Collection

2010 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Beth Richards; Karen Walsh

somewhere else—anywhere else?In this paper, we describe a recent approach to teaching writing to first-year engineering studentsat the University of Hartford, in which we crafted a course based the concept of the nerd, a topicthat engineering students find engaging, and then developing their writing skills from thosematerials in an integrated way that is interesting to students and (most important) develops keycommunication skills. We developed two tracks, one using a gender approach and the otherusing historical reactions to innovations in technology; these are described, along with texts usedand writing assignments that grew from the readings. This rhetorical foundation becomes thebasis for the oral and written communication skills required by

Collection

2010 Northeast Section Meeting

Authors

Beth Richards; Karen Walsh

somewhere else—anywhere else?In this paper, we describe a recent approach to teaching writing to first-year engineering studentsat the University of Hartford, in which we crafted a course based the concept of the nerd, a topicthat engineering students find engaging, and then developing their writing skills from thosematerials in an integrated way that is interesting to students and (most important) develops keycommunication skills. We developed two tracks, one using a gender approach and the otherusing historical reactions to innovations in technology; these are described, along with texts usedand writing assignments that grew from the readings. This rhetorical foundation becomes thebasis for the oral and written communication skills required by

Conference Session

Importance of Technical & Professional Writing in Engineering Technology Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peilin Fu, National University; Shekar Viswanathan, National University, San Diego; Ronald Uhlig, National University, San Diego; Howard Evans, National University, San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

course syllabi are individually modified to specifically incorporatewriting assignments that match the designated IDM progression. These specified assignments arecalled “signature assignments.” At NU, course syllabi are the fundamental documents controllingcourse content and course learning objectives (CLOs). (CLOs are appropriately related andlinked to the overall PLOs for a program.) The inclusion of a specific writing assignment in acourse syllabus ensures that this ”signature assignment” will be included every time the course istaught, regardless of instructor or location. This is especially important for multi-campus systemsand institutions such as NU that provide both multiple locations and multiple modes of programdelivery – such as both

Conference Session

Student Learning and Assessment

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Josh Coffman, University of Arkansas; Joseph Rencis, University of Arkansas; Daniel Jensen, United States Air Force Academy; Christina White, Columbia University; Ashland Brown, University of the Pacific; Jiancheng Liu, University of the Pacific; Kristen Kaufman, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

AC 2010-281: STRUCTURED PROCESS FOR WRITING, REVISING, ANDASSESSING MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUIZZESJosh Coffman, University of Arkansas Josh Coffman is a M.S. student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He has worked as a civil design technician for Crafton, Tull, Sparks, and Associates in Russellville, Arkansas. He received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Arkansas Tech University in 2006. V-mail: 479-970-7359; E-mail: jacoffma@uark.edu.Joseph Rencis, University of Arkansas Joseph J. Rencis has been professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville since 2004. He has held the inaugural

Conference Session

Tricks of the Trade in Teaching II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Reisel, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Tagged Divisions

New Engineering Educators

. Reisel is a member of ASEE, ASME, the Combustion Institute, and SAE. Dr. Reisel received his B.M.E. degree from Villanova University in 1989, his M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in 1991, and his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in 1994. Page 15.609.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010GAINING THE RESPECT OF YOUR STUDENTS: FUNDAMENTAL TIPS FOR NEW ENGINEERING TEACHERSAbstractMost new engineering teachers enter their jobs with a strong background in research, and withhigh expectations placed on their research productivity. Yet, a significant

Conference Session

Capstone Design Pedagogy I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daria Kotys-Schwartz, University of Colorado, Boulder; Daniel Knight, University of Colorado, Boulder; Gary Pawlas, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

strongtechnical and professional component. The FYEP course is a single semester hands-on, team-based interdisciplinary design course for entry-level engineering students. Several facultymembers from the College of Engineering and Applied Science teach the FYEP course. SCD is ayearlong industry sponsored, hands-on, design course for senior-level mechanical engineeringstudents. The professional skills objectives for both courses include increasing: knowledge ofengineering as a career, communication skills and teamwork skills. The technical skill learningobjectives emphasize fundamental engineering methodologies and design skills.Project-based courses are not currently incorporated into the sophomore or junior-levelcoursework at the University of Colorado

