Conference Session

Projects & Partnerships Result in Student Learning

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Miertschin, University of Houston; Cheryl Willis, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

AC 2008-2363: USING COURSE MAPS TO ENHANCE NAVIGATION OFE-LEARNING ENVIRONMENTSSusan Miertschin, University of HoustonCheryl Willis, University of Houston Page 13.1333.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Using Course Maps to Enhance Navigation of E-Learning EnvironmentsAbstractA concept map is a graphical representation of relationships among concepts. Willis andMiertschin suggested the use of technology-based concept mapping as an active learning strategythat can enhance learning and thinking skills, particularly among students native to a digitalenvironment [16]. In addition, modern concept mapping software tools enable

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rocio Chavela Guerra, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Monica Cox, Purdue University; Heidi Diefes-Dux, Purdue University

” framework principles, characteristics of millennial students, model-elicitingactivities, formative feedback, and effective teaching methods in engineering. Throughactivities such as journaling, creation of concept maps, development of teachingphilosophy statements, and analyses of a course syllabus, course participants noted howtheir ideas about effective teaching evolved during the semester. Strengths andweaknesses of the course will be discussed in the paper as well as elements that may beincluded within future iterations of the course.IntroductionGraduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) perform an important role at higher educationinstitutions in the United States. The tenure race at large research universities and theincreasing number of students

Collection

2008 Spring ASEE Middle Atlantic Section Conference

Authors

Vicki V. May

-driven. A more learner-center, objective-driven approach is easier today given theavailability of digital resources and collaborative tools.As an alternative to requiring a textbook for a senior-level mechanics course, the studentsare creating a set of notes as a class using the wiki function in Blackboard. Through thisprocess the students will:• Synthesize information from different texts and resources, and• Collaboratively create a set of notes that they can use for quizzes and the final exam (and later in their careers).The students are working in groups. Each group is responsible for a separate section (thesections include: General Discussion, Theory and Equations, Definitions, Concept Map, andExample) of the class notes for each of five

Collection

2008 ASEE Zone 1 Conference

Authors

Vicki V. May

-driven. A more learner-center, objective-driven approach is easier today given theavailability of digital resources and collaborative tools.As an alternative to requiring a textbook for a senior-level mechanics course, the studentsare creating a set of notes as a class using the wiki function in Blackboard. Through thisprocess the students will:• Synthesize information from different texts and resources, and• Collaboratively create a set of notes that they can use for quizzes and the final exam (and later in their careers).The students are working in groups. Each group is responsible for a separate section (thesections include: General Discussion, Theory and Equations, Definitions, Concept Map, andExample) of the class notes for each of five

Collection

2008 ASEE Zone 1 Conference

Authors

Aasia Riasat; Syed S. Rizvi; Faraz Arain

establishreliable measures of effectiveness for it. They claimed that there is no well established methodologyavailable that can be used to determine which design approach most likely leads to the desired outcomefor a certain problem domain and its learning effectiveness. Therefore, they have been particularlyinvolved in developing a ‘causal loop mapping tool’ and shaping the ways through which it could bemore efficiently used to construct a better learning environment and to demonstrate the impacts of systemdynamics learning on dynamic problem understanding. The concepts maps of initial learners and expertsare constructed by first creating the causal lop diagrams for a targeted problem domain. It has beenshown that [1] with a simpler problem domain

Conference Session

Unique Student Opportunities in BME

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Linsenmeier, Northwestern University; Jean Alley, Vanderbilt University; Penny Hirsch, Northwestern University; Stacy Klein-Gardner; Julie Greenberg, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Mark Bourgeois, Northwestern University

Tagged Divisions

Biomedical

today. At the same time, they began to develop their ownethical thinking skills; we wanted students to begin to be able to form, evaluate and defend theirown ethical responses, as well as understand and appreciate competing view points. These aredifficult things to measure accurately, but our concept-map assessments showed substantialimprovement in the sophistication of student conceptions of ethics 13. Moreover, survey dataconfirmed that students found this ethics exposure to be valuable, unique and relevant.2.5 Communications component The research projects, requiring reports at the end of the summer, and the ethicsassignments, which employed a “Write to Learn” approach (9) and required papers andpresentations, allowed the communications

Conference Session

Technology in the Physics or Engineering Physics C

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Jonassen, University of Missouri

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

rule base in meteorology.Causal Modeling ToolsA few student-centered modeling tools are available or in development for mapping causalrelationships. These tools support the construction of concept maps by learners that visuallydepict causal relationships. For example, Causal Mapper was developed by Marcia Linn as partof the Web-based Science Inquiry Environment. A similar tool is used by students to teach acomputer agent, Betty, in Betty’s Brain 33. Students create a concept map in which the linksconvey a constrained set of causal relationships (increase or decrease) or dependencyrelationships, where one entity in the concept map needs another but does not change it.These tools support the learning of only a few of the attributes of causal

