Conference Session

Understanding Students: Recruiting, Retention, Enrichment

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

comparative energy and pollution outputs associated with landfilling or waste-to-energy incineration of the non-recycled wastes. 7 Reflective Students discuss what they learned from the guest speakers and their Essay current impressions of EVEN, including if they plan to stay in the major and what topics they are particularly interested in.In assignments 1, 5, and 7 students typically indicate which sub-discipline area(s) of EVENinterest them. This evolves over the course of the semester, including students who indicate inassignment 7 that they don’t intend to major in EVEN. Assignments 2, 3, and 6 allowed thestudents to experience how energy

Conference Session

Assessing Design Course Work

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Keith Sheppard, Stevens Institute of Technology; Edward Blicharz, Stevens Institute of Technology; Peter Dominick, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

Design SequenceBackgroundThe ability to work effectively in teams, and especially multidisciplinary teams, is a keycompetency (rather a set of competencies) needed of engineers to be successful in the 21stCentury workplace. Industry has for quite some time been a strong advocate for engineeringeducation to include the development of teaming skills in undergraduate programs and this hasbeen reflected over the years in the reports of various national organizations and panels1,2.ABET responded in its accreditation criteria by requiring all undergraduate engineeringprograms to now include teaming in their educational outcomes.Not surprisingly given its significance there is a large body of literature on teaming in themanagement literature and this

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ashland Brown, University of the Pacific; Kris Wood, University of Texas; Kristen Kaufman, Grad Student Universiy ot Texas; Daniel Jensen, United States Air Force Academy; Joseph Rencis, University of Arkansas; Christina White, Columbia University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

analysis for “Concrete Experience” on Kolb’scycle. Figure 1. Kolb learning cycle.Learning StylesEach FE learning module developed in this work is designed to span a spectrum of differentcharacteristics in which students learn. Felder-Soloman Index of Learning Styles50 is composedof four dimensions: active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal, and sequential/global[Table 1]. Active learning tools are designed to meet the needs of students with a range of Page 14.75.5learning styles. Particular approaches to teaching often favor a certain learning preference.Therefore it is important to incorporate a variety

Conference Session

Entrepreneurship Education: Experiential Learning and Economic Development I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Zidek, Florida Gulf Coast University

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

) and analysis and reflection (analysis is part of the engineeringdesign process and reflection was a required component of the class). Unfortunately, the projectdesign was not as successful for the entrepreneurial aspects of the design. The primarycomponent missing was passion. Barringer and Ireland state “The number-one characteristicshared by successful entrepreneurs is passion for the business”. The predefined aspects of the Page 14.1054.3project severely limited the chance of any one particular student being passionate about theproject, much less a team of students.A third critical factor in the course design was the timing of the classes

Conference Session

Design Projects in Mechanical Engineering I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tony Jones, United States Army; Daisie Boettner, United States Military Academy; Joel Dillon, United States Military Academy; Stephanie Ivey; Anna Lambert, University of Memphis; Brian Novoselich, United States Military Academy; Stephen Suhr, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

, studies of Organizational Leadership assert that each student in a design teambrings varying degrees of both content knowledge and communication strategies, and aninstructor’s understanding of these characteristics is essential to modeling and promotingeffective teams. Our study integrates theories of Organizational Leadership, EngineeringEducation, and Educational Psychology to investigate our students’ perceptions, attributions, andlessons learned in relation to team experiences.The methodological approach of this study was designed to elicit team members’ perceptions ofshared team experiences through a mixed-method research approach. Primary data for this studywas obtained from a Reflective Essay assignment, submitted by all Capstone Design

Conference Session

Engineering Design: Implementation and Evaluation

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shanna Daly, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

and summarizing the outcomes of aphenomenography of how design professionals experience design allow for an exampleof what a phenomenography looks like as it goes through the development stage and isanalyzed for outcomes.Research Approach Page 14.1189.2Phenomenography is grounded in the idea that what people remember and aspects onwhich they reflect about concrete experiences are related to the meanings they associatewith a particular aspect of the world, discerning critical components of an experiencefrom non-critical components2. These memories and reflections can be defined asconstituting a person’s awareness. Each person’s awareness is unique

