Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Ingrid St. Omer

under discussion is considered a junior level requirement. At theUniversity of Minnesota, the students were almost evenly split between junior and senior status.However, in the NAU case, approximately 90% of the students were seniors. Figure 1 illustratesthe distribution of student status. Given the racial, ethnic and gender makeup of most ElectricalEngineering programs, it is not surprising that the majority of the students completing the surveyare white males with an average age of 23. Figures 2 and 3 contain the distributions for genderand racial/ethnic breakdown. The average age of the NAU students was 24 as opposed to anaverage of 23 for the UMN students. This is not unexpected given that over 90% of the NAUstudents were seniors

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Enno Koehn

investigation. Specifically, the questionnaire listed various ABET civil(construction) engineering program requirements and requested respondents to indicate at whichlevel – high, average, low, or unsure/none – each is enhanced by students involved in part-timeand/or summer work experience. The subject areas chosen are among those listed in a recentlyadopted set of criteria for accrediting engineering programs, Engineering Criteria 20001.Specifically, the findings suggest that undergraduate students have increased their understandingof many of the subject areas at a high level. For example, Table 1 illustrates that over 55% of thestudents involved with civil engineering work experiences believe that five areas are enhanced ata high category level. As

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Nikolaos Katopodes; Donald D. Carpenter

the new course was desired. This wouldremove the instructor’s bias towards the new course and help determine whether the new coursewas an improvement over the old course and truly did address the goals the instructors set.Quantitative EvaluationThe first attempt to evaluate the two versions of the course was to compare the end of thesemester student evaluations. It can be argued that student evaluations are not a very goodmeasure of course effectiveness, but they are an indication of how students view the course. Atthe University of Michigan, all courses are evaluated independently at the end of the term by theExaminations and Evaluations Department. The students respond on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1being strongly disagreed and 5 being strongly

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Stuart Steele

problem solving skills. They might quickly try an approach, test it, and reject it if itdoes not work. They can use online help or reuse their old code. They need to decide which ismore useful for a given problem. There was an obvious and substantial improvement in thescores for these exams, over the course of the semester.The third hour of the lab is reserved for individual help on the homework problems. Thestudents who used the notebooks in class felt more confident, but student grade results did notindicate a preference. Polytechnic University also has a major campus on Long Island atFarmingdale. In this group of 100 students, the CS freshman laboratories were implementedusing laptops only (class type 1

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Don Rhymer; Marty Bowe; Daniel Jensen

developing and assessing our current use of finiteelement based visualizations. The present study is being done in our fall 2000 introductorymechanics of materials course. The visualization content consists of web-based and PowerPointpresentations designed to enhance understanding of specific, abstract concepts related to stressdistributions. Three separate assessment techniques have been used to evaluate the newcontent’s effectiveness. In a previous study, our assessment produced two interesting results: 1)the visualization content was more effective than normal lecture in improving the students’conceptual understanding, however, 2) students actually disliked the use of the visualizationmodules. Our current study is designed to uncover the reason

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Deran Hanesian; Angelo Perna; Vladimir Briller

freshman engineering design programs. For example, in 1993, Regan andMinderman [1] discussed the integration of design across the curriculum as part of the ECSELCoalition. Buccariarelli [2] discussed “EXCEL & the Integration of Design”. Calkins, Plumb,Chou, Hawkins, and Coney [3] showed how a team of teachers introduced freshman to designand communication skills. Howell [4] wrote about a new course that had vertical integration ofdesign concepts through the entire engineering curriculum to improve student retention.Chrzanowski [5] gave a student perspective on the Freshman Engineering Design Course atNJIT. Moore [6] et al showed the lack of consensus about the definition of the design processand the difference between design and simple problem

