Collection

2024 South East Section Meeting

Authors

Nahid Vesali, The Citadel; David S Greenburg, The Citadel; Mostafa Batouli, The Citadel; Eva Theresa Singleton, The Citadel Military College; Andrew B. Williams, The Citadel

Paper ID #40940Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Applications in EngineeringProject Management: Developing A Course ModuleDr. Nahid Vesali, The Citadel Dr. Nahid Vesali is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Leadership and Program Management (ELPM) in the School of Engineering (SOE) at The Citadel. She holds PhD in Civil Eng., MSc. in Construction Engineering and Management, and BSc in Civil Eng. She teaches engineering project management, technical planning and scheduling as well as BIM courses. Besides her academic background, she has over 7 years of construction industry experienceDr

Conference Session

K-12 Outreach and Out-of-School Time Engineering Programming and Research

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anca L. Sala, Baker College, Flint; Pattabhi Sitaram, Baker College, Flint; Tom Spendlove, Baker College, Flint

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

, participants were asked to choose one of the modules from which to prepareand give an oral presentation during the last session. A competition for the top threepresentations was set-up and awards were given.The paper discusses the content of the modules and the results of the camp as evidenced bystudent presentations and student surveys. The camp was successful in increasing students’interest and confidence in pursuing careers in engineering and technology. Lessons were alsolearned from the first offering of the camp leading to plans for future improvement. Theseinclude development of a Workbook/Lab Manual summarizing all modules for students to useduring the camp as well as keep for future reference. Future plans also include adding newactivities and

Conference Session

Design in Engineering Education Division Poster Session

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ana Elisa E. Goulart, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

health and emergency personnel with the end user’s real-time vital signs during an emergency call.The students have included BDD scenarios as one of their deliverables, and have workedclosely with the sponsor on these scenarios. This paper shows an evaluation, from thepoint of view of faculty advisor and industry sponsor, of the use of BDD as a projectmanagement tool that can be taught to undergraduate engineering students. It alsodiscusses the impact of the BDD approach in the Requirements and Testing phases of thecurrent Capstone project.The remainder of this paper includes an introduction to the BDD approach (Section 2),followed by an overview of the Capstone project in Section 3, with details on how BDDwas used in the planning, design and

Conference Session

Innovative IE Curricula

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Masud Salimian, Morgan State University; Yaseen Mahmud, Morgan State University; Avis L. Ransom, Morgan State University School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering

of Engineering, she develops projects, plans and implements strategies and develops and documents reports, newsletters and proposals. Page 23.1262.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2013 Training Industrial Engineering Students as Energy EngineersIntroductionBuildings consume approximately 40% 1 of all energy in the United States. Most buildingsoperate far less efficiently than their potential. In the U.S., industry alone accounts for about 31%of all energy used 8. There are many benefits to making commercial and industrialmanufacturing plants more efficient. One is to

Conference Session

Simulation and Programming

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David E. Culler, Oregon Institute of Technology; Noah David Anderson

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

c American Society for Engineering Education, 2013 Utilizing Applications Programming Interfaces to Provide Product Lifecycle Management and Enhance Manufacturing EducationAbstractIn the past 30 years, software development companies have made great strides in the areas ofproject planning, business management, material handling, engineering and manufacturing, inhopes that someday an all-in-one software package would be made available. Companies likePTC, Dassault Systèmes, AutoDesk and Siemens NX, are making this dream a reality.Just because one very expensive piece of software can handle most aspects of engineeringdevelopment that does not mean that it is flexible. Nor can it be adapted to individual companiesand their standard

Conference Session

Community Engagement Division Poster Session

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Marie Brown, Northeastern University; Mario Alan Hulett, Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc.

Tagged Divisions

Community Engagement Division

program. Additionally, a variety of challenges have been reported ininitiating programs in new locations. The common factor in these two challenges was identifiedas the relationships with community partners. Catering the programmatic offerings to the needsof each community and the academic constraints of students at each university are priorities, butthe current objective is to examine the partnerships that do exist. Previous research laid thepedagogical foundation for the program and outlined a longer-term research plan[1]. A secondprevious work conducted a preliminary analysis of the impact of the program on thevolunteers[2].Background and ObjectivesThe national service learning clearinghouse presents the following categories as types

