Conference Session

TC2K Methods and Models

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nancy Denton, Purdue University; Joseph Fuehne, Purdue University-Columbus; Henry Kraebber, Purdue University; Timothy Cooley, Purdue University-New Albany; Joseph Dues, Purdue University-New Albany

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

evaluators were gone, the realization of the time required to write the self-study,plan appropriate assessments, prepare for the visit of the evaluators and, in general,living ABET began to sink in. A letdown was expected. Continuous improvement,however, is supposed to be continuous and the level of effort expended during theeighteen months prior to each program’s evaluation visit could not be sustained. TheAssessment Committee and the Department leadership needed to inculcate the TC2Keducational process into the life of the faculty at a level that is comfortable and meetsongoing process requirements.Consistent with the philosophy of continuous improvement, the major assessment taskfollowing the successful TC2K-based accreditation of the four

Conference Session

Writing and Communication II: Practical Perspectives on Teaching and Assessment

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathleen Jernquist, U.S. Coast Guard Academy; David Godfrey, U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Todd Taylor, U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

HANDBOOK – A CASE STUDYAbstractEffective written communication is one of the most important skills an engineer can have. Yet,growing numbers of undergraduate students leave first-year composition courses without theskills, self-discipline and strategies to write effectively. This is especially troublesome forengineering students as they transition to the writing skills and styles appropriate to engineeringat the same time as they struggle to improve their fundamental writing skills. In an effort todevelop the writing skills of engineering undergraduates at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, theElectrical Engineering and Naval Architecture/Marine Engineering programs have developed aclose collaboration with the USCGA writing

Conference Session

Liberal Education Division Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tom Moran, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

post 60’s educational world, it is in vogue to pass over the fundamentals andlaunch students at a very early age into the holistic writing process. The idea is the fundamentalsof how to write a sentence will be absorbed by little insights and little on-demand discussionswith teachers about nouns and verbs and at some point in time the light will go on and everythingwill come together,” Henderson explains. “Well, sadly that rarely happens. It is particularlybothersome to the engineering mind, because the engineering mind knows that process just isn’tgoing to work. At the very get go. So the engineering mind is desperately wanting somebody tosit down and share the fundamentals first. The other thing the engineering mind craves iswhenever

Conference Session

Capstone Design II

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kyu-Jung Kim, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

convenience. They are not just intended to replace handcalculations like some textbook specific programs but to learn various analysis procedures instep-by-step interactive tutorial fashion and to conduct large-scale design simulations for open-ended design problems. A couple of pilot studies were conducted with students at various levelsto test the effectiveness of the toolboxes in teaching and learning the fundamental mechanicscourses. It is suggested that use of such toolboxes in laboratory setting would be most effective.This paper will present experiences how the toolboxes have been developed and how they areefficiently used in teaching and learning the fundamental mechanics courses.Introduction The fundamental mechanics course sequence

Conference Session

ChE: Computers and Simulation in the Classroom

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jason Keith, Michigan Technological University; Faith Morrison, Michigan Technological University; Julia King, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

Operations 1 course and electives in polymer rheology. She is author of the textbook Understanding Rheology.Julia King, Michigan Technological University Julia King is an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Michigan Technological University. She recieved her PhD from the University of Wyoming in 1989. Julie teaches the required Transport / Unit Operations 1 and Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering 1 courses. Page 12.746.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 Finite Element Modules for Enhancing Undergraduate Transport Courses: Application to Fuel Cell FundamentalsAbstractThe

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Engineering Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephanie Sullivan, East Carolina University; Rick Williams, East Carolina University; William Howard, East Carolina University; Jason Yao, East Carolina University; Paul Kauffmann, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering

AC 2007-2773: IDENTIFYING THE CONTENT OF A GENERAL ENGINEERINGPROGRAM USING BENCHMARKING AND THE FUNDAMENTALS OFENGINEERING EXAMINATIONStephanie Sullivan, East Carolina University Stephanie Sullivan is a Visiting Instructor in the Department of Engineering at East Carolina University. Sullivan has fourteen years of industrial experience in project engineering, quality operations, and operations planning roles. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and her M.S. in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University. Sullivan has earned the American Production & Inventory Control Society (APICS) Certification in Production and Inventory