Conference Session

Fulfilling the CE BOK2 - Case Studies

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth Fridley, University of Alabama

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

AC 2010-330: HOW THE CIVIL ENGINEERING BOK2 IS BEING IMPLEMENTEDAT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMAKenneth Fridley, University of Alabama Kenneth J. Fridley, PhD, F.ASCE, has been at The University of Alabama since 2003 where he is professor and head of the civil, construction and environmental engineering department. In 2006, he served as an administrative fellow for the office of the executive vice president and provost of the University. He is the 2010 recipient of the T. Morris Hackney Award for Faculty Leadership. Fridley has gained a variety of experience in structural wood engineering through his studies of the creep-rupture of wood, the vibrations, durability and deflection of wood

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Allison Kipple; Dieter Otte

101 Work in Progress: Blending Contemporary Research in Sustainability and Fundamental Skills for Graduate Success into a Team-Taught, Introductory Graduate Course Allison Kipple and Dieter Otte Northern Arizona UniversityAbstractA team-taught graduate course titled, “EGR501: Topics in Sustainability” is required for allstudents pursuing a Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) degree at Northern ArizonaUniversity. In the past, the course tended toward a seminar presentation style, with minimaltechnical depth and a light work load for the

Conference Session

Demonstration and Project Enhancements in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Allen Yang, Cornell University; Kathryn Dimiduk, Cornell University; Susan Daniel, Cornell University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

to clearly illustratewhy chemical engineering is particularly suited to these kinds of problems and what our skill setoffers to biotechnological problem-solving that no other engineering discipline is whollyequipped to do. These skills include defining systems with multiple unit operations and complexinterconnections, writing and solving systems of equations based on chemical reactionstoichiometry and kinetics, and scale-down of a system from human-scale to “lab-on-a-chip”micro-scale using dimensionless numbers. Additionally, we wanted to create a project thatwould encourage teamwork and cooperation in developing problem-solving strategies and in theanalysis and evaluation of the results. Here students would learn about dividing

Conference Session

BME Laboratory and Project Experiences

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Estefania Alvarez, Clemson University; Steven Saville, Clemson University; O. Thompson Mefford, Clemson University; John DesJardins, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

“experts” and were able to provide appropriate guidance to students regardingtheir experimental work and materials selection. In writing their individual abstracts, studentswere required to conduct background literature reviews on how these problems have beenpreviously addressed. For the “Test Your Mettle” phase, students provided a written abstract oftheir findings and proposed future experiments that might better test their proposed solutions.The “Go Public” phase involved presenting the team presentation of their work via oral andposter presentations at the end of the semester. These presentations were evaluated by facultyoutside the department. Similarly, Enderle et al 4also has demonstrated that there is a direct correlation between

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tirupalavanam Ganesh, Arizona State University; John Thieken, Arizona State University; Dale Baker, Arizona State University; Stephen Krause, Arizona State University; Monica Elser, Arizona State University; Wendy Taylor, Arizona State University; Chell Roberts, Arizona State University; Jay Golden, Ph.D., is a faculty member in ASU’s School of Sustainability and codirector of the; James Middleton, Arizona State University; Sharon Robinson Kurpius

program impact included statistical analysis of pre- and post- tests, qualitative researchtechniques of eliciting information using subject-produced drawings, journal writing, focusgroups, and observation. This project is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF)funded Information Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program aimedat enhancing traditionally underrepresented youths’ interest in Science, Technology,Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects. Disciplinary experts were drawn from materialsscience, industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, sustainability, scienceeducation, mathematics education, cognitive psychology, counseling, and education researchmethods. These experts worked

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 1 Conference

Authors

Steve Zilora

school students to write researchpapers even though relatively few of them will ultimately become researchers. The reason is thatthey need to be able to conduct and write about their research in order to be successful in collegeregardless of their major. Similarly, 21st century college students need to be able to collect,analyze, and present information in order to be successful in college regardless of their major.This paper describes an informatics course suitable for upper level high school students. Thecourse introduces students to skills that will allow them to work comfortably and effectively withdigital information during their college studies. Successful completion of such a course wouldempower college-bound students and help them

