Collection

2000 Annual Conference

Authors

Pete Tschumi

, skills, and abilities needed for entry-levelinformation technology jobs at their companies. These individuals either worked in these jobs ordirectly supervised employees engaged in these jobs.In each focus group, data was collected for each of ten categories: soft skills, business concepts,and each of the eight job clusters. For each category, we asked the participants to list first all ofthe knowledge that an entry-level employee needed to be effective. Then we asked them to listthe skills and abilities an entry-level employee needed. These focus groups generated a largeamount of data for the ten categories. After collecting the data from the focus groups theCommittee used the Baum Center to consolidate and refine the data. The result became

Collection

2000 Annual Conference

Authors

W. Nicholas Delgass; Phillip C. Wankat; Frank S. Oreovicz

and learning to learn. The current status of incorporatingthe fourth criterion, ethical behavior, into the curriculum is probably adequate. The finaltwo criteria still need increased effort. Results of a survey of practicing engineers showsthat laboratory and design courses and practical work experience are the most importantsources for learning to satisfy the soft criteria.I. IntroductionFor many years our industrial colleagues have been telling us that several soft skills suchas communication and teamwork are vitally important for the success of engineers inindustry. Many engineering schools have incorporated these skills into their curricula tovarying degrees.With the advent of ABET 2000 the soft skills have assumed a greater

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2000 Annual Conference

Authors

J. Nazalewicz; H. Hadim; D. Donskoy; B. Gallois; Keith Sheppard

Session 2468 Teaching Mechanics to Freshmen by Linking the Lecture Course to a Design Course H. Hadim, D. Donskoy, K. Sheppard, B. Gallois and J. Nazalewicz Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, New Jersey 07030AbstractStevens Institute of Technology recently revised the Engineering Curriculum to include anexpanded design course sequence, having a design course each semester to form a Design Spine.The Design Spine allows development of many of the “soft skills

Collection

2000 Annual Conference

Authors

Jeffrey A. Jalkio

course evaluations it also had theeffect of integrating a number of modeling and controls concepts in the students’ minds.Included in the presentations are feedback from students and plans for futuremodifications to the laboratory experience. Page 5.350.11. BackgroundThe University of St. Thomas mechanical engineering program seeks to combine theadvantages of a liberal arts school with a rigorous introduction to engineering. As part ofthis, we try to show students interconnections between fields and encourage thedevelopment of “soft skills” such as communication and teamwork which are muchprized by employers. Among other tools for accomplishing these

Collection

2000 Annual Conference

Authors

Ken Vickers; Greg Salamo

technology areas, along with the proper role of academe, government, andindustry in that educational process, is being examined in widely divergent industrial segments.Academic areas such as manufacturing engineering, aerospace engineering, and electricalengineering have all reported results from such studies [1-5]. These reports reveal several broadthemes of educational need developing across these industrial segments: a) Integrating technical and non-technical broad knowledge areas. b) Integrating multidisciplinary technical skills into a comprehensive knowledge base. c) Integrating global perspectives into local decision making. d) Integrating soft skill set development with traditional technical education.It is our

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2000 Annual Conference

Authors

Jeffrey L. Ray

management,resource availability, communication skills, and leadership. Additionally project and budgetmanagement techniques are presented. The remainder of the semester is used for student teamsto prepare their design proposals and obtain sponsor approval for project implementation.Discussion of the professional development modules and exercises developed are presented.IntroductionEngineering employers are demanding more and more of current and future engineeringgraduates. One concern is the lack of soft skills new engineering graduates possess, which issupported by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers Manufacturing Education Plan (MEP)1 .Several skills have been identified as competency gaps in today’s engineering education. Theability to

Collection

2000 Annual Conference

Authors

Rosa Buxeda; Ramon Vazquez Espinosa; Jorge I. Velez; Lueny M. Morell

combination of curriculum revitalization with coordinatedopportunities for application and hands-on activities. The courses to be developed and those tobe revised will contain and balance content with “soft skills” development (for example,problem-solving, communication, teamwork). The students completing the course and researchrequirements will receive a certificate in RS/GIS.Basically, students are introduced to the RS/GIS option early on. This is being done throughvarious means: Freshman Student Orientation Week. PaSCoR faculty and advanced undergraduate PaSCoR I6T6òÃQ6DSÃ

Collection

2000 Annual Conference

Authors

Lesley Jolly; David Radcliffe

Session 1353 Strategies for Developing Reflexive Habits in Students Lesley Jolly, David Radcliffe University of Queensland, AustraliaAbstractIt is widely accepted that engineering graduates should not only be technically competent butthey should also be skilled in communication and teamwork, have social and global awareness,be self-directed and have an expectation of life-long learning. However it is much less clear howthese "soft skills" are best developed in undergraduate engineers in the context of their studies.We have worked with over 350 students from freshman to seniors to

