Conference Session

Beyond Individual Ethics: Engineering in Context

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donna Riley, Smith College

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

, to f-j of ABET criterion 3 (a)-(k): (f) an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility (g) an ability to communicate effectively (h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context (i) a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning (j) a knowledge of contemporary issuesQuestions and Themes. The course began with a screening and discussion of the Errol Morrisnon-fiction film, Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control6, which profiles four men who are obsessedwith their respective vocations as robotics professor, naked mole rat expert, topiary gardener, andlion tamer. Footage of

Conference Session

Learning to Communicate with Engineers and Non-Engineers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leslie Potter, Iowa State University; John Jackman, Iowa State University; K. Jo Min, Iowa State University; Matthew Search, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

Yalvac et al. describe how an engineering course was redesigned topromote advanced writing skills by adding writing exercises based on the VaNTH taxonomy ofcore competency skills in writing.11 Many educators and institutions recognize the value ofincreasing communication emphasis in a longitudinal manner throughout a student’s academicprogram.12, 13 While this emphasis is significant and necessary for developing efficient and Page 13.71.2effective engineering graduates, increased “practice” time and/or varied assignment formats arenot sufficient by themselves to accomplish this goal. Just as a successful engineering design isachieved through

Conference Session

Philosophy of Engineering Education: Epistemology and Ethics

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark Valenzuela, University of Evansville; James Allen, University of Evansville; Brian Swenty, University of Evansville

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

from a checklist of courses to an examinationof outcomes, the study presented in this paper focuses primarily on the stated mission and goalsof an institution’s general education program as well as on the outcomes that relate to the generaleducation component of the institution’s engineering programs. Further, given the emphasis inassessment on transparency and public accountability, the institutions’ websites were used as theprimary sources of information for the mission of the general education program at theinstitution, whether through an online catalog or separate webpage for their general educationprogram. It has been found that the most common goals for general education programs includewriting and communication as well as civic

Conference Session

Liberal Education for 21st Century Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Grondin, Arizona State University; Chell Roberts, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

program, the most common answer isthe projects. They wanted a “hands-on” aspect to their education. The next mostcommon answer has to do with the focus on the individual and the comparative size ofthe campus. Some students also like the ability to delay any choice of specialization untilthey are juniors. While we do find some students who are attracted by the flexibility ofthe program, this factor is not mentioned by most students.Development of the Perspective OutcomeThe general process by which we developed the program has been described earlier7. We Page 15.421.6started with the 11 ABET outcomes, the set a through k. Then we added in twoadditional

Conference Session

Liberal Education for 21st Century Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cherrice Traver, Union College; J. Douglas Klein, Union College

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

-disciplinary approach that integrates engineering and liberal arts disciplines. The focus ofthe work presented here is on preparing students from both areas for these challenges through theintegration of undergraduate engineering and liberal arts curricula. The desire for this integrationis motivated by the need for a more technically literate citizenship, work force, and politicalleadership, fostered by providing opportunities for students in technical and non-technical majorsto work together.We provide examples of curricular integration that do not require wholesale restructuring, whichuse methods that can be easily replicated, and which can be developed through the use of modestincentives utilizing existing courses and expertise. The specific

Conference Session

Liberal Education for 21st Century Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Heywood, Trinity College Dublin

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

change requires different strategies. Fivefactors that inhibit and enhance change are briefly considered. Any change that isenvisaged has to take into account what many consider is an overloaded curriculum forthis reason some form of integrated study is likely to be necessary. Some aspects ofcurriculum integration are considered and illustrated. It is argued that a liberal education(as defined) is more likely to be achieved through curriculum integration. While theprinciples are general, the particular responses of individuals and organizations to themwill be dependent on the educational culture they inhabit.Williams thesis and the case for curriculum reformIn 2002 Rosalind Williams published a book with the title ReTooling: A HistorianConfronts

Conference Session

Engineering for Social Justice

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Catalano, State University of New York-Binghamton; Caroline Baillie, Queens University-Kingston

