Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Transportation and Geotechnical Engineering

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Conrad, Portland State University; Timothy James Pfeiffer P.E., Foundation Engineering, Inc.; Tom Szymoniak, Portland State University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

classes. A major finding of the project has been thatpractitioners and students exhibit a fundamentally different view of writing: practitioners seewriting as integrated with engineering content and practice, whereas students view writing asseparate from engineering. In this paper, we present three cases studies that illustrate theempirical analyses that have led to this finding, focusing on organization, sentence structure, andgrammatical errors. We then offer five specific suggestions for approaching writing in civilengineering classes so that students will be better prepared for writing in the workplace,discussing how these ideas have been implemented at the university where the project is based.IntroductionIn discussions of how to prepare

Conference Session

Instructional Innovations and Global Issues in Architectural Engineering Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert J. Dermody A.I.A., Roger Williams University

Tagged Divisions

Architectural

fundamental principles of statics, strength ofmaterials, and structural behavior. Such inspiring examples are also highly motivational becausethey show the practical role that their current studies have in practice.IntroductionEngineering students often come to their introductory classes wanting to know how bigstructures work. They are intrigued by bridges, skyscrapers, and long-span roofs. An excellentway to harness their curiosity and enthusiasm is to introduce them to both fundamental technicalconcepts and to the rich history of famous engineering structures. For example, the Eiffel toweris a vertical cantilever with a form designed to resist wind loads, an excellent focus for adiscussion of statics. Gustave Eiffel and Maurice Koechlin determined

Conference Session

Arduinos, Microcontrollers, Inexpensive Robotics, and Other Tech Bytes

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arthur F. Garcia Jr. P.E., Palm Beach State College

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

Engineering Education, 2012An Innovative Approach to the Fundamentals of Engineering Course Arthur F. Garcia, Jr. Palm Beach State College Boca Raton, Florida Page 25.168.2Introduction For incoming freshman and sophomores, colleges offer a Fundamentals of Engineeringcourse. This course is generally an opportunity to motivate the incoming engineering students tocommit to engineering as a career. Most students have some uncertainties in pursuingengineering. Some incoming students are more mature than others and more mentally preparedfor the rigor and discipline of engineering courses. However, some students are not

Conference Session

Using Computers, Software, and Writing to Improve Mathematical Understanding

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

N. Jean Hodges, Virginia Commonwealth University, Qatar

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

to do so.One teaching strategy shown by researchers since the 1960s and 1970s to be an effective learningand thinking tool is writing. Writing enables the writer to capture otherwise random thoughts byplacing them on a writing surface where they become concrete and thus more readily examined andmanipulated. Consequently, writing should be an effective tool for enabling math students to retainthe mathematical principles being developed in the classroom as well as for aiding them to improvetheir critical thinking abilities needed for applying their mathematical understandings to problems ofthe modern world.By incorporating writing that emphasizes critical thinking into the math classroom, this study seeksan answer to two questions: (1) how can

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching and Research in Physics or Engineering Physics I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jia-Ling Lin, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Manuela Romero, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Jennifer Binzley, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Eman A. Zaki, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

often struggle to overcome the widely-held perception that high achievers are definedby good course grades alone. For many instructors test grades are such a handy tool that they areinclined to use it whenever possible. When we first looked at how students’ readiness affectstheir course performance, we applied a hypothetical universal model, shown in Figure 5, toexplain our data. This model is based on typical practices in traditional physics courses forcontent delivery and assessment. In this figure, three typical groups of knowledge are used.Traditional physics courses recognize these three classes of knowledge i.e., factual, conceptual,and procedural as fundamental knowledge. Both teaching and learning are assumed to start frombasic factual

Conference Session

Advances in Assessment of Communication and Interdisciplinary Competence

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carolyn Kusbit Dunn, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

taken from an entirely separate course, which should ameliorateconcerns about reliability. Page 25.238.8 For the global issues outcome, however, both methods of assessment had to come fromthe Technical Writing course, which required some revision. Each week of material taught in theclass includes a component on cultural considerations. For instance, when the topic of graphics iscovered, students are taught to address multicultural issues. From a fundamental standpoint, oneof the reasons graphics are effective in technical writing is precisely because they oftencommunicate better than text to a multicultural audience. A company can save

