. Instead, Newsweek summarized the findings bluntly: “Sex differencesin achievement in and attitude toward mathematics result from superior male mathematicalability.”4 The discrepancy between the two articles raises interesting ethical questions aboutstrength of claim, which I will return to later.The second thing that happens in the shift from forensic to epideictic rhetoric, according toFahnestock, is that that popular science writing tends to “leap to results,” or jump from reportingthe data to speculating on the broad possible implications of the data—again, arguably withoutsufficient qualification. This finding is further reflected in a more recent study on medical newsreporting that demonstrates the “tendency for press releases and the
. Page 23.695.51. Defining Risk Engineering Aside from usage in the finance and insurance industryiii, “Risk Engineering” remainsundefined. However, both risk and engineering have well established definitions as describedbelow. The Department of Defense (DOD) Risk Management guide iv in Section one defines riskas: “…a measure of future uncertainties in achieving program performance goals and objectiveswithin defined cost, schedule and performance constraints.” What are noteworthy of the DODdefinition are its core concepts of: “Measure of risk” as developed elsewhere, any statement on risk reflects the speaker’s knowledge of risk in general and in particular on this project, expressed in either a
of service as amotivating factor for students to choose engineering and how perspectives differ alongdisciplinary lines are examined. The ways in which students talk about these topics, includingthe examples they use to highlight their views, shows directly and indirectly what studentsbelieve the role of the engineer in society is and is reflective of the view of the profession thatthey have formed through their college experiences. This paper examines different perspectivesof engineering students.MethodsThe data for this study were obtained in 25 interviews conducted with engineering students at alarge public university. The interviews lasted 30-60 minutes and were non-incentivized.Students’ names were solicited from professors in Civil
and a utility sink. This allowed us to have both a “wet” and “dry” workspacefor the project. While funding and lab space/environment did not end up being significantchallenges for us, both should be taken into consideration by other institutions who wish toparticipate in the competition.While the lab space problem was easily solved for us, it did pose one significant challenge thatwe had to overcome. The ceiling height was not large enough to use the lights provided with theplatform. We initially attempted to use the overhead fluorescent lights in the room; however, wefound that the reflected light from these caused some difficulties in the image capturing that mustbe noted. The robotic fish platform includes an adaptive underlay algorithm
College created a pilot job shadow program for women in engineering. Job shadowing is aworkplace-based learning experience that introduces students to career areas and provides theopportunity to spend a day or two observing a professional in the field. The overarching goal ofthe project was to explore the effectiveness of job shadowing by undergraduate womenengineering students as a means of improving interest and persistence in engineering. Shadowparticipants created reflective interest statements, spent a day observing engineeringprofessionals, and reported on their experiences at a panel presentation for their engineeringclassmates. A mixed methods research plan was developed and implemented in order to assessthe impact of the job shadow
of traditional disciplinary structures withinuniversities in the context of broader social, technological and economic contexts, arguing for amode of knowledge production that is context-driven, problem-focused and interdisciplinary.3They argue that this newly emerging mode reflects the need to accomplish tasks at theboundaries and in the spaces between different communities.4 This new mode has brought abouta need for increased collaboration, integrative problem solving, and the development of newhybrid fields. The Association of American Colleges and Universities have argued thatuniversities need to change their practices to develop students as “...integrative thinkers who cansee connections in seemingly disparate information and draw on a
’ Page 23.326.8 and is expected to graduate in one year’s time. Research publications will result. 7Reflective PieceThe reflective piece was obtained from two graduate students that have transitioned from theclinic work and three international graduate students were collected. They are presented in“italics” below.Rowan graduate studentsGraduate student A“The jr./sr. engineering clinics at Rowan University prepared me for graduate school byproviding a comprehensive approach to learning. The clinics bridge the material presented in alecture to the application of the material, as well as, furthered my knowledge with thedevelopment of new techniques
