Conference Session

Emerging Trends in Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Glenn Ellis, Smith College; Jake Lauer, Smith College; Katie Silva, Smith College; Netty Nina, Smith College

common thread that a learner’sprior knowledge will have a profound effect on the learning that takes place.Despite the increasing importance of AI in pre-college education, little is known about the priorknowledge and preconceptions that students bring to the classroom. Yet it is well understoodfrom numerous studies that prior knowledge strongly influences the integration of newinformation.1,8,9 The National Research Council (NRC) writes: A logical extension of the view that new knowledge must be constructed from existing knowledge is that teachers need to pay attention to the incomplete understandings, the false beliefs, and the naïve renditions of concepts that learners bring with them to a given subject. Teachers then need to

Conference Session

ChE: Assessment

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth Williamson; Milo Koretsky, Oregon State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

professional expertise and objective measurement of student learning.6. Conduct of Assessment for Each CLO. The assessments planned under Step 3 are conducted and the quantitative results collected and recorded. Most results are tallied by graduate teaching assistant under direction from the faculty. For triangulation, three assessment tools are used for each CLO with one assessment typically being a student self-assessment on a Likert Scale.7. Development of Improvement Plan. The strength of the OSU system is that it requires faculty to reflect upon their course, review the CLO assessments, and write a course improvement plan. The course improvement plan includes a listing of changes in activities planned for the next time this course

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education III

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Don Millard, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Mohamed Chouikha, Howard University; Frederick Berry, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

, each student also needs individual practice setting up equipment, taking data, and troubleshooting in order to reach his/her full potential as a technical professional. • Overcome Equipment Limitations: Much of the hands-on equipment that is used in studio makes extensive use of wiring to connect the components of the experiments. The equipment and components are unwieldy, and take up an inordinate amount of space on a table top. Students using these set-ups have as little as a few inches of remaining space for books, notebooks and writing space. In addition, the wire connections and limited space significantly interfere with the data taking process in many experiments, yielding results that are not fully

Conference Session

Introductory Materials Science for the 21st Century

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dhananjay Kumar, North Carolina A&T State University; Devdas Pai, North Carolina A&T State University; Cindy Waters, North Carolina A&T State University; Jagannathan Sankar, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Materials

they are generally speaking. A new twist on chemistry or science in general.QUESTION: What is one thing you could do to improve the class?‚ working out more problems‚ Create models and run tests for extra credit on my final grade, that would give the next students other visuals‚ Nothing‚ Make it a 3 hour course.‚ I don’t know‚ More extra credit‚ One thing that I could do to improve the course is make sure I read all the material before class.‚ One thing I could do to improve the class is to try my best to know more than I do now before we start a new section in the book. That way, if my instructor asks me a question, or if one of my peers needs help understanding the material, I will be

Conference Session

Teaching Methods for the 21st Century: Part 2

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Vollaro, Western New England College

Tagged Divisions

Materials

Page 12.1038.6United States- has flooded into Iraq, but many Marines promptly stuck it in lockers or underbunks. They are too heavy and cumbersome, many say. …….”We have to climb over walls andgo through windows,” said Sgt., “I understand the more armor, the safer you are. But it makesyou slower.”” The Hartford Courant, Monday, March 27, 2006Question Posed: How could we use our knowledge of materials selection to design betterarmor?Assignment: Read the newspaper article. Utilize your knowledge of materials selection toprepare 1) oral presentation, 7-10 minute in length on Power Point, and 2) write a technicalmemo summarizing your approach. The due date is one week from the date assigned and expectto answer questions and participate in an

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Measurements: Innovative Course Development

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Don Millard, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Frederick Berry, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Mohamed Chouikha, Howard University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

, each student also needs individual practice setting up equipment, taking data, and troubleshooting in order to reach his/her full potential as a technical professional. • Overcome Equipment Limitations: Much of the hands-on equipment that is used in studio makes extensive use of wiring to connect the components of the experiments. The equipment and components are unwieldy, and take up an inordinate amount of space on a table top. Students using these set-ups have as little as a few inches of remaining space for books, notebooks and writing space. In addition, the wire connections and limited space significantly interfere with the data taking process in many experiments, yielding results that are not fully

