Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

James Corbeil; Dale A. Wilson

continuallyimproved by students as they construct knowledge. Process EducationTM incorporatescooperative learning, guided discovery activities, journal writing, and various assessment tools.Unlike a lecture based approach, a Process EducationTM class requires more active participationof both mentor and team members. Team members actively work through in-class tasks, whichinclude critical thinking, assessment, deadlines, and journal entries. With this approach theinstructor take on the nontraditional role of facilitator. This approach has shown significantimprovement in both student motivation and their retention of knowledge.IntroductionThe education of engineers has been a topic of concern and discussion for many years and willbe so into the foreseeable

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Jerry W. Samples

on. Increasedproductivity requires increased travel to conferences and meetings and results in increased stress.Not being the super hero that was expected leads to moderate success in any of the big threetenure areas of teaching, research and scholarship is a distraction from achieving balance.Finally, being a volunteer, or "yes" person, leads to innumerable distractions.The TunnelLight at the end of the tunnel indicates that after tenure there is a magic infusion of time, reducedrequirements, and simply less to do... possible, but not probable for most professors. Those thatare at the top of their game after tenure often continue to produce at the same rate for years.Senior professors, with 700 peer-reviewed articles in 30 years of teaching

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Arnold F. Johnson

,test, and refine their experiment in a laboratory environment. The students prepare both prelaband lab assignments which are distributed to the remainder of the class prior to the scheduled labsession. Since the lead-group has become very familiar with the laboratory exercise, they areassigned the responsibility of administering the labs (acting as mentors) as their classmatesperform the lab exercises.Not only are the laboratory exercises current and relevant to what is being covered in theclassroom, but they also provide an interesting open-ended laboratory design experience to thelead-group and an opportunity for these students to share their knowledge and experience withtheir peers. As active learners of technology, their communication and

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

William Durfee

of methods were used tokeep reasonable limits on teaching staff time while still delivering a hands-on course:1. Tutorial information was developed and made available on the Web. This is particularly important for a course where basic skills are taught (from Excel to soldering irons), but where students enter with a wide range of backgrounds.2. Peer evaluation of drawings, designs and projects. Several methods were used including having students exchange their drawing or essay with their neighbor and writing a quick critique on a Post-It note. Another method was to have ten students come to the front of the class, project their drawing or design on an overhead and have another student critique the work in front of the class. This

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Barbara Olds; Ronald Miller

, and results of ourpilot assessment work using the rubric.Overview of the CSM Unit Operations LaboratoryTo facilitate development of each student’s engineering abilities in the unit operations laboratorycourse, supervising faculty place as much responsibility for the planning, execution, analysis,evaluation, and reporting of experiments on the students as possible. Each student performs atotal of eight experiments in fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and mass transfer working in teamsof two or three. Teams are randomly sorted from experiment to experiment so that studentswork with all their peers in the course and each student has the opportunity to serve as a “team

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Francesco Costanzo; Gary L. Gray

lecture, the stu-dents’ role is essentially limited to note taking. Therefore, in this type of learning environmentthere is little or no use of • computers in or out of the classroom; • team work; • writing skills; • hands-on or laboratory experience.On the other hand, the low level of interaction between instructors and students makes the over-all learning environment in which the students are placed a familiar, non-demanding and, there-fore, comfortable one. Page 4.335.22.2 The Interactive Dynamics CourseSimilar to a traditional dynamics class, Interactive Dynamics uses traditional “chalk-and-talk”lectures 40–50% of the time. It

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Heidi Diefes; William LeBold; William Oakes

single department, FreshmanEngineering, and then matriculate to the engineering professional schools after completing thefreshman requirements. Page 4.287.1The individual advising interview is designed to help each freshman develop a personalizedacademic program tailored to the student’s abilities and interests. The advising effort is carried-out by a diverse advising staff that includes faculty, professional counselors, graduate students,peer undergraduate students, and support staff. Student abilities are accessed based on highschool grades, SAT or ACT scores, and the results of AP exams, Purdue placement exams, andthe a trigonometry and algebra

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Joan A. Burtner; Laura Moody

learning environment in the classroom as well as the development ofcooperative faculty teams. Guskin 3 observes, "to create learning environments focused directly on activities that enhance student learning, we must restructure the role of the faculty to maximize essential faculty-student interaction, integrate new technologies fully into the student learning process, and enhance student learning through peer interaction." (pp. 18-19)Evidence of the paradigm shift appears elsewhere in the literature related to teachingengineering. ABET’s Engineering Criteria 2000 is a reflection of the new philosophy.Participants at engineering education conferences deplore the excessive use of “chalkand talk” lectures and commend the

