Conference Session

How We Teach Problem Solving?

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Mark Urban-Lurain; Taner Eskil; Marilyn Amey; Timothy Hinds; Jon Sticklen

Michigan State University. She was part of a research team studying bestpractices in Science, Math, Engineering and Technology Undergraduate Reform for SRI and NSF, and policyevaluator for an NSF Rural Systemic Reform project on math and science curriculum reform in the Navajo Nation.Taner Eskil is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Michigan StateUniversity. Mr. Eskil holds a M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and will soon complete his Ph.D. research in the areaof internet agent support for electronic commerce. Mr. Eskil has been instrumental in developments in the College ofEngineering freshman gateway course in computational tools.Timothy Hinds is an academic specialist in the MSU Department of Mechanical

Conference Session

Promoting ET thru K-12 Projects

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Thomas Johnson

be competent in those areas addressedby the authors. After examining the high school curriculum currently in place, there has been arealization that a secondary school education as now constituted provides very little exposure tothe skills and general problem solving techniques that is emphasized in the technology standards.Interestingly, the identified skills are much like the ones that an engineer develops in completingan engineering degree. The problem we face in California is that the State mandates the primaryand secondary school curricula2, and getting any changes made to the comprehensive and well-established program is a Herculean task, one that is exceedingly difficult and time consuming.As an alternative approach, we have developed

Conference Session

Undergraduate Research & New Directions

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Robert Weber; Rob Walstrom; Kukjin Lee; Jayme Hero; Galen Faidley; Bernard Lwakabamba; Feng Chen; Julie Dickerson; Carolina Cruz-neira; Diane Rover

. Weplan to continue to develop it and investigate what will make it an effective learning tool.AcknowledgementThis work is funded by grant number 0088071 from the National Science Foundation as part ofthe Combined Research and Curriculum Development (CRCD) Program.Bibliography[1] D. Rover, J. Dickerson, R. Weber, C. Cruz-Neira, K. Lee, and Z. Min, “Using a Design Document to Support Interdisciplinary Learning,” 33rd ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Boulder, Colorado, November 2003.[2] J. Dickerson, D. Rover, R. Weber, C. Cruz-Neira, E. Eekhoff, B. Lwakabamba, F. Chen, and Z. Min, “CRCD: Low-Power Wireless Communications for Virtual Environments-Course Integration,” 2003 ASEE Annual Conference, Nashville, June 2003.[3] J. A

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Courses and Issues

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Jean-Pierre Delplanque; Marcelo Simoes; Joan Gosink; Catherine Skokan

a particularly strong position toundertake major curricular and pedagogical reform.In support of reform activities, the National Science Foundation (NSF) initiated a newprogram, Department-Level Reform of Undergraduate Engineering Education in 2002. Thisprogram called for innovative strategies to effect reform, including streamlining thecurriculum through the reduction of legacy materials, introducing topics in emerging areas ofengineering, and forming integrated partnerships that cross disciplines and focus ontechnological systems. CSM engineering faculty interested in curriculum reform developed aproposal to this solicitation; the proposal was funded in fall 2002. This paper describes aspecific objective of the project, namely the

Conference Session

Teaching about New Materials

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Mel Mendelson

nanotechnology. Possibly this is because nanotechnology is multi-disciplinary, and the institutions cannot integrate the science and engineering disciplines in orderto properly teach it. In addition, there is no infrastructure for teaching nanotechnology; and thereare no university models and no textbooks to follow.Previous investigators have proposed an integration of the basic sciences in teachingnanotechnology courses [3]. However, they could not implement their plan [4] and did notinclude the engineering disciplines. In 2003, Loyola Marymount University (LMU) obtained aNational Science Foundation (NSF) grant to develop a new sophomore-level course thatintegrated the science and engineering disciplines along with ethics [5]. The purpose of thecourse

Conference Session

Innovative Techniques & Funding Research

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Atif Qamar; Zahed Siddique

using book andmultimedia tutorials. These tutorials utilize text, snapshots, movies, etc. to facilitate learning of3D modeling techniques for the CAD softwares. Usually the user reads the instructions and thentries to follow it using the software. Advancements in new multimedia technologies can providehigher level of interactions to facilitate the learning process. In addition, 3D web-basedrepresentations can increase understanding of creating 3D solid models and assembly processesfor CAD software. In this paper we present an interactive training environment, where users areprovided with interfaces in such a manner so that he/she can go though the steps of creatinggeometry in a simulated CAD environment. Multimedia tools are used to develop

