state ofthe art Virtual and Remote Laboratory (VR-Lab) has been built with partial support from thisgrant.In this paper, the project research activities are reported. The student survey results are analyzedand presented.Virtual and Remote Laboratory FrameworkThe developed VR-Lab framework is shown in Figure 1. There are two major components in thedeveloped remote laboratory: the scheduler web server and the Remote Experiment Engine(REE). The Scheduler Web Server (SWS) joins a physical laboratory experiment with an Internetend-user by providing account management, authentication as well as users and experimentsscheduling. Currently, an entry level web server suffices for the purpose of managing 10 or moreclassrooms with a continuous use of the
the CSI module,implementation details, and assessment results are discussed.1. Introduction and MotivationOver the years the U.S. engineering schools are facing lower students’ enrollment and graduationrate with the exception of top academic institutions [1-6]. This is not only because of the level ofcomplexity associated with science and engineering but also the ineffective medium ofinstructions which lead to students’ lack of willingness to learn abstract engineering concepts.Traditional lecture-based education is still the most dominant teaching method for engineeringclasses [7]. The traditional lecture is not an effective motivator for students, does not encourageactive and engaging earning, and eventually leaves behind engineering
. Thisincludes all types of technology and the products of the various engineering professions, not justcomputers and information technology.1 While not yet common, some engineering departmentsoffer service courses for non-engineers.2-14 Many of these technological literacy courses havebecome successful when measured by sustained student interest and long-term sustainability.2-14Initially it may appear that these engineering courses for non-engineers have little relation to thecurriculum for an engineering degree. However, in attempting to enliven introduction toengineering courses, these successful technological literacy courses represent a potential sourceof themes or topics that capture the interest of undergraduate students
requirement to an early cornerstone or later capstone design experience as a result,making these courses an ineffective “catch all” for many ABET requirements. In this paper, weaddress this issue in a novel way by synthesizing concepts from archaeology with advances incyber-enhanced product dissection to implement new educational innovations that integrateglobal, economic, environmental, and societal concerns into engineering design-related coursesusing product archaeology.1 Introduction and MotivationOutcome h in the requirements of ABET [1] has become a significant challenge to manyengineering departments. Providing effective, useful, and engaging educational experiences tounderstand the global, economic, environmental, and societal impact of
life-long engineering learners capable of understanding the complex logistics ofsustainable manufacturing processes and communicating effectively with global colleagues.During the first year of the partnership, opportunities for global learning5, 6 by future engineeringmanagers were infused through the integration of common themes of global sustainability andscalability in existing courses7. A new course on sustainability management was introduced toexplore supply chains as a sustainable sociotechnical system and evaluate effective managementstrategies.A table of equivalent courses for partner schools is presented in Table 1. This table identifiesrelevant topics needed for the integrated curriculum and coordinates the topic with
modules willalso be adapted for middle school activities. Currently, five applications have been developedand are currently in test mode.STEM Research BaseMost of the elements of the known best practices in STEM engineering education research arepresent in the student-centered iCollaborate MSE project: cooperative learning, active/inquirylearning, concept learning, problem and case-based learning, and constructive alignment. All theprinciples that will be implemented are supported by research results in STEM education andeducational theory based in cognitive and social constructivism; and, there is a substantial bodyof evidence that favors the inductive approach over the traditional deductive approach inengineering education 1-8. Research
, and auto shows.Creativity is a complex, and a complicated construct to understand. Creativity “represents ahighly complex and diffuse construct”1. Most people have a general idea of what creativity is,and they can identify something that has its qualities, but they have difficulties when trying tospecify a good, ubiquitous definition. Because of the difficulties in defining creativity, authorsspend considerable time doing so, sometimes devoting an entire paper2 or a chapter3 to the task.Research in creativity began after4 gave an interest- and research-spurring presidential addressfor the American Psychological Association. Since the rise in interest in creativity in the 1950’s,the focus of research has been on the characteristics of the
