Conference Session

Two Year Colleges

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amelito Enriquez, Canada College

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

student surveys show overwhelmingly positive studentperception of the effects of this model of classroom environment on their learning experience.These results indicate that the interactive classroom environment developed using wirelessTablet PCs has the potential to be a more effective teaching pedagogy compared to traditionalinstructor-centered teaching environments, and should be applied to math, science and otherengineering courses with traditionally high attrition rates.1. INTRODUCTIONThe fundamental problem addressed by this study is the lack of active participation of studentsduring classroom instruction in the traditional 50-minute lecture setting. Studies have longshown that the traditional instructor-centered lecture format is an

Conference Session

Public Engineering of Engineering, K12 Standards, and Overview

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth Welty, University of Wisconsin, Stout; Linda Katehi, University of Illinois; Greg Pearson, National Academy of Engineering; Michael Feder, National Research Council

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

AC 2008-873: ANALYSIS OF K-12 ENGINEERING EDUCATION CURRICULA INTHE UNITED STATES—A PRELIMINARY REPORTKenneth Welty, University of Wisconsin, Stout Kenneth Welty is a Professor in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. He teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate course in curriculum development, instructional methodology, and student assessment. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Illinois State University and earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana. Prior to joining the faculty at UW-Stout, he was a Visiting Professor in the College of Education at the University of Illinois, a Research Associate at

Conference Session

Preparing Engineers for the Global Workplace

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gayle Elliott, University of Cincinnati; Cheryl Cates, University of Cincinnati; Brian Dansberry, University of Cincinnati; Louis Trent, University of Cincinnati

Tagged Divisions

International

immediatelyafterward strengthens newly-developed language skills; and students in the German and Spanishprograms can become almost fluent after a six-month work assignment abroad. The intensivelanguage/culture program was developed specifically for the ICP because the rigid structure ofthe co-op programs and the curriculum of the professional schools cannot accommodate asufficient number of traditional language classes for students to develop adequatecommunicative skills. Students, of course, develop skills in reading, writing and grammar, butthe primary focus of the ICP language program is on development of oral communication skills.The first language class, which replaces six weeks of the fourth co-op summer quarter, is anintensive course. The Japanese

Conference Session

Thermodynamics, Fluids, and Heat Transfer I

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nihad Dukhan, University of Detroit Mercy

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

the most difficult and abstract disciplines of thephysical sciences. Students’ dissatisfaction and frustration with thermodynamics are verycommon.3-5The general poor performance of US engineering students in thermodynamics is documented bythe National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), who administersthe Fundamentals of Engineering Exam (FEE). For the past several years, students’ performancefalls in the band from 40% to 65%.6 Student’s performance shows no clear improvement duringthe past several years.62. Conceptual DifficultiesMeltzer4 reported that students have difficulties with the concepts of heat, work, cyclicprocesses. Misconceptions related to temperature, heat and energy; as well as ‘rate’ versus‘amount

Conference Session

PSW Section Meeting Papers - Disregard start and end time - for online paper access only

Collection

2019 Pacific Southwest Section Meeting

Authors

Greg Placencia, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Pauline Salim Muljana, Old Dominion University

Tagged Topics

Pacific Southwest Section Meeting Paper Submissions

assignment, finding an instructor’s office hours andlocation, or learning how to use an LMS feature. Adapting research on human factors in websiteand course design to LMS course structure could avoid such student issues and sitediscrepancies. Students from IE 225 – Fundamentals of Human Factors Engineering – classexamined issues with Blackboard Learn 9.1 course design during the spring 2018 quarter at CalPoly Pomona. This included peer surveys and time to complete certain tasks.Understanding Student UsersUnderstanding the primary and secondary users of a product is an integral component of userresearch and webpage design. Primary users interact with the interface directly while secondarydo not necessarily interact with the interface directly, but

Conference Session

Trends in Engineering Education 2

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eden Fisher, Carnegie Mellon University; Indira Nair, Carnegie Mellon University; Mustafa A. Biviji, E2RG

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

Paper ID #9524Expert Innovators and Innovation Education: Mental Models in PracticeDr. Eden Fisher, Carnegie Mellon University Eden Fisher is Director of the Masters Program in Engineering & Technology Innovation Management (E&TIM) and Professor of the Practice at Carnegie Mellon University. She earned an A.B. in Chemistry from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in Engineering & Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University. Her experience includes over twenty years in industrial technology planning and innovation management.Dr. Indira Nair, Carnegie Mellon University Indira Nair retired from Carnegie Mellon

Conference Session

Flanders' Fellowship: Building STEM Community Impact, Hi-Diddly-Ho!

