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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Zhiyuan Yang; Hope L. Weiss; Matthew J. Traum

future.1 Thus, within STEM curricula, a need exists to provide practical,hands-on training in gas turbine systems. In parallel, however, a pragmatic need remains tobalance energy-focused training with classical engineering and science fundamentals whilekeeping institutional costs manageable. New energy course content and the laboratoryapparatuses used to deliver it must be carefully evaluated and integrated so as not to overburdenSTEM programs or curricula.Three approaches predominate the instruction of gas turbine systems in current engineeringcurricula. First, gas turbine system theory can simply be taught in a lecture course without anaccompanying laboratory, 2 which deprives students of hands-on experience. Second, the “virtuallaboratory

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Naima Kaabouch; Deborah L. Worley; Jeremiah Neubert; Mohammad Khavanin

factors include quantitative skills, students’study habits, commitment to the program, involvement in extracurricular activity, andconnections to peers. In addition, math/calculus has been cited by students who switch awayfrom engineering as the most influential factor in their decisions. This paper describes anapproach to improve engineering student persistence when learning calculus without having tomake any changes in the current calculus curriculum. This approach is one the methods used inan NSF-funded initiative (Project DUE-0942270) at the University of North Dakota. The projectcombines several techniques, including the integration of stand-alone engineering modules to besolved by students outside class time and the use of engineering

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Majura F. Selekwa

werecertain theoretical details that could not be learned using this approach because they were noteasily visible. This approach can be improved further by making sure that all theoretical detailsthat may not be visible through practical session are identified and discussed before the studentsstart working on the module activities instead of discussing them after the module.References [1] O. Kaynak, A New Perspective on Engineering Education in Mechatromnics Age, in: Proceedings for FIE 1996 Conference,, 1996. [2] J. Wikander, M. T¨orngren, M. Hanaon, The Science and Education of Mechatronics Engineering, IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine (2001) 20–26. [3] K. Craig, F. Stolfi, Teaching Control System Design Through Mechatronics

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Majura F. Selekwa

manipulating its input-output interfaces. Teaching the topic of microcontrollershas never been uniform across the board since various instructors tailor their lectures on theparticular type of microcontrollers used in their classes. Although many students with a goodbackground in electrical, electronic and computer engineering can easily assimilate the materialand extend the knowledge to other types of microcontrollers, it tends to be very difficult for stu-dents of non-electrical backgrounds such as mechanical and chemical engineering to respond ina similar fashion. This paper discusses one of the effective ways of approaching the the topicteaching students of non-electrical backgrounds using different types of microcontrollers in thesame environment

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Aurenice M. Oliveira

lecture time effectively, the importance of well-designedlaboratory experiments, and use of simulation tools. The suggestions provided in this paper,while confirming principles and practices described in the literature, provides new insights andideas. So far, these methods can be considered successful due to the positive and encouragingfeedback provided by the students. Assessments of courses taught following the author’sguidelines were performed to evaluate the teaching effectiveness, and they indicate that theteaching methods have been successful in meeting the teaching goals.Introductory courses in electrical engineering not always have been adequate to satisfy the goalsof providing a foundation for EE majors, while providing some EE knowledge

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Luis Rodriguez; Gail Coover; Dalelia Davis; Angela Frey; George Johnson; Oumar Kaba; Andrew Pham; Kathlyn Bender

the pilot run of the program measured so far bode well for the potential impact of the WiscAMP Excel Program on URM student success in STEM. Bibliography 1. Dweck, C. S. (2006) Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Ballantine Books. 2. Dweck, C. S., Legget, E. L. (1988) “A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality”, Psychological Review 95 3. Hurtado, S., Eagan K., HERI Research Brief (2010) Degrees of Success: Bachelor’s Degree Completion Rates

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Andy S. Peng; Robert Nelson; Cheng Liu; Ahmet Turkmen; Wei Shi; Jia-Ling Lin

the course content was delivered through online streaming videossupplemented by in-class question-and-answer sessions, continuation of new lectures, hands-onlab exercises, and team project discussions. The hybrid instructional model combines thebenefits accrued from the schedule flexibility of online courses while preserving the instructor-student face-to-face time provided in classroom lectures.Course DevelopmentThe course curriculum was designed to provide an introduction to fundamental concepts in thefield of computer networks. The design of the curriculum follows the framework shown inFigure 1. In this research study, a hybrid instructional model was specifically developed to teachan upper-division undergraduate computer engineering

