a widevariety of open-ended projects. MathWorks Inc. developed Simulink Support Packages forhardware such as the Arduino and the LEGO Mindstorms NXT Hardware[7]. A deliberate choicewas made to use LEGO Mindstorms NXT (NXT) so as to bypass circuitry design, and focus onprogramming, especially as a lab component is not included in the controls course. In the spring2014 semester the project-based approach using the NXT was introduced to students.Course StructureThe syllabus is structured so as to cover all items listed in the learning outcomes, which state thatthe students should be able to: i. Use the terminology necessary to define a control system, distinguish between open-loop and closed-loop systems, and state the
evident from the evaluation that theConnect2U approach stimulated students’ interest in water resources, raised awareness aboutwater resources, provided basic knowledge and guided how to gather water-related informationpertaining to the students’ neighborhoods. In this way, Connect2U assisted in fulfilling theobjective of the course, Introduction to Water Resources Management, as a general education-natural science requirement course. However, this study was based only on the sessions that theauthor taught. To assess the full impact of Connect2U, a collaborative study with the data on thesessions taught by the other faculty should be done.The instructor is currently working on an online version of this GeDC course that could helpdistance learning
conditions, the number of quizzes was 12, althoughonly the first 11 contained questions covering target objectives. All quizzes and study plan assignments were administered via an online system calledMyMathLab®, which is an interactive learning system developed and maintained by the Pearsontextbook publishing company. MyMathLab® includes an electronic copy of the coursetextbook, and additional types of media that provide course content such as videos, animations,presentation slides, and projects. MyMathLab® also includes the MathXL® engine which canpresent students with a problem similar to those in the exercise sets at the end of each section inthe textbook. Most problems are algorithmic, meaning that each time the question is presented
sequence. Furthermore, differences in the lengthand number of recorded videos, and in how quizzes on video content were implemented withinthe course probably contributed to this perception. These issues will be discussed in more depthlater in this paper. Regardless of the reasoning however, it is logical to conclude that there is acorrelation between the students’ perceived time commitment and their acceptance of theinverted class format.Lecture VideosRecorded lecture videos are a critical component of the inverted course structure since studentsare required to watch these theory-based lectures online before coming to class to work onproblems that apply this theory. These videos are posted on a course learning platform such asBlackBoard or
Engineering Education, 2015 From Catch-all to Clarity: Revising a First-Year, Multidisciplinary Introductory Course I. Introduction and History of Florida Gulf Coast University The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transitiondescribes South Carolina’s University 101 course, which was first taught in 1972 as the impetusto improve educational
bythe Technology Accreditation Commission/Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology(TAC/ABET), the leading accreditation agency in the United States. The course consisted of alecture part, a lab part, and an online part; all three parts were supported by a prescribed text.Participants Students were selected from the ECET-110 (Electronic-I) course taken during their firstsemester in the ECET program. The group consisted of 24-29 students from a wide range ofdemographic attributes: their age ranged from 18 to 30 years; their educational backgroundvaried from as little as a recent high school education to 3-5 years of work experience or havingcompleted an undergraduate degree prior to enrolling in the technical program; 96% were
was almost identical to one of the homework problems (numberschanged and sometimes slight changes in topology). The laboratory activities were unchangedand still included a mix of lab work and group problem solving. A midterm exam and a finalexam were given. Shown in Figure 1 is an excerpt from the course syllabus describing themethod of instruction. Method of Instruction: 1. Lecture classes will be a mixture of in class instruction and recorded lectures. Students will be responsible for checking the course management system classroom for recorded lectures that they must watch before attending class. Time will be allocated for in-class group problem solving
. Questions are submitted online as the students gothrough lectures and are compiled for an interactive instructor-led session. Student led exampleproblems occur at a frequency of at least once per week; presenting students are providedstructured guidance on example preparation. The audience is fellow students, so the classevaluates the example and the student presenters with a strong emphasis on constructivefeedback. The process is open, interactive, and iterative to maximize learning by all participants.This paper will provide a practical roadmap based on this instructor’s four-year effort to flip amath-intensive graduate course. Anecdotal and quantitative assessment without a control groupis presented. It is hoped that this paper will be thought