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Olivia Ryan, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Maija A Benitz, Roger Williams University

Tagged Divisions

Pre-College Engineering Education Division (PCEE)

an‬‭engineer evolve after participating‬ R ‭in a multi-week community-engaged engineering project?‬‭ ackground Information‬B‭What is an Engineer?‬ ‭We need to ground our definition of engineering to evaluate students' perception of an engineer.‬ ‭We will ground our definition of engineering around literature focused on the K-12 space. The‬ ‭National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s‬‭Building Capacity for Teaching‬ ‭Engineering in K-12 Education‬‭states that engineering‬‭is the knowledge of creating and‬ ‭developing products and processes that are designed under specific constraints. The report‬ ‭further outlines the fundamental characteristics of engineering, highlighting qualities such as‬

Conference Session

FPD I: Attacking the Problems of Retention in the First Year

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arturo A Fuentes, University of Texas, Pan American; Horacio Vasquez, University of Texas, Pan American; Robert A. Freeman, University of Texas, Pan American

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

AC 2011-1721: DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF INTRO-DUCTION TO MECHANICAL ENGINEERING CHALLENGE-BASED IN-STRUCTION TO INCREASE STUDENT RETENTION AND ENGAGE-MENTArturo A Fuentes, University of Texas, Pan American Dr. Arturo Fuentes is an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas - Pan American. He received his Masters and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University. His current research interests are in the areas of engineering education, nanofiber reinforced composites, non- destructive evaluation, and finite element analysis.Horacio Vasquez, University of Texas, Pan American Dr. Horacio Vasquez is an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Univer

Conference Session

College-Industry Partnerships: Bringing Industry into the Curriculum Development and Design Cycle

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tammy Baldwin, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.; Marisa Hemingway, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc

Tagged Divisions

College-Industry Partnerships

mentoring program and the training program were designed separately and facilitatedifferent performance qualities, they were integrated into the EDP because the combination ofboth creates a higher level of performance than either program would alone. Thus, the EDPdesign strategy is to teach skill sets to associates in the classroom (crystallized intelligence,objectivist methodology) and then, through collaboration with their mentors, to apply those skillsets within the complex context of field work (fluid intelligence, constructivist). This blendedapproach facilitates necessary skill acquisition and performance standards in the most effectiveand efficient manner.ResultsAt the time of this writing, the EDP is six months into a one-year pilot

Conference Session

First-year Programs: Teams and Teamwork

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Emma Tevaarwerk DeCosta, Northwestern University; Kathleen Carmichael, Northwestern University; Lisa M. Davidson, Northwestern University; Ordel Brown, Northwestern University; Elise Gruneisen, Northwestern University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Paper ID #30982Work in Progress: Structured Teamwork for Learning Equity in First-YearEngineering DesignDr. Emma Tevaarwerk DeCosta, Northwestern University Dr. Tevaarwerk DeCosta works as a dedicated first year adviser at the McCormick School of Engineering, where she advises incoming first year students and teaches courses in freshmen design and materials science.Kathleen Carmichael PhD, Northwestern UniversityDr. Lisa M. Davidson, Northwestern University Senior Assessment Associate, Searle Center for Advancing Learning and TeachingDr. Ordel Brown, Northwestern University Dr. Ordel Brown is an instructional professor

Conference Session

ERM: Exploring Educational Technology in Engineering

Collection

2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kelsey Rodgers, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach; Matthew Verleger, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach; Farshid Marbouti, San Jose State University; Angela Thompson, University of Louisville; Nicholas Hawkins, University of Louisville

Thompson Associate Professor of Engineering Fundamentals and Director of Undergraduate Affairs, J. B. Speed School of Engineering, University of LouisvilleNicholas Hawkins (Assistant Professor)Matthew A. Verleger (Professor of Engineering Fundamentals) Matthew Verleger is a Professor of Engineering Fundamentals at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He received his PhD in Engineering Education from Purdue University in 2010. His research interests include student use of models and modeling, flipped-classroom environments, development of educational software, and gamification of engineering courses.Farshid Marbouti (Assistant Professor) Farshid Marbouti is an Assistant Professor of General (interdisciplinary

Conference Session

Inquiry, Inclusivity, and Integration

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Scott A Civjan, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

Paper ID #29315An Integrated Teaching Method for Design CoursesDr. Scott A Civjan, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Scott Civjan is a faculty member at UMass Amherst where he has taught a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate courses over the past 20+ years. He has 4 years of consulting experience between obtaining his BSCE from Washington University in St. Louis and his MS and PhD in Structural Engineering from the University of Texas Austin. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2020An Integrated Teaching Method for Design CoursesAbstractDesign courses in the Civil Engineering