Conference Session

Curricular Change Issues

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Nigel Middleton; Barbara Olds; Heidi Loshbaugh; Ruth Streveler

programs requested and received funding four of the five years the Mini-Grantprogram operated.writing across the curriculumThe first program we examine is located in the Liberal Arts and International StudiesDivision of the Colorado School of Mines. The Writing Program was created in 1997 inresponse to campus needs to improve the quality of written communication for CSMgraduates. An Alumni survey conducted in 1994 and a faculty survey conducted in 1996yielded virtually the same findings: CSM students and graduates needed more experiencewith technical writing. A Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) committee wasrecommended to the Curriculum Reform committee and the Writing Program was one ofthe developments from the committee’s work. The program

Conference Session

Novel Upper-Level Materials Curricula

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Rita Caso; Jeff Froyd; Dimitris Lagoudas

, American Society for Engineering EducationConcept inventory assessment instruments in other disciplines are under development in otherprojects as well: ‚" Materials Concept Inventory [7, 8] ‚" Signals and System concept inventories [9-11] ‚" Fluid Mechanics [12] ‚" Thermal and Transport Sciences [13] ‚" Strength of Materials [14] ‚" Electromagnetics [15] ‚" Electronics [16]Reports from each of these projects indicate that gains in student conceptual understanding incourses taught using traditional lectures are less than might be expected.Curriculum InnovationsDevelopment of an Integrated Multidisciplinary Curriculum for Intelligent Systems is a projectthat is supported by the Combined Research and Curriculum Development (CRCD

Conference Session

DEED Poster Session

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Will Cluett; Peter Weiss; Kim Woodhouse; David Bagley; Susan McCahan

18. Ford, J.D., and Riley, L.A., “Integrating Communication and Engineering Education: A Look at Curricula, Courses, and Support Systems,” J. Eng. Educ., vol. 92, no. 4, p. 325, 2003. 19. Miller, R.L., and Olds, B.M., “A Model Curriculum for a Capstone Course in Multidisciplinary Engineering Design,” J. Eng. Educ., vol. 83, no. 4, p. 311, 1994. 20. Winsor, D., Writing Like an Engineer: A Rhetorical Education. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum Publishers, 1996.DAVID BAGLEYDavid Bagley is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Toronto. His current academic interestsinclude sustainable wastewater treatment and sustainability of engineering systems in general. He holds a B.S. fromthe Colorado School of Mines, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from

Conference Session

Attracting Young MINDs

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Suzanne Berliner-Heyman; Nicole Koppel; Rosa Cano; Siobhan Gibbons; Howard Kimmel

repertoire of instruments.During our early experiences with these programs, our primary instrument was a post-program evaluation to assess the program components and the impacts of the programson the participants8-9. We also recognized the need to follow up with participants afterthe program to assess long-term impact on their career goals and aspirations. These toolsprovide valuable information and are still prime instruments for assessment12-14.Outcome measurements and assessments are an integral part of all pre-collegiateinitiatives as well as the Women in Engineering & Technology Initiative-FEMMEprograms. Traditional program evaluation methodologies are part of the assessmentprocess of the programs. Program participants complete evaluation

Conference Session

ECE Education and Engineering Mathematics

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Seyed Zekavat

Page 9.86.2required courses rather than to optimize the current course. Furthermore, this increase in creditsaccommodates just one engineering major and is not an option for other non-EE students.A number of Michigan Tech faculty suspected that students were not satisfied with the currentcontent of the EE service course. Faculty experience and routine course evaluations by studentsshow that: (1) students are concerned with the current curriculum that covers many topics moreextensively than needed, (2) there is no clear link between the subjects taught and the students’fields of study, (3) many topics do not apply to the students’ fields, they are soon forgotten, and,(4) the course does not cover many topics the students believe are more