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

, Page 11.581.7ever recasting itself, and not to seek to halt or reverse all such changes. This does notpreclude efforts to protect endangered species per se but it does call for a carefulconsideration prior to intervention. Perhaps, after reflection, society may wish to preservegray wolves or Bengal tigers through government action while not permitting continueddredging of the Atchafalya River Basin near New Orleans, Louisiana. Biodiversityconsists of an appreciation for the place in the web of life of the various plants andanimals, a commitment to the protection of species, particularly endangered species and acommitment to conservation in concert with the dynamic nature of ecosystems. Naturalbalance encompasses an appreciation of the

Conference Session

Writing and Communication I: Innovative Models for Curriculum and Assessment

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marie Paretti, Virginia Tech; Lisa McNair, Virginia Tech; Diana George, Virginia Tech; kelly belanger, Virginia Tech; Lisa Norris, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition. 2004. Salt Lake City, UT.8. Dahm, K., et al. "Developing Metacognitive Engineering Teams Through Targeted Writing Exercises and Studying Learning Preferences". In Proceedings of American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition. 2006. Chicago, IL.9. Dannels, D.P., "Communication Across the Curriculum and in the Disciplines: Speaking in Engineering". Communication Education, 2002. 51(3): p. 254-268.10. Douglas, D.M., et al. "Writing in the Engineering Design Lab: How Problem Based Learning Provides a Context for Student Writing". In Proceedings of American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and

Conference Session

Innovative Courses/Pedagogies in Liberal Education II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Ross, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

understand therange of core competencies required in the traditional areas of engineering. The 21st centurychallenge is to both understand the traditional requirements and to be able to see the newdemands and complexities as old processes become obsolete and new – as yet unexpectedcompetencies – become obligatory.Essential skills: The required syllabus for this freshmen course in technical communicationrequires a research project. This fits well with the recognition that the 21st century – more thanany before – is in fact an information age. Research requires students to go beyond the comfortof general Google searches and Wikipedia (both of which have value but also limitations) and todig into the databases maintained by the university through the

Conference Session

Learning to Communicate with Engineers and Non-Engineers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura Wilson, University of CIncinnati; Teresa Cook, University of Cincinnati; Jo Ann Thompson, University of Cincinnati; James Everly, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

last-minute-editors rather than as mentors guiding students through thewhole writing process. Without true “roles” in the technical courses, it was difficult toascertain boundaries, limitations, and achievements; both the faculty and the students suffered.The few official and defined partnerships were in Senior Design courses. Though thecollaboration among the writing and the engineering faculty proved helpful, this instructioncame at a time when many of the students had “given up” on learning how to write effectively.Graduating seniors saw it as a means to an end – successful completion of their final projects.While there is no doubt that the graduating seniors rediscovered the importance of clear andcogent writing for success in their

Conference Session

Innovative Courses/Pedagogies in Liberal Education I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ari Epstein, MIT; Joellen Easton, American Public Media; Rekha Murthy, Public Radio Exchange; Emily Davidson, MIT; Jennifer de Bruijn, MIT; Tracey Hayse, MIT; Elise Hens, MIT; Margaret Lloyd

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

. Page 15.640.2© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Helping engineering and science students find their voice: Radio production as a way to enhance students’ communication skills and their competence at placing engineering and science in a broader societal contextAbstractTerrascope Radio is a class offered to second-semester freshmen at the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology. The subject satisfies one of their freshman humanities requirements, and also one“communication-intensive” requirement. Through intensive critical listening sessions andwriting assignments, students develop a deep understanding of radio as a medium for thecommunication and expression of ideas. They explore