and extracurricular service activities in engineering education; • Identify challenges and facilitators to LTS for different faculty and institution types; • Place an importance on pedagogy in the development of future engineering faculty; • Create service-minded engineers who assist communities-in-need through engineering; and • Study whether service is, and should be, an accepted part of the engineering profession.1. IntroductionEngineering education has conventionally focused on developing students’ technical skills. Overthe last few years, concerns have escalated among many national organizations that technicalexpertise solely is no longer sufficient.1,3,4,36 Engineering education must be restructured toadequately
of this project, a map of coalition campus locations throughout thestate of Pennsylvania is shown in Figure 1, below. The interventions initiated by Toys’n MOREare being administered at 15 of these regional campuses. The University Park campus is thelargest campus and the administrative home of the University and the Toys’n MORE project.With close to 18,000 STEM students enrolled full and part-time at these geographically-dispersed locations, the regional coalition campuses are an integral part of the Penn State system. Figure 1: Regional Coalition Campus Locations across Pennsylvania.Collectively, the participating regional coalition campuses offer 32 associate degrees and 26baccalaureate STEM degrees in majors such as biology
. They state that, As the need for more engineers in the United States is becoming critical, the CC is becoming more important as a place to begin the nurture of more students who will choose engineering or computer science as a career (para. 1). In response to the call for the development of more underrepresented scientists andengineers, a resolution is the creation of transfer partnerships between CC and four-yearinstitutions that draw on the talent available at the CC. We suggest that the aforementionedsolutions, aligned together, could have significant implications for alleviating the STEMDilemma. The objective should be to develop and institutionalize an effective pathway thatenables underrepresented CC students to
involves three primarycomponents:1) The development of EGR 101 "Introductory Mathematics for Engineering Applications," a novel freshman-level engineering mathematics course.2) A large-scale restructuring of the early engineering curriculum, where students can advance in the program without first completing the traditional freshman calculus sequence.3) A more just-in-time structuring of the required math sequence.The Wright State model begins with the development of EGR 101, a novel freshman engineeringmathematics course. Taught by engineering faculty, the EGR 101 course includes lecture,laboratory and recitation components. Using an application-oriented, hands-on approach, EGR101 addresses only the salient math topics actually used in the
studies have looked at(1) student ability to define a goal, (2) develop an optimized strategy to reach that goal, and (3)to redefine the strategy as new obstacles arrive in the pursuit of the original goal. These skillsalign closely with the engineering design process (for instance McKenna’s, 2007 work onadaptive expertise5). Accordingly, the goal of the present NSF-sponsored EEC study was toapply the existing methods developed for measuring these soft skills to university undergraduateengineering students. Our underlying question is Are such soft skills of particular importance toengineers as they develop their knowledge base during their undergraduate education?There are many factors to consider in creating a rich educational environment that
STEM fields of study.Additionally, the veteran community comes to us as a highly motivated, mature, self-actualizinggroup of students that are very attractive to industry and government. Many have substantialtechnical abilities, training, and experience as well as high level security clearances in somecases. We have not yet completed this project and we hope to continue reporting on our resultsas the effort continues.References Page 22.1550.10[1] Post-9/11 GI-Bill, http://www.gibill.va.gov/post-911/post-911-gi-bill-summary/, accessed January 2011.[2] Veterans’ Education for Engineering and Science, Report of the National Science
information about institutional fac-tors, and common curricular and extracurricular practices.1. IntroductionDriven by changes in the global economy, entrepreneurship is one of the fastest growing aca-demic areas within the nation‟s 335 engineering schools. As a result, literally hundreds ofcourses and programs in entrepreneurship for engineering students are now offered; yet little hasbeen done to define what constitutes appropriate content or to assess the degree to which these Page 22.1575.2educational experiences have resulted in their intended purpose: student learning of enabling en-trepreneurship knowledge, skills and attitudes. Building on
have weak evaluation plans,1 inspite of the fact that resources exist to assist with the formulation of evaluation plans. Amongthese resources are an overview of assessment methods by Olds et al.,2 Scientific Research inEducation,3 and Knowing what students know: the science and design of educationalassessment.4In addition to expectations for high quality assessment and evaluation plans, new guidelines forTransforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics(TUES) proposals have also raised expectations for outcomes of dissemination efforts. Theguidelines indicate that projects to develop innovations in engineering education must includeplans to persuade and enable other educators to adopt those