Conference Session

FPD VI: Presenting "All the Best" of the First-year Programs Division

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

S. Scott Moor, Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

AC 2012-4824: INTRODUCING MEMO WRITING AND A DESIGN PRO-CESS: A FIVE-WEEK SIMULATOR PROJECTDr. S. Scott Moor, Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne Scott Moor is an Associate Professor of engineering and Coordinator of First-year Engineering at Indi- ana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne. He received a B.S. and M.S. in chemical engineering from MIT. After more than a decade in industry, he returned to academia at the University of California, Berkeley, where he received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and an M.A. in statistics. He is a registered Professional Chemical Engineer in California. His research interests include engineering education with an emphasis on developing and testing educational

Conference Session

Research in Assessment

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Luanna B. Prevost, Michigan State University; Kevin C. Haudek, Michigan State University; John E. Merrill, Michigan State University; Mark Urban-Lurain, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

in large-enrollment courses.A fundamental understanding of thermodynamics is necessary in many STEM disciplineincluding physics, engineering, chemistry and biology, and it is frequently taught in many large-enrollment introductory courses. Students often harbor misconceptions about or have problemsunderstanding thermodynamics 12,13, including the relationship between exothermic, endothermicand spontaneous process and distinguishing between the system and surrounding, which can beuncovered using written assessments 14. In this study, we demonstrate the use of automated textanalytics software to investigate students’ understanding of thermodynamics in an introductorybiology course. We examine the relationship between students’ multiple-choice

Conference Session

Research Informing Teaching Practice I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Chris Venters, Virginia Tech; Lisa D. McNair, Virginia Tech; Marie C. Paretti, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

AC 2012-4530: USING WRITING ASSIGNMENTS TO IMPROVE CON-CEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING IN STATICS: RESULTS FROM A PILOTSTUDYMr. Chris Venters, Virginia Tech Chris Venters is a Ph.D. candidate in engineering education at Virginia Tech. His primary research in- terests involve studying conceptual understanding among students in early undergraduate engineering courses. He received his B.S. in aerospace engineering from North Carolina State University and his M.S. in aerospace engineering from Virginia Tech.Dr. Lisa D. McNair, Virginia Tech Lisa McNair is an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech, where she also serves as Assistant Department Head for Graduate Education and co-directs the

Conference Session

Using Computers, Software, and Writing to Improve Mathematical Understanding

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Schmeelk, Virginia Commonwealth University, Qatar

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

AC 2012-2998: EDGE DETECTORS IN ENGINEERING AND MEDICALAPPLICATIONSDr. John Schmeelk, Virginia Commonwealth University, Qatar Page 25.489.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 Edge Detectors in Engineering and Medical ApplicationsAbstract Image edge detection is an integral component of image processing to enhance theclarity of edges and the type of edges. The current paper compares two methods forfinding the edges of an image. One method developed by the author is to define specialmatrices and applying them to the image using approximations for gradients

Conference Session

Creative and Cross-disciplinary Methods Part I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig J. Gunn, Michigan State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

enjoyment that they might get from participating. There are manyindividuals who will never gain a desire to write poetry; but for those who do, providing thisvenue makes the effort worthwhile. As other directions of writing are investigated, hopefullymore students will be drawn into other activities that expand their ideas on communication.ABET’s requirements for accreditation since 2000 give a clear indication that writtencommunication is of tantamount importance in the education of undergraduate engineers. It isinteresting to note that previous to EC 2000, communication in all its forms did not merit morethan a few lines hidden away in the ABET document. With its newly gained prominence,educators are scrambling to make sure that their programs

Conference Session

Electrical and Computer Poster Session

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Graham, University of Louisville; Karla Conn Welch, University of Louisville; Jeffrey Lloyd Hieb, University of Louisville; Shamus McNamara, University of Louisville

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

AC 2012-3257: CRITICAL THINKING IN ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTERENGINEERINGDr. James Graham, University of Louisville James Graham is the Henry Vogt Professor of computer science and engineering, and serves as the Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Louisville.Dr. Karla Conn Welch, University of LouisvilleDr. Jeffrey Lloyd Hieb, University of Louisville Jeffrey Hieb is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Fundamentals at the University of Louisville. His research interests include the use of technology in engineering education, secure operating systems, and cyber-security for industrial control systems.Dr. Shamus McNamara, University of Louisville