Conference Session

Dynamic Pedagogies for Engineering Dynamics

Collection

2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William E. Howard, East Carolina University; Jeffry R. Foeller, East Carolina University; Karen A. De Urquidi, East Carolina University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

is held during which someof the “Fundamental Problems” from the textbook are worked and discussed. (The FundamentalProblems are a nice feature of the Hibbeler text. In addition to the answers, partial solutions areincluded in the back of the book.) The solutions to the review problems as well as a study guideand an old test and its solution are posted several days before each test.Supplemental MaterialsThe first of our supplemental materials to be developed was a series of Questions of the Day(QOTD). The intent of the QOTD is to make students think about dynamics on a regular basis.Otherwise, the natural habit of procrastination leads students to attend class on a Mondaymorning and not look over the covered material until Tuesday evening. A

Conference Session

NSF Grantees' Poster Session

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Arthur Ornelas Jr., Arizona State University; John Sadauskas, Arizona State University; Sandra Houston, Arizona State University; Wilhelmina C. Savenye Ph.D., Arizona State University; Eddy Ramirez; Claudia E. Zapata, Arizona State University

Tagged Topics

NSF Grantees Poster Session

the methods of such noted designtheorists as Dick, Carey, and Carey (2005), as well as Gagne, Wager, Golas, and Keller (2005)who call for systematic procedures in instructional design, development and evaluation. The fieldof instructional design also suggests that students not only learn the material, but are supported indeveloping a fundamental change in attitude towards how they view the material, in this caseunsaturated soil mechanics. Therefore our goal is three-fold: 1) for students to learn theprinciples of unsaturated soil mechanics; 2) for them to transfer this knowledge beyond theclassroom (which in this case would be the professional field of engineering); and 3) for studentsto experience a change in how they view unsaturated soil

Conference Session

Trends in ME Education Poster Session

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

John Hochstein

building a BSC structure, the organization should write a Mission Statement in which itdefines its core beliefs, identifies target markets, and identifies core products. Once the essential“reason for being” has been elucidated, the appropriate perspectives of performance can bedefined. A perspective is a category of performance in which the organization should excel toaccomplish its mission. The organization’s mission statement will determine if it is appropriateto simply adopt the perspectives of Reference 3. If not, (as is the case in the adaptation of theBSC to an undergraduate engineering program), substantially different perspectives may berequired to achieve organizational success.Once the perspectives of performance have been defined, the

Conference Session

Project-Based Learning

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ali M. Al-Bahi, King Abdulaziz University; Reda M Abdulaal P.E., King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Engineering, Industrial Engineering Department; Abdelfattah Y. Soliman, King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Engineering; Faisal I. Iskanderani, King Abdulaziz University, Faculty of Engineering

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

based learning approach in engineering education is reviewed and thedeveloped project based active/cooperative introductory design course is described.Project based learning in engineering educationThe term “project” is universally used in engineering practice as a “unit of work”, usually defined onthe basis of the client.7 Almost every task undertaken in professional practice by an engineer will bein relation to a project. Projects will have varying time scales. A project such as the construction of alarge dam or power station may take several years, whilst other engineers may be involved onnumerous small projects for various clients at any given time. Projects will have varying complexity,but all will relate in some way to the fundamental

Conference Session

FPD XI: Tidbits and Cookies

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jesse J. French, LeTourneau University; Paul R. Leiffer, LeTourneau University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

AC 2012-3282: THE GENESIS OF TRANSFORMATION: PREVENTING”FAILURE TO LAUNCH” SYNDROME IN GENERATION IY FIRST-YEARENGINEERING STUDENTSDr. Jesse J. French, LeTourneau University Jesse French is currently an Assistant Professor of mechanical engineering at LeTourneau University. He earned his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 1995. His M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are both in mechanical engineering from the University of Tulsa, with a con- centration in solid mechanics, polymer and composite materials, and sustainable energy. French served in the U.S. Army for eight years on active duty and six years on reserve status. He served as a Cavalry Platoon Leader and Aeroscout pilot, a

Conference Session

Project-based and Cooperative Learning in ECE

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Wayne Freeman P.E., U.S. Coast Guard Academy; Anthony H. Hawes LCDR, USCG, United States Coast Guard Academy; Royce Warner James Ph.D.; Eric Jonathan Page, United States Coast Guard Academy; Ali M. Reza, U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

student grades. Page 23.1062.13 An effort is currently underway to define a set of projects which would improve EE studentreturns on the multi/single capstone project model, while also continuing the collaboration withPhysics labs on campus. This will have the double effect of providing a both an importantgraduation requirement for the students (the capstone project) while also exposing them toworld-class fundamental physics research.Bibliography[1] An innovative multidisciplinary capstone design course sequence Tougaw, Douglas (Department of ElectricalEngineering, Valparaiso University); Will, Jeffrey D. Source: ASEE Annual Conference