and the ElectronicDevices course, the latter being the course that follows the AQM course in the curriculumsequence. The course was designed based on discussions in the literature pertaining to (1) theorder the material is introduced, (2) fundamental topics and (3) documented misconceptions.1-4Active learning is a vital component throughout the course and is used to reinforce the learningoutcomes for the course. Visualization based on animations, simulations and modeling are usedto provide students the opportunity to explore fundamental quantum mechanical concepts in anintroductory or applied fashion through a weekly workshop linked to the course lectures. Thecourse was designed to improve the student learning experience with activities that
visualized.Probes are typically made from SiN4 or Si, but other materials are used for specialized studies. Alaser beam reflecting from the back side of the tip provides a moving light source to aphototransistor array, providing detailed z-axis probe deflection and other data in the process thatis stored in the computer relative to spatial variation in the x-y plane. This data is used togenerate the topographic image of the sample surface. The amount of force between the probeand sample is dependent on the stiffness of the cantilever and the distance between probe and thesample surface which can be calculated using Hooke’s Law. If the spring constant of cantilever(typically ~0.1-1 N/m) is less than surface, the cantilever bends and deflection is monitored
enter a given class orsubject at a variety of different levels ranging from “central to the development of concepts” to“tool oriented”. In addition, when these trajectories are used to support advanced content theirdevelopment need not follow a logical progression within an advanced course since they areconsidered pre-requisite knowledge: a student may use the concept in a sophisticated manner inone class and then simply as a tool in a later class. An example of a trajectory essential to Page 22.1071.2mechanical engineering is the concept of the dot product, also known as the scalar inner product.Figure 1 shows a representative program of study
. Page 22.1243.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Transforming and Integrating: Evolving Construction Materials & Methods to the Next LevelIntroduction In recent years, many are concerned that successful engineering research does notnecessarily translate into teaching engineering courses and that more effort should be made toincorporate existing and emerging research into engineering education.1 In addition, theNational Academy of Engineering has emphasized the importance of pursuing student-centerededucation and that one should ensure student learning outcomes focus on the performancecharacteristics needed in future engineers.2 In defining this focus, the
, 2011 Renewable Energy Internships: Study of 7th and 8th Grade Students Knowledge of Related Science and Engineering ContentPerspectives and Theoretical FrameworkThis paper reports on the curricular implementation of a renewable energy internship for middleschool students in Learning through Engineering Design and Practicei —a National ScienceFoundation sponsored project. In specific the paper describes the use of the engineering designprocess in project challenges around designing renewable energy devices and how the projectteam assessed student learning.Research has shown that the public does not believe that engineers are engaged with societal andcommunity concerns.1 Whereas, in reality, engineering has existed as long as
career. At the same time, the METS Centerstarted hosting Transfer Orientation Days with a program and tour for visiting potential transferstudents. The CCs also advertised the transfer scholarships and the METS Center to theirstudents.1-5A time came when the local CCs wanted to go their own direction with more emphasis onrecruitment, so ASU was able to obtain an Exploratory METS grant (#0836050) to explore thefeasibility of a four-year research institution partnering with three non-metropolitan communitycolleges (Arizona Western College, Central Arizona Co llege, and Cochise College) to encouragemore students to engineering and to assist them with their transfer to earn a Bachelor of Sciencein Engineering degree or a Bachelor of Science in
suchas homes, classrooms, and dorm rooms. These labs utilize inexpensive equipment and studentresources such as laptops, and do not require the specialized equipment housed in centralizedlaboratory locations. As such, these experiments are well-suited for inclusion into lecture-basedclasses to be done at the desks in the class room or to be taken home as a project. These types ofexperiments allow for a new pedagogical model that promotes a more complete integration oftheory and laboratory experience within the format of a standard lecture-based course [1].Small affordable devices for labs are used at a number of institutions [1-10], and are sometimescalled “lab-in-a-box” or “lab-at-home” [2,6,7]. Oliver [2] and Zhu [3] promote the use
Education, 2011 The Effectiveness of Students’ Daily Reflections on Learning in Engineering ContextReflection is a significant cognitive process to enhance students’ learning outcomes and/orperformance. Studies have shown the value of learners reflecting on what they have done,processed or engaged in so far. 1-8 The use of questions, prompts, or use of reflection as a form offeedback have been used to advance reflective processes in domains such as nursing education,teacher education, and science education. 9-11 However, relatively few of the above mentionedstudies investigated the importance of reflecting on confusing points instead of reflecting onwhat is understood, and none of the studies were conducted in
