [3]. In December 2022, the U.S. Department of Education announcedthe “Raise the Bar: STEM Excellence for All Students” initiative, intended to “help implementand scale equitable, high-quality STEM education for all students from Pre-K to highereducation—regardless of background— to ensure their 21st century career readiness and globalcompetitiveness” [4]. One of three Raise the Bar goals is to “develop and support our [U.S.]STEM educators to join, grow, and stay in the STEM field” [4]. This goal targets one of the mostsignificant challenges facing the education field today: teacher recruitment and retention.The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the teacher shortage in the U.S. Recent research by theNational Center for Education
researchquestions: ● Research Question 1: What are characteristics of physical and virtual spaces which enable RedShirt students to develop engineering identities? ● Research Question 2: How are spaces utilized by RedShirt students to form connections and identities in engineering? ● Research Question 3: How have the spaces in which engineering students live, study, work, socialize, and exist changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and after returning to in-person learning?MethodsData CollectionThe dataset this paper focuses on includes a total of six focus group sessions convened across threestudy sites, with each site having an initial focus group session of approximately 60 minutes to establisha baseline and provide
operations and decisions. At its core, IoT involvesphysical computing – the use of inexpensive microcomputers that run highly optimized codeto collect, analyze, and share data with other devices and/or a cloud server. Human users orcomputer algorithms can access this data using dashboards or software ApplicationProgramming Interface (API) calls.BackgroundIoT Education BackgroundThe integration of hardware, software, real-time data, software processes, and humaninteraction makes IoT a valuable platform for teaching CS topics in a hands-on manner [1].This is particularly useful when introducing CS principles to students in grades 9-12, due tothe emphasis on physical computing and the availability of user-friendly programminglanguages such as Python
DesignIntroductionDesigning courses and learning activities in engineering is a complex process affected by manydynamic variables: student characteristics, shifting policies, changing technical and professionalknowledge, national and global events, and more. While many frameworks and systems exist tosupport engineering faculty as they (re)design their courses, design thinking has emerged as oneviable framework due to its human-centered, creative, diverse, and adaptive nature [1-5]. Still,studies show that certain mindsets and approaches essential to design thinking may bechallenging for faculty, especially those in engineering [6]. Thus, if engineering educators hopeto leverage design thinking for course design, how might it be accomplished? This study seeks
professionaldevelopment sessions focused on scientific communication have been developed and provided tothe IRES students during the first two years of the program. While both technical and non-technical trainings have been developed for this IRES site, the focus of this paper is to highlightthe technical training sessions since these materials were identified as an area for improvement inthe external evaluation following the program’s first year.Summary of the ProgramFollowing the open application and student selection phases, this program is composed of 3different parts: (1). Virtual Training Series: from March-May the PI meets with the selectedstudents weekly over Zoom to discuss program logistics, acquaint students with their projectsand to facilitate group
to its practice, we constructed anarrative-based educational tool for students, educators, and practitioners. The engineer’s first-hand experiences demonstrate that to think divergently, engineers must understand systemconstraints, explore widely, seek information from many sources, take risks, seek variedperspectives, and explore multiple methods to solve problems.Introduction Exploring many options is key to developing innovative and inclusive engineering solutionsfor complex systems, diverse stakeholders, and “wicked” problems [1], [2]. However, researchhas shown that engineers often focus on finding a single solution rather than exploring multiplepotential solutions, methods, perspectives, and even problems during their problem
, Weakness,Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis presented in the paper revealed an efficientmanagement strategy anchored on the social management theoretical framework andfacilitated by the project management tool.IntroductionSTEM projects in academia are centered on science, technology, engineering, andmathematics. Some of these projects are based in one of the fields, while others cut acrossmore than one discipline. Managing such multidepartment STEM projects can beoverwhelming, complex, and challenging, necessitating effective organization andcollaboration between multiple teams and stakeholders [1]. Most such multidisciplinaryprojects are funded to drive cross-cutting knowledge acquisition and sharing, includingdeveloping tools that can be
weekly study hall sessions withengineering, computer science, math and engineering faculty present. The length of time andspace was expanded as well; the study hall is now held in two classrooms as well as the BaxterInnovation lab, the campus makerspace.The Baxter Innovation lab, which has been open since 2018, was designed as a cornerstone forthe engineering program. The literature suggests that makerspaces/fab labs could increaseretention of students in STEM related fields and improve their confidence when solvingtechnical problems because they highlight the creative aspects of engineering and build acommunity of practice that increases students’ sense of belonging [1], [2]. Thus far, it hasprovided access to prototyping technology and
skill.IntroductionComputational thinking skills are widely acknowledged to be a critical component of anundergraduate engineering education and a key part of the process of forming engineers in the21st century. Past studies investigating students’ motivation for learning to use coding andprogramming tools have demonstrated significant variability in students’ motivational factors[1]. Earlier studies with students in introductory programming courses demonstrated thatstudents in less computationally intense degree programs often demonstrate a lower sense of selfefficacy and are likely to believe that coding is unlikely to be a key part of their education orcareer [2] [3] [4] [5]. Many students in the United States of America have opportunities to pursueinterests in
Canvas (due to campus-wide adoption of Canvas to replaceBlackboard) to do the same in Spring 2022 and Fall 2022. It takes time to set up such enhancedmulti-part problems on Blackboard or Canvas, but these problem sets are reusable, and thestudent responses are positive. This paper describes how to create such multi-part problems withrandom parameterization on Blackboard and Canvas, and presents the evolvement of studentperceptions from Fall 2019 to Fall 2022, to reflect on the impact of the pandemic.IntroductionActive learning is proven to be an effective pedagogy to improve student performance [1], wherethe students may be engaged in problem-solving, experiential learning, teamwork, a flippedclassroom, or other learning modalities. Timely
Science Foundation (NSF, Grant #1742618). We focus on preliminary analysis on theimpact of “Fab Friday,” the centerpiece of our SSTEM program. Fab Friday was an on-campus,semester-long hackathon where our fabulous scholars worked in teams on Friday afternoonsto fabricate computing solutions for real world projects and challenges presented by communityand industry partners. CS faculty also participated as project mentors. Fab Friday was created toenhance the SSTEM Scholars’ social capital, defined as the information and resources generatedthrough one’s social relationships and social networks [1].1.2 The SSTEM Program as the Context for Fab FridayOur SSTEM program created cohorts of students who were called SSTEM Scholars. They wereselected based
that the majority of universities have not considered new methods ofdata analytics such as ML or AI in their civil engineering coursework. Based on the results of thesurvey, the authors will provide suggestions on how to adapt high technology concepts to civilengineering coursework, while abiding by ABET/ASCE accreditation requirements. The findingsof this paper will indicate where postsecondary universities offering civil engineering can easilyadapt their curricula to address the current low enrollment crisis, which in turn, supports futurecivil engineers for the world of high technology.Introduction and BackgroundCivil engineering is the backbone of society, constructing and maintaining infrastructure thatdirectly impacts lives [1]. Like
. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Dayton and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University. ©American Society for Engineering Education, 2023 Exploring Impacts of Socially Engaged Engineering Training: What do Students’ Attend to in Scenario-Based Interviews?Introduction & BackgroundThis work is situated from the perspective that engineering is a sociotechnical endeavor. Theliterature is inconsistent in defining what it means to be sociotechnical–e.g., engineering issociotechnical because of the societal impacts of engineering work or because of collaborativeand interpersonal nature of engineering work—[1]. Despite this inconsistency, the spectrum ofsocial aspects