Conference Session

Innovative Methods to Teach Engineering to URMs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Wei Zheng, Jackson State University; Gordon Skelton, Jackson State University; HuiRu Shih, Jackson State University; Evelyn Leggette, Jackson State University; Tzusheng Pei, Jackson State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

studies. Furthermore, theinstructions in these courses has usually less focus on addressing students’ motivation,confidence, and reflection in learning, which are critical for students to effectively implementlearning strategies and persist in their learning efforts. Students who failed in their engineeringstudies may often attribute their failures to lack of ability in learning engineering rather than lackof effective use of learning strategies. They may eventually decide to quit from engineeringprograms. Thus, there is an imperative need for engineering faculty to adapt new instructionalstrategies that can help students to effectively regulate their learning motivation, strategies, andefforts, particularly at their early learning stages.Self

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering: Part I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arturo Fuentes, University of Texas, Pan American; Robert Freeman, University of Texas, Pan American; Horacio Vasquez, University of Texas, Pan American; Cristina Villalobos, University of Texas, Pan American; Stephen Crown, University of Texas, Pan American; Miguel Gonzalez, University of Texas, Pan American; Olga Ramirez, University of Texas, Pan American

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

’ Page 14.730.4need to see Relevance of Studies to the Real World. CBI, a form of inductive learning, has beenshown to be a more effective approach to the learning process than the traditional deductivepedagogy. The implementation of CBI is built around the framework of the STAR Legacycycle, which is comprised of six main components: reflecting back and looking forward,generate ideas, multiple perspectives, research and revise, test your mettle, and go public.Research consistently points to the following factors as reasons for minority-STEM students’decision to drop-out or transfer out of STEM undergraduate fields of study: insufficient financialresources 16, 25, feelings of isolation 4,24, academic under-preparedness2, and a need to see

Conference Session

Innovative Methods to Teach Engineering to URMs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Beverley Pickering-Reyna, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

awareness, role-playing, team building, andcreativity. IT-LSCD advocated leadership development, knowledge of social protocol, andunderstanding the value of constructive life choices. The system supported multiple formalreasoning for decision-making, analyses, and problem solving. Exposure to information aboutemployment trends, employer expectations, and employee rights provided minority young adultswith an additional access level. The method expected minority young adults to learn to dress forsuccess, understand the interview process, and network with what they had learned. As such, IT-LSCD consistently employed the talents of leaders who reflected the service population.The presumption existed in the IT-LSCD method that minority young adults

Conference Session

Marketing Engineering as a Career Path to URMs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan Lambright, Savannah State University; Wayne Johnson, Armstrong Atlantic State University; Cameron Coates, Armstrong Atlantic State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

journaling should be employed focused on improving interpersonalskills, initiative and being dependable. Participation in outdoor community service projects mayalso provide opportunities to nurture these skills in the students. All student results should betracked and monitored through the 4th-6th grade levels.Plan implementation at the high school levelAt the 9th -10th grade levels, work ethic development should be continued and expanded with theinclusion of self-regulated learning concepts. High school freshmen should retake and comparetheir middle school results of the OWEI. This is followed with group discussion and self-reflection of work ethic concepts. The group discussions can be extended to include role-playingactivities and real life

Conference Session

New Research on Retention of URM Groups in STEM

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Deborah Trytten, University of Oklahoma; Anna Wong Lowe, University of Oklahoma; Susan Walden, University of Oklahoma

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

of times loud, trying to be funny. But I didn’t think it was funny. (Female, electrical engineering)Some Asian names are homophones of obscenities in English. Chow provides a more completeexplanation of naming challenges for Asian Americans9. By using her last name to ridicule theparticipant, the gym worker was amusing his audience at her expense. A possible subtext to thisstudent’s experience reflects another stereotype: Asian women are sexual objects, calledexotification10. The corresponding stereotype for Asian men is being effeminate or asexual11.The quote below comes from the same male, electrical engineering participant who provided thefirst two quotes. I remember one time one guy told me to go back to my country. He said

Conference Session

Attracting Young Minds: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jacqueline Fairley, Georgia Institute of Technology; Adrianne Prysock, Georgia Institute of Technology; Akibi Archer, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