Conference Session

Use of Technology to Provide Civil Engineering Education

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jean-Pierre Bardet, University of Southern California; Dennis McLeod, University of Southern California; Gisele Ragusa, University of Southern California; Nazila Mokarram, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

approach, and with each other. In the past, this approach yieldedsuccessful results in many areas other than engineering curricula (http://www.swoogle.com).Preliminary ResultsOne of the advantages ontological tools is their ability of integrating concepts from educationalpsychology, such as embedded signature assignments/assessments (ESAs) and research basedevaluation methods. ESAs are signature or primary assignments that address the essence andprimary goals of each course in a comprehensive manner18. They combine an assignment with aquantifiable assessment that allows engineering educators to assess student learning. ESAsinclude course projects, concept inventories, vignette assignments, concept maps andcomprehensive examinations.Our research

Conference Session

Programmatic Issues in Physics or Engineering Physics Programs

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Glenn Ellis, Smith College; Mary Moriarty, Smith College; Gary Felder, Smith College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Physics & Physics

about how dynamics concepts fit together through exploring and applying a dynamics concept map that illustrated how Newton’s Laws related motion to its causes (see Appendix E).• Students completed a discussion-activity session that focused on addressing misconceptions related to friction forces. Concept questions and kinesthetic activities—such as examining the friction forces felt while walking and running—were used to direct discussion. Page 13.54.4• Students worked in teams to solve dynamics exam problems from PHY 117. As the instructor and student assistants noticed common misconceptions, they were addressed in short

Conference Session

Engineering in the Elementary School

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mercedes McKay, Stevens Institute of Technology; Augusto Macalalag, Stevens Institute of Technology; Carol Shields, Stevens Institute of Technology; Debra Brockway, Stevens Institute of Technology; Beth McGrath, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

collected from our experimental group teachersduring the 2-week summer institute: (1) pre and post tests, (2) formative assessments (e.g. end ofthe day evaluation, concept mapping, discussion, and questions), (3) and the STEM LearningModule as their culminating project. In addition, an on going data collection of artifacts (e.g.pictures, informal observations), activities, and reports are being collected and compiled duringthe classroom visits and consultations. These data sources aim to capture the progression and thedevelopment of the teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogy that is translated into classroompractices over a period of one year. Comparison group teachers and students were carefullyidentified and selected in September, 2007. Pre

Conference Session

Mechanics Education Programs and Projects

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sridhar Condoor, Saint Louis University, Parks College of Eng.; Sanjay Jayaram, Saint Louis University, Parks College of Eng.; Lawrence Boyer, Saint Louis University

Tagged Divisions

Mechanics

– 30th September, Sydney, Australia.20. http://ethics.tamu.edu/ethics/hyatt/hyatt2.htm, last visited on January 16, 2008.21. Darmofal, D.L., Soderholm, D.H. and Brodeur, D.R., 2002, “Using concept maps and concept questions toenhance conceptual understanding,” Proceedings of 32nd ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference. Page 13.845.13

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert Gerlick, Washington State University; Denny Davis, Washington State University; Steven Beyerlein, University of Idaho; Jay McCormack, University of Idaho; Phillip Thompson, Seattle University; Olakunle Harrison, Tuskegee University; Michael Trevisan, Washington State University

reported on the use of concept maps to assess students’design process knowledge. The target is to assess understanding of how various aspects of thedesign process go together; a measure of structural knowledge of the design process, versesdeclarative knowledge33. The purpose stated for the above mentioned assessments is continuousimprovement of students in meeting the ABET criteria (formative use).Bailey and Szabo34 have reported on an assessment tool to assess design process knowledge infirst year and senior capstone courses in which students analyze and critique a proposed process.After the process is presented to the students outlining the various steps, they are asked toidentify the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed process. Students

Conference Session

FPD9 - First Year Learning & Assessment

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Eric Johnson, Valparaiso University; Doug Tougaw, Valparaiso University; Kenneth Leitch, Valparaiso University; Barbara Engerer, Valparaiso University

Tagged Divisions

First-Year Programs

interdisciplinary nature of engineering is emphasized. Earthquakes,radio waves, and engines are all discussed in Vibrations, and the Heat Transfer laboratorymeasured the natural and forced heat convection coefficient for cooling of a resistor.The course meets four times a week for 50 minutes. Each section of the course has a maximumenrollment of 24 students. On Monday and Thursday, lectures are given using a detailedPowerPoint presentation. The lecture begins with learning objectives and then a concept map(Figure 1) to show where the topic for the day fits within the three disciplines. About 30 slidesare used for each topic. In-class exercises (ICE) are interspersed throughout the lecture. In eachof these, about five minutes is given to complete the

Conference Session

Computer Education Management Tools I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Carole Goodson, University of Houston; Barbara Stewart, University of Houston; Susan Miertschin, University of Houston; Luces Faulkenberry, University of Houston