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Dick Desautel

of department representatives about three years prior to the College’sFall 1998 ABET evaluation visit. The ATF proved to be an invaluable forum for sharing bestpractices, providing mutual encouragement and help, and stimulating departmental action andparticipation. Whereas the “old culture” of program evaluation focused on units and topics withminimal constituent input (see Figure 1), the generic assessment system design adopted by allfive departments through the ATF uses embedded loops of course, program and departmentassessment processes (see Figure 2). Results of the accreditation visit proved the value andeffectiveness of the College assessment system design as it was initially implemented in sevendegree programs. Aerospace Engineering

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Edward Gehringer

feedback in each period. A formula may be devised to allowreviewers to share in good grades received by their reviewees. Or students may be assigned toreview each other’s reviews.To improve the accuracy of grading, students can be required to pass a pre-certification testbefore being allowed to serve as peer graders. The instructor can supply a set of grading criteria,and discuss it with the students, either in advance or after the students complete their first roundof review. Reviewer mappings can be constrained to assure that each student will review onepaper from each quartile (etc.) of the class.1. IntroductionPeer review in the classroom is a technique that is becoming increasingly popular, with over 100papers published on the topic in the

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Alexander Crispo; Beverly Davis

. The treadseparations from these faulty tires have caused approximately 103 deaths, over2, 226 complaints, and reports of more than over 400 injuries (1). These authors go on toreport that critics have charged that the tire company was aware of the quality problemwell before 1996 and documents show that in 1996 Firestone took eighteen tires off itsproduction lines for random tests of their durability at high speeds and eight of those tiresfailed. A notation in the documents also indicates that Firestone made some changes in itsmanufacturing process in 1997 and investigators have asked that Firestone turn over allits audit information as well as an explanation of what corrective actions inmanufacturing the company took in 1997 and why they were

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Shafaat Qazi; Sam Gile; Mustafa Guvench

response of mechanical, acoustical andother electromechanical and nonelectrical systems as long as appropriate transducers/sensors areintroduced to do the required conversions from electrical to non-electrical quantities and vice versa.Being a much faster alternative to manual measurements, such automated measurements meet a needrecently created by the heavy emphasis put on "design" in the electronics curriculum. In the design ofanalog electronic circuits, in particular those requiring a narrow range of specifications to be met, thecycle time of the test has become a critical factor in fitting a large number of redesign-and-testiterations into a time-limited laboratory session.1. IntroductionThis paper describes the design, operation and use of a

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Thomas Lacksonen

and then find the present worth. Figure 1 shows theinitial sheet displayed to the student. The problem statement appears at the top of every sheet,along with help comments for all terms and data elements in the problem. Figure 2 shows asample help comment, for the software upgrade cost. The middle box gives the instructionsand additional help for the first step. The student is expected to enter the data in thehighlighted cells at the bottom of the screen. In this problem, costs may be positive or negativevalues, as long as they are consistent throughout. Figure 3 shows the dialog box that appearswhen the student activates the first macro by pressing Ctrl-a. A B C D E F G

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Andrew Jackson

thecommitment by industry sponsors to guide and direct student involvement as an integralcomponent of their continuing organizational activities. This sponsorship is completed withoutmonetary commitment to or from industry personnel, other than the commitment of time andeffort from industry leaders and managers as they host student teams during the semester.Students benefit from direct industry involvement in a variety of ways. Some examples of thisvalue-added educational approach include: 1) Working directly with senior managers to define specific project objectives. 2) Participation in mentoring programs led by technical experts in the organization. 3) Use of organizational resources to accomplish the specified tasks. 4) Participation

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Danny Bee

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Elizabeth Parry; Laura Bottomley

right to focus on business expansion, opportunities abound for localgrowth and franchising opportunity. For now, the ability to determine our own schedule, plusour belief that we are truly making a difference regarding attitudes toward science in the childrenwe come into contact with, is payoff enough.References[1] Bottomley, Laura J. and Elizabeth A. Parry, "The Science of Playgrounds," American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference workshop, Seattle, June 1998.[2] Bottomley, Laura J. and Elizabeth A. Parry, “The Physics of Sports,” American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference, Charlotte, June 1999.[3] Bottomley, Laura J. and Elizabeth A. Parry, “Beyond the Classroom Walls: Relating Science to

