Collection

2008 ASEE Zone 1 Conference

Authors

Marie-Pierre Huguet; Tom Haley; Sehnaz Baltaci-Goktalay

Design BriefAt our institution, one of the most powerful tool that we use to design courses is the design brief. It is a highlevel design documents that maintains consistency with other courses, and adherence to sound instructionaldesign principles, and to specific instructional rules. It provides an instructional blueprint for thedevelopment and implantation of activities pertaining to the course. It is both a record of planned activitiesand a guide for the development and implementation of a course.It is composed of six main areas: General information about the course, an overview, a section dedicated tothe tools and technologies selected, another to the design of the user interface for the Web-based component,a third dedicated to the content

Collection

2008 ASEE Zone 1 Conference

Authors

Christopher W. Swan; Julia Carroll

installation, with agoal of construction to begin as early as Summer 2008. The team had to address the design ofthe bio-digester within the physical, operational, and economic constraints of the farm. Duringthe project, the team became familiar with the construction process in the rural Vermont area andhow it pertains to this project. For the team, the learning objectives included designing thevarious components of the bio-digester unit, evaluating input alternatives to optimize methaneproduction, and developing an implementation plan for the digester considering a new KISSprinciple (Knowledge + Innovation = Sustainable Systems). Public Communication of Longfellow Bridge Rehabilitation This project required developing an effective

Collection

2008 ASEE Zone 1 Conference

Authors

Diana Schwerha; Chang Liu; Sertac Ozercan; Tripura Vadlamani; Lev Neiman

students could complete theirhomework in two hours. Some students said that they like having time over several days to completeassignments. This suggestion is being taken into consideration for future projects. It could be possible todesign a game so that students could complete it at their own pace over the course of several days.Future research will focus on expanding the content and creating games that are more visual in nature.The use of interactive graphics will be utilized to help those students who learn better by visual methodsand provide alternative ways of learning. We plan to investigate more efficient ways to download studentscores and facilitate team interaction. In addition, we plan to investigate the use of Second Life foradditional

Collection

2008 ASEE Zone 1 Conference

Authors

client needs. Then careful planning is importantbetween the teacher and the client with additional consultation with other professionals asneeded before the assignment statement is drafted and given to the students. Sometimes studentstake an active role in developing project goals and tasking but it is important to monitor andredirect when necessary to keep the project on track. Intermediate deliverables are extremelyhelpful to keep students on track and to give some feedback on their progress and redirection asneeded.It is important to be upfront with clients about the limitations of educational class projects at theundergraduate level. Most clients are not teachers and they may not be fully aware thatmentoring students through projects means

Conference Session

Learning to Communicate with Engineers and Non-Engineers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leslie Potter, Iowa State University; John Jackman, Iowa State University; K. Jo Min, Iowa State University; Matthew Search, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

, (2) Formulation, (3) Creation, (4) Delivery, and (5) Assessment. Studentsparticipate in multimodal communication exercises that require ongoing practice and applicationof this process. This paper describes why the course was developed, the premise of the course,course content and logistics, examples and assessment of student work and perceptions, andfuture plans for long term impact and course/curriculum assessment.IntroductionSince 2000 when ABET identified outcome item (g) [students will have an ability tocommunicate effectively], academia has increasingly formalized its concurrence with industrythat effective professional communication skills are necessary for the successful engineer. 1 AsShuman et al. have described, the set of ABET

Conference Session

SPECIAL SESSION: Describing the Engineering Student Learning Experience Based on CAEE Findings: Part 1

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mia Clark, Stanford University; Lorraine Fleming, Howard University; Sheri Sheppard, Stanford University; Cynthia Atman, University of Washington; Ronald Miller, Colorado School of Mines; Ruth Streveler, Purdue University; Reed Stevens, University of Washington; Karl Smith, University of Minnesota

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

longitudinal data to inform refinements to the survey instrument, and recruit additional schools for the Broader National Sample.Part of the planning for the Broader National Sample involved selecting a nationallyrepresentative sample of institutions, in addition to the four affiliate campuses originally slatedfor sampling. Based on Carnegie classifications and other factors such as geographic diversity,researchers determined that a minimum of 14 institutions with defined characteristics wasrequired to assure a representative sample of institutions and students. Ultimately, 21 institutionsparticipated in addition to the four core schools.Workplace CohortResearch around the school-to-work transition was redefined for pragmatic reasons. Whereas