Conference Session

ChE: Innovations in the Classroom

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy Raymond, Bucknell University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

students leading theclass in example problems and/or discussions. Feedback from student surveys indicates that thisproject is extremely valuable to the students. They indicate that they learn this material betterthan any other paper-writing or presentation format because they have to be able to teach it backtheir classmates.The second project involves teams of different composition than the first project teams. Thispermits students to work with a variety of individuals and not just their closest friends orneighbors. This project usually covers some aspect of the global climate system such as theeffects of water on climate or human impacts. This project involves a more standardpresentation (about 30 minutes) and a final written report.The final

Conference Session

Engineering Management Program Management / IE and EM Program Mangement / Engineering Management Program Management

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rose Mary Cordova-Wentling, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign; Raymond Price, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

engineering courses, communication skills are not taught explicitly;however, students are expected and held accountable for being able to speak and write well.Consequently, there is a need to change university engineering programs in order to provideopportunities for students to develop communication skills (Pet-Armacost, & Armacost, 2003).The importance and need for oral and written communication skills in engineering has beenclearly recognized. Engineering students who have good communication skills are more likelyto succeed and advance in the professional world than those who don’t.Team-Working Skills in EngineeringIn today’s work environment, project tasks generally involve the establishment of teams formedby people from different functional

Conference Session

Student Teams And Project Based Learning / The Critical First Year in Engineering Education / Student Teams and Project-Based Learning

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tamara Moore, University Of Minnesota; Heidi Diefes-Dux, Purdue University; P.K. Imbrie, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

computer tools; andwork effectively and ethically as a member of a technical team. Students in ENGR 106 areexposed to problem solving mainly through the implementation of model-eliciting activities.The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology1 states in Criterion 3d that studentsmust demonstrate “an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams.” For this reason, ENGR106 is designed to use teams extensively throughout the course. Early in the semester, studentslearn about characteristics of effective teams such as interdependency, goal setting, roles andnorms, cohesiveness, and communication. The students participate in team and peer evaluationsof their teaming experiences and create team specific codes of cooperation that guide

Conference Session

Cognitive and Motivational Issues in Student Performance II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeffrey Froyd, Texas A&M University; Larissa Pchenitchnaia, Texas A&M University; Debra Fowler, Texas A&M University; Nancy Simpson, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

understand how their students learn and how to help their students develop critical thinking skills.Nancy Simpson, Texas A&M University Dr. Nancy Simpson is Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Texas A&M University. She has over fifteen years of experience in teaching college mathematics and has worked in the field of faculty development since 1991. In addition to extensive experience in working with faculty at TAMU to improve teaching, Dr. Simpson has worked with national faculty development initiatives including the Wakonse Foundation's Conference on College Teaching and the Pew-Funded Peer Review of Teaching Project. Dr. Simpson is author of several journal articles

Conference Session

Curriculum Reform with Cooperative Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cheryl Cates, University of Cincinnati; Kettil Cedercreutz, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Cooperative & Experiential Education

peers. Still a university is producing college graduates everyyear as its primary product. Every year business and industry hires, or choosesnot to hire, those graduates.Yet in many colleges and universities today the external focus can be found onlyin the attempts to recruit new students with the conviction that the student is thecustomer. While this is true, the student is the customer / client but also theproduct. The student enters the university as one person and, assuming all goesas planned, leave as a changed individual who will now be employed by industry.Faculties are uncomfortable with the concept of “student as customer” or“employer as customer” but this is no different that the health care industry thatstruggles with the concept of

Conference Session

Freshman Design and Other Novel Programs

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rachael Schmedlen, University of Michigan; Mimi (Miriam) Adam; Robert Sulewski; Matthew O'Donnell, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

breakdown into 2 opposing cliques as often happened with 4 person teams. Inaddition, when a member or two fails to perform to group expectations, the remainder of theteam tends to form a more cohesive unit that can exert positive peer pressure and fend off amajor team conflict. Oddly enough, 5 person teams seem to be the most susceptible to seriousdivisions and are often run by a dominant leader who unites with another member to take over allthe work and exclude other members from the decision making process.In addition to lectures, labs and discussion sections, students are expected to schedule meetingswith management to review their projects and to attend office hours to discuss questions,problems or concerns. Furthermore, they are required to

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Course Innovation

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hugh Jack, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