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Jay Porter; James Ochoa; Rainer Fink

some ofthe common issues facing new faculty and proposing solutions.I. IntroductionAs a new faculty member begins a career in a research-oriented university, the first goal must beto gain tenure. This is typically a five to six year process that is very rigorous and is completed bydemonstrating success in three main areas. At Texas A&M University (as with most majoruniversities), these requirements include [1]:• Research: The foremost priority in the tenure process is demonstrating the ability to perform externally funded research. This translates into tenure-track faculty spending a majority of their time making research-related contacts, attending conferences, writing proposals, managing contracts and students, staying current

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Roli Varma

not only forwomen, but also for the American society increasingly dependent on IT. In this paper, I examinethe reasons for under-representation of women in IT-related disciplines in institutions of highereducation.1. IntroductionThe use of IT has been having a profound impact on the productivity, globalization, and growthof the U.S. economy. Since 1995, IT appears to have contributed between 33% and 50% of theacceleration of productivity12. IT is also viewed as having contributed to the country’s structuralshift to a service economy19. IT has led to growth in demand for labor as well as overall skillupgrading in the workplace2. The Bureau of Labor Statistics7 has projected that between 1998and 2008, the number of IT related jobs will grow

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

James Newell; Kevin Dahm

been conducted. Students are presented with a list of possible stadiumdesigns, in which the major parameters are cost and seating capacity, and are challenged todetermine which best meets the team's needs. Working in teams of 3-4, they analyze data toquantify the effect of team payroll on won-loss record, which in turn affects ticket sales andmerchandising revenues. They produce an optimized economic strategy for running the team,the cornerstone of which is the stadium selection. To support this project, engineering classroominstruction is devoted to introducing the design process (~2 weeks), fundamentals of engineeringeconomics (~6 weeks) and basic statistics (1 week). Concurrently, communications facultymembers train students in public

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

A Boyanich; S P Maj

failed to give consistent results,when compared to other benchmarks, even on identical equipment. Furthermore many ofthe benchmarks provided performance data in arbitrary units that were difficult to relate toexpected changes in performance. In effect every benchmark tested failed to meet theevaluation criteria. The authors offer an alternative benchmarking method that is designedto meet such criteria and experimental work to date indicates some success using this newmetric. This paper presents results of this work and gives recommendations regarding theuse of benchmarks in computer education courses.1. IntroductionBenchmarking is a term used to describe the process of testing either a PC or a selectedPC module (e.g. Hard Disc) and obtaining a

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Peg Boyle Single; Carol Muller

mentoring relationships conducted via e-mail. This large-scale, multi-campus program offers on-line applications, matching, training, andon-going coaching for participants, and evaluation. Increasing student participation from justover 200 to 2,000 over 3-1/2 years leads to a rich database for evaluation. These 2,000 studentsattend 71 different institutions of higher education, including community colleges.MentorNet is unique among large-scale e-mentoring programs in conducting extensiveevaluation to determine retention, long-term benefits to the participants, and outcomes associatedwith the e-mentoring process. This paper will describe the program and its evaluation findings,with a particular focus on the results of a survey of student

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

John Field; Janelle Tonti; Eric Beenfeldt; Isaac Horn; Edward Williams

engineering students. It emphasizes apersonal touch, which means the ECE Department devotes considerable resources to staffing.Two faculty members (1-FTE) are assigned to the course, which normally has about 60-70students. Also, three to four undergraduate students are employed as peer teachers and to helpin lab. The class meets Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings for 50 minutes.Additionally, there is a weekly 3-hour lab (four sections are offered with 15-20 students in each). As an aid to learning student names we take “mug shots” during the first laboratory period witha digital camera. The students print their names (using a nickname if preferred) on an 8.5” x11” sheet of paper that they hold up in front of them for the picture. A typical mug