Collection

2000 Annual Conference

Authors

Asif M. Shakur; Ali Eydgahi; Abhijit Nagchaudhuri

to appreciatecomplexity; to be capable of working in a variety of interpersonal and organizational settings; tobe able to act reflectively.Engineering is a profession in which knowledge of mathematical and natural sciences acquiredby study, experience and practice is prudently applied to develop ways to utilize optimallymaterials and forces of nature for the benefit of mankind and improving quality of life. "Service-Learning" is a combination of academic instruction with service that addresses real communityneeds. It uses reflection and critical thinking to provide an emphasis on personal growth andcivic responsibility. Humanities and Social Sciences curricula emphasize more on "soft skills"and "social service" and as such have naturally

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2000 Annual Conference

Authors

John I. Hochstein; Deborah Hochstein

. Task Analysis FormCurriculum Writer Subject Matter Expert DateDutyTaskSteps Performance Tools Related Knowledge Safety Attitudes Decisions Cues Errors Standards Equip. Mat’ls Verbal/ Math Technology WrittenFigure 2: Task Analysis ChartThese two charts do not tell educators how to teach, or exactly what to teach; it provides andorganizes documentation of industry’s expectations of engineering graduates. It can be useful isdeciding which CAD software to teach or which brand of PLC to use in the lab, as well asdefining which soft skills should be acquired by potential

Collection

2000 Annual Conference

Authors

Therese A. Mylan; Ravi K. Ghai; Kim LaScola Needy; Gary E. Rafe; Bopaya Bidanda

and web-based training and providescontent in generic topics (such as desktop applications, technology and soft skills) and home healthcare industryspecific training in operational, financial, regulatory and clinical topics. In addition to the value-added content, italso provides tools and shells for the development, deployment and administration of interactive courseware. Mr.Ghai has spoken at many industry conferences, both domestically as well as internationally, in areas such asmultimedia technologies, and electronic document management for manufacturing, workflow and interactivetraining. He holds the M.Engg and MBA degrees.THERESE A. MYLANTherese Mylan is the Manager of H.B. Maynard & Company’s Knowledge Center, in Pittsburgh, PA. As

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2000 Annual Conference

Authors

Scott Danielson; Sudhir I. Mehta

time in the future. For other statics instructors, wanting to use the NGprinciples in statics, we plan to publish quiz questions and other instructional materials.The most important outcome of this experiment is determining if NG Principles make anydifference in student understanding of statics, retention in college, and other "soft" skills liketeamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Thus far, regular quiz scores in the NGsections are about the same as compared to the quiz scores in the previous years. This type ofoutcome, i.e., no significant improvement in regular exam scores, has been found in manystudies (Hake, 1998). However, Hake does report that in classes employing interactiveengagement methods, student learning "gain" as

Collection

2000 Annual Conference

Authors

Pamela Schmaltz; Kevin Schmaltz

of the course design component.References:1. Terenzini, P.T., Rendón, L.I., Upcraft, M.L., Millar, S.B., Allison, K.W., Gregg, P.L., & Jalomo, R., "The Transition to College: Diverse Students, Diverse Stories," Research in Higher Education, Vol. 35, No. 1, 57-73, 1994.2. Astin, A.W., Achieving Educational Excellence: A Critical Assessment of Priorities and Practices in Higher Education, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1985.3. Duesing, P., Devaprasad, J., Mahajan, A., McDonald, D., "Integrating Soft Skills: A Key Factor in the University to Work Transition," ABET Annual Conference Proceedings, Seattle, November 1996.4. McDonald, D., Devaprasad, J., Duesing, P., Mahajan, A., Qatu, M., and Walworth, M., "Re- Engineering the

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2000 Annual Conference

Authors

Richard L Canale; Ellen J Duwart; Cheryl Cates

necessary for engineering practice.The authors are not alone in their efforts. For the past two years, the Conference for Industry andEducation Collaboration, sponsored by the Cooperative Education Division of the AmericanSociety for Engineering Education, has been looking into student learning outcomes and ABET2000. The 1998 Conference Proceedings, “Developing a Framework for the Assessment ofEngineering Education: The Role of Cooperative Education”, looks at this important issue4. Thispaper proposes that “By evaluating the student according to the 'Soft Skills' or 'Core Skills', asoutlined by ABET 2000 and by The Attributes of Cooperative Education, the evaluators can beassured that co-op is an academic function.” Also in the proceedings