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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Matthew Cavalli, Western Michigan University; Anetra Grice, Western Michigan University

. These additionalconnections with faculty, staff, and students in CEAS may have played a key role in theincreased perceived wellness of students in the preparatory sections of ENGR 2100. Futurework will focus on creating additional opportunities for impactful engagement for all students inENGR 2100 with the goal of improving the overall impact of the course on the personal wellnessof students in the CEAS.References[1] “Creating a Healthier Life: A Step-by-Step Guide to Wellness,” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, www.samhsa.gov, https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/sma16-4958.pdf (accessed 1/14/2022).[2] M. Swarbrick, “A Wellness Approach,” Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, vol. 29, no

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

Authors

Micah Lande, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

thinking and making processes to their work. He is interested in the intersection of designerly epistemic identities and vocational pathways. Dr. Lande received his B.S. in Engineering (Product Design), M.A. in Education (Learning, Design and Technology) and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (Design Education) from Stanford University. 15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE): Boston, Massachusetts Jul 28 Full Paper: Tinkering and Making to Engage Students in a First-Year Introduction to Mechanical Engineering CourseIntroductionHands-on learning and tinkering activities play a crucial role in teaching introductory mechanicalengineering to first-year students. These activities immerse

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Song Wang, University of Hartford; Enrico Obst, University of Hartford; Beth Richards, University of Hartford

better and deeperunderstanding of engineering concepts and practices through realistic projects [10, 11]. Writingexperience also promotes students’ academic engagement, and providing students with formativefeedback on their writing can improve their mindset, belonging, and perseverance in college [12,13]. Effective oral communication can build student’s self-confidence and enhance theirconnections and inclusions with peers and faculties. Creating a supportive learning environmentthrough practices like engagement and providing opportunities for positive interactions amongdiverse peers can further promote students' sense of belonging [14].Research SignificanceWhile industry increasingly values engineers with strong technical skills and

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Gretchen Scroggin, University of Arkansas; Heath Aren Schluterman, University of Arkansas; Aysa Galbraith, University of Arkansas; Leslie Bartsch Massey, University of Arkansas; Latisha Puckett, University of Arkansas

Tagged Topics

Diversity

new ways to support first-year students and enhance retention. According tothe Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), High-Impact Practices (HIPs)offer significant educational benefits, especially for historically underserved groups, bycultivating substantive relationships, promoting engagement across diverse perspectives,facilitating the application of acquired knowledge, and fostering reflective processes aimed atpersonal development [1]. Students involved in HIPs are more likely to experience positiveoutcomes like academic achievement, persistence, and attainment of goals that prepare a studentto live a rewarding life [2]. It is recommended to integrate HIPs into curriculum in alignmentwith course objectives and

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Mohammad Heshmati, Mississippi State University; Bill B Elmore, Mississippi State University

, while acquaintingstudents with the benefits and drawbacks of wind, geothermal, and solar energy production throughhands-on projects.INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUNDPBL, which originated from McMaster University in 1965, involves hands-on projects guided byinstructors, promoting exploration and knowledge acquisition. PBL stems from constructivism,and contrasts with traditional lecture-based methods by actively engaging students in the learningprocess through structured, practical experiments. The essential PBL criteria based on HQPBLinclude: intellectual challenges, authenticity, public product, collaboration, project management,and reflection. Studies have shown various implementations of PBL, highlighting its benefits inenhancing student engagement

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Rawle D. Sookwah, University of South Carolina; Robert Petrulis; Edward P Gatzke, University of South Carolina

Tagged Topics

Diversity

opportunities that can improve FGS resilience and mediate the impact of stressors[4]. Researchers have explored the impact of SIP on student emotional intelligence, program satisfaction, andself-efficacy noting their impact on FGS retention [1-3]. This research seeks to expand the growing literature onSIP implementation through assessing FGS perceived stressors, use of academic supports, and perceived utilityof the support systems.The Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing at the University of South Carolina serves approximately3,000 undergraduate students, representing close to 11% of the overall student body at the university. Inacademic year 2021-22, only 22.5% of the undergraduate students in the college were female. Black

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Juval V Racelis, Wentworth Institute of Technology

sustained.These notions draw close connection to Lave and Wenger’s [9] work on situated learning whichdescribes identity as a process developed through contextualized practices. They argue that it isthrough the situated learning within specific contexts and communities that one learns to be acertain kind of person. Taken together, identity is thus maintained through discourse andnarrative in achievement of recognition as a certain kind of person.Young students who are still in the process of developing a disciplinary identity may be lessaware of their developing identities and as such, survey-based approaches that engage students inactive exploration of their identity are limited. This paper argues that it is through examination oftheir talk about their

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Caitrin Lynch, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering; Joanne C. Pratt, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

) orients the college around sustainability. The implementation framework(referred to as the “college as a living lab” for “human and planetary health”) is an initiative thatconnects the college’s curriculum, operations, and community to create innovative education andresearch models that create engaging learning experiences while addressing real-worldsustainability challenges. This workshop aims to guide participants through student experiencesthat support the transformation of identities of students and faculty alike as we grapple with therole of engineers in shaping a more sustainable society.The delivery of the workshop is divided into three parts: Ideation, Experimentation, andReflection.In the first part (30 minutes), we conduct an ideation

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Angelika Aldea Tamura, University of California, Davis; Tiffany Marie Chan, University of California, Davis; Xianglong Wang, University of California, Davis

Tagged Topics

Diversity

experiences encountered by first-year womenengineering students have contributed to the low enrollment we experienced. Enrolled studentsgenerally submitted their reflections on time and actively engaged in discussions. The smallerclass size contributed to this engagement, fostering a sense of closeness and comfort among thestudents, although occasional prompting and facilitation was needed to maintain the momentumduring the discussion.Although we could not analyze the validated survey questions to quantitatively determine theachievement level of the learning outcomes due to the low enrollment, student self-assessment ofthis FYS has so far been positive. The Likert-scale questions in the post survey indicated thatstudents believe that participating in

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Toluwani Collins Olukanni, Norwich University; Majd Khalaf, Norwich University; Michael Cross, Norwich University; David M. Feinauer P.E., Virginia Military Institute; Ali Al Bataineh, Norwich University

has research experience in the areas of automation and control theory, system identification, machine learning, and energy resilience. He holds a PhD and BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kentucky.Ali Al Bataineh, Norwich University 15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE): Boston, Massachusetts Jul 28 Full Paper: Future-Ready Students – Survey Analysis Utilizing Natural Language ProcessingAbstractFirst-year Electrical and Computer Engineering students from two institutions engaged in acollaborative project to develop a smart home device using sensors and actuators learned in theirintroductory courses. They reflected on the project, and their feedback was

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Cory Budischak, Temple University; Shawn Fagan, Temple University

questions:1. How do academic and career choices and persistence develop for low-income, high- achieving students in the STEPS program?2. What impact do learning experiences and support programs have on these students' choices?3. How do these students overcome social and cultural barriers to persist in the STEPS program?This research also aims to answer the engineering community's call for more qualitative studies on studentpersistence in engineering.The STEPS program welcomed its first nine scholars in the Fall of 2023. Project activities for the first yearare listed in Freshman columns of Table 1. Below, several of the activities are described in more detail.Introduction to Engineering Course and First-Year Seminar Courses: Before the semester

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Charity Obaa Afi Ampomah, Ashesi University; Heather Beem, Ashesi University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

intrinsic and extrinsic motivation [14].When students engage in project-based learning, their need for autonomy can be met as theyactively engage in tasks that promote learning, develop their cognitive capabilities, fostercollaboration amongst peers, and when they receive the right scaffolding from faculty [15].This paper directly builds on a study carried out with the students of Ashesi University whoparticipated in a first-year design-oriented course in 2022 [7]. That study commenced anexploration of the three constructs brought into view – self-efficacy, self-determination andagency, and it revealed the need for relying more on existing validated surveys. Here, a revisedset of scales is used to explore the relevance of these constructs through a

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Stephany Coffman-Wolph, Ohio Northern University

potential it holds for the first-year experience andbeyond.What Attendees Will Gain • A multifaceted understanding of Entrepreneurial Mindset (EM) and its pivotal role in engineering education. • Learn to integrate EM seamlessly into first-year courses, empowering students to approach problem-solving, innovation, and value creation with a fresh perspective. • Information on gaining access to valuable resources from KEEN / Engineering Unleashed, further enriching their teaching toolkit and enabling them to nurture the next generation of entrepreneurial engineers. • Be equipped with practical strategies to foster an entrepreneurial spirit in their classrooms, thereby enhancing student engagement

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Longfei Zhou, Gannon University; Varun K Kasaraneni, Gannon University; Longyan Chen, Gannon University; Ahmed Abuhussein, Gannon University

Major Exploration" lecture offers insights from facultyacross disciplines like Biomedical, Computer Science, and Software Engineering, helping studentschoose their major by highlighting necessary skills and career paths. The "Spirit of Engineering"lecture delves into the history of engineering, distinguishing it from science and discussing itsglobal impact and career development strategies. The "Professional Development" lecture, led bya student advisor, guides students in preparing professional resumes and navigating internshipinterviews, with follow-up support from the Career Exploration and Development Center atGannon University. A "Communication" lecture focuses on crafting technical reports, providing astandard format for students. Finally

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Sukeerti Shandliya, University of Cincinnati; Cedrick Kwuimy, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Topics

Diversity

, where learnersreflect on the “what” and “how” of the learning process and consequently “learn within meaningschemes” or “learn new meaning schemes”. Whereas, when learners engage in premise reflectionand ask themselves “why they are learning something”, they are able to learn through “meaningtransformation”, also called “profound transformation” [11].Since the learners exposed to transformative learning would arguably become more independent,self-directed and critical thinkers, the goal of the first-year engineering curriculum should be todeliver equitable experiences to all students so that all students are able to experience successand retention in engineering. Limited studies in engineering education have explored thesignificance and

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Kapil Gangwar, Wentworth Institute of Technology

enablestudents to visualize and experiment with complex engineering concepts, conduct experimentsremotely, access interactive learning materials, collaborate with peers, analyze and interpret data,and develop programming skills. Through the integration of digital tools and technologies, first-year engineering students can benefit from hands-on learning experiences, gain opportunities forcollaborative learning and communication, and prepare themselves for the digitally focusedmodern engineering industrial world.1. Introduction:Over the past decade, there has been a significant evolution in technology, engineeringtextbooks, examples, and practice problems. This transformation has fundamentally altered ourapproach to thinking, analyzing, and solving

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Heather Schwab, The Ohio State University; Peyton OReilly, The Ohio State University; Laine Rumreich, The Ohio State University; Krista M Kecskemety, The Ohio State University

Belonging in an Academic SettingA sense of belonging in an academic setting has been shown to correlate with grades, self andpeer perceptions, involvement in research and student life organizations, and emotional andbehavioral engagement within the classroom [10]. Student peer-to-peer relationships and theirimpact on sense of belonging is a topic that has been well-researched [12]. Qualities of theserelationships that have been shown to increase belonging are support, extracurricular activities,and interactions [13]. While campus-wide student involvement has been shown to impact senseof belonging [14], this study will focus on student-to-course connections and how that affectstheir sense of belonging.Integration into a college environment, such as

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Lucie Tchouassi, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Jaskirat Sodhi, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Ashish D Borgaonkar, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Tagged Topics

Diversity

improve students'communication and cooperation abilities while teaching basic engineering skills. The DEIBJ/IDactivity enhances the course by exposing students to the DEIBJ/ID topics by using activelearning approaches like presentations, group exercises, and case studies. These projects and thelearning will inspire students to actively and thoughtfully engage with DEIBJ and ID principles,incorporating them into their cognitive processes as they work on future projects. The goal ofthis paper is to share this idea with the first-year community and also gather feedback to helpimprove execution and build a system for measuring learning outcomes and module efficacy.Literature reviewInclusion of DEIBJ and ID in an introductory engineering course is

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Nicole Alexandra Batrouny, Northeastern Univeristy; Daria A Kotys-Schwartz, University of Colorado Boulder; Micah Lande, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

,especially those who research the design process, teach the design process, or engage in thedesign process themselves. We also expect this workshop to be of broader interest to first yeareducators who incorporate mindful practices in their courses or are interested in developing self-awareness in students as an effort to educate whole people. The main emphasis will be onstrategies to develop a reflective design process, including equipping participants with tools totrack and reflect on the design process. We will also discuss ways to encourage and support firstyear students to develop these design awareness skills.Workshop GoalsThe intent of this workshop is to teach participants how to build self-awareness for their studentsand themselves through

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Mohammed El Kihal, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Cassie Wallwey, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Juan David Ortega Álvarez, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; James Nathaniel Newcomer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

SRL literature exploration. This overlap is visually represented in Figure 1.SRL Integration OpportunitiesAs engineering education researchers and practitioners, we underscore the essential role of SRLin fostering the academic and personal growth of FYE students. Integrating SRL seamlessly intothe FYE curriculum is crucial, embedding it within existing educational structures to enhance itsrelevance and impact. Our strategic focus on four key SRL areas—Motivation, Goal Setting,Growth & Improvement, and Reflection & Metacognition—employs a tripartite approach ofdiscussion, practical implementation, and role modeling. This methodology, inspired byBandura's Social Learning Theory [25], helps students learn through observation and practice

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Kurt Ryan Rhoads, Case Western Reserve University; Kathleen A Harper, Case Western Reserve University; Michael William Butler, Case Western Reserve University

available for allstudents in our class on using 3D printers and laser cutters.In this work, we describe the addition of an “adventurer” component to the module. In additionto the goals above, we also wanted students to develop additional manufacturing skills.Carbonell et al. [1] found that the integration of the makerspace into various courseworkincreased technology self-efficacy, affect toward design, design self-efficacy, and sense ofbelonging. Gillespie and Nossoni [2] found that students in a first-year engineering courseintegrated with maker space activities visited the makerspace more often and were more likely tochange their beliefs toward engineering to identify skills such as teamwork, problem solvingabilities, and communication as being

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Todd France, Ohio Northern University; J. Blake Hylton, Ohio Northern University; Abigail Clark, Ohio Northern University

. Stakeholder Profile Canvas: Attendees jot notes on this canvas to build empathy with the client of their current / envisioned project. a) Eliciting questions prompt responses related to their internal needs, wants, and pains, as well as external influences such as their environment and daily tasks. b) Examples of students’ stakeholder profile work are shown, as are the resulting design projects that eventually aligned with these canvas responses. c) Discussion question: Why is it beneficial to engage with real clients?3. Overview of the first-year engineering course in which the canvases have been utilized. a) Discussion question: What limits our ability to engage with real clients? b) Practical suggestions for recruiting

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15th Annual First-Year Engineering Experience Conference (FYEE)

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Lynn A. Albers, Hofstra University

Paper ID #45080WIP: Activity Centric Online Teaching and Learning with MATLABDr. Lynn A. Albers, Hofstra University Dr. Lynn Albers is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering of the Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science at Hofstra University. Her previous academic contribution was as one of the founding five faculty/staff at Campbell University, helping the newly formed School of Engineering grow and establish roots in the community. A proponent of Hands-On Activities in the classroom and during out-of-school time programs, she believes that they complement any teaching style thereby reaching