Conference Session

FPD III: Innovation in Design in the First Year

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ann Saterbak, Rice University; Mark Embree, Rice University; Maria Oden, Rice University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

thepractical engineering design process even as they are immersed in fundamental math and sciencecourses, (b) encourage students to experience how knowledge from these fundamental coursescould be put to practical use, and (c) encourage retention in engineering.In ENGI 120, students learn the engineering design process and use it to solve meaningfulproblems drawn from local hospitals, local community partners, international communities, andaround the Rice University campus. Each freshman design team is coached by an “ApprenticeLeader,” an upper-class student who is taking a course in engineering leadership sponsored byRCEL. Freshman design teams directly interview clients, complete a design context review,develop design criteria, and brainstorm and

Conference Session

Innovations in Materials Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jacquelyn E. Kelly, Arizona State University; Stephen J. Krause, Arizona State University; Dale R. Baker, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Materials

’ mental models would be incredibly challenging. Even when language isused, without a clear understanding of the student’s fluency in that academic language, it isdifficult to determine the validity of the mental model. This makes it imperative to understandhow students use academic language in the context of engineering design and applications. Page 25.1444.2Language as Foundation and MeaningMatthiessen, Slade, and Macken2 describe the challenge of assessing student writing. They reportthat, it is difficult to assess student writing because reliable objective frameworks often onlyassess the student’s written product, but subjective frameworks

Conference Session

Accreditation and Outcomes-based Education

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sandra A. Yost, University of Detroit Mercy; Laurie A. Britt-Smith, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society

AC 2012-5416: ”WE’RE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT”: ACHIEVING ANINSTITUTIONAL CULTURE OF ASSESSMENTDr. Sandra A. Yost, University of Detroit Mercy Sandra A. Yost is a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Detroit Mercy, where she is active in institutional and engineering program assessment. She teaches in the areas of design, E.E. fundamentals, linear systems theory, mechatronics, control systems, and signal processing. She is currently serving on the ASEE Board of Directors as the Vice President for External Relations.Dr. Laurie A. Britt-Smith, University of Detroit Mercy Laurie Britt-Smith is an Assistant Professor in the English Department at UDM. She is the Director of the writing

Conference Session

Energy Education Courses, Labs, and Projects

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teodora Rutar Shuman, Seattle University; Gregory Mason P.E., Seattle University

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

American Society for Engineering Education, 2012 Novel Approach to Conducting Labs in an Introduction to Thermodynamics CourseAbstractThis paper describes an easily implementable new approach to thermodynamics laboratoryinstruction that directly addresses ABET Criterion b) an ability to design and conductexperiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data. In a traditional lab, students conductpreconfigured experiments based on established procedures. They then gather, analyze andinterpret data, and write reports. However, little is done to train engineering graduates to designexperiments for a specific purpose and without a prescribed procedure. However, engineeringprofessionals are frequently tasked with

Conference Session

Methods, Cases, and Directions

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph C. Hartman, University of Florida

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy, Engineering Management, Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering

impact the investment decision.Of course, these steps must occur after an initial estimate of fiscal feasibility has beenestablished, such as computing the net present value (NPV) or rate of return (IRR) from an initialestimate of project cash flows.Unfortunately, most engineering economy courses at the undergraduate level focus theircoursework on the financial mathematics and eventual computation of the NPV or IRR of a cashflow stream1. This is evidenced by the number of “fundamentals” or “essentials” textbooks onthe market that generally have only one or two chapters dedicated to risk analysis.With the use of spreadsheets becoming ubiquitous in practice and commonplace in teachingengineering economy, it is time to change the focus of our

Conference Session

Integrating Sustainability Across the Curriculum

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Kathryn Bauer, Rowan University; Andrea Rose McFarland, Rowan University; Mary M. Staehle, Rowan University; Kauser Jahan, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

patients due to chemical leakage from anearby chemical treatment facility. The selection of six films, including “A Civil Action”,“Pelican Brief”, “Erin Brockovich”, “Whale Rider”, “An Inconvenient Truth”, and “BhopalExpress”, covers a wide array of topics, but in the end, the plot is fundamentally aboutovercoming the disasters that follow unethical procedures.Sustainability in the Sophomore Engineering ClinicRowan University’s Engineering Clinic centers around engineering design and the developmentof communication skills, as shown in Table 14. Throughout Sophomore Engineering Clinic,sustainability is a core theme. Sophomore engineering students work in multidisciplinary groupsto develop their writing and speaking skills. A sample Sophomore