Conference Session

Technology-Based Entrepreneurship Courses

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Hsu Tze Chi; Han Bee Shan

2004_1612Coupling Engineering and Entrepreneurship Education through Fuel Cell Product Development Tze-Chi, Hsu and Bee-Shan, Han Department of Mechanical Engineering, Yuan Ze University Taoyuan, Taiwan, R.O.C. metchsu@saturn.yzu.edu.twAbstractThis paper presents an overview of the entrepreneurship curriculum at Yuan Ze University. In thiscurriculum, thirteen courses are identified as required courses for students that intend to apply fuel cellas the key component for starting a new company. The thirteen courses include fuel cell

Conference Session

TIME 1: Controls

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

William Carnell; John Lumkes; Joseph Musto

computing technology [2]. As part of this curriculum redesign, a two-course sequencein computer programming has been implemented for freshmen students studying MechanicalEngineering.It is well-known among engineering educators that while traditional introductory programmingcourses are an important foundation for future study, the typical tasks assigned in introductoryprogramming courses (sorting, “Hello World” output, etc.) fail to excite and motivate manyfreshmen engineering students [1]. This is especially true of many students in MechanicalEngineering, who are drawn to the discipline by a strong desire for “hands-on” applications. Inan effort to motivate the use of programming techniques, and to stimulate interest among thestudents, a

Conference Session

Graduate Student Experiences

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Sean Holleran; Elaine Chan; Chad Rasmussen; Alan McGaughey

Session 3555 ASEE Student Chapters: Avenues for Promoting Future Engineering Educators Elaine R. Chan, Sean P. Holleran, Alan J. H. McGaughey, Chadwick C. Rasmussen University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MIAbstractThe University of Michigan (UM) ASEE Student Chapter continues to thrive as an activegraduate student organization dedicated to providing a forum for furthering excellence inengineering education. The organization sponsors numerous events to help graduate studentsprepare for careers in academia, to help undergraduate

Conference Session

Role of Professional Societies

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Dianne Dorland

engineering, biotechnology, nanotechnology, electronics and informationdevelopment or delivery. We need to take an active role in redefining the education pipeline,especially an enhanced awareness of science and math in K through 12, as well as a broadeningof the chemical engineering undergraduate curriculum. We must look to redefining the goals ofindustry and their responsibilities to society, that is, sustainable development, while we continueto support the core industries and knowledge base of chemical engineering.If we define “Industry” as where we work, “Technology” as how we work, “Education” as howwe teach/learn, and “Society” as how we behave/develop, we can readily present AIChE’shistoric role as a professional society in Figure 1. Chemical

Conference Session

TIME 3: Thermal Systems

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Robert Choate

outlined at the 2003 National Effectiveness Teaching Institute Workshop,course deployment in fall 2003 was altered slightly from the fall 2002 approach, and the courseoutcomes assessment indicated a more effective learning environment. Alternative deploymentconsisted of incorporating visual and higher-level overview of thermodynamic systems andfluids phenomena, and of actively engaging students through worked example problems byinstructor, individual students and student groups.Bibliography1. C. Shih and F. Alvi, “An Integrated Thermal and Fluids Curriculum,” Proceedings of the 2000 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition.2. R.N. Smith, D.A. Kaminski, M.K. Jensen and A. Hirsa, “Development of an Integrated

Conference Session

New Faculty Issues and Concerns

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

J. Fredericks Volkwein; Linda Strauss; Lisa Lattuca; Patrick Terenzini

education literature for discussions and studies of the impact of assessment, changes ininstructional practice, curricular change, and the role of faculty culture in college and universitycontexts. These reviews led to 1) the development of a set of course and program level changesthat might be expected in engineering programs preparing for an EC200 review, and 2)identification of potential survey items that might be used to assess the a-k learning outcomes.The team also examined self-study documents from selected engineering programs for surveyinstruments designed to measure changes in program curricula, faculty teaching, and studentlearning. The team gratefully acknowledges the inspirations for several survey items, includingitems on curriculum

Conference Session

TIME 8: Materials, MEMS, and Nano

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

sudhakar vadiraja; Hector Cervantes

outset, the competency based curriculum is vital for teaching smart materials. Learningexperiences should be differentiated from CORE competencies. These are desirable technicaland behavioral knowledge, skills and attitudes that students should experience, learn or beexposed to without the expectation of reaching competency. The learning environment haschanged from an apprenticeship model and passive learning to one that integrates learningstrategies with outcomes. With competency outcomes as a guide, the curriculum is moredynamic. Staffs can be more reflective and help in changing their teaching strategies for good, ifrequired.Amongst teaching methodologies, discussion model and lecture quiz approaches are consideredas effective tools for