Conference Session

Project-Based and Experiential Learning in Manufacturing

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Javaid S Siddiqi; Alan S Gandy; Sheng-Jen Hsieh, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing Division (MFG)

broadly divided into two categories: opticalsorting and mechanical sorting. Optical sorting machines use camera and computer visionalgorithms to identify flavor through color. A CV algorithm uses inputs such as objects andimages/videos from a sensing device such as a camera. It analyzes the image and automaticallyrecognizes color, shape, and size as a human would, but faster. Mechanical sorting machines usea physical mechanism and gates with color sensors to do the sorting; these are typically slowerrate and less accurate.The objectives of the work described in this paper are to 1) develop a low-cost portable gantryrobotic system with computer vision for sorting jellybeans by flavor; 2) design lesson plans andactivities for advanced programing

Collection

2013 ASEE Midwest Section Conference

Authors

Muhammet Ceylan; Aybala Usta; Fatma Barut; Ramazan Asmatulu

WSU students.These assessment studies showed that more than 95% of freshmen students who joined thenanotechnology training sessions during these last two semesters indicated that they planned onremaining in their current programs in the following years. As a result, this study shows that thenanotechnology education is one of the major options for keeping freshmen students in theirprograms.Keywords: Freshmen Students, Retention and Success, Nanotechnology, Hands-on Experience.1. Introduction1.1 MotivationRetention and success rates of freshmen students at Wichita State University (WSU) are one ofthe most important measures of performance. Although a number of different programs in thecolleges have been implemented to increase retention and

Collection

2010 Fall ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Allison L. Felix; Joel Z. Bandstra; William H.J. Strosnider

project plan during the two weeks, which is aprecursor to the integrative curriculum unit plan that will ultimately be implemented in theclassroom. The project plan template that was used comes from the Buck Institute for Education Fall 2010 Mid-Atlantic ASEE Conference, October 15-16, 2010, Villanova University(www.bie.org). The project plan is the driver of the curriculum unit plan, which is designed toenhance and provide a context for existing content lessons rather than supplant existing lessons.The ProjectThe project challenged high school students in a high school summer outreach academy andmiddle and high-school teachers in a two-week summer science institute to design and constructa system to remediate water impacted by acid

Collection

2009 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Kurt Colvin

redevelopment effortwas made possible by the support of the Cal Poly CTL.Backward DesignVery few of us, as engineering educators, have had a formal course in pedagogy. Therefore, inaddition to the challenging task of developing new and improving existing courses, we also haveto battle with our lack of formal training in the area of course design. However, there is a richfield of instructional design literature from which we can draw.Backward course design is one method that can guide instructors as they struggle with designingtheir own courses or even an individual lecture (McTighe & Wiggins, 2005). The steps inbackward course design include: (1) identify the desired results, (2) determine the acceptableevidence, and (3) plan learning experiences

Conference Session

Track 6: Techncal Session 7: Growing BPE Efforts: Lessons Learned from a College-Wide Seed Grant Program

Collection

2025 Collaborative Network for Engineering & Computing Diversity (CoNECD)

Authors

Gabriella Coloyan Fleming, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Christine Julien, Virginia Tech

Tagged Topics

2025 CoNECD Paper Submissions, Diversity

● Eight hours of office hours were provided. Prospective applicants could bring questions, come to just listen, or bring draft proposals for feedback ● The majority of awarded projects were to those who attended office hours (some of them came several times) ● Office hours were both on-campus or on Zoom, with one evening option ● For those who could not attend office hours, 1:1 meetings were offeredProposal Template1. Project Lead: Name, role (undergraduate student, graduate student, postdoc, staff), department2. Project Personnel: Name, role (undergraduate student, graduate student, postdoc, staff, faculty), department for each person3. Brief Description and Implementation Plan: Include

Collection

2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference

Authors

Haiying Huang, The University of Texas at Arlington; Monica Franco, The University of Texas at Arlington

Tagged Topics

Diversity

lectures & those learnt from previous courses, especially from math courses. 3. Visualize solutions, Discuss the solution steps, alternative approaches, expected results, results & evaluation plan and evaluation plan. Using flow diagram, sketches, etc. are strongly encouraged. Reflect on the plan before proceed (break point #1). 4. Solve the problem Follow the planned solution steps. Do not skip steps! 5. Evaluate the results Follow the evaluation plan. Discuss the results with others (breakpoint #2). Re-visit the goal and constraints if necessary 6. Report methods & Write down detailed step-by-step solution following the