this novel epistemic game in which undergraduateengineering students role-play as professional engineers-in-training in order to develop the skills,knowledge, values, identity, and epistemology of engineers.The Epistemic Game: Nephrotex In Nephrotex, students become interns in the fictitious company Nephrotex, whose coretechnology is the ultrafiltration unit, or dialyzer, of a hemodialysis machine. The students’ task isto design a next-generation dialyzer membrane that incorporates carbon nanotubes and chemicalsurfactants.Nephrotex Goals and Tasks To redesign the dialyzer unit, four aspects of the hollow fiber material can be altered (seeFigure 1): the base polymer, percent carbon nanotubes, material processing method, andsurfactant. If
automating and invigorating K-12 outreach effortsand for tying them naturally to more sophisticated undergraduate-level instruction.The foundation of our approach consists of two pillars: 1) self-paced web tutorials guidingstudents through software use and 2) dynamic, dialogue-based tutorial interfaces which engagestudents in interpreting simulation results they create. The use of self-paced web tutorials as ameans of efficiently integrating complex software package use into undergraduate curricula hasbeen the subject of a long-term effort at Carnegie Mellon8, 9. The integration of an agent-monitored dialogue-based interface into software instruction represents a substantialenhancement to this approach.As we deploy dialogue-based tutorials, we are
the program. This paper discusses the challenges facedby mentors and lessons learned during the project implementation.IntroductionIt is clear that the U.S. has “struggled to persuade sufficient number of its citizens to pursue highlytechnical careers”1. Undergraduate science education in particular has faced many challenges in retainingstudents. However, a growing body of literature suggests that new pedagogical strategies and approachesmay help attract and retain a wider range of students by enhancing engagement2.For the past three years, the University of Houston has collaborated with Houston Community CollegeSystem and Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi as part of an NSF-CCLI grant program aimed atimproving the STEM education
, schools of engineering often do not draw upon the expertise of the CTL staff and theirknowledge of learning theory; perhaps this is because engineering faculty are disciplinaryexperts first, and may not see the value in professional development activities that are not tied totheir content 1. To address this concern, we conducted a workshop with relevant stakeholders.The Role of Centers for Teaching and Learning in Improvement of Undergraduate EngineeringEducation workshop was held July 1-2, 2010 in Arlington, Virginia. The workshop broughttogether over 40 professionals representing the directors of CTLs, engineering faculty, andadministrators of schools of engineering; there were also 9 NSF program officers and otherstakeholders in attendance.The
S-STEM Project to the Region:SUNY Canton is located in St. Lawrence County; one of the counties in the economicallydepressed region of rural northern New York State, often referred to as the North Country. Thecounty is bordered by the St. Lawrence River and Canada to the north and the Adirondack Parkto the south and east. The region is home for St. Regis Mohawk Tribe. More than 60% of thestudents are from the North Country. Some of the local school districts in the North Country aredesignated by New York State’s Board of Regents as Low Resource/High Need Districts.5 Highneed is demonstrated by the following:1) The percentage of families living below poverty level. The 2006-2007 US Department ofEducation guidelines6 indicates that $30,000 is
- Technical writing - Understanding behavioral diversity using DISCSponsorsThe Program is funded by National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technology EducationProgram (ATE). Other program sponsors include the United States Coast Guard Academy(USCGA) and the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA).Program StructureThe Engineering Challenge for the 21st Century Program focuses on team-based activities thatallow students to effectively develop the necessary skills to become qualified, productive andsuccessful in engineering and technology disciplines of the future. To achieve this goal, theProgram targets two important educational groups: 1) high school students, and 2) faculty fromhigh schools and community colleges. Separate programs are
that provides resources for the research and development of distributed medical monitoring technologies and learning tools that support biomedical contexts. His research focuses on (1) plug-and-play, point-of- care medical monitoring systems that utilize interoperability standards, (2) wearable sensors and signal processing techniques for the determination of human and animal physiological status, and (3) educational tools and techniques that maximize learning and student interest. Dr. Warren is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers