Collection

2011 Fall ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Keith M. Gardiner

in the throes of developing the 777. Today we have many new companies, new‘toys,’ high technology cellular telephones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) that arebecoming ‘smart’ enough to communicate emotions, marvelous digital cameras, ‘cloud’computing and politically significant social movements catalyzed by many of theseinnovations. As a nation we also possess many problems, not forgetting a frequent plea forgreater skills, and more especially ‘soft skills’ in the workforce.One of the first steps in assessing any problem is to discover analogs and establishbenchmarks.How are other nations performing and dealing with similar problems although possiblywith different cultural, economic and social constraints and customs? Following very

Collection

2011 Fall ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

KENNETH WADE JACKSON

the prospect for exciting engineering work such as thespace program provided. The nation’s new problems will require undergraduateengineers to acquire complementary skills and perspectives of multiple disciplinesthat more explicitly recognize the practical importance of the human element andtechnical innovation. Engineers in the 21st century will face unprecedented globalchange and rate of change in technology, economics and social institutions. To meetthese challenges, recently referred to by the NAE as a gathering storm, engineeringeducation will need to embed more technology and soft skills into traditionalscience-based engineering courses without reducing practical STEM content andrigor. Engineering faculty will need also to create and

Conference Session

The Best of Design in Engineering

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Betsy Palmer, Montana State University; Patrick T. Terenzini, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Ann F. McKenna, Arizona State University, Polytechnic campus; Betty J. Harper, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Dan Merson, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

the globalclimate and energy crisis – including a comprehensive look at the future of solar power.Speakers‟ visits include meetings and in-depth discussions with students and faculty members.Students also participate in the student chapters of eight professional engineering andengineering education societies, although one faculty member noted that engineering at HMCrelied less than other schools on the co-curriculum to develop students‟ “soft” skills because thecurriculum, as delivered, promotes those skills.Efforts to stitch a seamless engineering education experience at HMC is visible in a growingnumber of joint curricular and co-curricular venues for developing engineering and scientificcontextual competence and to internationalize the

Conference Session

Two Year-to-Four Year Transfer Topics Part I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erik N. Dunmire, College of Marin; Amelito G. Enriquez, Canada College; Kate A. Disney, Mission College, Santa Clara

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

2R = Recommended X = Required choose one combined course3 4 5 Careers/soft skills Design specialized Intro to Civil only6 7 specialized Civil Materials course only microelectronic circuits*Data obtained

Conference Session

Sustainability and Humanitarian Engineering

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Khanjan Mehta, Penn State University; Duarte B. Morais, North Carolina State University; Yu Zhao, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Mary Lynn Brannon, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Sarah E. Zappe, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

prepare students with a strong foundation and new knowledge of innovativetechnologies that advance society1. In response, engineering education has seen a significantincrease in emphasis on experiential education and on the development of “soft skills” thatengineering students will need when they enter the workplace. This evolving vision ofengineering education emphasizes the development of students as competent professionals andengaged citizens, equally at home with societal concerns as they are with technical issues. Ethicseducation is a significant aspect of making engineering education socially and globally relevantand preparing engineering students to excel in a globally interconnected world with tremendousdiversity and inequities. Several

Conference Session

Special Session Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the MATE International ROV Competition

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Candiya Mann, Washington State University, Social and Economic Sciences Research Center

Tagged Divisions

Ocean and Marine

) (N=144) (N=97) (N=142) Note: Percentages calculated out of students taking each subjectSCANS skillsAt the 2010 international competition, 98% of the teachers/mentors (N=65) noted that theyobserved increases in their students’ skills in team building, problem solving, and/or criticalthinking. .10 Similar to the survey question on technical skills, prior surveys asked about studentmotivation to learn these soft skills. At the international competitions of 2008-2010, 97% of theteachers/mentors (N=239) stated that the competition motivated their students to learn teambuilding, problem solving, and/or critical thinking skills.When parents were asked what changes they had seen in their child as a result of

Conference Session

Capstone Design III

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bridget M. Smyser, Northeastern University; Gregory J. Kowalski, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

summary are evaluated by a jury consisting of alumni and individualsfrom related industry. Projects are evaluated based on their technical aspects as well as the abilityof the group to communicate their findings. The final grade is determined by a committee madeup of faculty advisors. In a typical semester in the second course approximately 1-5 projects haveprovisional patents filed to protect significant intellectual property. Students are expected todemonstrate both technical design skills and soft skills including project management,professional interactions with sponsors, technical writing and oral communication, and teammanagement.Students in the MIE department are organized into cohorts with common schedules. One MEgroup (referred to as the

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kirsten A. Davis, Boise State University; Sondra M Miller, Boise State University; Ross A. Perkins, Boise State University

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees

4. Tries Out Train 5. Uses SupportThe aim of the project is to promote successful characteristics of individuals and their workenvironments that will encourage movement toward higher stages of adoption, with the ultimategoal of sustained use of education innovations in the classroom. The implementation model wepropose is based on the Johari Window19. The Johari Window is typically used to document andimprove self-awareness, as well as allow individuals to understand each other better within agroup. It is focused on soft skills – what we commonly refer to today as EmotionalIntelligence20. Figure 3 shows a typical Johari Window model on the left and our proposedtransformation into an

Collection

2011 Fall ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

PATRICA A. S. RALSTON; JEFFREY L. HIEB

2011, the EiE website showed 26,744 teachers and 1,833,755 students using EiE. Thework of Speed’s outreach program was instrumental in spreading the use of EiE in Kentucky. The EiE curriculum introduces each unit with a story about a child with a problem to solve.Activities introduce the engineering foundation of design, using science concepts as the students help thechild solve the problem. Soft skills are learned as students learn to work in teams, deal with failure, andlearn to “try again”. The next unit lesson focuses on helping students develop a broader perspective onthe unit's engineering discipline involved. Through hands-on activities, students learn more about thetypes of work done by engineers in these fields, and the kinds of