Conference Session

IT-based Instructional Technologies

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Julie Mariga, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Information Systems

a co-chair of the Birds of a Feather session and on the Program Committee for the 2006 Grace Hopper Women in Computing Conference. She is on the Academic Advisory Committee as well as the Panels, Workshops, & Presentations Committee for the 2007 Grace Hopper Women in Computing Conference. Finally, she serves on the Curriculum Writing Committee for the ACM SIG Information Technology Educators (www.sigite.org) Page 12.1580.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 Utilizing Virtual Software to Provide Hands-On Experience with Systems & Applications Software

Conference Session

Innovative Techniques in Graphics

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Sherwood, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Peter Avitabile, University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Design Graphics

closed-form equations to solve textbook problems that are well-defined and thathave a unique answer, e.g. statics, dynamics and strength of materials. However, these samestudents are unsure how to apply these fundamental principles and closed-form equations thefirst time they are given the task of doing an engineering design of a system where theparameters are such that multiple solutions are possible. To give students a first exposure to areal-world product-development team-environment scenario, the design and analysis of linkagesis used as the central topic to integrate engineering analysis, design, CAD, project managementand technical writing into a semester-long design project. The students work in teams of fourand take a loosely defined

Conference Session

Writing and Communication I: Innovative Models for Curriculum and Assessment

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marie Paretti, Virginia Tech; Lisa McNair, Virginia Tech; Diana George, Virginia Tech; kelly belanger, Virginia Tech; Lisa Norris, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

, and related surface featuresare then taught within that larger context – the context necessary for successfully transferring“the ability to communicate effectively” from one situation to another. Current research onstudents’ transitions from school to work bears out the need for this approach. School and workare, in short, fundamentally contexts governed by different constraints, as a number of scholarshave made clear.43, 53-60 At the most basic level, writing in school is often primarily a way forinstructors to evaluate students’ knowledge and performance (notwithstanding the substantialrole writing plays in fostering student learning and development, as documented by numerousstudies of writing to learn). That is, the desired outcome of the

Conference Session

Knowing our Students, Part 1

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Lichtenstein, Stanford University; Heidi Loshbaugh, Colorado School of Mines; Brittany Claar, Colorado School of Mines; Tori Bailey, Stanford University; Sheri Sheppard, Stanford University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

AC 2007-1234: SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO? ENGINEERING STUDENTS'PERSISTENCE IS BASED ON LITTLE EXPERIENCE OR DATAGary Lichtenstein, Stanford University Gary Lichtenstein, Ed.D., is a Consulting Associate Professor of Engineering at Stanford University, specializing in quantitative and qualitative research methods. His areas of intellectual interest include engineering education, community-based research, and education evaluation and policy. His extensive teaching experience includes courses on qualitative research methods (for graduate students), and on writing and critical thinking (for students ranging from high school to professionals). He lives in southeast Utah. He can be contacted at

Conference Session

Global Engineering in an Interconnected World

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alexis Powe, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

International

AC 2007-2210: PRACTICAL ENGLISH: TEACHING TECHNICALCOMMUNICATION ABROAD BASED ON A PREEXISTING TECHNICALWRITING COURSE IN MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY'S BAGLEY COLLEGEOF ENGINEERINGAlexis Powe, Mississippi State University Alexis D. Powe is a technical writing instructor for the Mississippi State University Bagley College of Engineering’s Shackouls Technical Communication Program. She received her B.A. in English from Mississippi State University in 2002, graduating summa cum laude with a minor in history, and her M.A. in English from Louisiana State University in 2004. She is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education and the Modern Language Association. Address: P.O. Box

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education III

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donald Peter, Seattle Pacific University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

supplements and software; yet, when it comes to the corecircuit analysis methods that every student must learn, how much real progress has been made?Learning and being able to apply circuit analysis fundamentals well is foundational, but toooften engineering graduates find that the analysis techniques they learned in school seem to lackpractical application on the job. This is especially true when it comes to the understanding andanalysis of analog circuits. As result, young engineers find themselves uncomfortable in tacklingneeded analog designs. Even experienced engineers realize that there are probably moreefficient ways of solving design problems, but often feel they lack the time to pursue them. Allthe while, globalization has made us keenly