officials included comments on the cost effectiveness ofideas, fulfilling needs and requirements and a general consensus that the quality of workexceeded expectations. Figure 7: Student presentation to city officials Page 23.335.9EvaluationThere were three forms of evaluation for the project: the faculty evaluation of the individualstudents work during the course of the semester, the community-partner evaluated the studentswork during the final presentations that the students made at the conclusion of the project and thestudents also self-evaluated their work through reflections that they completed in the final weekof
observations. This report represents the research team’s second phase of exploration of active learning strategies in an hybrid and online environment and using emerging technologies. Phase one piloted the initial design of strategies that were untested and untried. The piloting of these activities allowed the team to identify weaknesses in the available technology for collaboratively developing digital technical graphics as well as the instructional presentation and implementation strategies employed when using them. Introduction Active Learning is “The process of having students engage in some activity that forcesthem to reflect upon ideas and how they are using those
environmentsUndergraduate Students Ranged from 1 month - 1 Interviews 11 year abroadUndergraduate Students Ranged from 1 month - 1 Reflection Statements 36 year abroadThe MIT faculty interviewed represented all the schools at MIT (engineering, science,architecture, and humanities and social sciences) and various departments. In addition torepresenting several disciplines, the faculty were leaders of MIT international initiatives ineducation and for a program that provides international study abroad opportunities forundergraduate students. This program partners with corporations to provide students with global
several activities that appeal to all learning styles 11. The course was designed around an inquiry-based learning process that follows four basic steps: (i) concrete experience using a real-world example; Page 23.422.2 (ii) abstract conceptualization with “just-in-time” analytical theory; (iii) reflective obser- vation via a team assignment; and (iv) active experimentation in the laboratory. • At Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, an experiment has been devised to engage graduate-level (MS) students in designing a power electronic flyback converter 12. The experiment is based on the
50-minute periods which is twice that for a lecture-based course, reflecting the studio nature of EDSGN 100.The first project is more structured and provides the students with an opportunity to learn andapply a design process while developing their teamwork, communication, and ethics skills. Thesecond project is industry-sponsored and more open-ended, and typically all teams in all sectionswork on the same project. Students apply stakeholder needs assessment, ideation, research,analysis, testing, concept selection, detailed design, prototyping, and reporting.In the Zero Energy Home (ZEH) project, students work in four person teams to design the homeof their dreams with the main constraint being that it must produce as much energy as it
processparticularly appropriate for this setting. First drafts of units used the EDP as a backdrop anddirected educators and kids to return to the EDP during reflection portions of each activity. Thispassive use of the EDP was not particularly effective. More recent versions of units employ theEDP in nearly all sections of a given activity, including the kick-off audio message from theDuo—a brother and sister pair who introduce each adventure. In the Hop to It unit, the video Page 23.464.6used to set the context for the problem presented in the unit also reinforces the engineering design process steps. Repetition of the EDP has proven to help underscore the
a formula sheet, calculator, and two hours to completethis comprehensive exam, which contains 35 questions that reflect both theoretical and practicalcourse topics, with an emphasis on the former. In addition to tightly controlling the final exambooklet and answer sheets, the ordering of final exam questions and answers are regularlychanged to help ensure exam integrity from semester to semester. Table 1 provides a sample ofsix questions taken from the exam: questions 1 and 2 reflect more practical- and hardware-oriented topics, while questions 3 through 6 reflect more theoretical-oriented topics. As one cansee from Table 1, question level and difficulty varies. For paper clarity, correct answers arehighlighted in gray
biophysical data for heart rate and skin resistance. Themeasurement system outputs skin resistance, heart rate in BPM (beats per minute), and heart ratestatus (e.g., resting, warm up, fat burning, cardio, and hardcore training). Additionally, itactuates a cooling fan for sweat control. For this application, the two contractions that make upthe heart beat (atrial systole and ventricular systole) are used. Because of these contractions, theamount of oxygenated blood changes in the extremities, for example in a fingertip. As shown inFigure 12(a), a reflective optical sensor (e.g., TCRT101014) with a photodiode emits an infraredlight which is absorbed by the deoxygenated blood in a fingertip whereas the oxygenated bloodreflects the infrared light back