. For larger scale issues students could be partnered with graduates from complimentary dis-ciplines. In other cases complimentary activities could be assigned so that one would be com-pleted quickly, while the other is slow. For example an ECE student might quickly write amicrocontroller program, but require additional time for a mechanical design problem.Students were pleased with the chance to cross disciplinary boundaries. In particular many ME/PDM students noted their satisfaction with the microcontroller boards, while many ECE studentsmentioned the machining and welding knowledge as very valuable.The ProjectsThe laboratories allowed students to verify background knowledge in their own discipline, andextend their knowledge to a new

Conference Session

Web-Based Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ahmed Abu-Hajar, San Francisco State University; Michael Holden, San Francisco State University

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

objectivist approaches. In this new approach, studentspassively learn abstract concepts on their own using computer-based lectures. This is coupledwith traditional lectures in which students interact with their instructors and peers. This teachingmethod has been employed in Circuit I, an introduction to electrical engineering course at SanFrancisco State University. Preliminary survey results show the CBVC method to be moreeffective than traditional teaching methods.The paper is organized as follows: section 2 presents the challenges and solutions of traditionalengineering classroom settings, section 3 discusses computer-based virtual classrooms, section 4presents the proposed virtual classroom environment, section 5 presents our experiment

Conference Session

International Case Studies:Collaborations, Exchanges & Interactions

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joerg Mossbrucker, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Stephen Williams, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Edward Chandler, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Holger Dahms, Lübeck University of Applied Sciences; Owe Petersen, Milwaukee School of Engineering; Jens Thiedke, Lübeck University of Applied Sciences

Tagged Divisions

International

purposes. After completion of all academic courses of the senior year at MSOE, the Lübeck students are required to successfully complete a major engineering design project (Diplom Arbeit – senior thesis project), normally in an industrial setting. The EE program at MSOE assumed the responsibility of finding suitable projects in regional industry. At the conclusion of the project the students are required to write a major report and defend their topic results. The grade for the project is determined by the visiting Lübeck faculty, whose presence is Page 12.926.4 required by German academic procedures, and the MSOE project advisor. While

Conference Session

Technology Literacy for Non-Engineers

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lawrence Whitman, Wichita State University; James Steck, Wichita State University; David Koert, Wichita State University; Larry Paarmann, Wichita State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

course to have no pre-requisites. Theminimal pre-knowledge requirement was intended to ensure maximum participation among thosewho might be hesitant to enroll in an engineering course. A key aspect of the course is thepresentation of student designs to their peers and industry panels. However, all presentations andgrading will be on a merit criteria of the engineering product and the student’s ability tocommunicate that design to a diverse audience. This is also a vital component for women andminority participation. A course outline and learning objectives are shown in Table 1.Table 1. Course Outline • General programming: o Define the different parts of a Robolab program (Programming I) o Program in all Pilot levels

Conference Session

TC2K Methods and Models

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Cottrell, University of North Carolina-Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

Program Outcomes* Semester Course Title Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 ENGL 1101 English Composition x x ETCE 1121 Construction Methods x 1st Semeter ETGR 1100 ET Computer Appklications x (16 hours) ETGR 1103 Technical Drawing I x ETGR 1201 Intro to ET Practices & Principles x x x x x MATH 1100 College Algebra and Probability x ENGL 1102 Writing in the Academic Community x x ETCE 1211 Surveying I

Conference Session

Bioengineering laboratories: Bringing research into the classroom

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rupa Iyer, University of Houston (CoE)

Tagged Divisions

Biological & Agricultural

of discussion. For example, a lecture on patenting biotechnologyinventions will be followed by a presentation on patent law. The courses will end with acapstone activity in which students will use the information that they have learned and tietogether the central concepts of the course by writing a business proposal for a biotech start up.4b. Designing and disseminating project-based laboratoryThree sets of activity modules will cover topics from microbiology techniques, moleculartechniques and applications to biomanufacturing techniques/technology and introduction tonanotechnology. The common theme that connects these modules will be the soil bacteriumPseudomonas dimunita, its OP gene, the gene product and applications in

Conference Session

Women, Minorities and the New Engineering Educator

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Annette Mallory Donawa; Clifton Martin, Morgan State University; Carl White, Morgan State University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

CANDIDATE | CARL WHITE, PHD, ASSOCIATE DEANAbstract Teaching and learning in the American school system should be directed towardcreating self-guided, independent thinkers. Teachers who are committed to creating acritical thinking environment realize that the primary purpose of all education is to teachstudents how to learn effectively. More importantly, institutions of higher education,specifically those whose mission statements include educating students who may notbe as academically prepared as their peers, may want to consider re-engineering theircurricula so that they can produce self-guided independent thinkers. This mixed methods research study will examine the affect of critical thinkinginstruction in a