Collection

2004 ASEE Midwest Section Conference

Authors

Judy Collins; Beverlee Kissick; Jung Oh; Alysia Starkey

FutureThe University of Virginia project17 on the integration of chemical information intoundergraduate chemistry curriculum as part of the institution’s IL program is one example ofchanges in pedagogy with the realization of IL competence needed in today’s undergraduates.The University of Oklahoma proposed a model18 to incorporate IL into upper-levelundergraduate science courses and an instrument for measuring IL. By recognizing similaritiesthat exist between science-teaching standards (the National Science Education Standards) andinformation standards (American Association of School Librarians’ Information PowerStandards) and sharing common interest in student learning, librarians and science teachers canform meaningful partnerships19. In

Conference Session

Expert Advice on Instructional Methods

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Phillip Wankat

of faculty interested in engineering education). Other faculty in thedepartment may resent that this professor is not pulling his or her share of the load, that is, notbringing in research money. There may be less respect for educational research than fortechnical research even though NSF curriculum development money is very difficult to obtainand JEE now has more stringent publication requirements than many technical journals. Withthis potential downside, why would faculty choose this route? Frankly, most faculty who followthis route don’t choose--they feel compelled to work on educational issues.The “pioneering” path is to start as an assistant professor with a tenure track appointment,probably in a disciplinary department, as an

Conference Session

Technological Literacy I

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Samuel Daniels; Bouzid Aliane; Jean Nocito-Gobel; Michael Collura

Engineering Educationuniversities, both engineering and non-engineering students take this course. Non-engineeringmajors choose Introduction to Engineering as an elective course to fulfill the scientificmethodology requirement of the current Core Curriculum at UNH. Historically, large numbersof non-engineering students take this course. The diversity of students in a particular class variesfrom section to section. It is not uncommon for freshmen engineering students to be in a classwith sophomore, junior or senior non-engineering majors.Evolution of Project-Based Version of the CoursePrior to the introduction of EAS107P in the curriculum, the structure of any particular section ofEAS107 was dependent on the faculty member teaching the course. Some

Conference Session

Nontraditional Ways to Engage Students

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Kathy Brockway; Greg Spaulding

piece of the future initiative. The board Page 9.1215.2will work with the faculty and students in developing and guiding the entrepreneurial cluband will provide input and direction for the curriculum enhancement. In short, theadvisory board will ensure that the College of Technology and Aviation will become acenter of entrepreneurial education and innovation.Student Entrepreneurial ClubThe second component of our future plan of entrepreneurship is to develop the newlyformed entrepreneurial club into an active and dynamic unit.Proposed club activities include the following. • Utilize the network of support and resources possessed by the entrepreneurial

Conference Session

Nontraditional Ways to Engage Students

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Andrew Czuchry; W. Andrew Clark

Technology or aMasters of Business Administration (MBA) can select coursework with an emphasis inentrepreneurial business practices and concepts. Faculty members from both the technology andbusiness colleges form an interdisciplinary team to help coordinate offerings for students. Tohelp facilitate cross-pollination between diverse fields of study many of these courses are duallisted in both the MBA and Technology curriculums. In addition to the master degree programs,an Entrepreneurial Leadership Graduate Certificate Program has been implemented to providenon-traditional students an opportunity to learn entrepreneurial business concepts that can beapplied directly to their careers. Coursework offered at ETSU to facilitate innovativeentrepreneurship

Conference Session

Innovative Teaching/Learning Strategies

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Steve Ezzell; Paul Gordy

as a planning team member for an NSF sponsored grant on engineering education. Similar contacts led to Gordy’s participation in reviewing grants for NSF on two occasions. • Ezzell now participates in board meetings for the local NSPE chapter and was voted as 1999 Engineering of the Year. • Gordy was voted 2002 Professor of the Year at TCC.Integrating Team Projects into the Engineering CurriculumTCC’s involvement in competitions has been highly beneficial to the program, but not allstudents have been directly affected as participation has been primarily on a volunteer basis.Gordy and Ezzell feel that the next step is to provide similar opportunities to all TCCEngineering students by integrating design projects and competitions into