Conference Session

Capstone Projects and Experiential Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nasser Alaraje, Michigan Technological University; Aleksandr Sergeyev, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

areaction timer using VHDL and the FPGA development board. Following is a description ofeach laboratory exercise, all labs are available on the project website:http://www.tech.mtu.edu/NSFATE/.Lab 1: Introduction to Quartus II: This lab is designed to familiarize the participant withusing many of the common aspects of the Quartus II software through a complete design phase.Participants will learn to create a new project, create a new VHDL file, use the MegaWizardPlug-In Manager, compile the design, plan and manage I/O assignments, apply timing analysisusing the TimeQuest Timing Analyzer, write Synopsys Design Contraint (SDC) files, and Page

Conference Session

Projects in ECE

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph P. Hoffbeck, University of Portland

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

or DSP environment, and the recordings for these projects are available forfree from the author.BackgroundThe FFT and filter design are two fundamental techniques in DSP. Showing the students someexamples of how these techniques can be used in practice can help motivate them to learn themathematical theory. Some DSP courses incorporate laboratory experiments1,2,3, some useMATLAB/Simulink projects4,5,6, and some use web-based environments7. The projectsdescribed below are used in the author’s undergraduate DSP lecture course, which has a coursein signals and systems as the prerequisite. Some of the projects are assigned as part of ahomework assignment and some of them are standalone projects. The goal of the projects is toincrease the

Conference Session

Engineering Education and Comparative Studies at Universities throughout Asia, Far East

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rajarajan Subramanian, Maryland State Highway Administration; Thavavigna Thanikachalam, University of Florida; Fazil T. Najafi, University of Florida

Tagged Divisions

International

, in addition to atranscript and the new SAT or ACT with writing results required of other applicants, they mustprovide results from the SAT II examinations in mathematics (Level II-C), foreign language,science and social science. For admission decision purposes, the university will use the result ofthe new SAT writing subscore, if the applicant has no dual-enrollment or virtual school Englishcomposition coursework, since 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.3In order to acquire admission to Anna University, students must be graduated from high school,or equivalent institutions. In addition, Indian students should acquire a

Conference Session

Innovations in Promoting Technological Literacy II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vazgen Shekoyan, Queensborough Community College, CUNY; Todd Holden, Queensborough Community College, CUNY; Raul Armendariz Ph.D., Queensborough Community College, CUNY; Helio Takai, Brookhaven National Laboratory; Sunil Dehipawala, Queensborough Community College, CUNY; Dimitrios S. Kokkinos Ph.D., Queensborough Community College, CUNY; Regina Sullivan, Queensborough Community College, CUNY; George Tremberger Jr, Queensborough Community College, CUNY; Paul J. Marchese, Queensborough Community College, CUNY; David H. Lieberman, Queensborough Community College, CUNY; Tak Cheung, Queensborough Community College, CUNY

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society, Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

families. Health related topicssuch as microbes on Earth and perhaps elsewhere are most receptive to parents, but the teenagedlearners have more diverse interests such as pulleys, prism, and optics.What Is Literacy?What is literacy? In general being illiterate would suggest a person who lacks the ability inreading and writing, but has no trouble in listening and speaking in daily life. The ability to readand write is essential to fulfill the NAE criterion on critical thinking and decision making, thethird cognitive dimension on technological literacy. Recollection, being a fundamental elementin the critical thinking process, would be easier when reading and writing skills are available. Infact recollection belongs to the second cognitive dimension

Conference Session

Technological Literacy Poster Session

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rigoberto Chinchilla, Eastern Illinois University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

, 2012 Ethical and Social Consequences of Biometric Technologies in the USAbstract Biometrics can be defined as all the authentication techniques relying on measurablephysiological and individual human characteristics that can be verified using computers. Thispaper outlines fundamental biometric technical concepts, biometrics drivers, securityexpectations and current technical problems. The paper‟s main objective is to discuss thepotential social and legal consequences of biometric massive implementations in society. Whatmay be the consequences when the security of our biometrics is compromised? How willpopulations with disabilities be enrolled in biometric databases when they lack the physical

Conference Session

Approaches to Teaching Ethics

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yilmaz Hatipkarasulu, University of Texas, San Antonio; Suat Gunhan, University of Texas, San Antonio