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Trevor Harding

Session 0455 Training Graduate Student Instructors Effectively: The University of Michigan Model Trevor S. Harding Department of Materials Science and Engineering University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2136IntroductionMost of todays graduate student instructors (GSIs, a.k.a. "the TA") were undergraduatesthemselves a mere semester or two before. Can we say with confidence that theseindividuals are adequately prepared to teach their former peers and perhaps some-daytake the place of their professors? We must look not only at how GSI training programsmight improve

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Robert H. Bond

.The second part of communication skills, as it applies to the senior design course, is personaldevelopment for the students. The capstone design course is a great place for students topractice their oral and written presentation skills. Hopefully they have already had some formaltraining in speech and technical writing courses. All students in all design groups must berequired to prepare written status reports and make status and design review presentations.These presentations should be reviewed by the student’s peers, communications experts (we arefortunate to be able to call on faculty from our technical writing faculty for support here), andpracticing engineers. This is a low risk opportunity for practicing presentation skills. Whenthese

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Judy Grimes; Huiming Wang; Virendra K. Varma

criticalyear in college. That support can range from mentoring to peer group discussions, from facultyadvisors to special events to ease student transition into college life.”1 In this paper, Page 4.259.1recommendations are made to illustrate how Missouri Western’s Access Plus program can beapplied at other institutions to attract and retain students.II. Marketing Strategies for Recruitment: The New vs the OldI graduated from high school in 1961 with distinction in mathematics. Before I graduated, I knewI was heading for an engineering career. I applied to only one school for admission. It was oneof the top-notch schools in the country, and the

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

David Whitman; Sally Steadman

, studyskills, and career development. Programming efforts conducted for both floors by the RAshave included picnics and ice cream socials, finals study sessions, resume writing/internships,and information sessions on tutoring and advising. The RAs have also met with the residentsand discussed academic progress, how to improve academic performance, where to get help,and provided information on stress relievers.Costs associated with the engineering floor are minimal. The computer network is providedand maintained by the university, while the computer equipment, four PCs and a printer foreach floor, is provided by the engineering college. Funding for programming events isprovided by Housing & Residence Life. These expenditures are more than justified

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Sandra Courter; Ruthie Lyle; Ranil Wickramasinghe; Lisa Schaefer; Kevin Nickels; Jodi Reeves; David Noyce; Annie Pearce

authors have found that itis preferable to differentiate among team members based on the ratings assigned by teammates,or at least to use the differentiation to support grade decisions in borderline cases. Gradingcriteria can be based on specific project tasks or on general features of the problem such asteamwork, writing/documentation, presentation, etc. This self-rating technique provides a meansfor converting qualitative performance of team members into a subjective but nonethelessquantitative measure, and it is especially useful for verifying student complaints of unevendistribution of work. Whatever the mechanism, care must be taken to foster a cooperative, notcompetitive, atmosphere in the classroom. We have found this method to be

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Francisco Ruiz; Michael E. Gorman; Phil Weilerstein

seminar in thePsychology Department.A major objective of the course is for students to understand and adopt the cognitiveprocesses that guided the creation and interpretation of great inventors, in this caseusing a module based on the invention of the telephone7. Students try to improve onBell’s original telephone design and patent, using similar materials. The purpose of thismodule is to teach students how to invent: how to keep a notebook, conduct systematicexperiments, work in teams, draft a patent application and create a prototype thatdemonstrates proof-of-concept. As the course evolved, more-and-more scaffolding wasadded, in the form of additional materials on patents, on writing notebooks, and on otheraspects of the invention process. The

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Richard B Cole; Charles V. Schaefer; Bernard Gallois; Keith Sheppard

includes:Engineering Graphics (2-credit laboratory), Engineering Seminar (1 credit), and Engineering De-sign Laboratory I (1-credit laboratory).The major goal of these activities in the first semester is to provide the students an early bondingwith engineering and its style and task orientation as distinguished from science. They are aimedat initiating development of competencies that will build through subsequent design experiences:1. Ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs2. Ability to function effectively on multidisciplinary teams3. Ability to identify, formulate and assess alternative technical and economic solutions to en- gineering problems.4. Ability to communicate effectively and persuasively, both in writing and