Collection

2010 Fall ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Edward F. Glynn; Frank E. Falcone

Professional Practices in Engineering, An Introduction for Second Year Civil Engineering Students Edward F. Glynn and Frank E. Falcone Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Villanova University, Villanova, PA 19085The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Villanova Universityrecently introduced a new required course, Civil Engineering Fundamentals, inthe fall semester of the sophomore year of its civil engineering curriculum. Oneof the primary objectives in the course is to introduce students to the professionalpractice of civil engineering. This paper focuses on the professional practicescomponent of the course. In particular, the paper

Conference Session

Think Outside the Box! K-12 Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Heath Tims, Louisiana Tech University; Krystal Corbett, Louisiana Tech University; Galen Turner, Louisiana Tech University; David Hall, Louisiana Tech University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

physics/pre-engineeringcurriculum.NASA-Threads integrates fundamental science and mathematics courses taught with engineeringapplications and the appropriate use of technology into a physics/pre-engineering curriculumtargeting the junior/senior year of high school. The threads of this curriculum includeFundamentals, Technology, Communication, and NASA Applications. The fundamentals, whichare grouped into blocks of similar topics, provide the backbone of the educational experience.NASA applications are strategically introduced to provide timely, hands-on reinforcement offundamentals, and the progressive development of technical knowledge and skills.The rigorous curriculum is designed to guide students through a systems-level understanding ofreal

Conference Session

Innovations in Teaching Physics or Engineering Physics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jian Peng, Southeast Missouri State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

aprice. These software development tools hide many of the fundamental computer engineeringissues, so that the programmer can focus on his/her application. If your mission is to create andmarket products, then one can successfully argue that these software tools are effective. On theother hand, since our goal is to educate student to potentially work on future embedded systems,we must expose our students to the underlying hardware, let them program in low-level languagesuch as assembly or C, and force them to face real engineering tradeoffs. Such an approach isalso possible and desirable because our students have had exposures to digital logic and softwareprogramming

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 4 Conference

Authors

Devlin Montfort; Shane Brown

Education 334the explanatory and predictive power of their understanding. Synthetic models are key tounderstanding why it is more difficult to acquire conceptual understanding. Vosniadou writes,“[w]e argue that many science concepts are difficult to learn because they are embedded withinscientific framework that violate fundamental principles of the naïve, framework theory ofphysics within which everyday physics concepts are subsumed” 12.Chi’s Types of LearningMichelene Chi’s describes three types of learning that are of key importance in scienceeducation: belief revision, mental model transformation and categorical shift 14. Chi states thatbelief

Conference Session

Improving Mechanics & Structural Modeling Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Natasha Smith, University of Southern Indiana

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

forlaboratories requiring written reports. With a renewed focus on setting a standard forprofessional writing, experiments were crafted with a straightforward technical objective inmind. Then, students were lead to think and write critically through their exploration of thisobjective.This paper presents a beam deflection lab designed primarily for the purpose of introducingprinciples of sound engineering reasoning and establishing standards for professional reporting.The following section provides a procedure for a straightforward four part mechanics laboratoryinvolving beam deflections. The exercises are designed specifically to engage students’engineering reasoning skills and form a standard for effective communication. Each part of theexperiment is

Conference Session

Rethinking Traditional Pedagogical Strategies

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Robertson, Arizona State University; Louis Frenzel, Electronic Design Magazine; Tom McGlew, MATEC

Tagged Divisions

Two Year College Division

writing andcommunication are embedded into every job. Given the diversity of skills involved inevery electronic system application, it cannot be assumed that any communication will bechecked for technical accuracy after it leaves the originator. Therefore every employeemust meet the stand-alone capabilities for effective communication. Among therequirements identified by industry advisors are: Document results or log information. Work activities must include clearly written descriptions of how the system is supposed to work, the way it worked, and a clear summary of findings. Note taking and summaries are key components of this task. Give reports and make presentations