Conference Session

Approaches to Learning Outcomes Assessment in Liberal Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kyle Oliver, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Traci Nathans-Kelly; Sandra Courter, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Laura Grossenbacher, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

writing and speaking • Outcome 5: Identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems related to professional and ethical responsibilities, including interdisciplinary approaches to said problemsOur three-pronged assessment scheme measured success of the learning outcomes through (1)interviews with a student focus group and with individual instructors; (2) written student surveys,including a short mid-semester evaluation and Elaine Seymour’s Student Assessment ofLearning Gains (SALG) protocol at the end of the semester; and (3) review of the onlinediscussion forum transcripts and the final research projects. Results suggest that studentssatisfactorily achieved Outcomes 1–3 but that adjustments should be made to the course to

Conference Session

Communication and Collaboration

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Alley, Pennsylvania State University; Are Magnus Bruaset, Simula Research Laboratory; Melissa Marshall, Pennsylvania State University; Marianne M. Sundet, Simula Research Laboratory; Sarah Zappe, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

acquire researchcommunication skills, these courses instruct only a small number of the graduatestudents. For instance, in three offerings from 2000 to 2004, the Colorado School ofMines course instructed only 38 students. A strategy to impart communication skills to larger numbers of graduate studentsis through workshops. Those institutions with the resources to offer such workshopstypically do so through their respective graduate schools and include graduate studentsfrom all colleges. Examples include the University of Texas at Austin,6 Texas A&M,7 theUniversity of California–Davis,8 and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.9Because the content of these workshops is generally not available on the web or in

Conference Session

Learning to Communicate with Engineers and Non-Engineers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Ross, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

Assessment. http://www.abet.org2. Bloom, B, et al. Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: Longmans Green, 1956.3. Carliner, S. E-Portfolios. ASTD, May 2006. 71 – 74.4. Carlson, P. Teaching a Course in the Ethics of Human Communication. 29th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education,1999. 12d6 – 18.5. Cohn, E., and Hibbits, B. Beyond the Electronic Portfolio. Educause Quarterly, 4, 2004. 7 – 10.6. Hansen, E. Technological Expertise in Liberal Education. 36th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education, 2006. S1H-17- 227. Heywood, J. Think…About How Others Think: Liberal Education and Engineering. 37th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers inEducation, 2007. T3C-20 -24.8. Jablokow, K. Engineers as Problem Solving Leaders: Embracing the Humanities. IEEE Technology and Society,Winter

Conference Session

Critical Thinking and Creative Arts

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Beth Todd, University of Alabama; Garry Warren, University of Alabama; Susan Burkett, University of Alabama; David Cordes, University of Alabama; Marcus Brown, University of Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

, OR, pp. 4213-4222, 2005.3. S. S. Courter and G. Johnson, “Building community and retention among first-year students: Engineering first- year interest groups (eFIGSs),” Proc. 37th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Milwaukee, WI, pp. F4A3-F4A8, 2007.4. R. M. Berg and K. J. Nasr, “Achieving those difficult ABET program educational outcomes through a capstone design course,” Proc. ASEE Conf., Montreal, Que., Canada, pp. 3657-3670, 2002.5. P. Biney, “Assessing ABET outcomes using capstone design courses,” Proc. ASEE Conf., Honolulu, HI, 2007.6. K. Van Treuren, “Addressing contemporary issues, lifelong learning, and the impact of engineering on global

Conference Session

Innovative Courses/Pedagogies in Liberal Education II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katherine Wikoff, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

thatcalligraphy class he was interested in? (As a first-semester freshman, Steve Jobs was nota computer science major, by the way.) We should hope so, but as engineering programsare under pressure to demonstrate that their students have knowledge of contemporaryissues, have an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility, have an ability towork within political/economic/social constraints, etc., the question that needs to beanswered is: Where does calligraphy fit into ABET’s Criterion 3(a-k) outcomes?Jobs ended his story by reiterating: Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary and Liberal Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hilkat Soysal, Frostburg State University; Oguz Soysal, Frostburg State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