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Melissa S. Tooley; Kevin Hall

responsible for. When theprogress reports are turned in, a signature sheet is required with all their signatures, certifyingthat they have put in the number of hours shown for them on the progress report. Also, at theend of the semester, peer reviews are conducted wherein each person in the class evaluates themembers of their team. Each person is “given” $8,000 with which to “pay” the 4 members oftheir team, and asked to distribute the money based on each member’s contribution. Ideally, themoney would be evenly distributed among the team. The class is informed at the beginning ofthe semester that it is possible for team members to make different grades on the same project,and this gives the instructor the ability to do this if large disparities in

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

May Movafagh Mowzoon; Mary Aleta White; Stephanie L. Blaisdell; Mary Anderson-Rowland

math from sixth to twelfth grade [1]. Students report that mathbecomes more difficult, that they receive less support from parents, teachers and peers forstudying math, and that math becomes more anxiety provoking over time. Female studentsreported that math was more difficult than did male students, and females rated themselves asmore anxious in quantitative situations than males, even though their mathematical ability wasapproximately equal [2]. In fact, as early as the seventh grade, boys plan to study more maththan girls do [3]. High school girls perceive math to be less useful than boys do [4], and valuemath less than boys do [5]. Research supports the idea that the factors that keep minorities fromentering these fields are largely the

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Nick J. Kok

the head of department and, in consultation with the dean, a short list compiled according to qualifications, industrial and other experience and referees’ reports.C Informal interviews are subsequently held in the department concerned to expose applicants to their potential future working environment.C All applicants on the short list are then to lecture to a peer group of staff as well as experts from the Technikon’s Teaching Development Unit, who evaluate the applicant’s performance.C Subsequently a battery of psychometric tests is used to determine whether the applicant is a stable person capable of managing conflict, caring about others, etc

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Pedro Arce

students (partners).Students also learn about professionalism in homework submission, home writing style,and they are introduced to the different learning methodologies. In addition to classdiscussion, the course includes, class exercises, homeworks, formal reading assignments,midterms, a number of pop-quizzes, and a final exam that is based on the material of allthe projects assembled during the term.In summary, the course will have the following characteristics: (1). The course is taughtis a student-centered fashion technique (see below and Arce, 1994) where discussions,group work, etc cover most of the learning activities. (2). The course will have periodichomework assignments that are handed out for detailed work. (3). The quizzes will be

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Charyl Delaney; Alejandro Scalise; Larry J. Shuman; Harvey Wolfe

Science Foundation grants DUE-9254271 and EEC-9872498 and Engineering Information Foundation grant EiF 98-4.In a very broad national study of attrition, Astin and Astin [2] reported that engineering educationloses more than half of its undergraduate students (53%) with 40% switching into non-sciencefields. The Astins observed that majoring in engineering has negative effects on students’satisfaction with faculty, quality of instruction, student life, and overall college environment. Italso has negative effects on a variety of academic outcomes including GPA; growth in foreignlanguage skills, writing and listening skills; and cultural awareness. They concluded: “Clearly, itwould appear that some of the problems that engineering programs have in

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Anthony J. Muscat

their summer jobs and internships is a good way to share job experiencesfrom a variety of companies, to increase knowledge of the opportunities available, and to preparefor the upcoming interview season.A range of activities and resources outside the classroom should reach each student in a class atleast once over the course of a semester. Building trust can have a far-reaching effect beyond asingle class since each student will share their experience with peers and students from otherclasses. Taken together the trust a particular class has for a professor is strengthened and the timeto establish trust with the following group of students can be shortened. Mutual trust supports aclimate in the classroom necessary for effective discussions. What

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Graciano Dieck; Artemio Aguilar; Sergio Malacon; Manuel E. Macias

parts: educative intentions, objectives, general contents that includes a contentsblock diagram, profile of the IEC program, IEC study plan, curricular map showing the coursesserving E-95-863 as well as the the courses served by E-95-863, conceptual contents, proceduralcontents, attitudinal contents, learning strategies and course activities. Some of the learningtechniques used in the course are: Interactive exposition of topics (from 16 to 20 hours persemester), Internal group activities (11 during the semester), homework done by external groups(8 during the semester), monthly projects that include report writing and oral presentations doneby external groups (3 during the semester), self-study reading assignments and discussion (14during the