Collection

2025 ASEE North Central Section (NCS) Annual Conference

Authors

Robert Michael, Gannon University; David Gee, Gannon University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

mechanical engineering students andthree business students. Early project work (year one and two) has been documented in previouspublications [1 – 3]. Reference [2] presents a detailed summary of work completed for years oneand two. This work included design and prototyping of various column guards, the design andfabrication of an impact tester, stiffness testing and benchmark testing. The current paperpresents the final phase of the project which involved a group of four mechanical engineeringstudents collaborating with a group of three business students. The engineering students wereresponsible for the final design and test validation while the business students focused on themarketing and business plan as well as customer interaction. The groups

Conference Session

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation Division Technical Session 6

Collection

2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katey Shirey, eduKatey LLC; Lisa Bosman, Purdue University at West Lafayette (PPI)

representative of various levels of seniority and engineering disciplinarybackgrounds. Due to a time conflict, one participant withdrew after completing the initialasynchronous learning modules and synchronous cohort-based virtual workshop. This researchproject has been approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB-2021-1681).3.3 Professional Development OverviewEngineering faculty participants were required to complete the following tasks to earn astipend of $1,000: • Eight hours of asynchronous preparation modules on Google Classroom • Six hours of synchronous virtual workshops on how to develop engineering curriculum using EM, bio-inspired design, and STEAM • Asynchronous post-workshop curriculum planning assignment and initial

Conference Session

Equity, Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY) Technical Session 2

Collection

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sara E. Lego, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY), Equity

Penn State’s 2016-2020 University-wide Strategic Plan clearly highlightsdiversity as one of its core foundations, the College of Engineering 2020-2025 Strategic Planreaffirmed and clarified this commitment by making one of its unit objectives the integration ofethics, inclusivity, and sustainability into undergraduate programs throughout the college. In theAerospace Engineering Department, senior undergraduate capstone courses offer idealconditions for exploring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) issues since these classes areteam-based experiential learning environments intended to mirror the engineering workplace.While Penn State’s year-long Aerospace Engineering capstone courses have historically includeda unit on DEI presented at the

Collection

2022 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Cesar Bandera, NJIT MTSM; Regina S. Collins, New Jersey Institute of Technology

a description of the desired innovation and its significance, and the contactinformation for the government official advocating the topic. The SBIR program only invests infor-profit ventures whose innovations and business plans support at least one topic. The SBIRprogram structures funding in two phases: Phase I is typically for concept feasibility (usually a12 month $100K award), and Phase II is for developing and testing a working prototype (usuallya 24 month $1MM award).Congress monitors the return on its investment in the SBIR program, and uses the commercialsuccess of the ventures funded by the program as a key performance indicator (KPI) (NationalAcademies of Sciences, Engineering, & Medicine, 2014, 2015a, 2015b, 2015c, 2016a

Conference Session

Engineering Technology Potpourri

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Brian D. Tedeschi, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Julia K. Miller, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Anne M. Lucietto, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Nancy L. Denton P.E., Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

importance of lessening thebarrier of location and socioeconomics is important to continue to provide equal opportunity inSTEM.Educational System:Informal learning environments serve as supplemental classrooms for students across the globe.The types of supplemental programs have a diversity in focus interest and demographics. Thecontent is generally more applied and practically focused. The types of program directlyinfluence interest in STEM careers and boost self-efficacy in STEM based content. [4]The classroom education system has a curriculum dictated by state and federal educationalstandards such as Common Core. This leaves less time and flexibility to teach subjects outside ofthe planned semester. While students learn STEM in the classroom

Conference Session

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Lucie Guertault, North Carolina State University; Tamecia R. Jones, North Carolina State University at Raleigh; Eric Steven Hall, North Carolina State University; Praveen Kolar, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Biological and Agricultural Engineering

prototypes that require access to specificlaboratories and equipment.In the Spring 2020, Universities across the US shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19and transitioned to remote or virtual courses. The objective of this study was to investigate theimpact of the transition to remote and virtual courses on senior design or capstone courses inBiological and Agricultural Engineering to find lessons learned and help plan for futuredisruption in these courses. Four Senior Design Capstone Course instructors from differentBiological and Agricultural Engineering departments were interviewed to gather theirperspectives and experiences regarding changes in instruction; student projects’ management andoutcomes; as well as students’ learning and

Conference Session

Learn About Assessment

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

James A. Mynderse, Lawrence Technological University; Andrew L. Gerhart, Lawrence Technological University; Liping Liu, Lawrence Technological University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

learning objectivesand activities associated with an entrepreneurial mindset were previously described in [8].Throughout a capstone project, students must collaborate with diverse individuals in a teamenvironment, which makes it also an important venue for teaching and assessing teamwork. Themost recent ABET criteria for engineering programs explains that a team “consists of more thanone person working toward a common goal and should include individuals of diversebackgrounds, skills, or perspectives” [9]. The Student Outcome 5 states that students will have“an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create acollaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives” [9