Conference Session

ERM Potpourri

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Glenn Ellis; Baaba Andam

studentslearn about the Turing Test and apply the ideas behind it in a number of applications. Finally,students complete an in-depth unit on connectionism in which they learn about and use artificialneural networks (ANNs).In the spring semester students apply their understanding of artificial neural network through anin-depth independent research topic. While working on their projects, students also explore AItopics such as robotics or artificial life. Curriculum elements from several topics throughout thecourse are presented in greater depth in the following sections.Machine Consciousness There’s something queer about describing consciousness: whatever people mean to say, they just can’t seem to make it clear. It’s not like feeling confused or

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Programs: Look Ahead

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Yaakov Varol; William Sparkman; Walt Johnson; Nancy LaTourrette; Jesse Adams; Jeffrey LaCombe; Gary Norris; Ellen Jacobson; Norma Velasquez-Bryant; John Kleppe; Pamela Cantrell; Eric Wang; Ted Batchman

EngineeringExperience Initiative: A Bridge To and From Problem/Project/Team-Based Learning. Thecollaboration stems from a unique view of the engineering pipeline and aims to improve thequality, quantity, and diversity of our graduates through a flexible, hands-on curriculum.This paper describes the program’s three main activities: the development of an integratedfreshmen curriculum, a future scholars program, and a summer bridging program. Assessmenthas been integrated into all activities and is being performed by experts from the College ofEducation.Currently, curriculum activity is focused on two freshmen courses. The first is a combinedmechanical, electrical and civil engineering course where students work on interdisciplinaryteams building digital scales

Conference Session

Entrepreneurship Poster Session

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Mark Barker; David Hall

exceptional products in their later design courses due to this innovative product designexperience? These questions will not be answered for some time. However, a significantamount of positive feedback was received from those involved and those who observed, and thiscourse sequence is being offered again in the 2003-2004 academic year.Bibliography1. Nelson, James and Stan Napper, “Ramping Up to an Integrated Curriculum to Full Implementation”, Frontiers inEducation, Puerto Rico, 1999.2. Boe-Bot image from Parallax website, www.parallax.com3. “The Art of Innovation”, Tom Kelley, 2001, Doubleday, New York.4. “The Deep Dive”, Nightline, ABC News, July 13, 1999.BiographyJ. MARK BARKER is an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Program at

Conference Session

ECE Laboratory Development & Innovations

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Luke Niiler; David Beams

Session 3432 Improving Technical Writing through Published Standards: The University of Texas at Tyler Electrical Engineering Laboratory Style Guide David M. Beams Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Texas at Tyler Lucas P. Niiler Department of English and Writing Center Director, University of Texas at TylerAbstractThe writing of technical reports is an integral part of the duties of practicing engineers. Theaccreditation criteria of EC2000 recognize this by placing emphasis on "soft skills

Conference Session

Serving the Information Needs of Engineering Technology Educators

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Lance Miller; Jack Waintraub

, broadeningawareness of the roles technicians play in the global economy and expanding partnership inCenter activities. NJCATE has developed an innovative curriculum model that provides aprocess and the procedures for the development of integrated, interdisciplinary engineeringtechnology programs.The NJCATE curriculum model, as well as effective pedagogy, use of technology-basedinstructional materials, recruitment and retention strategies, and mechanisms for integration ofethics into instruction, have been widely disseminated via the NJCATE web site, intensivesummer institutes, and national and regional conferences. Over the years, more than 900secondary and postsecondary faculty and administrators have participated in NJCATE events.Through complementary NSF

Conference Session

Improving Teaching & Learning

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Sandra Courter; Mary McEniry; Cid Freitag

; Exposition Copyright 2004 American Society for Engineering Education • Continuing team component with one engineering faculty and one science, math, or technology faculty member for inter-disciplinary benefits. • Continuing research-based approach both for learning what others have done in similar situations and for investigating specific teaching and learning situations.ConclusionsThe Ways of Knowing: Ways of Practice on-line experience offered an alternative tobetter integrate these types of activities into the more regular part of the life of faculty.The many positive comments from both participants and the teaching team suggest thatthe on-line experience produced significant value for the participants. The