Conference Session

Design: Content and Context

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donald McEachron, Drexel University; Fred Allen, Drexel University; Elisabeth Papazoglou, Drexel University; Mustafa Sualp, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

that case, how can an instructor evaluate their own performance?When developing lesson plans, laboratories or other instructional materials, on what basis doesthe faculty decide to use one or the other approach? This objection to CQI appears to reduceteaching to a random activity in which anything goes and no method is better than any other forconveying information.It has also been claimed that a student learning outcomes-based CQI system is not needed sincethe ultimate function of an engineering education is employment upon graduation and themajority of the program’s graduates are getting jobs. This objection is reminiscent of thosevoiced by American automobile manufacturers when initially faced with potential competitionfrom overseas

Conference Session

Case Studies & Engineering Education Around the Globe

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Waddah Akili, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

International

howcooperative learning can advance academic success, quality of relationships, psychologicaladjustments, and attitudes toward the college experience. A number of relevant questions docome to mind, including: What needs to be done to move the process forward? What are the keycomponents of successful deployment of active learning in general and cooperative learning inparticular? How to foster and expand the community of engineering faculty who decide to usecooperative learning? What plans and resources need to be mobilized to institutionalizepedagogies of engagement including cooperative learning, at the department or college level?Achieving the change needed in engineering education across the Region does require acollective effort by all involved in

Conference Session

Investigating Fuel Cells and Alternative Fuels in the Classroom and Lab

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Fletcher, Lawrence Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

graduate programs are growing, thought stillprimarily teaching based. Research work is required at the doctorate degree level.In May of 2006 Lawrence Technological University (LTU), with the author serving as thePrincipal Investigator, received a research contract from the Auxiliary Power Group within theUS Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), inWarren, Michigan, to undertake durability and reliability testing on two Ballard NEXA 1.2 kWproton exchange membrane fuel cells. Contract discussions had been underway for severalmonths prior to the formal contract award. This project involved three components: a literaturesearch to develop a detailed test plan for a NEXA fuel cell system, design and install a

Conference Session

Student Recruitment and Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yvonne Ng, College of St. Catherine

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

-related education laterin life. To many, computers are more of “an ‘acquired taste’ that emerges over time. … [T]heymay come to computing at a later stage in their education, perhaps after having majored in someother discipline.” 3, p. 3 Women who have taken at least some CS courses have an easier timefollowing this path later in their education. Thus, one way to approach the impending crisis is to“sow seeds” by encouraging women to take more CS courses, whether or not they plan onmaking it their major. Page 13.245.3At the College of St. Catherine, a number of majors require students to take at least onecomputer science course. What they

Conference Session

Undergraduate Space Design and Project Courses

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Kuhlman, West Virginia University; G. Michael Palmer, West Virginia University

Tagged Divisions

Aerospace

respond to a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) from the courseinstructors, to propose a balloon satellite mission of their choice, developing an experimentinstrument package that meets weight, size, and cost constraints specified in the RFP. Teamsare provided the necessary data acquisition system, access to a shop area for construction oftheir payload, and a separate payload that contains the necessary balloon tracking GPS andham radio hardware. Data acquisition hardware and software and all balloon launchcapabilities are also supplied by the course instructors. Course instructors also provideguidance to the teams to ensure that their planned missions are realistic, safe, and withincurrent FAA regulations. All balloon launches are cleared

Conference Session

Student Recruitment and Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer VanAntwerp, Calvin College; Rachel Reed, Calvin College; Crystal Bruxvoort, Calvin College; Neil Carlson, Calvin College

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Drake University in 1993 and a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction/Science Education from Iowa State University in 2005. Her research interests focus on learning to do and teach science as inquiry, development of an accurate understanding of the nature of science, examining the critical role of the teacher in planning and implementing effective science instruction, and developing a pedagogical content knowledge base for science teacher educators.Neil Carlson, Calvin College NEIL CARLSON is Assistant Director of the Calvin College Center for Social Research (CSR), which supports research in the social sciences by Calvin faculty and community organizations. Carlson received a

Conference Session

Unique Student Opportunities in BME

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Linsenmeier, Northwestern University; Jean Alley, Vanderbilt University; Penny Hirsch, Northwestern University; Stacy Klein-Gardner; Julie Greenberg, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Mark Bourgeois, Northwestern University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

what needed to be done. If students were creating modules, most faculty mentors hadthem use the Legacy Cycle model, thus incorporating understanding of learning theory into theproject. During the hands-on phase of project development, students’ misconceptions and lack ofunderstanding could be observed and addressed more fully. In many instances, a VaNTHspecialist in learning science was available as a resource for students who needed furtherguidance. In some cases, the specialist acted as a co-mentor for the project, helping to train boththe faculty mentor and the student during the summer. In another type of project, studentsassisted in planning experiments and/or analyzing data related to assessment of student learningin modules that they or

Conference Session

Distance Learning in ET

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Meral Anitsal, Tennessee Tech University; Ismet Anitsal, Tennessee Tech University; Ismail Fidan, Tennessee Tech University; Bonita Barger, Tennessee Tech University; Michael Allen, Tennessee Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

the weekly updates for each quarter. For each quarter, prepare an executive briefing report. Read the comments on quarters before decisions wrap-up stage. • Prepare a marketing/business plan. Prepare a report to their Board of Directors.Students face great uncertainty from the outside marketing micro-environment and macro-environment and from their own individual and team decisions. Incrementally, they learn how toskillfully adjust their strategy as they discover the nature of their real-life decisions, which mustconsider the available options, linkages to other parts of the business, conflicts, tradeoffs andpotential outcomes.MathematicsAs seen in the course objectives, it is clear that the main, comprehensive goal of this course is togive

Conference Session

Investigating Fuel Cells and Alternative Fuels in the Classroom and Lab

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Recayi 'Reg' Pecen; Faruk Yildiz; Kenan Baltaci, University of Northern Iowa

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

and demonstrate following tasks in order to achieve testresults and prepare appropriate technical reports. This system is planned to be used and improvedby the electrical engineering technology major students by adding more features and dataacquisition interface at NI LabViewTM. These features included but not limited to measuring andcontrolling fuel pressure from hydrogen tanks, test variety of home appliances to measureefficiency and hydrogen consumption of the system, and possibly enhance the NI LabViewTMuser interface. Students should conduct the following steps described below to learn the overalldesign and implementation.1. Check the appropriate safety rules and regulations of Hydrogen storage tanks and EPAC-500 Hydrogen fuel cell

Conference Session

The New Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge (BOK2)

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Ressler, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

is beneficial, in that the resulting outcome statements can be assessed more effectively and consistently.8 Page 13.743.4 Level Illustrative Verbs 1 Knowledge define, identify, label, list, 2 Comprehension classify, describe, explain, generalize, paraphrase 3 Application apply, calculate, compute, demonstrate, solve 4 Analysis analyze, differentiate, formulate, organize, prioritize 5 Synthesis create, design, develop, devise, integrate, plan 6 Evaluation critique, evaluate, judge, justifyTable 1. Six levels of

Conference Session

Improving Technical Understanding of All Americans

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elaine Cooney, Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis; Karen Alfrey; Steve Owens, Indiana University - Purdue University-Indianapolis

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

thosetechniques through repetition of contrived problems designed to have a “right” answer, isnot giving our students enough opportunity to hone their skills as independent, criticalthinkers.Whatever the reason for the results, it is clear that our Engineering and Technologystudents do not believe that their education enhances their ability to think critically andanalytically to the same extent as do other IUPUI students. Engineering and Technologyfaculty, however, believe that we are providing skills in this area consistent with theguidelines of ABET and with our Principles of Undergraduate Learning. In short, wehave a gap between what the faculty thinks it has taught the students and what thestudents think they have learned. We plan to narrow this gap

Conference Session

Instructional Methods and Tools in BME

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chris Geiger, Florida Gulf Coast University; Robert O'Neill, Florida Gulf Coast University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

howdifferent ideas are separated. Each section starts with an underlined section heading to let thestudents know that a new section or topic has been started. The notes use consistent spacing inregards to indentations and bullet points, so that it is obvious where idea groupings are located.Although not shown here, key equations or points could be underlined or boxed in a differentcolor to make them stand out from the rest of the board.Of the concepts introduced in this paper, this type of preparation is what we feel has the biggestimpact on developing an engaging, clear and concise lesson. Unfortunately, it is also one of thehardest techniques to integrate into a course that has already been planned. What can be done