of the collaboration are reflected in theoutcomes.Figure 1. National Transportation Curriculum Project Mission.The National Transportation Curriculum Project was initiated at the conclusion of the 2009Transportation Engineering Educators Conference. Both the conference and the NTCP memberswere motivated by the pedagogical and professional challenges of recruiting, educating, andretaining students in the transportation profession.9 More specifically, concerns that the typicalintroductory transportation engineering course does not meet the needs of students or theprofession as well as it might prompted the NTCP to focus on that course. Within the course,NTCP members were particularly interested in moving students from lower to higher levels
students relied on the given list of concepts to complete theirmaps, and they used most of those concepts as well. Page 23.105.7Moving to correlations involving two holistic metrics (Table 3), the negative correlations amongthe various structural patterns (hub, tree, linear, etc.) are somewhat obvious; if a map is assessedas reflecting one pattern, it is less likely to reflect another. We also note the following interestingrelationships in Table 3: • Comprehensiveness and organization (moderate to strong positive correlations) • Organization and network pattern (moderate positive correlations)As summarized in Appendix A
doctoral students in STEM programs from 27universities around the United States were given access to the website and asked to spend at leastfive hours exploring the site in an unconstrained manner during a two-week time period. Whileparticipants explored the site, their behavior was tracked using a tracking mechanism withDrupal, which is the content management system on which the CW intervention is built.Following the exploration of the website, participants were given access to a final post-assessment, which measured key learning measures that CW is designed to influence. Theassessment instrument includes different scales that reflect the social-psychological constructssuch as Problem-Solving Knowledge, Resilience, and Coping Efficacy
such as teachers, family members, and members of theoutside community. There are many reasons to engage in community-centered instruction: toexpose students to real-world ethics and government policy; to practice communication withpeople outside their own academic and social community; to promote student reflection on howtheir work affects their community and how community affects their work; to provide a benefitto the community (a design of a useful device, information gathering and analysis); to engender asense of professional responsibility; to provide a cultural context for their work, and additionalfocus on social issues. Experiential clinical and service-learning programs involving localcommunities have been performed in the health
impetus for the writing initiative described in this paper came from the OldDominion University's (ODU) Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). As described on the universityweb site, the intention of the QEP is to improve upper-division undergraduate students'disciplinary writing, i.e., that writing that demonstrates a reasoning process supported byresearch and reflection on a problem, topic, or issue.14 Two faculty development andengagement initiatives were initiated: Writing as a critical skill that goes beyond demonstratingproficiency with the mechanics and structure of writing per se, and writing as a means tocommunicate what has been learned.Skill in writing is demonstrated by six student learning outcomes of the ODU QEP: 1. Clearly state a
Stability). Neuroticism is characterized by traits like tension, moodiness, and anxiety. Openness to Experience (sometimes called Intellect or Intellect/Imagination). This dimension includes having wide interests and being imaginative and insightful.The second personality indicator employed in this study was the locus of control (LOC) test.Rotter18 is credited with the original locus of control concept which reflects a generalized beliefconcerning who or what influences events from internal to external control: Internal controldescribes the belief that control of future outcomes resides primarily in oneself. On the otherhand, external control refers to the expectancy that control is outside of oneself, either in thehands of
skills, talents and aspirations ofpoor people living at the BoP, and the output from the system is a successful enterprise thatgenerates economic growth and improves people’s lives. Page 21.6.5The GlobalResolve MethodologyIn order to define and develop the enterprise based approach to poverty reduction as a recognizedacademic discipline the skill sets that are required of graduates must be established. Thisrequires defining a methodology that reflects successful practice and establishing where theevolving body of knowledge fits within the larger human body of knowledge. (More specifically:Is an enterprise-based approach to poverty reduction a
-learning experience 95.5 93.9Opportunity to experience a foreign culture 95.5 93.2Opportunity to reflect on U.S. culture 93.1 90.5Personal experiencePersonal growth experience 96.6 89.2Opportunity to reflect on career choices 68.2 89.2Opportunity to make new friends 87.5 88.0Table 3: Satisfaction with study-abroad and internship experiencesThese assessments were also supported when graduates had the opportunity to comment on theirstudy-abroad experience. Increased understanding of German culture, building personalfriendships, experiencing personal growth, and improving language skills are