/discussion to create an alarm system to catch the culprit. This scenarioallowed the students to personalize the activity by defining what object was missing fromtheir room and by taking on the role of technical expert to create an alarm to catch the culprit.Students’ problem solving techniques were explored in the design of the switch to activatethe alarm system. Each group had to decide on the best approach to create a switch thatwould activate an audio buzzer when tripped. Students were provided with questionsregarding their switch design in the documentation materials. These questions were posed toinitiate reflection on their own problem solving methods and promote the investigation ofstrengths and flaws within their design approaches.At the

Conference Session

Innovative Methods to Teach Engineering to URMs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Crown, University of Texas, Pan American; Arturo Fuentes, University of Texas, Pan American; Constantine Tarawneh, University of Texas, Pan American; Robert Freeman, University of Texas, Pan American; Hashim Mahdi, University of Texas, Pan American

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

advising appointment online. Figure 3. UTPA B.S.M.E. Student Advising WebsiteStudents who come in unprepared for an advising appointment are often focused on theirimmediate need and ask “What courses should I take next semester?” The advising informationform, shown in Figure 4, encourages students to be more reflective about their educational planand to use the advising time with a faculty member to refine that plan. Much of the form focuseson the current semester and has the student document how their time is spent during a typicalweek including class and study hours, work schedules, and other regular commitments. The Page

Conference Session

Innovative Methods to Teach Engineering to URMs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Fred Bonner, Texas A&M University; Felecia Nave, Prairie View A&M University; Sherri Frizell, Prairie View A&M University; Carmen Villa, Texas A&M University; Helene Cook, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

student groups that from their perspectivesengineering was not a profession that should be sought after simply for the monetarygains. One student asserted, for instance: When it comes to money, if you’re doing something you love it won’t matter how much money you make. That’s a big thing in engineering. Cause if you work to make the money it ends up not working for them. In this quote, congruent with the literature8, the student reflects in how the enjoymentand passion for the work, considered an internal motivational factor is more rewardingthat the money itself which is seen as an external motivational factor.In addition to self-motivation and passion as internal motivators, some participants alsoincluded how their individual

Conference Session

Attracting Young Minds: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Qiang Le, Hampton University; Eric Sheppard, Hampton University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

LornManufacturing case study discusses engineering ethics, safety standards, and machine designissues, which reflect the learning objectives. The following introduces the case studyimplementation in one of the four sections of EGR 101 offered in Fall 2008.The case study implementation was covered in four one-hour classes. In the first class, theinstructor used PowerPoint slides, written by the instructor, to briefly introduce the three casestudies the students were about to explore, and students were divided to teams with the assignedcase studies and roles to defend. For example, in Chick-fil-A case study, Mike Erbrick, Directorof Restaurant Information Systems at Chick-fil-A, was given the responsibility of converting therestaurant's point of sales (POS

Conference Session

Innovative Methods to Teach Engineering to URMs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amir Mobasher, Alabama A&M University; Mohamed Seif, Alabama A&M University; Kenneth Fernandez, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; Showkat Chowdhury, Alabama A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

graduates would be usefulhands in the interdisciplinary fields involving science, mathematics, and or engineering. Theexistence of financial support to the under-represented minorities is an attractive feature toenhance retention rate at the sophomore level for concentrating studies in engineeringdisciplines. Citing evidence of project oriented financial support for the students is an attractivetechnique for motivation. This motivation assures students in multi task projects and therebybuilds strength. This strength reflects students’ learning and directs them towards completingtheir educational goals in engineering. In a true sense these potential graduates may involve inas many multidisciplinary tasks as they may encounter in the working

Conference Session

Building Diversity in Engineering Graduate Programs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrea Ogilvie, University of Texas, Austin; Jessica Jimenez, University of Texas, Austin; Kimberly Sills, Intel(r) Higher Education Program Manager

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

your interest in research and/or graduate school that might be helpful in evaluating your application. You are welcome to share aspects about your background that have not been reflected elsewhere in your application. 2. TREX gives participants a chance to experience all aspects of research within the realm of academia. As a graduate student in such an environment, one is expected to take initiative on specific research projects and produce results with limited supervision or instruction from an advisor. Submit a one‐page essay in which you describe an experience you have had where you received an assignment/project with little instruction. Comment on how you addressed this situation. This should

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Harris, Northeastern University; Bala Maheswaran, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

92% 2004 90% 2.831 TBD 2005 95% 2.939 TBD 2006 93% 2.877 TBD 2007 100% 2.986 TBD 2008 TBD TBD TBD Page 14.1095.12This graph reflects those students who came through the 2003 Summer Bridge Programexperience and have completed their degree requirements and have selected to go to graduateschool and/or enter the engineering work force. 2008 Graduates of 2003 Summer Bridge Program First Status – 5 years later as Last Name Name Gender Major Degree Class of 2008