‚ Economical Basic ‚ Networks ‚ Political Sciences ‚ Processes ‚ Ethical ‚ EnvironmentalFigure 1 Block diagram illustrating the interaction of mathematics, basic sciences,technology, and society through social transformationThe course starts with a discussion of the scientific methodology. The maincharacteristics of sciences are explained and differences between science, non-science,and pseudo-science are discussed. The Planning Committee defined “scientificreasoning” as shown in the textbox

Conference Session

Normative Commitments and Public Engagement in Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Juan Lucena, Colorado School of Mines; Jen Schneider, Colorado School of Mines; Jon Leydens, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

) build national infrastructures subjects) that needed to be to connect dispersed brought into functional order populations into a national with other parts of the nation whole and integrate their to ensure its progress. productive capacity for national and international markets (Diacon, 2004; Lucena, 2007).Engineers and international To develop and modernize the Communities as obstacles todevelopment (20th century) world through science and “efficient” economic

Conference Session

Normative Commitments and Public Engagement in Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Downey, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

do the normative commitments of international engineeringeducators fit or overlap with the emergent image of economic competitiveness?Personal geographies to map differences I and three co-organizers (Kacey Beddoes [Virginia Tech], Brent Jesiek [Purdue University],Juan Lucena [Colorado School of Mines]) invited sixteen international engineering educators toparticipate in a multi-step process to produce personal geographies of their careers. Since a goalof this project is to examine how practitioners understand their commitments to internationalengineering education, we worked with a flexible image of international education as learningactivities that direct students’ attention beyond the boundaries of the home country.Mapping trajectories

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics: An Interdisciplinary Endeavor

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joseph Herkert, Arizona State University Polytechnic; Jameson Wetmore, Arizona State University; Heather Canary, Arizona State University Polytechnic; Karin Ellison, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

uses the technical curriculum as the starting point to guidestudents in reflection on macroethical issues. For example, when a visiting scientist discussesthe latest research in germ-line therapy or the use of animal testing, the professor seizes theopportunity to expand beyond the technical details to discuss the broader public discourse aboutthe topics as well as the students’ own values and concerns. Another project team member leadsthe microethical component of the course, focusing on the responsible conduct of research usingthe National Institutes of Health curriculum. The microethics content is delivered in fivesessions over the course of the semester.Model III – Online ModulesThe third model features online modules linked to existing

Conference Session

Liberal Education for 21st Century Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Betty Harper, Pennsylvania State University; Lisa Lattuca, Pennsylvania State University; Alexander Yin, Penn State University; Patrick Terenzini, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

education through graduate study in engineering. This educationalmodel would be similar to that followed by those preparing for careers in law, medicine, andbusiness. In contrast, ABET’s EC2000 accreditation criteria allow a more moderate approachthat places greater emphasis on liberal education in the undergraduate engineering program.NAE’s E2020 reports occupy a middle ground, advocating for even greater curricular breadthand liberal education than ABET’s EC2000 accreditation criteria require but stopping short of acomplete restructuring of undergraduate engineering education. The Engineer of 2020, inparticular, presents the engineering education of the future as liberal education, stressing theroles of interdisciplinarity, communication

Conference Session

Historical Perspectives for Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Atsushi Akera, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

dialogueinitiated by ASEE (and extending as far back as the Wickenden Investigations of 1923-298),which called for a vast expansion in technical institute-type training. Crucial to this story willalso be the efforts of Llewellyn M. K. Boelter, the founding Dean of Engineering at UCLA.Sitting at the heart of Southern California‟s defense industry, Boelter broke new ground bycreating a unified, science-based engineering curriculum as well as a novel non-residentialsystem of graduate instruction that supported Southern California‟s expanding engineeringworkforce. Especially in considering the audience for this paper—engineering educators andadministrators who make up the ASEE—this paper will place special emphasis on Boelter andhis fate.The overall structure

Conference Session

Communication - Needs and Methods

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sarah Lockwood, University of Calgary; Daryl Caswell, University of Calgary; Marjan Eggermont, University of Calgary