Collection

2011 North Midwest Section

Authors

R. Nelson; J. Bumblis; C. Liu; A. Turkmen; N. Zhou; D. Olson; R. Rothaupt

. Proceedings of the 2011 North Midwest Section Conferenceprogram, the following sections highlight specific program developments or milestones on a yearlybasisInitial Planning Years (2005-2008)Although final approval of the UW-Stout Computer Engineering program came in August 2008,activity started long before that. Initial planning for the program began in approximately 2005 andinvolved the following steps: Meeting with on-campus faculty, administrators and selected employers regarding the need and feasibility of establishing a Computer Engineering at UW-Stout. Completing a needs survey to determine employer demand (i.e., verify if jobs will be available for graduates). Developing an industrial advisory board for input on

Conference Session

CoNECD Session : Day 4 Slot 1 Technical Session 2

Collection

2021 CoNECD

Authors

Amy Rachel Betz, Kansas State University; Craig Wanklyn P.E., Kansas State University; LaVerne Bitsie-Baldwin, Kansas State University

Tagged Topics

CoNECD Paper Submissions, Diversity

qualified studentsfrom historically underrepresented groups pursuing engineering degrees. MEP also provides afoundational support system and programs that encourage students to find solutions to technicaland social challenges. In addition, the college has had an active Women in Engineering, or WiE,program since 2011. Both programs have focused on foundational support systems and events.They have been highly successful at increasing retention and graduation rates of underrepresentedstudents. The percentage of women and underrepresented minorities has increased. However, therehad also been a lack of broader cultural change in the college. Based on this context andprecipitating events, a Diversity and Inclusion Town Hall was planned for the College

Conference Session

K-12 and Graduate Experiences in BME

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sam Dreyer, University of Illinois at Chicago; Miiri Kotche, University of Illinois at Chicago; Jennifer Olson, University of Illinois at Chicago ; Andria Shyjka, University of Illinois at Chicago

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

includingbiomechanics, rehabilitation engineering, bionanomaterials and biomedical imaging, the firstyear of the Bioengineering Experience for Science Teachers (BEST) Program provided in-depthparticipant-tailored curricular mentoring via weekly workshops that focused on principles ofeffective planning, instruction, and assessment which will be directly connected to teachers’classroom curriculum. In addition to exposure to research in bioengineering labs, City PublicHigh School teachers from diverse schools across the district also translated their experience intocurriculum unit lesson plans being implemented the following academic year. 1. IntroductionIt has been well established that there is a shortage of STEM professionals [1]. While there are anumber of

Conference Session

Technical Session 4a

Collection

2017 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Yongping Zhang P.E., Cal Poly Pomona; Xudong Jia, Cal Poly Pomona; Jon Bumps, Caltrans, District 8; Du Lu, Caltrans, District 8

Tagged Topics

Pacific Southwest Section

2017 Pacific Southwest SectionMeeting: Tempe, Arizona Apr 20 Paper ID #20717Learn by Doing: Lessons Learned from the Ten-Year Senior Projects throughUniversity-Agency PartnershipDr. Yongping Zhang P.E., Cal Poly Pomona Dr. Yongping Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Civil Engineering Department at Cal Poly Pomona. He is also a registered Professional Engineer in Civil Engineering. Dr. Zhang currently serve on the Transportation Research Board’s Committee on Transportation Planning Applications as well as Task Force on Understanding New Directions for the National Household

Conference Session

Emerging Technologies in Manufacturing Education - I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ahmed Khan, DeVry University; Beverly Cronin, DeVry University; Maneesh Kumar, DeVry University; Aateef Mustafa, DeVry University; Pankti Patel, DeVry Univeristy; Joey Socorro, DeVry University

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

sequence in whichstudents synthesize knowledge and skills learned in the previous courses. In the first course(EET-400, Project Management), students research, plan and develop a project proposal. In thesecond course (EET-410L, Senior Project Laboratory) students implement the project plan bybuilding and testing a prototype. A typical project involves a solution to a software/hardware-based engineering problem. The process of developing and implementing a solution to theproblem offers a learning opportunity for students to gain new insights and competencies as aresult of “constructivist” and “deep learning” teaching/learning approaches. According to the Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors,3 constructivism is a "viewpoint inlearning theory which