Tagged Divisions

Computers in Education

) or cell phone. • In addition to exams, seek alternative ways to assess student achievement. Concept mapping is an activity that can reveal much about what a student understands and copying is readily identifiable if the class size below 40.Future DirectionsThis exploration into issues related to academic honesty and ICT reveals a broad field for furtherresearch. Appropriate application of ICT to prevent academic dishonesty is a technical researcharea with potential. Digital signatures and encryption are technologies being developed anddeployed in answer to privacy and security issues; perhaps these have application here as well.Why students cheat is an opportunity area for sociological/psychological research. Further in

Conference Session

Innovations in ECE Education I

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gisele Ragusa, University of Southern California; Michael Khoo, University of Southern California; Ellis Meng, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

Electrical and Computer

across groups. 16 Conceptinventories have been used in education for decades. While these inventories are now applied insome engineering fields, they are not widely used in biomedical engineering. These inventoriesare multiple-choice surveys in which misnomers related to content are contrasted with concepttruisms in an attempt to statistically judge increases in concept knowledge via instruction and labexperiences as pre and post test measures. Concept maps are maps that students create thatconnect concepts learned in courses to create a multimodal mega concept. Value judgedinternships are often used in education, social work or other human services professions whereinternships are required as a precursor to graduation. Engineering intern

Conference Session

Faculty Attitudes and Perceptions

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Lord, University of San Diego; Michelle Camacho, University of San Diego; Christina Aneshansley, University of San Diego

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

this analysis may be attractive and fruitful forresearchers in engineering education who seek convenient modes of engaging human subjects.These methods make ethnographic research more accessible to researchers who are interested inrigorous research, but may not be extensively trained in qualitative methods. Other applicationsof this method that may be of relevance to engineering educators include: identifying commonbeliefs about students related to knowledge on a specific topic, the use of concept maps,measurement of misconceptions, and comparison of student responses with “expert” responses.Cultural consensus analysis provides a systematic and reliable research tool to collect andanalyze data which may be particularly appealing to engineering

Conference Session

Innovative Programs - Structure, Delivery, Evaluation

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dirk Schaefer, Georgia Institute of Technology; Tristan Utschig, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Continuing Professional Development

developing a concept map to explore how facultyprofessional development in education could support and enhance the entire higher educationcommunity revolving around teaching and learning. They have also begun to summarize, withinthe US context, the pros and cons of a number of programs worldwide, and, finally, exploreresources needed to establish such programs. Utilizing and reflecting upon the literature, majorissues considered include the roles of various members in the higher education engineeringcommunity, the relationships between educational research, engineering faculty, and studentlearning outcomes, the various monetary support structures related to engineering education, andthe implication of different models for reward structures related

Conference Session

Philosophy of Engineering Education: Epistemology and Ethics

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Heywood, Trinity College-Dublin

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education

education a discipline? In this respectthe nineteen sixties debate between Phenix (an American) and Hirst (an Englishman) are ofparticular interest.40 One thing they are both agreed about is the importance of concepts and itis for this reason that key concept maps are important in determining the curriculum providedthey take into account what engineers do.41Thus, what we think about knowledge and knowing clearly influences the aims of educationwe have and in turn the curriculum, the mode(s) of instruction, and assessment. We have to beclear about what we mean when we talk about knowledge and knowing.In another analysis of important terms Wringe insists that aims are not objectives even thoughthe terms may be more or less synonymous.42 There has

Conference Session

Professional Skills and the Workplace

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Johannes Strobel, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Monica Cardella, Purdue Engineering Education

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

supported by the text. Further, the theories were interconnected(axial coding), a story was built that connects the categories (selective coding), and a discursiveset of theoretical propositions (with a single category as the central phenomenon in the center)was created to fulfill the last three steps of the comparative analysis (adapted from [25]).In the process of analysis, a qualitative research tool, Qualrus from Ideaworks, was utilized. Itallowed coding of texts and multimedia materials (including the drawings) and provided avariety of tools in the development of theory out of data, including a concept-mapping tool.E. Results and DiscussionThe findings of the first study can be structured into two areas: (1) problem solving processesand (2

Conference Session

Fostering and Assessing Effective Teaming

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Senay Purzer; Dale Baker, Arizona State University; Chell Roberts, Arizona State University; Stephen Krause, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

processes and collaborative concept mapping. International Journal of Science Education, 19(10), 1117-1135.22 Cross, N., Christiaans, H., & Dorst, K. (1996). Analysing design activity. Chichester: Wiley.23 Brereton, M.F., Cannon, M.C., Mabogunje, A., Leifer, L, "Collaboration in Design Teams: How Social Interaction Shapes the Product," in Analyzing Design Activity, K. Dorst, H. Christiaans, H. Cross, (Editors). Wiley, Chichester, UK, 1996.24 Miles, M. B. and Huberman, A.M. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication Page 13.415.11