Conference Session

Course Transformation in ECE

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Renee M. Clark, University of Pittsburgh; Mohan Wang, University of Pittsburgh; Mohamed A. S. Zaghloul, University of Pittsburgh; Spencer Mark Sullivan; Kevin Chen

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

) students preferred lecture to active learning. With question 4, six (6)of the 15 students said the CAD tools and circuit board design did not have much impact on theirinterest to learn the fundamental science. The instructor feels there is an opportunity to improvehis instruction relative to this by making explicit the connection between light and the diodequestions and the source of the noise.Since assessing student perspectives (i.e., the affective domain) is just one aspect of investigatingstudent outcomes, direct assessment of student project outcomes related to this work will bediscussed in future publications after the collection of additional direct assessment data duringthe spring 2019 term.4.2 Observation and Description of Project-Driven

Conference Session

Capstone Design

Collection

2003 Annual Conference

Authors

Steven Beyerlein; Phillip Thompson; Denny Davis; Larry McKenzie; Kenneth Gentili

engineers in all disciplines. • Technical competence in fundamentals is highly discipline specific and yet essential at graduation; some of it becomes less essential after five years. • Decision making is important for engineers in some disciplines at graduation, but decision making becomes universally essential after an additional 5 years. • Innovation is important in some engineering disciplines at graduation, and the need for practicing innovation becomes more universal across disciplines after five years. • The importance of quality and client focus is moderate in some engineering disciplines at graduation; it becomes more essential in all disciplines later. • A business orientation is moderately

Conference Session

Physics in the K-16 Classroom

Collection

2003 Annual Conference

Authors

Mike Cheung; Rex Ramsier; Ed Evans; Francis Broadway; Helen Qammar

learning. Our experiences andlessons learned should be adaptable by a variety of engineering and science faculty indifferent course contexts.I. Introduction to our philosophy and methodologyThere is a need to prepare students to face a variety of challenges, even those we asfaculty cannot anticipate. Our courses must, therefore, not only provide the opportunityfor students to learn the fundamental content knowledge behind today’s science andtechnology, but also engage students in critical-thinking and problem-solving tasks ineffective learning environments. We anticipate that the undergraduate curriculum canbetter prepare students for the demands of the 21st century workplace if we structure ourcourses in such a way that they exhibit the following

Conference Session

Focus on African-American and Hispanic Engineering Students’ Professional and Academic Development

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Terrell Lamont Strayhorn, Ohio State University; Fei Bie; Leroy L. Long III, Ohio State University; Blossom A. Barrett, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Minorities in Engineering

elements of student success such as student-faculty interaction,academic challenges, and developmental gains.Research by Kuh11 found that students who are engaged in the campus community aresignificantly more likely to remain in school, even when controlling for backgroundcharacteristics and previous performance. Also, underrepresented students experience greaterbenefits from higher levels of engagement than their peers. Additionally, campus engagement Page 24.144.3enables students to develop a sense of belonging, which is also directly tied to student success.10Sense of belong is important because it represents a fundamental, “basic human need

Conference Session

First-Year Programs: Monday Cornucopia (Classroom Innovations)

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Duncan Davis, Northeastern University; Jimmy Gitming Lee, Northeastern University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

Building Escape Rooms to Increase Student Engagement in First Year Engineering ClassesThis complete evidence-based practice paper will discuss building escape rooms usingprogramming, computer aided design (CAD), engineering design, and prototyping to teach firstyear engineering students the fundamentals of engineering. An escape room is a cooperative playexperience where a team of players solves a series of puzzles in a set amount of time to win. Inthe work described here, students design and build escape rooms containing puzzles made usingArduino hardware, laser cut and CNC milled parts, and 3D printed models.Students become more invested in their education when they find the course content interestingand engaging

Conference Session

Computing and Information Technology Division (CIT) Technical Session 2

Collection

2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Debarati Basu, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University; Harini Ramaprasad, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Tagged Divisions

Computing and Information Technology Division (CIT)

Paper ID #37831Design and Evaluation of an Academic Integrity Module for ComputerScience StudentsDr. Debarati Basu, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Dr. Debarati Basu is an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Fundamentals Department in the College of Engineering at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at the Daytona Beach campus. She earned her Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech (VT). She received her bachelor’s and masters in Computer Science and Engineering. Her research is at the intersection of Engineering Education (EE) and Computing Education Research (CER) to advance personalized learning