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

J. Elaine Seat; Fred Weber; Daniel C. Yoder; Christopher D. Pionke; J. Roger Parsons

Review for Dynamics Final Exam Page 4.334.4 Figure 1. Course Outline, Spring 1998This hands-on learning experience is presented as a "physical homework" assignment toemphasize that this is something the student must do, and not simply a demonstration that theprofessor thinks is "cool." Students work in pairs (to encourage peer teaching), and their workis evaluated by one of the GTAs staffing the lab. This evaluation is on a proficiency basis,which means that both students in the pair must demonstrate a grasp of the concept and anability to use it. If either student fails to show proficiency, the pair is sent

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Lorraine Holub; G.V. Loganathan; Craig Moore; Bill Greenberg

; mathematical writing(http://www.fandm.edy/departments/mathematics) emphasizing clear explanations, unclutteredexpositions on the page, and well organized presentation; tutorials involving a significantnumber of drill problems with help on demand for students working in peer groups or on anindividual basis so that mistakes are fixed without any delay. A component that should be addedto the above list is a well-conceived set of hands-on experiments. It is well known that what youremember the most is what you have learned by doing. While that statement is readily accepted,the time constraint combined with the multidisciplinary nature of experiments (mini projects) isoften cited for not carrying it out as part of calculus class. At Virginia Tech, the

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

James Pearson

same points for their joint effort in producing a project schedule,writing the proposal, performance in design reviews and oral presentations, preparingthe written report and the manual, developing the prototype design and producingschematics and renderings.VIII. Student ResponseStudent response has been generally good since this course was initiated. In post-courseevaluations the students have given high marks to knowledge acquisition, intellectualstimulation, learning to do design, learning how to get design information, laboratorywork, helping each other and promoting interest in design. Reactions have been mixedon how effectively the teams worked together, the contributions of various teammembers, whether the objectives of the course were

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Neda Fabris

Session 3563 Learning Written and Oral Communication, Team Work and Engineering Competition in A Manufacturing Systems Class Neda Saravanja-Fabris Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department California State University, Los Angeles1. IntroductionThe role of engineers has changed drastically in recent years, from being solitary thinkers,designers and trouble shooters to being team players, able to present and “sell” their products,process designs, ideas and accomplishments to bosses, peers and more and more often

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Scott Danielson; Sudhir Mehta

first three to fourminutes with no writing permitted. In the following 15 minutes, each student solved the quizproblem individually as in a regular quiz. This process enhances student capabilities in problemsolving, critical thinking, teamwork, and communication.The format of in-class tests and quizzes was also changed. Originally, three in-semester hourexams and a comprehensive final exam had been conducted. However, students did not prepareuntil just before the test. This “binge” studying is not a good practice as the amount of materialsis large and difficult to master in a short intensive study effort. The examination format waschanged to 10 major “quizzes” over the semester followed by a comprehensive final exam.ResultsThese strategies were

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

W. Thomas Calder; Gerald W. Jakubowski

updated andpublished on a regular basis by the program faculty and made available to all programconstituencies. Page 4.563.4In most cases, however, individual faculty will be teaching courses, and it will be up to thatperson to assess and grade student performance (Fig. 1, #6). Furthermore, it will be primarilyup to the individual faculty member to ascertain whether course learning objectives are beingmet. It would be very productive, though, for program faculty to consult with their peers andcollectively determine the level of achievement of course learning objectives for each course inthe curriculum.After each course has been completed and the

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Kurt C. Gramoll

course orhomework. With only 20-50 students in the three courses described in the paper, there werenever enough students at any given time to make the chat rooms work effectively.The web board concept, while not new, is an extremely important component to the onlinecourses. With the web board, questions and discussions can be done similar to the interactionthat takes place in a normal classroom. In some respects, the web board discussions allowed Page 4.491.8more students to participate in asking questions since there was no time limit or peer pressure notto ask questions. It also allowed students to ask questions when the questions arose, i.e

Collection

1999 Annual Conference

Authors

Russell D. Meier

often appreciate experiential reports from colleagues,however. This motivated me to write this paper. I will focus my remaining comments on how Iimplemented active learning in the large lectures of CprE 301 and CprE 310.III. How I Implemented Active Learning in Large LecturesStudents began actively learning during the first lecture of the semester. This was the initialexposure for many students to an active lecture environment. Naturally, some of them resistedan environment in which their opinions mattered. Imagine that! Active learning played a largerole in at least two of the three CprE 301 lectures each week, and in every CprE 310 lecture. Idid my best to carefully plan each active learning exercise by analyzing: • my purpose for