Conference Session

Communication and Professional Skills in BME

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joe Tranquillo; Daniel Cavanagh, Bucknell University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

page uponpage of text, tables with raw data, figures for every possible combination of variables andseveral appendices. This is clearly a brain dump by the students in the hope thateventually they will include exactly what the professor is looking for. The same is oftentrue for graphical and oral presentations. It is this type of unfocused communication thatwe, as educators and graders, are concerned with overcoming. This paper outlines a newtactic in teaching writing to engineers that compliments their technical abilities andprepares them for communicating in a professional environment. Three points are listedbelow as motivation.Motivation 1: Teach them what they will use laterWhile the traditional engineering curriculum places great

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Frederick Berry; Patricia Carlson

shows the overall grade and RCI remained constant from PDS exercise 1 to PDSexercise 2. Also, this table shows a modest 4% increase in the text rating from PDS exercise 1 toPDS exercise 2. These results are significant, due to the increase in difficulty of the assignmentfrom PDS exercise 1 to PDS exercise 2. This same trend is seen in the Product TechnicalDescription exercises 1 and 2.Satisfying ABET (g): Driskill [2], in examining how ABET (g) is addressed in available ABETaccreditation plans, noted little evidence in the literature that assessment plans incorporatemodern rhetoric pedagogy, contemporary discourse analysis, or the fundamentals ofcommunication theory in their expectations for writing in an engineering education. Thus, the

Conference Session

Curriculum Development and Delivery Modes in Nuclear Engineering

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sheldon Landsberger, University of Texas-Austin; Janet Ellzey, University of Texas-Austin; Brad Hull, University of Texas-Austin; Jessica Rosinski, University of Texas-Austin; James Wright, University of Texas-Permian Basin

Tagged Divisions

Nuclear and Radiological

energy will certainly be one focus of the department, it will not be theonly form of energy that will be available for students to explore. The department willalso offer technical elective courses featuring wind energy, petroleum engineering, solarenergy, hydroelectric energy, as well as other forms of “renewable” energy.This paper outlines the general process taken in construction of the proposed curriculum.Some topics include fulfillment of all state, school, and accreditation board requirementsby the proposed courses, incorporation of energy ideas into fundamental mechanicalengineering courses, and selection of technical area electives that provide a broad rangeof energy specific topics and ideas. The end result of this development is a

Conference Session

New Engineering Educators: Tricks of the Trade I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adrienne Minerick, Mississippi State University; Jason Keith, Michigan Technological University; Donald Visco, Tennessee Technological University

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

writtencommunications are a valuable tool when permanent documentation is important or whenspecific expectations or deadlines need to be articulated. A few examples of venues of writtencommunication are discussed below.For a young graduate student, an advisor can help plan out experiments (in writing) and definesmaller research objectives. Once the student begins the research, the student can initiate writtencommunications via email to quickly report exciting results, via daily or weekly summaries thathelp keep the students encouraged with their progress and keep the advisor abreast of theprogression of the research, or via documenting controls and variables for an experiment in theirlaboratory notebook. All of these forms of written communication can help the

Conference Session

Electrical Engineering Technology Curriculum

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rocio Alba-Flores, Alfred State College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

EducationAbstractThe Electromechanical Engineering Technology program at Alfred State College requires asequence of two courses in embedded systems. Embedded Controller Fundamentals andEmbedded Controller Applications. Both courses involve hands-on, project oriented laboratoryexercises. For the embedded controller courses, students are required to purchase a specified low-cost microcontroller evaluation system instead of a textbook. A reasonable priced reference text isrecommended, and students are strongly encouraged to use extensively the online manualsavailable from the microcontroller manufacturer. Among the many benefits that we have identifiedby requiring students to buy their own microcontroller system is that they learn to be more carefulwith safety

Conference Session

Engineering Education in the Arab World / Mid-East Region

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ulas Toros, University of Florida; George Younis, University of Florida; Fazil Najafi, University of Florida

Tagged Divisions

International

the SAT II in writing is no longer offered. Applicants whopresent G.E.D. scores must also present secondary school records and standardized test scores.3 Page 12.358.3In order to acquire admission to METU, students must be graduated from high school, lyceumsor equivalent institutions. In addition, Turkish students should acquire a sufficient score fromthe University Entrance Examination.International students should have sufficient scores from any one of the following exams: • A minimum score of 60 (2005 based score: 65.724) from the University Entrance Examinations for International students. • A total of 1100 out of 1600 from