undergraduate classrooms, according to graduatestudents’ perceptions, for the purpose of designing effective instructional environments. Tocapture the characteristics of the impactful courses, graduate engineering students from theGeorgia Institute of Technology participated in an online survey. Participants reflected on theinstructional environment that best described their most impactful undergraduate learningexperience. Open-ended questions provided students with the opportunity to further justify orclarify their responses. The analysis indicated that students’ most impactful classes wererequired, in-major, non-design courses. Furthermore, these courses were characteristic ofinstructor-centered philosophies, including essentialism and perennialism
become a successful teacherand an effective mentor. “Introduction to Metals and Metallurgy” being a freshman course,demands certain expectations from the instructor teaching this course. He/she must haveMaterials Science (for this course) background and the ability to effectively communicate withfreshman students who are just out of high school. Modern day teaching methods include use oftextbooks, multimedia, online lectures, and classroom interaction. An instructor needs to use some or all of the above tools to enhance students’ classroomlearning experience. However, to the authors’ best knowledge there is not much literatureavailable on how soon an instructor should connect to students in order to help them succeed intheir course and
2015 ASEE Zone III Conference (Gulf Southwest – Midwest – North Midwest Sections) Incorporating Synopsys CAD Tools In Teaching VLSI Design Puteri Megat Hamari Minnesota State University MankatoAbstractVLSI Design is a course for graduate and undergraduate students at the Minnesota StateUniversity, Mankato to introduce students to the theory, concepts and practice of VLSI design.For Spring 2015, the course syllabus was changed with the integration of industrial grade VLSICAD using Synopsys. Previously, simulations were limited and performed with open sourcesoftware. With Synopsys, students used
-warningsystem to allow faculty to notify students who may be at risk of failing a particular course19.Also, data have been used to understand differences across students in online learning strategiesto allow course designers to build a more personalized experience for different subgroups oflearners20,21. With an increase in the number of available data sources, colleges and universitieshave a great opportunity to explore how data can shape, enhance, and direct learning at all levels.Despite the need to investigate multiple categories of data from different areas of studentlearning, learning analtyics projects have relied heavily on learning management systems tocapture student learning processes. For example, Macfadyen and Dawson (2012)22 did a
projects inthe degree program are not as numerous as the total in the UoG EEE programme, but areequivalent in number to that in the US EE programs in which the author has taught. III. Self-Guided Learning ⊂ Student-Centered Learning ⊃ Teacher-Centered Instruction (a) University of GlasgowThe contents of each course is described in the course specification (syllabus), which lists theintended learning outcomes, the number of hours that the course instructor and each studentshould devote to the separate course components [lectures, tutorials (recitation sessions),laboratory experiments and/or projects, homework assignments, quizzes, class exams, and finalexam], the summative assessments and their weighted contributions to the calculation of
Design-driven and a Science-driven teaching approach22 MethodologySyllabus Comparison Globally, University curricula of Materials Science and Engineering vary considerably. Studyprogrammes range from pure Materials Science, deeply focused on the microstructuralunderstanding of properties, to industrial applications with only the basics. Furthermore, manyUniversities have Materials Science courses closely related to Engineering. Five relevant syllabi(see Table 1) were studied to identify target areas and learning outcomes.Table 1. Description of the courses selected to represent relevant syllabi# University Degree Course Syllabus 1 Tampere University of Technology (Finland) MSci
is clicked, the video file is opened in a box ready for playing. Each file caneither be made available for the entire semester or it can be made available between any twodates. The Course Syllabus is also placed as a PDF file under contents. I have created modulesequivalent to the chapters in the text book. Under each module, I have multiple units (items).Under each item I place links to the specific files needed for that unit including video files.Quizzes: This module is used to administer tests of any kind. It is made available on thespecified date and time and for the given duration only. The testing material questions can be ina variety of forms such as multiple-choice, true and false, etc. and can be computer graded withthe grades being