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Larry Shuman, University of Pittsburgh; Mary Besterfield-Sacre, University of Pittsburgh; Renee Clark, University of Pittsburgh; Tuba Pinar Yildirim, University of Pittsburgh; Karen Bursic, University of Pittsburgh

effectively used to introduceconcepts in engineering contexts, but also increased women’s interest in engineering23, 24.Another relevant MEA extension has been provided by Lesh, Hamilton and their colleagues indeveloping a series of reflection tools (RTs) that, following an MEA activity, help studentsrecord significant aspects about what they have done (e.g., strategies used, or ways the teamfunctioned) so that later they could use this information to engage in reflections and discussionsabout the effectiveness of various roles, strategies, and levels and types of engagement25. RTsoffer the potential to be an important research observational tool, while helping students betterdevelop conceptual frameworks for thinking about learning and problem

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics V

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Ochs, Lehigh University; Lisa Getzler-Linn, Lehigh University; Margaret Huyck, Illinois Institute of Technology; Scott Schaffer, Purdue University; Mary Raber, Michigan Technology University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

, 3) Models do exist for how students learn in solving unstructured problems, Page 14.250.3 4) The “Steps for Better Thinking” by Wolcott and Lynch11,12 and “reflective judgment model’ by King and Kitchener9,10 and advanced by others seem appropriate instruments for assessing experiential learning.Based on the research done to date, our collective and individual assessment of learning bystudents engaged in multidisciplinary team based projects at all four institutions will involve thefollowing: 1) The development of explicit criteria for success 2) On going, in-process assessment at gradable moments during

Conference Session

Attitudes, Self-Confidence, and Self-Efficacy of Women Engineering Students

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

series of questions that students responded to on a Likert scale. Male students had amore favorable view of engineers’ role in society than female students, based on responses toquestions from the Pittsburgh Freshman Engineering Attitudes Survey (PFEAS). Becauseprevious studies have indicated that females want to benefit society through their work, thecontinuing poor perception of engineering as a helping profession among females may reflectrecruiting problems. More revealing information was found in the reflective essays that thestudents write at the end of the semester summarizing their feelings about engineering andwhether they plan to stay in the major or switch majors.BackgroundThe engineering profession needs to recruit more students, and

Conference Session

Women in K-12 Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joy Watson, University of South Carolina; Jed Lyons, University of South Carolina

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

quickly, a modified problem was provided that forced the students toredesign their solutions. Student attitudes to the design problem solution process were assessedthough direct observations during the activity, and written reflective responses afterwards. Theresults indicate that most students were enthusiastic about developing their own in the scienceclassroom. An interesting aspect of this study is that it was conducted in four single gendereighth-grade classrooms: two classes of males and two of females. Classroom dynamics to theactivity were affected by the student demographics. Thus, this study contributes to ourunderstanding of male and female students’ creativity and approach to design processes.BackgroundMiddle school students do not

Conference Session

Student Learning

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Prince, Bucknell University; Margot vigeant, bucknell; Katharyn Nottis, Bucknell University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

development of the instrument. Example 1 below (Mitchell, 2007) is taken from theseries of questions designed to assess students’ understanding of the effect of surfaceproperties on radiation. Page 14.469.6Example 1:Radiation Question: Phase 1 A person walks toward two diffuse, gray surfaces that are maintained at 1000K (see figure below). Surface 1 has an emittance of 0.95. Surface 2 has a reflectance of 0.95. Surface 1 T=1000K Surface 2 Emittance = 0.95 T=1000K Reflectance = 0.95Question 7. Which statement is true? a) The person will feel warmer

Conference Session

Liberal Education and Leadership

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Hanson, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Julia Williams, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

Trustees Outstanding Scholar Award. Page 14.458.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Developing Students’ Abilities in Technical Leadership: The Rose-Hulman Leadership AcademyIntroductionThe importance of leadership skills for engineers is reflected in the addition of “leadership” tothe institutional student learning outcomes of our college. In recognition of that importance, theRose-Hulman Leadership Academy was created to help develop leadership confidence instudents with untapped leadership potential. This paper provides an overview of the objectivesof the Leadership Academy, the curriculum