Conference Session

Professional Practice and AEC Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stan Guidera, Bowling Green State University; Anthony Mutai, Bowling Green State University

Tagged Divisions

Architectural

require a more holisticapproach. For example, For example, David Scheer 30, of the Center for Integrated Design andConstruction at the University of Utah College of Architecture + Planning proposed an approachthat utilized BIM across the curriculum in design studios, technical classes, and in culturalsubjects such as architectural history. The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department atWorcester Polytechnic Institute has integrated BIM into student research projects and graduatethesis, and have also integrated it in multiple undergraduate courses. Benefits to studentsidentified by faculty included the development of and integrated view of a building and itscomponents, better understanding of the construction process, advanced skill

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Yeary, University of Oklahoma; Robert Palmer, University of Oklahoma; Kevin Kloesel, University of Oklahoma; Tian Yu, University of Oklahoma; Kent Johnson, University of Oklahoma; Mike Biggerstaff, University of Oklahoma; Phil Chilson, University of Oklahoma; Guifu Zhang, University of Oklahoma

middle school teachers via its Earthstorm outreach program. Finally,an assessment plan has been devised by a nationally known expert who specializes in learn-ing and course development. There are several special features in this research-oriented teaching program, including:(1) it is the only program in the country with a full and equal collaboration between theSchool of Meteorology and the School of Electrical & Computer Engineering for the purposeof adding strength to an existing, successfully integrated curriculum on weather radar,(2) it has access to weather data from the recently constructed National Weather RadarTestbed (NWRT). Students have a unique opportunity to take advantage of the weatherdata derived from the new phased array

Conference Session

Gender & Minority Issues in K-12 Engineering

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Karla Korpela, Michigan Technological University; Shalini Suryanarayana, Michigan Technological University; Christine Anderson, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

faculty and staff efforts to institutionalize programs andprocesses that embrace the Diversity Framework and affirm the strategic plan.In 1992 Michigan Tech conducted a climate survey aimed at understanding the concerns ofwomen at Michigan Tech; 385 female faculty, staff, and students completed the survey. Thesurvey’s final report (1994) provided a number of recommendations that were implemented toimprove the climate for both females and males. Related follow-up included a set ofrecommendations from the Retention Task Force (1994) and the University’s diversity plan, theDiversity Framework (2003). Both documents have provided guidance and initiated actions thatsignificantly impacted the Michigan Tech climate and sharpened its focus on

Conference Session

Beyond Individual Ethics: Engineering in Context

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dean Nieusma, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

AC 2008-1891: INTEGRATING TECHNICAL, SOCIAL, AND AESTHETICANALYSIS IN THE PRODUCT DESIGN STUDIO: A CASE STUDY AND MODELFOR A NEW LIBERAL EDUCATION FOR ENGINEERSDean Nieusma, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Dean Nieusma’s research and teaching focus on interdisciplinary design collaboration and the expertise that enables it. With a BS in mechanical engineering and another in general studies and a PhD in interdisciplinary social sciences, Dean has worked as a member of design teams in contexts as diverse as the U.S. and European automotive industries; Sri Lanka’s renewable energy sector; and STS, engineering, and design curriculum planning. He teaches across Rensselaer’s Product Design and

Conference Session

Engineering Professional Development for K-12 Teac

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Krause, Arizona State University; Robert Culbertson, Arizona State University; Marilyn Carlson, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Page 13.241.7calculators to develop a mathematical expression for describing the function for position-timerelationship for the context of a vertically tossed ball. She says, "I was able to incorporate the useof vertical motion as a real world phenomenon represented mathematically by a quadraticfunction. Students conducted experiments and collected data to find how high a ball was throwninto the air. This provided motivation for the students and they were actively engaged in thelesson."Tanya, a Tempe math teacher, is going to use an inquiry "math" lab with spring oscillations tocontextualize trigonometric functions. Sue says, "One concept that I did not use, but plan to usenext year (it was just at the wrong timing) is the use of a spring and

Conference Session

ERM Potpourri

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Emily Wischow, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Lynn Bryan, Purdue University; Shanna Daly, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

images (taken beforehand), and an online simulation to constructrelationships between quantum dot size and color. The final phase was a group presentation, in Page 13.1016.5which teachers would create a presentation for a fictional “company” in the area of biosensors,LEDs, or medical imaging, describing the use of quantum dots in their specific field. Thisapproach was designed to target the three goals described previously.This lesson was first implemented in summer 2007, and some deviations to the planned lessonoccurred. The most important of these was the elimination of the presentation component of thelesson. This decision was made based on