Conference Session

Project-Based Learning in ECE Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Albert Liddicoat, California Polytechnic State University; Jianbiao Pan, California Polytechnic State University; James Harris, California Polytechnic State University; Lynne Slivovsky, California Polytechnic State University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

theAccreditation Board for Engineering and Technology5 (ABET). This educational gap is commonamongst engineering curricula. Figure 1 (a) below illustrates the knowledge and skills gapbetween traditional computer and electrical engineering curricula and those engineering skillsrequired for successful job performance. At Cal Poly, the traditional CPE and EE courses takenbefore systems design and the capstone project sequence include, computer engineeringorientation, fundamentals of computer programming I, II and III, discrete structures, digitaldesign, computer design and assembly language programming, electric circuit analysis I, II andIII, continuous-time signals and systems, semiconductor device electronics, and digitalelectronics and integrated circuits

Conference Session

Professional Development for Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeremy Dylan Smith M.S., Virginia Tech; Vinod K. Lohani, Virginia Tech

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Pre-College Engineering Education

teacher home institutions. An interactive version of this map is in developmentfor publication on our website.The summer program is designed to accomplish two primary goals: introduce grade 9-14 teachersto the fundamentals of water, research, engineering or experimental design, and to provideopportunities to translate these experiences into curricular material for their STEM classrooms. Inthe following school year, the teachers are expected to implement their learning activity. They arealso welcome to propose university-related field trips and activities for their students.Summer ProgramThe summer portion is a six-week program during which RET teachers participate inpre-specified research projects at their assigned labs from Monday through

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Engineering Division (MULTI) Technical Session 8

Collection

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rana Hussein, Boston University; Muhammad Hamid Zaman, Boston University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Multidisciplinary Engineering Division (MULTI)

example, rather than producing a formalreport in which they analyze and interpret a dataset related to displacement patterns, studentsmight instead record a podcast which explores displacement patterns, assesses the types ofexisting data and explores how the availability of data and their representations determine theattention and resources allocated to a given community. Allowing students the opportunity toreflect on their learning through assigned reflection prompts or writing assignments is also usefulin courses like this and can also reveal student growth and mindset shifts over the duration of thecourse. Allowing students to develop a diversity of skills, including communication and writingskills, will allow them to become more well-rounded

Conference Session

Two-Year College Division Transfer Topics Part II

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Amelito G Enriquez, Canada College; Wenshen Pong, San Francisco State University; Hamid Shahnasser, San Francisco State University; Hamid Mahmoodi, San Francisco State University; Hao Jiang, San Francisco State University; Cheng Chen, San Francisco State University

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

the categories, the average response is between “Quite a bit” and “A lot.”Question: How much did you learn about each the following? Average Rating1 – Nothing; 2 – A little; 3 – Some; 4 – Quite a bit; 5 – A lot. 2011 2012 Performing research 4.7 4.8 Designing/performing an experiment 4.7 4.9 Creating a work plan 4.5 4.8 Working as a part of a team 4.8 4.8 Writing a technical report 4.5 4.8 Creating a poster presentation

Conference Session

Computer Programming and Simulation

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John R. Baker, University of Kentucky

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

is implemented in a computer program. It is acomputer-based method of analyzing systems. It seems only reasonable to attempt to solve verysmall academic-type textbook FEA problems with a pencil, paper, and calculator. CommercialFEA software, such as ANSYS1, has advanced to the point that a person with essentially nobackground in vibration theory or in the fundamentals of the finite element method can readilyobtain solutions for vibration characteristics of complicated structures. It seems, however, that acompetent engineer should have an understanding of the basis for the software calculations andenough knowledge of vibration theory to notice when software results are unreasonable.MATLAB2, a widely-used software package, is a very useful

Conference Session

Administering First-Year Programs

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Russell Korte, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; David Goldberg, University of Illinois, Urbana

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

prescribe similar solutions such asbetter emphasis on communications skills and teamwork in classrooms taught with greaterpedagogical skill. It is a bit of a puzzle that such widespread agreement has not resulted in moreeffective and sustainable change and better diffusion and pace of change.This paper takes the position that an important, largely unrecognized, reason behind the failurefor transformation efforts to take hold is that much of the effort—even much of the effort thatclaims to be student centered—remains inexorably faculty centered. Indeed there is a largeliterature of student-centered pedagogy, but the fundamental assumption behind much of it is thatteachers must behave differently to engage the student. On one level such an assertion