Conference Session

Engineering and Technology for Everyone

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

disciplines, fourcandidate standard models were identified: 1. The Technology Survey Course. 2. The Technology Focus or Topics Course. 3. The Technology Creation Course (Design Course). 4. The Technology Critique, Assess, Reflect, or Connect Course.The technology survey courses offer a broad overview of a number of areas of engineering andtechnology. The technology or topics or focus course is narrower in scope and develops onewell-defined area. The engineering design course, or technology creation, places an emphasis onthe engineering design process to develop technological solutions to problems. The last model toemerge is concerned with assessing technological impacts, connecting technologicaldevelopments to other areas of society

Conference Session

ERM Poster Session

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dan Budny, University of Pittsburgh; Laura Lund, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

? THE VALUE FOR STUDENTSBased on our experiences, and student surveys and reflections from the students participating inthe course, we found the students top learning experiences were the challenges of functioning ina team environment, the need to learn how to communicate in a technical setting effectively witha client, and the positive feeling they had because of their impact on the community. The factthat their project was part of a service learning course served more to motivate the students andto make them aware of their ability to solve a problem of value to their community, comparedwith the value of the specific methods of engineering analysis or design learned to solve thevarious problems. Of course the principles of the design process

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics V

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tammy VanDeGrift, University of Portland; Donald Chinn, University of Washington, Tacoma

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

analysis of students’ work.Our results show that students met the learning objectives of crafting arguments, reflecting uponcomputing skills, and discussing issues related to professionalism and diversity.1. IntroductionOne of several educational objectives for computer science programs is preparing students for asuccessful career in the software industry. Both ABET and CC2001 emphasize that computer sciencegraduates should engage topics related to ethics and professionalism1,10. For example, CC2001 identifiesthe social context of computing (SP2) and professional and ethical responsibilities (SP4) as core subjectareas. It also describes in detail the scope of these areas (Chapter 10, pages 55-61). ABET programoutcome letter (e) (an understanding

Conference Session

High-School Engineering Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jan DeWaters, Clarkson University; Susan Powers, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

make informed decisions.The energy module, which has been taught (with several variations) for the last five years in ahigh school environmental science classroom, requires students to investigate the feasibility ofvarious propulsion/fuel system technologies for use in vehicular transportation, including forexample hydrogen fuel cells, biofuels with internal combustion engines, and electric cars. Asshown in Table 1, the specific questions posed to the students and the final deliverables havechanged throughout the years to most accurately reflect current and relevant transportation fueland vehicle issues in the news. For example, in President G.W. Bush’s 2003 State of the Unionaddress, he promoted the concept of the Hydrogen Economy, while in

Conference Session

Goal Specific First-Year Courses

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Lewis, University of Louisville; Jeffrey Hieb, University of Louisville; David Wheatley, University of Louisville

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

100 course are discussedin Section 5.2. Critical ThinkingThe term ―critical thinking‖ is one with which most people are familiar, but is difficult to easilydefine, as shown in1 where 89% of teachers interviewed claimed critical thinking to be animportant education objective, but only 19% were able to give a clear explanation of criticalthinking. One of the classic definitions of critical thinking comes from Robert Ennis: ―Criticalthinking is reasonable, reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do‖2.This definition does a good job of briefly capturing three key elements of critical thinking:reason, reflection, and judgment (or as Ennis puts it so well – ―deciding what to do or believe‖).The element of reason in

Conference Session

ERM Potpourri

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Olga Pierrakos, James Madison University; Julie Trenor, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Learning and Challenges Faced during a Summer Undergraduate Research ExperienceAbstractUndergraduate research experiences offer many benefits to our students and serve as a primarymechanism to recruit students to graduate school and expose them to the practice of research,which also enables students to learn problem solving in the context of discovery and innovation.This paper employs a mixed-methods approach and a Community of Practice (CoP) theoreticalframework to investigate how participation in summer undergraduate research promotes situatedlearning. The mixed-methods approach, incorporating pre- and post- survey instruments as wellas weekly self-reflective journal entries were utilized to study undergraduate researchers

Conference Session

Entrepreneurship Education: Experiential Learning and Economic Development II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Barbara Karanian, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Gregory Kress, Stanford University; Joel Sadler, Stanford University