Conference Session

Preparing Civil Engineering Students for a Flat World

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrea Welker, Villanova University; Lance Kenney, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

having studied overseas for at least a semester). The number ofsummer programs has also doubled in that time, jumping from nine to 18. These totals led toVillanova University this year being ranked fourth nationally by Open Doors6 in its category foroverseas student totals. In 2001, Villanova (like many of its peer schools) adopted a home tuitionpolicy. Under the home tuition policy, students participating in overseas education programs paythe standard Villanova tuition regardless of the overseas location. Students may apply theirVillanova financial aid to study abroad, just as they do when studying on campus.The Mission Statement of the OIS is as follows: The Office of International Studies and Overseas Programs fulfills the

Conference Session

Improving ME Instructional Laboratories

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sorin Cioc, University of Toledo; Constantin Ciocanel, University of Toledo; K Cyril Masiulaniec, University of Toledo; Douglas Oliver, University of Toledo

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

behind." The report of the Commission on theFuture of Higher Education1 mentions that today our universities are not preparing the workforceneeded to compete in a global economy. Employers often complain that "new graduates they hireare not prepared to work, lacking the critical thinking, writing and problem-solving skills neededin today's workplaces." Even sources not agreeing with the statement that higher education is in acrisis recognize that the most valuable strengths of our system, “initiative, independence,resourcefulness and collaboration” must be continuously cultivated3.The Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering (MIME) from theUniversity of Toledo, after numerous talks with the alumni and with

Conference Session

ChE: Innovations in Student Learning

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brent Young, University of Auckland; Robert Kirkpatrick, University of Auckland; William Svrcek, University of Calgary

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

of written and oral reporting is again employed for assessment. Assessment tasksincluded: preliminary BFD by hand (mid semester 1); mass and heat balance and preliminaryPFD both by hand quickly followed by a PFD review (mid-end semester 1); preliminarysubmission and group progress interview (end semester 1); process simulation, revised PFD andinitial P&IDs (mid semester 2); final design report (end semester 2); final individual interviewand peer review (end of semester 2).5. Student EvaluationsThe open-ended approach described has been implemented and evaluated since 1975 at Calgaryand more recently at Auckland. Most student feedback upon graduation is that the course is a lotof work, but they learned a lot; Working in groups not always

Conference Session

Student Learning and Teamwork

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charlie Edmonson, University of Dayton; Donna Summers, University of Dayton

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

sufficientplanning is the first step in effectively managing time. Following a lecture on timemanagement, students are asked to write down their weekly schedule. For two weeks,students are asked to record their actual day-to-day activities. The original schedule isthen compared with their actual experiences. From this exercise, class discussion centerson developing team time management skills that will help them stay on track and ontarget.Conducting effective meetingsWithout good leadership, a meeting can become an unproductive waste of time. Poorlyrun meetings nearly always exhibit the same problems: no specific or clearly definedobjective(s) for the meeting or the participants; no meeting agenda; unprepared leaders orparticipants; and the wrong choice of

Conference Session

Retention Programs for Women Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Helene Finger, California Polytechnic State University; Tracy Van Houten, University of Southern California; Barbara Curry, California Polytechnic State University; Jennifer Harris, United Parcel Service; Malia Francisco, United Parcel Service; Betsy Sale, United Parcel Service

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

Access (including obtaining current business cards from companies atcareer fairs), writing thank you notes to companies who support SWE, and compiling andtransmitting the corporate brochure to all companies in the database during the summer.The Academic Director contacts companies and individuals that are interested in sponsoring aSWE scholarship, creates and distributes scholarship applications to SWE members, oversees theselection of scholarship recipients, solicits nominations, selects, and distributes quarterly the“Most Active SWE Member” scholarship, solicits nominations and selects the “Most SupportiveProfessor” Award, maintains the test bank, and organizes study groups and peer tutoring formembers.There are two Evening with Industry (EWI