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

requires the instructor to give real-world examples from all Page 15.292.5branches of engineering, which, in turn, mandates constant contact with professionalengineers in all fields. Through contact with other professors, and their contacts in theworkforce8, at least one real-life example is introduced for each format, with theseexamples changing every year. The final challenge (project) of each year is acollaboration with industry or a non-profit organization; this allows students to see howthe work they have done all year is applied in a non-academic environment. Whilestudent feedback is often neutral on the final challenge in the end of year USRI

Conference Session

Approaches to Learning Outcomes Assessment in Liberal Education

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lorraine Fleming, Howard University; Kami Carey, Howard University

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

National Academies Press.10. Rodgers, C. (2002). Defining reflection: Another look at John Dewey and reflective thinking. Teachers College Record, 104, 842-866.11. Sheppard, S. (2001). Taking stock: A Look at Engineering Education at the End of the Twentieth Century and Beyond. Conference presentation, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, October 25, 2001.12. Smith, K. and Waller, A. (1997). New paradigms for engineering education. Conference presentation. Frontiers in Education, November 1997.13. Van Manen, M. (1995). On the epistemology of reflective practice. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 1, 33-50. Page

Conference Session

Integrating H&SS in Engineering I

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donna Riley, Smith College; Lionel Claris, Smith College

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

applications, obscuring its relevance and its importance for most learners. Theapplications themselves can often prove less than satisfying to students, who find theidealizations of internal combustion into standard air power cycles an abstraction too far. Evenwhen applications are made salient, learning things in a practical and applied way does notnecessarily engage students liberatively. This is particularly the case when the focus on thepractical does not incorporate relational learning, self-reflection, or critical thinking. Such high-order thinking is encouraged when students are engaged in a process of asking questions, bothcommon ones that they share with their peers and their own that go beyond the course materialinto their personal lives or

Conference Session

Innovative Courses/Pedagogies in Liberal Education I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kyle Simmons, University of Utah; Susan Sample, University of Utah; April Kedrowicz, University of Utah

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

received an MFA in creative writing from the University of Arizona; her research interests include narrative theory in health communication.April Kedrowicz, University of Utah Dr. April A. Kedrowicz is the Director of the CLEAR (Communication, Leadership, Ethics, And Research) Program at the University of Utah, a collaboration between the College of Humanities and College of Engineering. The program was developed in 2003 through a grant from the Hewlett Foundation, with the goal of integrating communication (speaking and writing), teamwork, and ethics into the curriculum of every department in the College of Engineering. Dr. Kedrowicz’s work with Engineering began during her tenure as a

Conference Session

Tree-huggers, Diggers, and Queers--Oh my!

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erin Cech, University of California, San Diego; Tom Waidzunas, University of California, San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

racial/ethnic minority students inengineering education, the experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identifying studentsremain unstudied. This paper breaks this silence with a study of the ways LGB students at amajor research university in the Western US both experience and navigate the climate of theirengineering college. We find that, because of pervasive anti-gay sentiments and dualisticthinking that often conflates homosexuality with technical incompetence, these students do nothave access to the same opportunities of success as their heterosexual peers. Nevertheless,through coping strategies which require immense amounts of additional effort, LGB studentsbravely navigate this climate with tactics that include “passing” as

Conference Session

Tree-huggers, Diggers, and Queers--Oh my!

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dean Nieusma, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

accreditation rules (especially criterion h) and professional societies’ pronouncements tojustify and orient innovations around sustainability. 17 One specific example is the use ofASCE’s “Civil Engineering Body of Knowledge,” which has “embraced sustainability as anindependent technical outcome,” to guide integration of sustainability criteria into a civilengineering program. 18 Finally, others have reached beyond “engineering” to develop graduateprograms in “Sustainability” more broadly, but which extend out of engineering perspectives andare targeted to include, but not be limited to, graduates of engineering programs. One such effortextends the project-based engineering curriculum approach to an interdisciplinary, professional“Masters of