criticalthinking through creative design; second, It’s MathE, a middle school enrichment program thatfocuses on problem solving and critical thinking through teamwork and mentorship; and third,the CU Empowering Women in Leadership and STEM Conference, which provides anopportunity for the university and surrounding community to learn from successful industryprofessionals. Each program demonstrates the importance of STEM within the region, engagesstudents at every level to reinforce their confidence as related to mathematics and engineering,and empowers them to pursue careers in mathematics and engineering at and beyond thecollege level.BackgroundThe US Department of Labor reports continued growth in the STEM field and a growing needfor qualified university
introduced for the students to understand and recognize theto conceptually design the future (potential) various basic characteristics or fundamentals of the disruptivedisruptive products or processes related to the given products/services. During the second session, a group oftheme of the project through the disruptive technology students (three to four students per team) works to find anddesign challenge activity. At its core, disruptive identify additional existing and available disruptivetechnologies are strongly linked to the entrepreneurial products/services in our society and marketplace, in whichmindset defined by the 3C’s of Curiosity, Connections they are asked to
Paper ID #24434Full Paper: Examination of the Development of Grit in First-Year Engineer-ing StudentsDr. Jenahvive K. Morgan, Michigan State University Dr. Jenahvive Morgan is the instructor for EGR 100 - Introduction to Engineering Design at Michigan State University. EGR 100 is a large course with an enrollment of over 1600 students in the academic year. She is also currently the Director of Positions for the ASEE Women in Engineering Division, as well as an ASCE ExCEED Fellow. Dr. Morgan has a PhD and MS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State
The Impacts of a Human-Centered Design Project on First Year Engineering Student Perceptions of Success Susan M. Bitetti and Ethan Danahy, Tufts UniversityBackground and MotivationIn our rapidly changing world, even more is demanded of engineering graduates than what was previously expected [1, 2, 3]. Research has pointed to a disconnect in the skills that employersdesire of engineering graduates and the skills that university coursework actually emphasize.Employers have been pushing for colleges and institutions to move beyond just “hardengineering” and prepare their students with a myriad of non-technical skills to best succeed inthe 21st century workplace. Surveys of industry
assignments, students were able to understand thean innovative solution to a problem or opportunity they importance of focusing on the needs of the user at a deeperidentified. Through learning and applying design thinking, level than experienced in a more traditional course.students accomplish new mindshifts such as the development The ENG1102 design project incorporated, along withof a human-centered mindset where students move beyond an design thinking methodologies, core engineering skills suchegocentric view of the world and focus on meeting the needs as MATLAB simulations, and NX solid modeling. Studentsof others through their innovations and designs. An were given the freedom to
take an introductory course in thefundamentals of engineering. In this course, students learn the fundamentals of engineering thatthey will use for years to come. Beyond helpful tools such as CAD and other computer software,the course offers students a chance to explore other topics relevant to engineering. This includes,disciplinary boundaries of engineering, engineering ethics, and the design process. While thesetopics can be given a cursory lecture, there exists opportunities to expand on these themes andtopics. Given practices of inclusive classrooms, a faculty member can create engaging ways tohave students explore these topics and encourage the development of good research skills andcritical thinking. Inclusive practices can include
, evaluate sources, and provide a justification for theirwork. These processes are required because ill-structured problems are typically noted as having thefollowing characteristics: possess multiple solutions, do not present all problem elements, and requirelearners to make judgements about the problem by expressing personal opinions or beliefs about theproblem interpretation [3]. Through the experience of solving ill-structured problems students have theopportunity to develop skills and strategies that can be transferred to larger design experiences. Onechallenge with incorporating ill-structure problems in engineering education is providing students withthe support they need to develop the skills and strategies to solve these problems, which can
University Dr. Feinauer is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Freshman En- gineering Coordinator at Norwich University. His scholarly work spans a number of areas related to engineering education, including P-12 engineering outreach, the first-year engineering experience, and incorporating innovation and entrepreneurship practice in the engineering classroom. Additionally, he has research experience in the areas of automation and control theory, and system identification. His work has been published through the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE); he is an active member of both organizations. He serves
between art and engineering.References[1] H. Hahn, “The political implications of disability definitions and data”, Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 4(2), 1993, pp 42-55.[2] R. B. Darling, “Toward a model of changing disability identities: A proposed typology and research agenda”, Disability and Society, 18(7), 2003, pp. 881-895.[3] C. Y. Mason, M. S. Thormann, and K. M. Steedly, “How students with disabilities learn in and through the arts: An investigation of educator perceptions”, Washington, DC: VSA Arts, 2004.[4] M. Taylor, “Self-identity and the arts—Education of disabled young people”, Disability & Society, 20(7), 2005, pp. 763-778.[5] A. Smith, Reflections on Mouthstick Project, Figure Painting
of attitudes can also be used asof our students, who are qualified to take College Algebra a tool to evaluate and improve the educational process.(two semesters behind), enroll in Fundamentals of Success The Pittsburg Freshman Engineering Attitude Surveyin Engineering Study in fall semester and move on to (PFEAS) has been developed to measure students’ attitudesIntroduction to Engineering I or II in spring semester. about engineering and their confidence in their abilities toHigh-achieving honors students who are qualified to take achieve in engineering disciplines [1-3, 5, 6]. WeCalculus II or beyond can enroll in Honors Research or administered PFEAS at the beginning of each