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

depending on the level of discussion between the questions and during the final analysis.The discussion starts with preparation questions including the following fundamental definitions: 1. Define ethics. 2. Define applied ethics. 3. What is the difference between legality and ethics? 4. Can you think of an example that is legal but unethical? 5. Can you think of an example that is illegal but ethical?The preparation questions serve as a warm-up discussion for the students with their peers and theinstructor. The impact of the questions increases when the students are asked to write theiranswers before the discussion and reflect on their responses afterwards. The list of questions andexamples can be expanded to

Conference Session

Using Applications and Projects in Teaching Mathematics

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hassan Moore, University of Alabama, Birmingham

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

a project on first-order ordinary differential equations): The project described below is self-contained, meaning that you should be able to do it by carefully reading through it and using what you learned in class about first-order ordinary differential equations. A carefully written report is expected, which can be done in (legible) handwriting or typed with a text processor. You do not need to copy the problems into your report, but should clearly label to which problems your answers refer. Include the calculations that lead to your answers. Wherever appropriate, in particular if you are asked to state and justify an opinion, write your answers in full sentences and adequate English

Conference Session

BME Course and Curriculum Development

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alisha L. Sarang-Sieminski, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering; Debbie Chachra, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

. Within the BioE program, theseskills are developed through a variety of self-directed, team-based projects which includeliterature reviews, modelling and simulation, research proposals, and lab work. Lab experiencesare not ‘canned’; rather, students typically have a great deal of autonomy in proposing projectsand designing experiments. This self-directed approach to lab work helps students move towardsbeing independent researchers while providing them with scaffolded educational environment inwhich to learn the fundamentals of experimental design, how to choose analysis techniques, andhow to analyze data.Another theme throughout our courses is the development of life-long learning skills, whichlargely manifests through the reading of primary

Conference Session

Trends in Mechanical Engineering: Trends and Tools

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy A. Doughty, University of Portland; Steven O'Halloran, University of Portland

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

careers. The results of this study prove useful in designing an effectivecross-curricular approach to the topic and in tutorial development.IntroductionPlug and play data acquisition has made experiment design and analysis much more accessible toundergraduate students. Where in the past typical lab experiences involved pre-establishedinstrumentation and cookbook exercises, a wealth of software demonstrations and librariescouple with flexible and easy-to-use hardware to allow for a relatively straightforwardintroduction to the fundamentals of the craft of taking meaningful data. As a result, the numberof publications regarding implementation in case-specific applications is staggering. See, forexample, McDonald1, Zhang et al.2, Lohani et al.3, and

Conference Session

Software Engineering Curricula

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tom Reichlmayr, Rochester Institute of Technology; Michael J. Lutz, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Software Engineering Constituent Committee

BeckThis quote by Kent Beck is a mantra within our course. The goal of the programming activitiesand projects is not to reward students who can produce the cleverest solution, but to developrepeatable engineering habits that competent developers employ when building quality softwareproducts. These same habits are directly transferable to all activities in the software developmentlife-cycle. [9] The following sections include a sampling of those habits we identified whichcontribute to success, and thus we want our students to acquire as they evolve into professionalsoftware engineers.“Spend more time reading your code than you do writing it.”Software developers write a lot of code, but unless they have reason to go back and modify it,they rarely

Conference Session

Active and Project-based Learning

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joakim Sigurd Wren, Linköping University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

, its relevance in engineering and engineeringeducation cannot be underestimated, especially when having today´s energy andenvironmental concerns in mind.Despite the importance of the subject, it has been considered as “dry and abstract” bystudents 1. One reason might be that the subject has become more and more difficult to relateto its applications –the fundamentals principles are the same as for 150 years ago, but theapplications become more and more refined due to technological developments andinnovations. If so, it is altogether not surprising that students find engineeringthermodynamics abstract, being separated from its applications – this might be devastating forthe students’ interest and possibility to learn.An increase in student

Conference Session

Learning and Assessment II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amir Karimi, University of Texas, San Antonio; Randall D. Manteufel, University of Texas, San Antonio

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the frequency of the examinations requires more work by the instructor in writing andgrading examinations. This is especially true for classes having large enrollments. In the lastfew semesters, we have tried new ways of assigning homework problems and assessing studentknowledge in our introductory thermodynamics course. Our experience includes large classeswith enrollment exceeding 120 students. This paper describes our experiences in teaching anintroductory thermodynamic course and its effect on student learning outcome. Students weresurveyed in recent semesters to get their feedback on the methods used in teaching the courseand the assessment of student knowledge. This paper provides a summary of the survey results.IntroductionMechanical