Conference Session

Issues in Computer Education-HDL

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ronald Hayne, The Citadel

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

other models of that hardware. A program of instruction has been developed which augmentsthe classroom instruction with VHDL homework exercises and a capstone design project. Thefocus is kept on demonstration of architectural concepts, rather than turning into a VHDL“programming” course.Course ContentThe existing course and text cover a wide range of computer architecture constructs which canbe supplemented with homework exercises. A fundamental concept is the discussion of variousaddressing modes used to specify the location of operands in an assembly language program.These addressing modes are first discussed generically and then specifically for several moderncomputer architectures. Visualization of the addresses and operands is often

Conference Session

FPD8 -- Introductory Courses

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George List, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

programming skills. Other disciplines adopted such courses more slowly.Consequently, the topic of this paper is not new.As Rasdorf 1 indicates, in the late 1970’s, civil engineering programs began to embrace the ideaof including computer programming classes in their undergraduate curricula. The argument was,in part, that “students must be prepared to use computer methods and applications as a part oftheir fundamental education. It is the responsibility of colleges and universities to incorporatecontemporary computing fundamentals into their academic curriculum to improve theprofessional qualifications of their engineering graduates. These graduates will in turn be able toprovide their increasingly important expertise to both the engineering

Conference Session

Aspirational Visions of Civil Engineering in 2025 & Policy 465

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ronald Welch, The University of Texas-Tyler; Michael Robinson, Rose-Hulman Institute; Charles Glagola, University of Florida; James Nelson, University of Texas-Tyler

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

thoughtful and careful weighing of alternatives when values conflict is crucial to the responsible conduct of engineering. Therefore, civil engineers practicing at the professional level need to demonstrate an understanding of and a commitment to practice according to the seven Fundamental Canons of Ethics and the associated Guidelines to Practice Under the Fundamental Canons of Ethics.7. An ability to communicate effectively. (ABET g) Commentary: Effective communication includes listening, observing, reading, speaking, and writing and requires understanding of the fundamentals of interacting effectively with technical and nontechnical or lay individuals and audiences in a variety of settings. Professional civil engineers

Conference Session

FPD4 -- Hands-on & Real-World Studies

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Larry Bland, John Brown University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

requirements? 3)understanding the engineering design process, 4) beginning to learn basic engineering computertools, 5) developing writing skills, and 6) establishing ethical engineering practices.The course begins with understanding what engineering is. There is the classical definition thatengineers use science to solve problems. Most programs have come to recognize that this is anoversimplification of the engineering discipline. The students are taught that engineers have toconsider many elements that go beyond the physical sciences and mathematics. There are theadditional, broader issues of economics, politics, environment, health, safety, quality, ethics,culture and other contemporary issues.Along with an understanding of general engineering

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patricia Carlson, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Frederick Berry, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

writing, no matter what the course content: • Confused expectations about the group’s purpose and the individual’s role in it; • Inability to read group members’ texts analytically; • Misperceptions about the nature of revision and of writing as a process; • Failure to work collaboratively with group members; • Failure to monitor and maintain group activities (pp. 17-18)In addition to this question of student competency, other frequently heard detractors includeamount of class time consumed by the process, low student motivation translating into aninability to stay on task, and difficulties in capturing learning outcomes for a process that may beconceptualized as highly subjective and basically open-ended.3.0 What is

Conference Session

Design in the ECE Curriculum

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Huettel, Duke University; Kip Coonley, Duke University; Michael Gustafson, Duke University; Jungsang Kim, Duke University; Gary Ybarra, Duke University; Leslie Collins, Duke University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

laboratory experience for the Fundamentals course is organized into eight 1-week laboratoryexperiments, followed by a 5-week Integrated Design Challenge. The more traditional, guidedexperiment approach is still utilized in the 1-week laboratory sessions. However, theseexperiments are supplemented by exploration activities which provide students an opportunity toimmediately apply the fundamental concepts that they have just investigated to solve a practicalchallenge. Gradually, over the course of the first eight weeks, the emphasis of the laboratorysessions shifts from guided experimentation to self-directed exploration. This evolution preparesstudents for the final test of their knowledge and skills: the Integrated Design Challenge.2.1