Collection

2010 ASEE Midwest Section Conference

Authors

Josh Coffman; Joseph J. Rencis; Daniel J. Jensen; Ashland O. Brown; Jiancheng Liu; Kristen Kaufman; Christina White

effectiveness of the multiple-choice quiz checklist form isdetermined based on an assessment and evaluation process. This paper considers thedevelopment a ‘new’ quiz for bending stress in a sophomore level fundamentals of mechanicscourse. Four instructors used the multiple-choice checklist form to develop a new quiz and fiveinstructors developed a new multiple-choice quiz without the checklist form. Independentreviewers are used to carry out a quantitative evaluation of the new quizzes developed with andwithout the multiple-choice checklist form. The assessment form is based on the multiple-choicechecklist form. The results of the assessment process show that the proposed multiple-choicequiz checklist form is a valuable tool for instructors to develop

Conference Session

Capstone Design Pedagogy I

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Trivett, University of Prince Edward Island

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

one “course” per semester, and they have daily contact with their problem group and afaculty member or guide. Since the early 1970’s, this PBL approach has been successful inmedical education at many institutions. There are very few engineering programs that have fullyimplemented a similar model. Are we hampered from adopting more PBL teaching models inEngineering programs because of our fundamental conceptual model of what is an engineeringeducation, and, ultimately, what is an engineer? The System ParadigmWithin the existing structure at most engineering schools, students recognize that each coursecarries equal weight towards their degree, and each course gives them an independent grade thatis equal in value towards their degree and for

Conference Session

Contemporary Issues in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jason Keith, Michigan Technological University; Daniel Crowl, Michigan Technological University; David Caspary, Michigan Technological University; Jeffrey Allen, Michigan Technological University; Jeff Naber, Michigan Technological University; Dennis Meng, Michigan Technological University; Abhijit Mukherjee, Michigan Technological University; John Lukowski, Michigan Technological University; Jay Meldrum, Michigan Technological University; Barry Solomon, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

by electricity. It is noted that the students also estimated greenhouse gas emissions as well as other environmental impact factors including chlorofluorocarbon, heavy metal, and carcinogenic emissions as well as acidification and eutrophication effects.Additional details of prior projects can be obtained in the literature7,8.Fuel Cell CoursesTo receive the hydrogen minor, students are required to take a course in fuel cells. Thecomponents of these courses will now be described.In CM / ENT 3974: Fuel Cell Fundamentals (1 semester credit hour), mostly undergraduatestudents are introduced to fuel cells and how to use concepts from their core curriculum topredict fuel cell operation. An emphasis is placed on proton

Conference Session

Mechanical and Architectural Engineering Laboratories

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gerald Recktenwald, Portland State University; Jenna Faulkner, Portland State University; Robert Edwards, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College; Douglas Howe, Portland State University

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

is addedto each image by positioning a six segment LED display kit (USB7 from Fundamental Logichttp://store.fundamentallogic.com) in the field of view of the camera. Figure 3 is a photograph ofa tank draining measurement in progress. An enlarged image of the LED is also inset in theimage. The digits on the LED display are set from the internal time of the LabVIEW programrecording the pressure transducer output. Therefore, each image that records L(t), also indicatesthe time the image was captured according to the time base of the pressure measurements. Figure 3. Stepped-tank during draining. The seven-segment LED display at the base of the tank indicates the time in sections from the start of the pressure transducer

Conference Session

Technological Literacy and K-12 Engineering

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adam Wathen, Georgia Institute of Technology; William Hunt, Georgia Institute of Technology; Donna Llewellyn, Georgia Institute of Technology; Peter Ludovice, Georgia Institute of Technology; Marion Usselman, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

taken by asking the students to write down one item about gravitationthat they remember from the formal instruction and one question they have remaining aboutgravitation. For the items remembered, the assigned Bloom’s category corresponds to the levelof question for which the answer would suffice. For the students’ remaining questions, theBloom’s categories were assigned as usual as if they were assessment questions by an instructor.Although there were fundamental and obvious misconceptions about the topic in several of theresponses, a category was assigned assuming there was no misconception present. Bloom’s taxonomy is a categorization of levels of learning. Learning at higher levelswithin the taxonomy is predicated on the knowledge or

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education II

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stuart Wentworth, Auburn University; Dennis Silage, Temple University; Michael Baginski, Auburn University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

projects will enhanceunderstanding of the subject matter while providing a significant programming exercise. Achallenge for the instructor is to individualize assignments to make it more likely that studentsare doing their own work.Four projects are presented that require students to write a MATLAB program that calculates theproject’s objective. First, the vector electric field is determined from an arbitrary chargedistribution. Second, the vector magnetic field is determined from an arbitrary currentdistribution. For these related projects the discrete sum solution of the electrostatic ormagnetostatic field are individualized by the charge or current distributions and the configurationof the structure in three dimensions.In the third project