” curriculum 6 for computer science. However,the elements of a higher degree curriculum and the relationships between those elements have notbeen studied widely.For many university academics the concept of curriculum is unfamiliar 7. Many develop and teachcourses which reflect their own, frequently research-driven, interests and pay little heed to theneed for program coherence or even to identifying the aims and objectives of their course.Barnett8 argues that “curricula in higher education are to a large degree hidden curricula, beinglived by rather than being determined. They have an elusive quality about them. Their actualdimensions and elements are tacit. They take on certain patterns and relationships but thosepatterns and relationships will be
scholarship and participates in professional development and enrichment programs. The faculty mentors Page 23.942.5 assist the students in preparing for the phase 2 SIIRE Scholarship Application. This is illustrated as Milestone B in Figure 1. The focus of the full application is on ensuring that the student is a candidate for graduate studies. The scholarship application includes reflective statements from the students based on their experiences in the enrichment activities and previous summer co-op experience. This reflective statement is a key component in assessing the student’s eligibility for continued support through graduate
cells) becomes.Research also suggests that learning is enhanced by involving students in lessons. This has agreater chance of occurring by providing a non-threatening environment which allows them timeto ask questions, seek solutions, reflect, share thinking about a theme or topic, and respond toother's viewpoints.In short, as teachers, we strive to accomplish learning by doing. Action helps to grow the brain.The real value of subject matter can be heightened for students through activities that combinethe classroom instructional context with real-world application. That is, learning can beenhanced even more when academic content is connected to the real world.Emotions influence learning and memory. Negative emotions impeded learning
addresses many of the topics covered in the tradition financeclass in business school, but also discusses methods of project evaluation. The fundamentals oftime value of money and project evaluation were taught in the undergraduate course. Theadvanced course attempts to illustrate the process of investment in engineering projects as it fits Page 23.991.3into the company as a whole and how that investment strategy can have an influence on theoverall performance of a firm as reflected in the stock price. One of the features in the model thathelps students understand the relationship between project investment strategy and companystock price
Department. Her current research interests focus on technology in engineering education, human com- puter interaction, educational data mining, and scientific visualization.Dr. Christopher B. Williams, Virginia Tech Professor Dr. Chris Williams is an assistant professor with a joint appointment with the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. He is the director of the Design, Research, and Education for Additive Manufacturing Systems (DREAMS) Laboratory and the co-director of Virginia Tech’s Center for Innovation-based Manufacturing. His joint appointment reflects his diverse research interests in Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing), design methodology, and
credit for courses in agreement with the instructor. The NationalCenter for Case Study Teaching in Science at the University at Buffalo is utilized as a primaryresource and its purpose is to “promote the development and dissemination of materials and practicesfor case teaching in the sciences.” The paper will first discuss the use of an Honors contract tofacilitate creation of cases, then a discussion of case study theory, a sharing of the cases created bythe students and finally reflections of the students and faculty.Honors Contracts:The mission of the program is to develop well-rounded scholars and leaders who are culturally,intellectually, and globally minded. “The Honors Program is for highly motivated students filled withideas, gifted with
Research Assistant Professor in the Education De- partment and Education Research Program Directorat the Center of Engineering Education and Outreach at Tufts University. Hynesreceived his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 2001 and his Ph.D. inEngi- neering Education in 2009 (both degrees at Tufts University). Inhis current positions, Hynes serves as PI and Co-PI on a number offunded research projects investigating engineering education in theK-12 and college settings. He is particularly interested in howstudents and teachers engage in and reflect upon the engineering designprocess. His research includes investigating how teachers conceptualizeand teach and how students engage in engineering through in- depth case study