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

trying to figure out a way to structure exercises to access story as a methodologyand explorative form for a graduate engineering and design methods class. To do this I reflect back onwhat I already know, what I am learning from graduate student co-creators, and how my participantobservation as instructor for the class will impact the developmental stages of their projects.We know that collaborative design thinking is a social activity [1]. Members work together in teamsin the workplace and increasingly in engineering schools in project-based design courses. While thesecourses give an experience of working in teams, the elements of how insights help individuals createnew approaches, sustain engagement and inspiration well into a project and

Conference Session

Design Methodology

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yvonne Toft, Central Queensland University; Prue Howard, Central Queensland University

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

framework to ensure that hazards are not only identified, but are also eliminated atthe design stage. The Australasian engineering profession has begun to address this humancomponent through the introduction of the most recent National Generic Competency Standards6in 1999, which incorporate competency standards for design. However Toft7 had already foundthat engineering educators have reported that they do not have skills and knowledge in the areaof designing for human use, and would need to first learn themselves about ergonomic principlesof design.Research MethodologyAction Research (AR) is a cyclic process of problem definition, enacting a potential solution,observing the impact of that action, and finally reflecting on the outcome, and then

Conference Session

Innovative Instructional Strategies

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Schmeelk, Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar Branch; Jean Hodges, Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar Branch

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

students’responses revealed sudden engagement with the mathematical concepts as students discovered a Page 14.1382.8relationship to their interests and passions. Some students reported really struggling with some ofthe concepts and repeatedly seeking additional outside help or conducting online research.In her discussion of symmetry, one student chose the capital letter H to illustrate symmetry,rotation, and glide reflections. As she concluded her answer, her enthusiasm became evident: Overall, the letter H in Helvetica has tons of different kinds of symmetry. A nice re-design I see for this where it would still be very

Conference Session

Educational Research

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adam Czekanski, United States Military Academy; David Roux, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

ConclusionsThe results from both semesters of data collection clearly illustrate a correlation betweenpercentage of correct answers on lesson review questions and anonymity provided to the student.The provision of anonymity enabled the student to place self-doubt and fear of embarrassmentaside in order to answer according to his/her own understanding6, 7. The results from thepopulations using clickers as their response method were reflective of what one would expectfrom a class containing students of varying capabilities and levels of comprehension.Conversely, the results of the populations using hand-raising as their response method wereexcessively inflated. The lack of anonymity amongst these populations inaccurately skewed thedata dramatically in

Conference Session

Assessment and Continuous Improvement in Engineering Technology: Part II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nripendra Sarker, Prairie View A&M University; Mohan Ketkar, Prairie View A&M University; Cajetan Akujuobi, Prairie View A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

suggest any improvements. This survey captures their opinions on the quality of theprograms reflecting the students, faculty and laboratory facilities (Figure A.3.)Intern/Co-op Supervisor SurveyOpinions of the Intern/Co-op supervisors on the skills and performance of the continuingstudents form another important feedback to a program. The ABET a-k outcome tool can beused in this survey (Figure A.4)Alumni SurveyAlumni with at least two years of professional experience are the valuable source of informationto judge the strength and recommend ways to enhance the programs. Their performance in theindustry is the major indicator of achievement of the program objectives. As shown in FigureA.5, a one page questionnaire is prepared on the basis of

Conference Session

New Learning Paradigms I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rebecca Damron, Oklahoma State University; Karen High, Oklahoma State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

included both the theoretical andpractical aspects of the peer tutoring process, was used as part the training process.Topics included everything from the writing process, to working with grammar andmechanics, as well as how to conduct face to face tutorials. The Fellows continued tomeet weekly with their supervisor throughout the semester. The Writing Fellows wereasked to write two reflection papers, one during the training week about their writingbackground and one at the end of the semester about various aspects of the program todetermine the effects of the program.ResultsResults show that WF experience has an effect on student performance. On the firstreport of the semester, 69 students (out of 71) turned in the design project report

Conference Session

Using Classroom Technologies

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christine B. Masters, Pennsylvania State University; Alexander Yin, Pennsylvania State University; Gül Okudan, Pennsylvania State University; Mieke Schuurman, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

AC 2009-1276: ASSESSING GROWTH OF ENGINEERING STUDENTS USINGE-PORTFOLIOS: A MDL-BASED APPROACHChristine B. Masters, Pennsylvania State UniversityAlexander Yin, Pennsylvania State UniversityGül Okudan, Pennsylvania State UniversityMieke Schuurman, Pennsylvania State University Page 14.239.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Assessing Growth of Engineering Students Using E-Portfolios: A MDL-Based ApproachAbstractOverall premise of the work presented is to study the potential of e-portfolios as a viablemechanism for student reflection and assessment of growth on attributes that are part ofbecoming a World Class Engineer. These

Conference Session

Assessment and Continuous Improvement in Electronics and Electrical ET Programs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nasser Alaraje, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

Employer Survey Triennially Center/SoT Staff Input from Industrial Advisory Board Faculty AnnuallyJob Placement DataData from the University Career Center on our graduates’ job placement reflects how successful ourgraduates are in securing a job in a related field.Alumni SurveyThe alumni survey is a written questionnaire which our alumni are asked to complete. Data will be collectedevery three years. The data will be analyzed and used in continuous improvement. A sample copy of thesurvey is included in Appendix A.Employer SurveyThe employer survey is a written questionnaire which

Conference Session

Service Learning Projects in Developing Countries

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jess Everett, Rowan University; Yusuf Mehta, Rowan University; Joshua R. Wyrick, Rowan University; Maria Perez-Colon, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

, in Senegal, El Salvador, and The Gambia.IntroductionExperiential education involves educators teaching by engaging students directly in realexperiences and focused reflection. Experiential learning is a component of experientialeducation, i.e., learning through direct experience. Experiential education and learning can be avaluable component of engineering courses [1,2,3,4,5].Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated toimproving the quality of life for impoverished communities around the world. EWB connectsstudents and professional engineers with communities in developing countries and provides helpthrough the implementation of environmentally and economically sustainable engineeringprojects. In

Conference Session

Curricular Issues in Computer-Oriented Programs

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kyle Lutes, Purdue University; Alka Harriger, Purdue University; Jack Purdum, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Information Systems

F 55Along with the students’ identification numbers and course grade, the data file recorded the raw Page 14.496.5survey response data, the number of responses that are identified as reflecting introvertpersonalities, and the percent of the total responses that were introvert responses.Table 3 shows the summary statistics taken from the raw data files. The mean reflects theaverage number of responses that were “introvert” in nature. For example, in the CIT 155 class,the 102 students averaged about three introvert-based answers from the seven statements posedon the questionnaire. (We used the numeric count values rather than

Conference Session

Embedded System Design

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mouna Nakkar, University of Sharjah

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

industry and is expected to grow more in the next few years.To reflect on this, several leading universities are incorporating alternative teaching methods ofEmbedded Systems1-5. This change is of an agreement to proposals made by chief industryengineers. For example, G. Martin6 mentioned that few universities are changing its curriculumto reflect on industry's needs. Further, he added that the industry have a shortage of SoCengineers that universities are not providing.B. Teaching Embedded Systems/SoC/FPGA designDespite the improvement of reconfigurable hardware, FPGA, and EDA tools associated withthem, FPGA/SoC design is still a difficult pedagogical task especially for undergraduate courses.The design requires a good understating of the

Conference Session

Entrepreneurship Education: Assessment and Integrating Entrepreneurship into the Curriculum

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Gerhart, Lawrence Technological University; Melissa Grunow, Lawrence Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Entrepreneurship & Engineering Innovation

, entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, and sustainable change are studied. In addition,each student began development of his/her own leadership philosophy through various projectsand personal reflection assignments. Team work is emphasized and all students’ leadershipskills are both self-assessed and assessed by each team member.Near the beginning of the course, the students were surveyed on their general perceptions ofleadership skills including problem solving, teamwork, self-confidence, group management,ethics, organization, social awareness, and confidence. After the course, the same survey wasadministered. A comparison of the pre and post-course surveys yields some shift in perceptions.The students were also surveyed pre and post-course on their