Conference Session

Engineering in High Schools

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mitchell Nathan, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Natalie Tran, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Allen Phelps, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Amy Prevost, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

mathematics curricula2. Afterexamining 147 studies, classified into four categories of evaluation methodologies (contentanalyses, comparative studies, case studies, and syntheses), the committee developed aframework to guide curriculum evaluations based on three major components: (a) the programmaterials and design principles; (b) the quality, extent, and means of curricular implementation;and (c) the quality, breadth, type, and distribution of outcomes of student learning over time. Inour larger research study of engineering education, we plan to address all three componentswhen examining the PLTW curriculum and those in mathematics and the natural sciences.However, the scope of this paper is limited to the first component of PLTW curriculum

Conference Session

Student Recruitment and Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Anderson-Rowland, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

. Otherstudents report that the program confirmed that graduate school was right for them. Moststudents think that graduate work is only for those planning to go into academia. They aresurprised and inspired by engineers from industry who tell about interesting and challengingcareers because they have a graduate degree. Some students are convinced that graduate schoolis good, but they need to go to work in industry right after their BSE/BS. Although it is verydifficult to do graduate school while working, some of the program students have completed aMaster’s degree while they have worked full-time in industry.Since the programs are composed of over 50% of the students being either a woman or anunderrepresented minority student, the peer support and role

Conference Session

Engineering in the Elementary School

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christine Cunningham, Museum of Science, Boston

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

different metrics than two weeks of contact) and range from a daily index carddipstick of “What’s hot/What’s not”, to our “standard” workshop evaluation form for a 2-8 hoursession (see Appendix A), to a much more extensive online instrument designed to measurecontent knowledge and classroom implementation for multiple day sessions. Also very importantare informal comments, conversations, and email communication that occur throughout thecourse of planning and offering a workshop. The informal dialogue often surfaces nuances orconcerns that are not captured on paper, permits deeper probing and articulation, surfaces fears,and allows ongoing feedback.The EiE staff members who lead professional development regularly discuss what they havetried, what

Conference Session

Computer ET Innovation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Forsman, Pennsylvania State University-Erie

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

. Plan; Determine unknowns; What needs to be found; What fundamentals apply;Develop a solution; what is with all that? Don’t you just DO things? Can’t you just trial-and-error applications until you get the desired result?Input – Transformation – Output (ITO) charts, Flowcharts and Psudo-Code appear to be justmore busy work when introduced to the students.Students are asked to come up with an algorithm in ITO chart format for computing the surfacearea and volume of a simple block that has material removed. There is a lot of eye rolling by thestudents when it suggested that it is more difficult than it appears on the surface. The assignmentis presented as follows on the next page

Conference Session

Successful K-12 Programs for Girls & Minorities

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bruce Gehrig, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Deborah Sharer, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Stephen Kuyath, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Anthony Brizendine, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

experiencesin completing their work plans and incorporating TECT concepts into their classrooms.The research hypothesizes that this mix of diversity awareness based teacher professional developmenttraining coupled with improved career guidance counseling training will provide a necessary foundationto increase the number and diversity of students entering STEM related fields. This is to be facilitatedthrough the TECT project by providing teachers knowledge about technical areas, impacting informationavailable to counselors and presenting the engineering profession and engineering topics in a sociallyrelevant context to engage all populations20,22,23,24 .3.2 TECT Workshop ContentStudies have shown that any effective pre-college outreach program geared

Conference Session

Re-Imagining the Higher Ed Classroom -- Tablet PCs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dewey Spangler, Virginia Western Community College; Kimberly Filer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

information gained from this pilot study, activities can be further developed using theTablet PC to enhance the learning of mechanical engineering students. With the study expandingin spring 2008 to include a control group, our goal is to better understand the Tablet PCs impacton the teaching and learning process. Using a refined assessment instrument in a pretest/posttestdesign, we will measure the change in student learning strategies from the beginning to the endof the semester and determine if the table PC is changing the way in which future engineers useinformation to learn.The mechanical engineering department at Virginia Tech plans to increase implementation ofTablet PC based learning in the fall of 2008 when additional ME 2024 instructors