EannPatterson’s use of Everyday Engineering Examples in the classroom and the use of the Five E’s:Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate [3, 4]; presentation of new textbooks andworkbooks that take into account innovative teaching techniques, for example, references [12]and [13]; innovation of grade distributions in engineering courses to include the“comprehension” cognitive level in Bloom’s taxonomy; discussion on how to prepare exams andhow to assist students in preparing for them; the use of innovative Massive Open Online Courses(MOOCs) as a potential complement to the class; gamification techniques to maintain theclassroom motivated and engaged [15] – [20];. The last three weeks are dedicated to the transformation of two courses by each
. I. T. Engineering, and L. Program, “A snapshot review of international good practice,” 2009.[10] H. Khattak, H. Ku, and S. Goh, “Courses for teaching leadership capacity in professional engineering degrees in Australia and Europe,” European Journal of Engineering Education, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 279–296, Jun. 2012.[11] K. S. Athreya and M. T. Kalkhoff, “The Engineering Leadership Program: A co-curricular learning environment by and for students,” J. STEM Education, vol. 11, no. 3 & 4, pp. 70–75, 2010.[12] Ohio University, “Robe Leadership Institute,” 2014. [Online]. Available: http://www.ohio.edu/engineering/academics/leadership-integrity/robe.cfm. [Accessed: 15-Dec-2014].[13] The University of Kansas, “SELF: Self
Although class attendance is not the only ingredientfor academic success, class attendance is important for the success of most students. Goldingwrites that some professors are worried about including a class attendance policy, because it mayaffect a professor’s course evaluation.19 Macfarlance states that an attendance policy affectsstudents’ academic freedom and choices; however, an attendance policy may aide with preparingstudents for professional employment.20 A professor must also decide what constitutes anexcused absence with regard to university policy. With consideration for virtual schools, theimpact of online mandatory attendance still needs to be researched.In this paper, the authors capture and present the perceptions of students and
of Brazil would have been helpful for the students toget a better cultural perspective and allow for better immersion into the current atmosphere ofBrazil.Improvements and Second Time TaughtA syllabus with a schedule of daily activities was an improvement made to the second iterationof this Brazilian culture course. The course description was:This course provides an interdisciplinary and critical examination of the Brazilian culture. Thecourse is designed for students who will participate in an educational trip to Brazil. The courseexamines major historical events from the colonial, imperial, and national periods, and their"legacies" or influences on current socio-economic, political, and cultural aspects of theBrazilian society. To better
Council on Systems Engineering. [Online] February 4, 2015.http://www.incose.org/educationcareers/academicprogramdirectory.aspx.5. Re-engineering Engineering Education. Gordon, Bernard M and Silevitch, Michael B. Summer 2009, TheNew England Journal of Higher Education, pp. 18-19.6. A Successful Approach to Educating Engineering Leaders at the Graduate Level. Pitts, Simon, Klosterman,Steven and McGonagle, Steven. Quebec : s.n., 2013. Proc. 2013 Canadian Engineering Education Association(CEEA13) Conf. pp. 1-8.7. Crawley, Edward F. The CDIO Syllabus: A Statement of Goals for Undergraduate Engineering Education.Cambridge, MA : MIT, 2001.8. The CDIO Syllabus v2.0: An Updated Statement of Goals for Engineering Education. Crawley, Edward F, et
like projects, lab courses, online homework, recitation, quizzes, andsupporting resources, this “good fairy” interested (interessed) the faculty and administrators ofthe course. Now that these curricular additions have been implemented in the curriculum foryears and enshrined in the syllabus as small contributors to the final course grade, they havebecome enrolled as part of the course, durably incorporated into the system. The mobilizationhere is the ongoing efforts of students, faculty, and graduate student TAs to keep the “wholemachine” running, and the wealth of resources like classrooms, worksheets, graders, websites,software packages, salaries, textbooks, etc. that are playing important parts in keeping the courserunning smoothly.The
academic year, the lead faculty, with the help ofinstructional faculty members, assessed 20% of each program’s learning outcomes. Theseincluded a review of course syllabus, student submittals, instructor review, and othertestimonials. The results of the assessment process were uploaded into NU’s AcademicManagement System (AMS). This was made available to all reviewing body within theuniversity. The results of the PAR review were critically analyzed by the school’sassessment committee, chair, dean, graduate council, and the university’s assessment Page 26.218.12committee for accuracy and independent verification. The assessment recommendationswere
learning objectives, classroom presentation slides for each day (total of 24 hours ofinstructional time per class), supplemental instructional videos (training students in the use ofengineering software), formative (online self-assessment) and summative assessments andsolutions, and a supply of project materials related to CBI challenges.Students met weekly with an engineering professor and a mechanical engineering graduatestudent throughout the spring semester prior to summer implementation of three of the courses(Computer Aided Design, Water Science, and Systems Thinking). The students worked in pairson each course approximately 10 hours per week. Each week students presented their work tothe other teams and critiqued one another’s work. Toward