Conference Session

Design Project Based Learning

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Choate, Western Kentucky University; Kevin Schmaltz, Western Kentucky University; Joel Lenoir, Western Kentucky University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

. Page 13.282.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Centrifugal Pump Test Bed: A Senior Capstone ProjectAbstractA centrifugal pump test bed was designed, built and tested for the undergraduate mechanicalengineering thermal fluids laboratory at Western Kentucky University. This project was fundedthrough the Undergraduate Senior Project Grant Program sponsored by the American Society ofHeating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE) and is primarilyintended for instructional situations.The project was executed over a two-semester Mechanical Engineering Senior Project designsequence, with a three-member student team planning the project design during the fall semesterand executing the project

Conference Session

Civil Engineering Teaching Part Two

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gerald Himes, United States Military Academy; Jakob Bruhl, United States Military Academy; Joseph Hanus, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

designing structuralmembers from common construction materials (wood, masonry, and concrete). This coursetakes the fundamentals developed in CE300 and applies them in the context of design codes.Understanding analysis procedures and current design codes, CE450 serves as an opportunity forthe students to put their knowledge to use in a broader context.CE450 focuses on the engineering design process (see Figure 2). While this process isintroduced in CE300 and reinforced in CE350, it is not until the third course that students areable to apply their knowledge to a large engineering problem. This paper focuses on thesemester-long Engineering Design Project (EDP) in CE450. In this project, students are requiredto design and develop a construction plan

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Curriculum Innovation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Ruhala, University of Southern Indiana; Laura Ruhala, University of Southern Indiana; Eric Sprouls, University of Southern Indiana

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

not enrolled in engineering courses their first year. This wasidentified as a reason that more than half of the incoming freshman left engineering after the firstyear. It was anticipated that this problem could worsen since the mathematics and sciencerequirements are more rigorous in the upcoming engineering program. One engineering programin the United States indicated that a reason for low success among the pre-calculus engineeringuvwfgpv"rqrwncvkqp"ku"vjcv"vjg{"Ðncem"gctn{"gzrquwtg"vq"gpikpggtkpi"cpf."vjgtghqtg."ncem"uqekcnk|cvkqp"ykvjkp"vjgkt"fgenctgf"gpikpggtkpi"rtqitcouÑ3. The 5-year plan of study at USIexposes students to engineering their first year in class sizes normally less than 30 students,which should facilitate socialization

Conference Session

Money and People; Resource Management for Recruitment and Retention

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Anderson-Rowland, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

the school’s research program opportunities for which thescholars are encouraged to apply.The students are given assignments throughout the semester as a part of the CIRC program. Atthe beginning of each semester the students send a copy of their course schedule and mustdevelop a detailed time management schedule of all 168 hours of the week which include themain building blocks of the 4.0 Plan: bullet point reading, bullet point notes, homework, bulletpoint concepts, and professor office hours for each class, as well as the their class and worktimes. There are a few more assignments designed to help the student stay on task with theirtime management plan. The students are given a checklist to help them with their timemanagement plan.5 An

Conference Session

Manufacturing Division Technical Session 4

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Zareena Gani, Higher Colleges of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Manufacturing

, communications, ethics, economics of engineering, etc. into theengineering curriculum [2].The traditional ‘chalk and talk’ pedagogy is more unlikely to satisfy the requirements of theaccreditation criteria and what industries need from engineering graduates. PBL seems certainlythe best way to satisfy industry needs without sacrificing the knowledge of engineeringfundamentals and welcomed by students, industry and accreditors alike [3] [4].Computer Integrated Manufacturing – CIM is being taught as an elective course during thegraduation year in undergraduate Mechanical Engineering program. The course syllabus covers awide range of topics including integration of Computer Aided Design (CAD) / Computer AidedManufacturing (CAM), Manufacturing Planning

Conference Session

Software Engineering Constituent Committee Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Pat Smith, Oklahoma Christian University of Science and Arts

Tagged Divisions

Software Engineering Constituent Committee

employer feedback surveys (not included in this document due to spacelimitations). This broad area includes topics such as programming languages, basic debugging,problem solving, algorithms, mathematical skills (rated highly), standards, and root causeanalysis.The survey confirmed to the department that the current inclusion of these topics is importantand we should not reduce these at the cost of other topics. In our follow up work we took care toensure that these topics continued to be a strong part of our degree plan.A second group of topics that were ranked closely together could be collected under the broadcategory of “Software Design, construction, and testing”. Upon closer examination of ourdegree plan, and with consultation with our