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

J. E. Johnson; L. Stradins; S Springer; R. Asthana

the only undergraduate program in manufacturing engineering in the entire Universityof Wisconsin System. The B.S. in manufacturing engineering program at UW-Stout beganofficially in the fall of 1994. The university also offers a M.S. degree in manufacturingengineering.UW-Stout’s manufacturing engineering B.S. and M.S. degree programs are offered by theDepartment of Engineering and Technology. The department manages two endowed chairpositions: George Albert Taft Chair and Fulton and Edna Holtby Chair. The initial appointmentsto these chairs are for three years. The Taft Chair is named in honor of G.A. Taft and wasendowed by his daughter, Esther Quinn, and her husband, Robert Quinn. Taft was associatedwith the Dunn County News in Menomonie

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Sousada Chidthachack; Mark A. Schulte; Forster D. Ntow; Jia-Ling Lin; Tamara J. Moore

programs: a project-based learning (PBL) and a traditionalengineering curriculum. The PBL students do not take classes; 100 percent of their learning isdone in the context of industry projects to develop graduates with integrated technical andprofessional knowledge and competencies. The traditional curriculum involves classroominstruction, homework, and assessments. Using a qualitative research approach, the current studyfocused on students that completed two years of a new PBL program in a Midwest university,and compared their learning experiences to students that are graduating from a traditionalprogram at a different university. Initial results suggest positive outcomes are more pronounced for students associated withPBL as compared with

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2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Gretchen A. Mosher

: Classroom-based practices. Journal of Engineering Education, 94(1), 87- 101.10. Pascarella, E.T. & Terenzini, P.T. (1991). How College Affects Students: Finding and Insights from Twenty Years of Research. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA.11. Svinicki, M. & McKeachie, W.J. (2011). McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. Wadsworth Cengage Learning: Belmont, CA.12. Vasan, N.S., DeFouw, D.O. & Compton, S. (2009). A survey of student perceptions of team-based learning in anatomy curriculum: Favorable views unrelated to grades. Anatomical Sciences Education, 2(4), 150-155.13. Myers, S.A., Smith, N.A., Eidsness, M.A., Bogdan, L.M., Zackery, B.A., Thompson, M.R., Schoo

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Nischal Adhikari; Sima Noghanian

abstract field, due to difficulty ofintegrating tangible and realistic experiments into electrical engineering curriculum. Sometimessetting up a laboratory for these experiments could be very expensive. Therefore, a lot of timeusing simulation tools is a good alternative to examine and visualize the realistic problems.However, the available simulation software may require vast technical proficiency, whichsometime impedes the inclination of students towards this area of study.In this paper we introduce a ray-tracing simulation tool that can be beneficial in teaching wavepropagation and wireless communication. Wireless InSite®, from Remcom®, is a site-specificwireless channel simulation tool based on ray-tracing method. This paper introduces

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Steven Buchhop; Tate Carlson; Evan Edwards; Prakash Ranganathan; Reza Fazel-Rezai

communicate effectively, not only with engineers but also with the community at largeIn-depth technical competence in at least one engineering discipline. This is done via several written and oralpresentations throughout the two semesters at UND.Educational Outcome 2: Ability to undertake problem identification, formulation and solution. This outcome wasaccomplished by several refining process of design stages such as preliminary review design (PDR) and other successiveweekly meetings with advisor.Educational Outcome 3: Ability to utilize a systems approach to design and operational performance. For this project,there were several sub systems are integrated to achieve the overall objective of the system.Educational Outcome 4: Ability to function

Collection

2013 North Midwest Section Meeting

Authors

Charles McIntyre

new construction students in this class. What I like most about this course is that we did a fair amount of research on engineering firms, academic programs and most of all the work we were required to do at the Engineering Expo (answering the seven questions about each company). I liked the overall idea and content the course provided. I like the different assignments because it gave me a general idea about some of the duties I may have to perform. The fact that it was hands on really makes a difference. I also liked the guest speakers and thought that they were very informative. I liked how we had the hands on segment of the Hotel Plaza because who doesn’t love to build something like that? I enjoy things like