school grades 10, 11, and 12. They were enrolled in theappropriate math course following the recommendations of the new TSI12 assessment test thatreplaced the old Accuplacer test. The lowest level of Math for accepted students was establishedat Elementary Algebra. EDGE students at the Intermediate Algebra developmental math levelswere placed in an online ALEKS13-based class with a supervising EDGE faculty member, who isalso a math instructor. Students that qualified for college level math were enrolled in regularSummer session math classes with non-EDGE college students. Once the math classes wereover, the students returned to the other scheduled Year-1 activities that included a studentdevelopment class (SDEV).The second year component (EDGE 2
. The Mechanical Engineering System Design I and II courses (MAE 480 and 481) are probably the students’ last opportunity to be taught about IL. In order to integrate IL to Mechanical Engineering System Design I and II, the following learning objectives have been added to the course syllabus: Learning Outcome Related to the Information Literacy 1. Search online information using the tools and techniques learned in the class. 2. Locate more traditional technical and engineering resources. 3. Evaluate the validity of resources. 4. Apply critical thinking to choose relevant sources to use in the project. 5. Use the information legally. 6. Cite the used information ethically. 7. Apply the
. Page 26.1655.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2015 Using an Article in a Sophomore Engineering Science Class to Boost Lifelong Learning ConfidenceAbstractSophomore-level engineering classes often do not require students to find properties or processesin the literature, as advanced engineering courses do. Using the literature to find information isoften considered part of fulfilling ABET outcome i: a recognition of the need for, and an abilityto engage in, lifelong learning. The design project in a sophomore-level course was based on anarticle in Chemical Engineering Progress, and students were surveyed about confidence inability to understand similar articles before
reading.Defining Multidisciplinary Project ScopesAfter 17 years of successful projects, QUEST began offering an elective course to involvestudents in the process of defining project scopes. In this course, students learn about bestpractices for written and verbal communication and practice having conversations about QUESTand sponsorship opportunities with program faculty and staff, each other, and alumni volunteers.Following this training, students are assigned to companies and manage the process of outreachand defining project scopes. They base ideas for project topics on past QUEST projects and casestudies provided through journals and online articles.Course deliverables include sample emails, scheduling and participating in site visits to clients,and
Course and Module DevelopmentIn Years 1 and 2, we developed three stand-alone sustainability courses that can be adapted fordifferent levels of undergraduate curriculum: a course on green buildings and sustainableconstruction practices (GB), a course on life cycle assessment (LCA), and a SustainabilityTopics course (Topics). Development of these courses included design of instructor materials forquick adoption and implementation, including: syllabus with ABET outcomes, sample courseschedule, description and instructions for conducting experiential learning activities, lectureslides, homework assignments, sample course projects, exams, and pre- and post- courseassessments. The courses and sample experiential learning activities conducted in each
became evident as the semester progressed that students struggled withthe programming aspect of the course and that more attention to this topic should be addressedearlier in the semester. IV. AssessmentThe students’ perceived value of the course was assessed using an optional online survey thatcan be taken outside of class time. In order to assure data was not biased by students feelingforced to take the survey in class or respond in a positive manner, additional questions wereadded to the standard CoE evaluations given at the end of the semester. Furthermore, truthfulresponses are expected because students are made aware that the evaluations are anonymous andthe collective results are not released to the instructors until after grades are
presentation.This paper proposes a simple presentation method to document and present the student outcomesin the self-study report. Data from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Technologyprograms is used in this paper to illustrate the presentation method.For each course taught, the instructor evaluates each student on a specific Performance Criteria.These Performance Criteria are derived from the course syllabus and are chosen to capture aspecific skill or attribute for a particular student outcome. The faculty member must indicatewhich course evaluation tools were used (e.g. a specific exam problem, lab exercise, etc), howthe data was collected, the threshold used, and the expected level of attainment for that particularPerformance Criteria. This