Conference Session

Emerging Trends in Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Duffy, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; David Kazmer, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Linda Barrington, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; John Ting, University of Massachusetts Lowell; Carol Barry, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Xiaoqi Zhang, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Donn Clark, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Alan Rux, University of Massachusetts-Lowell

the process.The approach of S-L, with its root in experiential learning, is consistent with the theories andempirical research of a number of leading educators and developmental psychologists, asdocumented by Brandenberger 3 and Jacoby2. The approach is also consistent with the recentchange in paradigm in education from a focus on teaching to a focus on learning3,4. Astin et al5.found with longitudinal data of 22,000 students that service participation had significant positive Page 12.1275.2effects on 11 outcome measures: academic performance (GPA, writing skills, critical thinkingskills), values (commitment to activism and to promoting

Conference Session

Capstone Design & Project Courses

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wayne Walter, Rochester Institute of Technology; Jeffrey Webb, Rochester Institute of Technology; Mark Smith, Rochester Institute of Technology; Elizabeth DeBartolo, Rochester Institute of Technology; Margaret Bailey, Rochester Institute of Technology; George Slack, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

“guides” or “consultants.” A guide is afaculty member who is the primary mentor for the project. He or she is the most intimatelyinvolved with the entire process, and remain with the team for both quarters of MSD. The guideis also ideally an expert in the field of the project’s subject matter. He or she meets with theirteam weekly, helps resolve technical issues, provides advice on resolving personnel conflicts,and grades the team on its deliverables. The final individual student grade is also adjusted up ordown by the guide. After reviewing the logbooks, peer evaluations, and looking at the overallparticipation, the grade can be modified to reflect the student’s overall contribution.The guide most often acts as the administrative point of

Conference Session

Special programs and activities for minorities in engineering

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter Stroot, University of South Florida; Bernard Batson, University of South Florida; BK Robertson, Alabama State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

AC 2007-2467: A NEW HYBRID LABORATORY COURSE CHRISTENS APIPELINE OF BIOLOGY STUDENTS FROM ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITYTO THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDAPeter Stroot, University of South Florida Assistant Professor Dept. of Civil and Environmental EngineeringBernard Batson, University of South Florida Mr. Bernard Batson has experience in higher education in the implementation of student peer mentoring programs, fellowship application workshops, retention programs, and the graduate school admissions process for students from underrepresented groups. He is the Program Manager of the NSF IGERT, NSF Bridge to the Doctorate, and Alfred P. Sloan Minority Ph.D. Programs at USF. Since Fall 2004, he has

Conference Session

How to Effectively Teach Using Teams

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shashi Nambisan, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

. 10. NOTE: Senior design projects were eligible to compete for cash prizes in a College of Engineering wide senior design competition which is held twice a year. This competition specifically recognizes projects that demonstrate creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation, and also address marketability of the “product.”Each team was required to document in writing its team activities and meetings. Instructions forthe same are summarized in Figure 3.Project ScheduleThe following is a summary of the process / logistics involved with the Senior Design project forthe Spring 2006 and Summer 2006 terms. 1. Develop a "Problem Statement" to present to the students in the Senior Design class. This needs to be done by

Conference Session

Capstone Design II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mason Webster, Brigham Young University; Daniel Korth; Owen Carlson, Brigham Young University; C. Greg Jensen, Brigham Young University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

real engineering applications. Also, students are able to participate in professionalactivities such as writing technical papers, submitting patents, and holding design reviews. Allthese activities occur in a classroom atmosphere under instructor supervision. The companies thatare able to collaborate with these students on these projects also enjoy the ability to observepotential employees prior to actually hiring them. They typically also retain the rights to anyintellectual property produced by these students during the duration of their capstone courses.Traditional Capstone Design Course LimitationsCapstone design courses are not without their limitations, however. Typically, small businessesare most interested in participating in capstone

Conference Session

Women, Minorities and the New Engineering Educator

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cheryl Allendoerfer, University of Washington; Sharon Jones, Lafayette College; Jaime Hernandez, Texas State University-San Marcos; Rebecca Bates, Minnesota State University-Mankato; Robin Adams, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

professions. Discussions about the importance of meeting the needs of diverse students arewidespread; however, there has been less discussion of how to define diversity, and how toactually go about studying diversity in meaningful ways. Given the lack of explicit guidance inthis area, new engineering educators may benefit from examples of how their peers are thinkingabout diversity in designing educational research studies. In this paper we provide threeexamples of studies of diversity issues in engineering education in order to demonstrate someways in which diversity can be conceptualized and integrated in educational research. For eachstudy, we discuss how diversity is defined, how the research question addresses the relevantaspects of diversity