Conference Session

FPD8 -- Introductory Courses

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Lehr, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Christopher Grant, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

, sorting algorithms, etc; and focused on thefundamental constructs common to all programming languages. To fill the gaps inteaching, we utilized programming projects. We no longer believed a student couldbecome an expert C programmer in one semester, but rather believed in one semester wecan introduce software engineering fundamentals, fundamentals of programming, andexpose students to C and MATLAB. The course became nine weeks of programmingconcepts with C, two weeks of individual programming projects, and four weeks ofMATLAB (the projects spanned six calendar weeks, though consumed two weeks ofclass time).Programming ProjectsWe used two programming projects to solidify the fundamentals taught throughout thesemester. The first project is a

Conference Session

Issues in Computer Education-HDL

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan Hill, University of Hartford

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

computer architecture course I wrote a hypothetical microprocessor architecturecalled nod1, which was simply meant to serve as an example. To my surprise I discovered itsvalue in teaching. I found the instruction set and encoding worthy of discussion, serving tocontrast with text-book examples. The assembly language and addressing modes are educationalwithout being a burden. Such an example is a benefit in its own right and for this I produced animproved version called nod2 which I used the second and third time I taught the course.With nod1 and in later semesters with nod2, students had a project to write a simulator programto model the architecture behavior. In reviewing feedback, the students felt that while thearchitecture itself was useful

Conference Session

Innovation in Construction Engineering Education I

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Zhili (Jerry) Gao; Virendra Varma, Missouri Western State University; Eric Asa, North Dakota State University

Tagged Divisions

Construction

beneficiary. • It helps to see what is actually happening instead of visualizing the process in your head. It definitely helps with the lecture in understanding how to apply the equations, but it is equally helpful in solving the problems. • Visualization gives a better picture and is a lot easier to explain for the teacher. It also gives the teacher more room to write on the board when trying to explain. • It is just that – visualization. If you can see what is going on in the problem you learn better for both lecture and problem solving. • The visualization gives students a realization of the 3D situation in a 3D order. Lecture part is where the 3D visualization would be more

Conference Session

Developments in the Energy Laboratories

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ke Chen, Cleveland State University; Ana Stankovic, Cleveland State University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

evaluates writing skills. The form that has been used for laboratoryreport evaluation is shown on TABLE IV. TABLE IV. Laboratory Report Evaluation Form Page 12.329.8In addition, students take a mid-term and final bench exam. All bench exams have been video-taped. During the mid-term and final bench exam, demonstrations evaluation form, as shown inTable V, has been used to assess students’ performance. It has been shown that the form wasextremely useful and easy to use. Instructor can easily grade a bench exam by simply deductingpoints from each category such as: knowledge of fundamentals, use of bench equipment etc

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stacy Gleixner, San Jose State University; Elliot Douglas, University of Florida; Olivia Graeve, University of Nevada-Reno

microelectronics module where students learnabout the fundamentals of electronic and magnetic properties. The teaching of thesefundamentals is done within the scope of learning about options for non-volatile memory (suchas Flash and M-RAM). There is a module focusing on alternative energy where students studysolid oxide fuel cells and the ceramic nanomaterials used to fabricate them. While exploring thisemerging application, students learn the basics of ceramics, defects, and phase diagrams.Structure, processing, and mechanical properties of polymers and composites are taught in amodule on fiber reinforced plastics used for civil infrastructures. A biomaterials module onstents teaches students about crystallography, mechanical properties and

Conference Session

Programming for Engineering Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Birmingham, Grove City College; David Adams, Grove City College

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

, while very challenging, is fun!At Grove City College (GCC), we have developed a comprehensive three-semester sequence incomputer-game development. The sequence is designed to take students from interactive fictionand 2D arcade-style games to sophisticated console game development. The first two courses inour three course sequence stress computer gaming fundamentals in 2D (the first term) and then3D (the second term). In these courses, we cover a wide range of topics from softwarearchitectures for game design to fundamentals of game development including algorithms, datastructures, graphics (including OpenGL and DirectX) and techniques for good game play. Wehave offered the first class twice and we will offer the second course during the