Conference Session

Electrical & Computer Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Khalid Al-Olimat, Ohio Northern University

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

called senior capstone design project - is an important componentof engineering curriculum worldwide. The course is a senior level course with a commonobjective which is to mainly allow students to reinforce their technical skills and to integrate andapply them to solve engineering problems. ABET1 states the definition of engineering design as“Engineering design is the process of devising a system, component, or process to meet desiredneeds. It is a decision-making process (often iterative), in which the basic sciences, mathematics,and engineering sciences are applied to convert resources optimally to meet a stated objective.Among the fundamental elements of the design process are the establishment of objectives andcriteria, synthesis, analysis

Conference Session

Curricular Developments in Energy Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patrick Cunningham, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

fuel cell course has three 1-hour lecture periods per week and one 3-hour lab period perweek to make a 4 credit-hour course. One lecture period per week is devoted to discussion ofrelevant papers, which serves to reinforce the technical content and facilitate discussion of thebroader social, economic, and technical issues. The lab periods are used alternately for additionalclassroom instruction, experiments, recitation time, and modeling or project work. This adds adegree of flexibility to administering the course and provides the students with extra time toengage and reflect on what they are learning.Student learning assessment is based on homework, experimental lab write-ups, a midterm exam,a nonlinear dynamic fuel cell model, and student

Collection

2010 ASEE Zone 1 Conference

Authors

John Adams

, save money, createeducational opportunities, and partner with external agencies.” 3 ASEE-NE 2010 Conference - WITAdams: Renewable Energy Education …As of this writing, the board is still in its early stages, with development of a coherentoverall strategy as the first order of business. A number of successful RE^3 strategieshave been adopted at the college in recent years, including the SHW installationmentioned above, an ice making installation incorporating state of the art heatreclamation, and more. Up to the present, these strategies have been pursued piecemealrather than as part of a coherent strategy.Role in Campus

Conference Session

The New ABET CE Criteria - Program Development

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

M. Brett Borup, Brigham Young University; Jessica Hanson, Brigham Young University; Gabriel Smith, Brigham Young University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

such as Blackboard allows efficient evaluation of and communicationwith the students enrolled in the class. It easily allows the department to have differentrequirements for students enrolled in different sections even though they all meet together. Forexample, freshmen can be required to visit with an advisor during their first semester whileseniors may be required to write a paper about their experience in the department.A large portion of the course is managed by elected officers of the department’s student chapterof ASCE, under the direction of the course instructor, who is also the faculty advisor of theASCE student chapter. The six officers are elected by members of the class. All officers serveone year terms. Four officers are elected

Conference Session

Measurement Tools

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patricia Ralston, University of Louisville; Cathy Bays, University of Louisville

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

AC 2010-1518: REFINING A CRITICAL THINKING RUBRIC FOR ENGINEERINGPatricia Ralston, University of Louisville Dr. Patricia A. S. Ralston is Chair of the Department of Engineering Fundamentals at the University of Louisville. She holds a joint appointment in Engineering Fundamentals and in Chemical Engineering. Dr. Ralston teaches undergraduate engineering mathematics and is currently involved, with other Speed faculty, in educational research on effective use of Tablet PCs in engineering education and the incorporation of critical thinking in engineering education. Her fields of expertise include process modeling, simulation, and process control.Cathy Bays, University of Louisville

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Education: Underclass Years

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Silverstein, University of Kentucky; Margot Vigeant, Bucknell University; Donald Visco, Tennessee Technological University; Donald Woods, McMaster University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

variety. That variety is based on the fundamental difference in philosophy as to whetheryear 1 has common content for all branches of engineering or discipline specific programs begin inyear 1. For the former, many imaginative ways have been introduced to allow students to gain an Page 15.658.2understanding of the uniqueness of the disciplines.This summary considers eight options (with the school code in brackets for the school using thisoption): 1. Common year 1 with no engineering exposure through courses; basic math and sciences, 0% of responders 2. Common year 1 with required common engineering course(s) with no explicit