Baltimore , Maryland
June 25, 2023
June 25, 2023
June 28, 2023
First-Year Programs Division (FYP) - Technical Session 1: Course Design
First-Year Programs Division (FYP)
18
10.18260/1-2--42546
https://peer.asee.org/42546
216
Professor, Applied Engineering Department (2022-)
Keiser University Flagship Campus, West Palm Beach, FL 33409
Professor, Engineering and Technology Department (2013-2019)
University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI 54751
M.S. in Manufacturing Engineering (2013)
B.S. in Manufacturing Engineering (2007)
Dr. Ali Zilouchian is currently the Director of the Applied Engineering Program and a Research Center Director at Keiser University. He is also the Emeritus Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Founding Project Director of a HSI Title III project funded by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) at FAU. His distinguished career in academia and industry has many notable accomplishments focused on research and industry partnerships, and national models of excellence in multi-institutional and sustainable STEM Pipeline.
For 13 years, Dr. Zilouchian served as the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and the Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies at FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. His sustained contributions and research projects total more than $9M with funding sources from the U.S. DOE, the National Science Foundation (NSF), The Florida Board of Governors (BOG), Florida Power and Light (FPL), Motorola Inc., The School Board of Broward County Florida, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, and others.
Dr. Zilouchian’s accomplishments at Motorola Inc. include automation, process control, and computer vision inspection projects. His research accomplishments at FAU include developing national models in STEM education across institutions, algorithm developments related to maximum power point tracking for solar systems, water management of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, computer modeling investigations in battery technology; and, applications of soft computing (neural network, fuzzy logic, and genetic algorithms) methodologies to several industrial processes including desalination, oil refineries, jet engines, and robot manipulators.
Dr. Zilouchian's awards include the distinguished FAU Presidential Leadership Service Award in 2017 for his contribution to research and community engagement, FAU College of Engineering Dean’s Awards twice, and Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching twice. He has published one book and more than 165 book chapters, scholarly journal papers, and refereed conference proceedings. He has supervised more than 20 Ph.D. and MS students to completion during his tenure and taught more than thirty (30) different courses related to computer and engineering technology. He is active in several professional societies and editorial boards and is a senior member of IEEE and ASME and ASEE and AHSIE.
This paper reports on the success and “lesson learns” of an introduction to engineering course taught at [*] University for the past two years. The course focuses on an investigating hands-on approach to learning as well as design and development of engineering products/processes. The course provides first-year engineering students with wide-ranging knowledge of the engineering field, to create cohort comradery and develop engineering skills in a fun, interesting, and challenging manner. The course curriculum integrates lectures and discussions based on several case studies of a variety of engineering disciplines. It provides an overview of fundamental STEM engineering subject matter, 'hands-on' group activities, and several engineering designs and construction projects. Hands-on group activities present students with engaging assignments that foster teamwork, effective communication, creativity, critical thinking, and problem. Early lectures and discussions consist of an introduction to the engineering profession, encompassing engineering design, communication, and ethics along with understanding the importance of developing good study habits, participating in an internship or co-op, and joining national engineering organizations and on-campus clubs to help students network and prepare for a career in engineering. civil, chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering disciplines in conjunction with a variety of sub-disciplines are presented in later lectures and discussions, including; aerospace, computer science/ engineering, energy, materials, manufacturing, industrial, automotive, structural, environmental, biomedical, agricultural and aqua-cultural engineering. Case studies related to each career field are presented and discussed. Case studies also include career options in each field, typical work environments and duties, current occupational outlook and median salary data, as well as examples of noteworthy problems and challenges encountered and overcome in specific engineering fields. Exposure to fundamental STEM subject matter in this course is intended to provide students with a brief overview of the scientific and mathematical knowledge base which the students will use in other engineering courses and eventually, in their engineering careers. Many topics are introduced, including numerous engineering variables related to length, time, mass, force, temperature, electric current, energy, and power; computational engineering tools; engineering symbols and drawings; engineering materials, probability, and statistics; and engineering economics. Learning impact and course outcome has been assessed by applying quantitative and qualitative measures, informal assessments, and anecdotal records. The data has been collected on different activities and sessions of the course. The analysis and assessment of collected data of students' hands-on activities with a relatively large student sample will be presented. Other institutions interested in promoting engineering programs may replicate the implemented model of the course due to its effectiveness, as reported in the session.
Shoushounova, T., & Zilouchian, A. (2023, June), A Transformative Learning Approach for an Introduction to Engineering Course Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42546
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