Conference Session

New Research and Trends Related to Minorities in Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Monroe, North Carolina A&T State University; Narayanaswamy Radhakrishnan, North Carolina A&T State University; Bala Ram, North Carolina A&T State University; Stephanie Luster-Teasley, North Carolina A&T State University; Christopher Doss, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

participants to see the studentpopulation.The housing for the participants, the reception, and banquet was arranged in theProximity Hotel in Greensboro, NC. This hotel is currently one the top five Americangreen buildings and was built to get the US Green Building Council (USGBC)Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum rating. This hotel waschosen to reflect the futuristic vision for research partnerships that this workshop soughtto provide. Page 14.290.2 1 PROGRAMThe final program largely resembled the program outlined in the proposal to the NationalScience

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Walden, University of Oklahoma; Randa Shehab, University of Oklahoma

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

leadership and organizational practices can unintentionally excludestudents the organizations are intended to include. Future studies might examine in more depththe diversity of students within a perceived homogeneous group and how sub-group cultureswork to include or exclude certain members.AcknowledgementThis material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation's Directorate ofUndergraduate Education's STEM Talent Expansion Program Grant No. DUE- 0431642. Anyopinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those ofthe authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Theauthors wish to acknowledge the contributions of numerous colleagues and students who

Conference Session

Building Diversity in Engineering Graduate Programs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ashley Johnson, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jill Auerbach, Georgia Institute of Technology; Adrianne Prysock, Georgia Institute of Technology; Leyla Conrad, Georgia Institute of Technology; Gary May, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

research results into a publication.Maintaining a research notebook helps students keep all of their research work in an organizedform that parallels the process of their work. With their notebooks in hand, the SURE ProgramCoordinator led the discussion on methods for documenting student research findings and how touse the research notebook to identify, evaluate, reflect and refine their information collectionprocess. Questions such as “Should I keep an electronic or paper notebook,” “How often shouldI update my research notebook,” and “What should I put in my research notebook” wereaddressed during the workshop. Notes provided to the participants on research notebooks aredetailed in Fairley3.The second workshop on documentation was led by a

Conference Session

Marketing Engineering as a Career Path to URMs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robin Hensel, West Virginia University; Jason Wynne, West Virginia University; Reagan Curtis, West Virginia University; Gary Winn, West Virginia University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

students to their rooms, I realized something amazing fromwhat had just occurred. I’ve had the opportunity to be something much more than just acounselor or an instructor; I got the chance to be a mentor, I got the chance to be a friend.** Acknowledgement and Disclaimer:“This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0525484. Anyopinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and donot necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.” Page 14.1014.20

Conference Session

Developing Young MINDS in Engineering: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cindy Foor, University of Oklahoma; randa shehab, University of Oklahoma

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

National Science Foundation's Directorate ofUndergraduate Education's STEM Talent Expansion Program Grant No. DUE-0431642. Anyopinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those ofthe authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.The authors wish to acknowledge the other team members instrumental in planning andexecuting the data collection and processing: Susan E. Walden, Jeanette Davidson, DeborahTrytten, Teri J. Murphy, and Teri Reed-Rhoads; current and former senior personnel - RosaCintron, Paul Rocha, Francey Freeman, Lisa Schmidt, Kimberly Rutland, Tony Lee, MayraOlivares, and Claudia Morales; current and former graduate and undergraduate students - TiffanyDavis

Conference Session

Attracting Young Minds: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anant Kukreti, University of Cincinnati; Kenneth Simonson, University of Cincinnati; Kathleen Johnson, University of Cincinnati; Latiera Evans, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

there will always be positions for them. Thus, engineering education will also bechanging, with more emphasis on graduate education, as outlined in a recently released series ofreports by the National Academy of Engineering [30]. Educators recognize that undergraduateresearch motivates students to apply for graduate school, and underrepresented groups mustbecome an integral part of such a technical workforce. However, underrepresented collegestudents do not reflect their numbers in the U.S. population (51% women, 12.1% AfricanAmericans, and 12.5% Hispanics [27, 28, 31]). A recent National Academies report [32]recommends: “Increasing participation of underrepresented minorities is critical to ensuring ahigh quality supply of scientists and