Conference Session

Accreditation and Assessment in SE Programs

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Janet E. Burge, Miami University; Paul V. Anderson, Miami University, Ohio; Michael Carter, North Carolina State University; Gerald C. Gannod, Miami University; Mladen A. Vouk, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Software Engineering Constituent Committee

. Many students choose CS/SE for their major because they enjoy thetechnical aspects of the work. There is a common perception that “soft skills” such aswriting, speaking, and teaming are not needed and less critical and are acquiredautomatically (in a mysterious and unspecified way). If the students and faculty do notperceive something as being valuable they are less likely to invest time and effort into doingit well.5 StrategiesIn the first year, our project focused on developing and piloting assignments in at least sixdifferent courses and at eight different institutions. In this section we describe some of thestrategies that we have developed to address the challenges identified above. Specifically,we have identified four key strategies

Conference Session

The Best of Design in Engineering

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eckehard Doerry, Northern Arizona University; Bridget N. Bero, Northern Arizona University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

Conference Session

FPD IV: Improving Student Success: Mentoring, Intervening, and Supplementing

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Colleen A. McDonough, Michigan State University; Daina Briedis, Michigan State University; Neeraj Buch, Michigan State University; Renée S. DeGraaf, Lansing Community College; Jon Sticklen, Michigan State University; Sarah J. Stoner, Michigan State University; Mark Urban-Lurain, Michigan State University; Claudia E. Vergara, Michigan State University; Thomas F. Wolff, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

development of critical thinking skills andprovides both the participants and the PAL Leaders with an opportunity to engage incollaborative learning. These benefits directly support the project’s stated goal of improvingretention of early engineering students, as well as criteria set forth by The Accreditation Boardfor Engineering and Technology (ABET), which is increasingly placing emphasis on “soft skills”development within engineering programs 16, 17, 18. While the primary goals of the grant areaimed at students enrolled in targeted courses, our research has shown that the program also Page 22.1148.4provides numerous benefits to the PAL leaders and

Conference Session

FPD VII: Innovative Curriculum Elements of Successful First-Year Courses

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chris Plouff, Grand Valley State University; Deborah Morrow, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Lehmann[7] provide anexcellent overview of the goals of the ABET a-k criteria in relation to the real challenges facingstudents and academic institutions: academic institutions must matriculate not-yet-fully-matureadolescents, and in the course of a 4- or 5-year curriculum, foster growth in their knowledge,skills, and attitudes, ideally graduating students who are prepared to progress successfully intoprofessional work or graduate studies. These authors give particular attention to lifelong learningand “soft” skills which have not historically been the explicit goal of engineering education.Oxnam[8] provides a detailed look at the intersection of ABET engineering program evaluationcriteria and essential IL skills endorsed by the Association of

Conference Session

Student Entrepreneurial Skills and Mindset I

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erik Sander, University of Florida

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

challenges in transitioning to the world ofinnovation champions (entrepreneurs and “intrapreneurs”) such as: An engineering education is typically focused on technical depth rather than breadth in fields such as business practice, accounting and finance, operations management, etc. Additionally, the historical engineering curriculum has not included a substantial component of “soft skills” such as ethics, persuasive communications, written and oral presentations, team building, crisis management, and the other skills necessary to succeed as an entrepreneur, the value of which have been recognized by ABET and other organizations.iv, v An engineering education typically does not provide sufficient opportunity to lead teams

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christianna Irene White, Iowa State University, Institute for Transportation; David J. White, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

Conference Session

Study Abroad, International Exchange Programs, and Student Engagements

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donal McHale, Dublin Institute of Technology; Gül E. Okudan Kremer, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Michael J. Dyrenfurth, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Brian Bowe, Dublin Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

International

learning.Research questions developmentAt the outset, four general themes of enquiry were proposed. These are as follows: 1. To examine the perception of transatlantic exchange students pertaining to the general differences in teaching styles experienced between their home institution and their study abroad transatlantic institutions. 2. To examine transatlantic exchange students’ perception of the general differences in assessment practices and other important “course related” variables between the home continent and their study abroad continent. 3. To examine transatlantic exchange students’ perception of differences in the degree of emphasis (if any) on “soft skills” critical to the development of Engineering and

Collection

2011 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Lily Gossage

groups so that individuals areable to develop a sense of diversity within an inclusive environment.Defining the ProblemThe supposition that lack of perceived similarity affects the level of career interest and identitydevelopment of Latino/Hispanic engineering students prompts minority engineering programs toarrange for ethnically/racially-themed activities and events. These programs though well-intentioned, aim less at improving math skills or engineering career awareness as much as theyare valued for instilling students’ personal confidence, soft skills, and camaraderie within anenvironment of racially/ethnically like peers. Even while the dictum of these programs is to‘recruit and retain more under-represented minorities’, few activities

Conference Session

Methods, Techniques, and New Programs in Graduate Education

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Diane L. Peters, University of Michigan; Shanna R. Daly, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

it’s mostly soft skills which are the things you tend not to get the Page 22.1431.6 experience with in school.The development of these skills, while critical to his success, presented certain challenges indealing with traditional students.Theme #2: Frustrations and Challenges Working in Teams with Traditional StudentsAndrew felt disadvantaged as a returning student in his team interactions. He felt different fromthe group in his abilities and struggled with those interactions. The strange, maybe, disadvantage that I noticed, but it depends on how you look at it, was that I found I had a harder time doing group projects

Collection

2011 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors