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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Kurt McMullin; Thalia Anagnos; Jan Hustler; Nancy Thomas

Society for Engineering Education 617Improved Pedagogical Content Knowledge: Expanding the concept of Pedagogical ContentKnowledge (PDK)4 and applying it to engineering education was seen as a good investment forfaculty time. The ability of engineering students to draw complete and correct Free BodyDiagrams (FBD) was seen as a critical skill. Engineering students in the mechanics courses(Statics, Mechanics of Materials, Dynamics, and Fluid Mechanics) frequently use equilibriumconcepts to solve engineering problems. The ability to correctly draw a FBD would allowstudents to perform better in multiple classes, but faculty instructors often

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

M. Cardenas

Imperial College, and suggest potential ways ofimproving beginning engineering students’ hands-on skills.IntroductionCar ownership was once a defining event in a young person’s life. A car might have been seen asa symbol of freedom and power (especially to those of us who grew up listening to the BeachBoys, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen or Golden Earring); an indication of material wealth orstatus (The Great Gatsby); and to many budding engineers of previous generations, anaesthetically-pleasing machine that felt, smelled, and sounded good. However, to the Millennial(or Generation Y) cohort--usually defined as those born in the 1980s and 1990s—interest in carsis declining. Proceedings of the 2013 American Society for Engineering Education

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Natalie Jorion; Brian Self; Katie James; Lianne Schroeder; Lou DiBello; Jim Pellegrino

as a whole, which can help users understand the utility of the items for informing andrefining instruction.MethodParticipantsThe analyses made use of post-test DCI data from students at two large public universities. Oneof these schools is on the semester system, while the other is on the quarter system. The studentstook the test for an undergraduate dynamics course during June, 2011. The majority of thesestudents were sophomore engineering majors, including mechanical, civil, aero, biomedical, andindustrial engineering. The combined datasets totaled 966 cases.InstrumentThe version 1.0 of the DCI that was analyzed has 29 questions, five of which are taken withoutchange from the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). The developers provided a list of

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

David B. Lanning

by retaking courses many times, too many times in the eyes ofmany of the engineering faculty. These students often manage to maintain an acceptablealthough often inadvisably low GPA, and harm their chances of success beyond graduation. TheDepartment of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (AE/ME) is currently considering variousalternatives to raise the bar on certain degree program requirements, such as limiting the numberof attempts a student may make at completing a required course. For the purpose of tailoring anynew degree program requirements to ensure student success both during their undergraduateengineering education and after graduation, this work focuses on identifying students who repeatcourses and provides data on the number of

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Kate Disney; Erik Dunmire; Michelle Millea; Larry Owens; Jo-Ann Panzardi P.E.; Liz Rozell

Draft Model Curriculum Mechanical, Civil, Aeronautical, or Manufacturing Engineering 11/9/2012 Version Course Title Semester Units (minimum)Required Engineering Core Courses 23 Introduction to Engineering 1 Engineering Graphics 3 Statics 3 Materials Science and Engineering 4 Introduction to Programming Concepts 3 and Methodologies for Engineers Circuit Analysis 3 Strength of Materials 3 Dynamics 3 Surveying (recommended for CE if 3

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Nicholas M. Rhodes; Matthew A. Ung; Jim Herold; Thomas F. Stahovich

Using a Lexical and Temporal Analysis of Students’ Self- Explanation to Predict Understanding Nicholas M. Rhodes1, Matthew A. Ung2, Jim Herold1, Thomas F. Stahovich2 1 Department of Computer Science, University of California Riverside 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California RiversideAbstractNumerous studies have shown that self-explanation can lead to increased learning outcomes.Here we examine how the how the quality of self-explanation correlates with performance. Morespecifically, we examine how the words students use in their self-explanations correlate withperformance on homework. We also examine how the time spent solving

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Thomas M. Korman; Hal A. Johnston; Lloyd Crask

• Concrete (Form and Place) • Siding • Backfill and Compaction • Finishing • Aggregate Base • Mechanical and Electrical • Paving • Finish GradingEvery activity has five (5) different construction methods that vary in time and cost. The fifthmethod is generally use of a subcontractor. All five methods of activity #9 (Mechanical andElectrical) are generally subcontracted. The Estimated Time and Cost Report gives labor andmaterial costs and the amount of time required for every activity using each of the five methods.Heavy construction bids are generally unit

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Kiran George

) Electrical 2.79 2.91 (N =1) Mechanical 2.96 3.15 (N =5) * Data source: Office of Institutional Research and Analytical Studies, CSUF(d) Impact of working hours on ACE scholars’ academic performanceImpact of working hours on the ACE scholars’ academic performance was studied. Following isthe summary of the study:  Modest negative correlation (r) (-0.37) was observed between number of working hours and the academic performance (GPA) of the scholars; coefficient of determination (r2) indicates that 14% of

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Eniko T. Enikov; Jesus Acosta Iriqui

From Step-Response to State-Space Controller-Observer Design in Twenty Minutes: A Hands-On Workshop on the Use of Matlab/Simulink to Control a Low-Cost Aerodynamic Pendulum Eniko T. Enikov, Jesus Acosta Iriqui Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department University of ArizonaAbstractThis workshop will present broad range of control systems design topics illustrated through theuse of a low-cost aeropendulum. The project is based on a USB-powered kit operated by MatlabSimulink environment in real-time. Participants will follow the activities offered to senior-levelundergraduate students from mechanical and aerospace engineering

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Tammy Yut-Ling Chan; Gustavo Borel Menezes

Active Learning in Computer-Aided Engineering Courses (WIP) Tammy Yut-Ling Chan, Gustavo Borel Menezes Mechanical Engineering Department/Civil Engineering Department California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA)AbstractThe field of numerical methods in engineering is broad with many established concepts, yet isstill an area of active research. With the short 10 weeks in the quarter to teach this material toundergraduate students, the instructor is faced with issues such as the number of topics, depth ofcoverage, and how to effectively teach this large amount of material. Herein, the instructors usedactive learning and project-based

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Frank G. Jacobitz; Thomas F. Schubert

. Proceedings of the 2013 American Society for Engineering Education Pacific Southwest Conference Copyright © 2013, American Society for Engineering Education 197 Figure 2. Topics in Fluid Mechanics in FranceThe course met for three weeks with an average of three lecture hours per day. The lectures wereconducted in a seminar room at the university. There was one three-hour midterm focused ontheoretical material at the end of the second week and a final computational project presented bythe students on the last day of classes. The grading was based on homework (six assignments,30% of the total grade), the

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Matthew T. Siniawski; Adam R. Carberry; Rafiqul I. Noorani

A Project-based Approach for a Design and Manufacturing Laboratory Course Matthew T. Siniawski1, Adam R. Carberry2, Rafiqul I. Noorani1 1 - Loyola Marymount University / 2 - Arizona State UniversityAbstractAn upper-division design and manufacturing laboratory course for mechanical engineeringstudents was redesigned to incorporate a semester-long project. The goal of the project was toprovide students with an experience applying the design process to develop a simple product, amanual bottle opener. During the design process, students individually generated a conceptualdesign, created a 3D computer-aided design (CAD) model of their design

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Jeffrey Georgette; Brian Self; James Widmann; Kathryn Bohn; Eric Wang

like increased knowledge andretention in programs2. Understanding concepts leads to growth throughout higher education, socare must be taken to guide the correct understanding of course material. If the student is to learnthe course material, he/she must understand the fundamentals and be able to apply them in futurecontexts.Active learning is used as a method to reach such aims. Student activity and engagement are keyelements of active learning2. This contrasts with traditional lecture formats, where studentspassively receive information from the professor. Through inquiry based learning, students canactively engage by performing experiments and by learning in teams.The reason for this study is to help students gain a greater understanding of

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Binod Tiwari

Northridge Earthquake. Proceedings of the 2013 American Society for Engineering Education Pacific Southwest Conference Copyright © 2013, American Society for Engineering Education 407Use of Recycled Materials in ConstructionA community College student from Santiago Canyon College joined a group of 3 seniors, a highschool student, and a graduate student in summer 2012 to evaluate the potential of reusing scraprubber tires in civil engineering construction. The community college student was funded withSTEM grant whereas the CSUF students were funded with LSAMP scholarship and NSFGraduate Research Fellowship. The high

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Keith Level

WORK IN PROGRESS Using Mastering Engineering Software-Based Homework System in Statics and Circuits Classes Keith Level Las Positas College, Livermore, CAAbstractMastering Engineering is a web-based, homework management system, created by PearsonPublishing Company. It is currently available in 4 engineering courses and 2 science courses.Engineering Courses currently covered by the Mastering Engineering software include (1)Statics, (2) Dynamics, (3) Mechanics of Materials, and (4) Electrical Circuits. This paper willexamine the pros and cons of using this software, from a community college

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Jeffrey Ashworth; Samer Shaghoury

courses providing thefundamentals in these areas are not included in the pre-requisites, the students will enter thedesign sequence without the necessary basic skills to accomplish an entire aircraft designfollowing basic established design methodology. After years of observing students struggle withthe basics in the design course, it is apparent a course like the Aircraft Flight Mechanics andPerformance (AE 395N) course is essential to develop a practical background before studentsentered the design sequence. Proceedings of the 2013 American Society for Engineering Education Pacific Southwest Conference Copyright © 2013, American Society for Engineering Education

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

R. Radharamanan

challenge for value creation to 160 freshman students (40 teams) and the top three teams received awards (February 2013). 9. Sixteen Mercer students will be participating and presenting their design project results in MESCON to be held at University of Evansville during March 22-23, 2013.Entrepreneurial Design ProjectsMCIE has funded several entrepreneurial design projects in the areas of Biomedical, Computer,Electrical, Environmental, Industrial/Manufacturing, and Mechanical Engineering. Only selectedcreative student design project(s)/course module(s) in manufacturing involving CAD/CAM,Rapid Prototyping and Robotics are briefly presented and discussed below:Retrofitting of Tabletop CNC Lathe17 (Senior Design Project):This project

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2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Nasser Alromaih; Mark Rajai; S. Jimmy Gandhi

effortto come up with innovative ways of teaching entrepreneurship. In this paper, the authorshave discussed innovative ways to teach entrepreneurship to engineering graduates. Theauthors have first discussed ways in which entrepreneurship is currently taught toengineering majors and then have provided innovative alternatives to making changes tothe entrepreneurship curriculum.What is Entrepreneurship? Entrepreneurship is an activity that involves using innovations, business skills,financial and material resources to transform creative ideas into economic goods.According to Refaat,5 “Entrepreneurship is an activity that involves the discovery,evaluation, and exploitation of opportunities to introduce new goods and services, waysof organizing

Collection

2013 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Foaad Khosmood; Phillip Nico

they will be inevitably well known in the student community and may become somewhatroutine for the instructors. At the same time developing new course material every term is notrealistic. But if we can produce a set of reasonably divergent variations of the same assignment,perhaps we can mitigate some of the undesirable affects of repetition in assignments.By “scalability”, we refer to the scope of the deliverables. It’s possible to have almost an entirefile system already created with only a few minor features left to be implemented by students.This may be suitable for a lab or a small assignment. If the instructor chooses to, however, he orshe can offer a much bigger project involving design of major components such as the1 a Indeed, in