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

William Jordan; Norman Pumphrey

Conference described this new materials course in somedetail.1 This paper uses data from both years and emphasizes the issue of how the students’backgrounds affect their performance in the materials course. The students in the integrated curriculumcontinue to show superior performance when compared to students from the traditional background,indicating that the freshman integrated curriculum better prepares a student for success in a requiredfollow-up course. Page 6.236.1 “Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright ©2001, American Society for

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Vincent R. Canino; Lisa Milkowski

requirement for “a major design experience…incorporating engineeringstandards and realistic constraints” (1). This requirement along with the fact that manyoutcomes and assessment requirements of ABET relate to engineering design, indicatethe importance of design within the engineering and biomedical engineering curriculum.Most biomedical engineering programs have implemented some form of senior design orsenior thesis experience. Additionally many programs have recently added courses with Page 6.3.1 Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright  2001, American

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Paul King

various aspectsof the design process as envisioned fifteen years from now. Briefly stated, design supportapplications are evolving toward environments that may or may not involve face-to-faceinteraction, such as Internet-related technologies and applications such as remote visualization.While the report was written primarily at the request of NASA and therefore has primary impacton NASA and Aerospace Industry planning efforts, the report (and interpretations of it) will haveimplications for Biomedical Engineering design efforts and plans. This paper will briefly reviewthe National Academy Report, and then will consider current and related future design thrustsand applications in Biomedical Engineering.1. Advanced Engineering Environments, Phase 2

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Ronald Adrezin; Michael Nowak; Donald Leone

our course content to maintain currency inour curriculum.1. Introduction:As the undergraduate program in Biomedical Engineering was developed at the University ofHartford, a desire was expressed to present the students with the opportunity to understand the Page 6.238.1“Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright© 2001, American Society for Engineering Education”requirements of performing research “in the field”. After examining the more usual internshipprograms, we decided to develop two senior courses to allow students to utilize the skills derivedfrom both their

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

David Kelso; John D. Enderle; Kristina Ropella

Session 2209 BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING SENIOR DESIGN John D. Enderle 1 , David M. Kelso2 , Kristina M. Ropella3 1 Univ. of Connecticut/2 Northwestern Univ./3 Marquette Univ.I. IntroductionIn most senior design courses, the emphasis is not on learning new material, but rather solvinglarge-scale, open-ended, complex and sometimes ill-defined problems. 1 This is an iterative,decision- making process in which the students apply previously learned material to meet a statedobjective. Most often, students are exposed to system- wide synthesis and analysis, critique andevaluation for the first time

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Susan Sharfstein; Patricia Relue

Prism 1, it can include a variety of disciplines including biotechnologyand bioprocessing, agricultural engineering, and food engineering.This paper describes a biotechnology and bioprocessing course that was developed as a requiredsenior laboratory for bioengineering students at the University of Toledo. The course isstructured as an integrated series of laboratory experiments that follow a “biotechnologyproduct” from conception to completion. The students guide their “product” through the researchand development phases, into production and purification, and finally into analysis and“packaging” of the final product. This course differs from many traditional biochemicalengineering laboratory courses 2-5 in that it incorporates a broad range of

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Roger Gonzalez

sequence with separate courses and instructors, onefaculty member directs the combined undergraduate team. This unique interdisciplinaryundergraduate experience provides a significant opportunity for students to understand how eachof their own skills can be enhanced by the skills of other engineering disciplines. The studentsalso gain significant appreciation for how complex projects require the expertise of severaldisciplines for successful outcomes. The multi-year nature of this project, plus that eachinterdisciplinary team works collectively for the entire academic year, compels each student tofocus on three essential elements: (1) have a clear understanding of the previous year(s) researchsuccesses and failures, (2) develop a clearly defined

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Jr., Edward Evans; Richard B. Englund

.III. Recruiting Session:The presentation began with a discussion of thefields of study in engineering and engineeringtechnology that can lead to careers as structuraldesigners. These included civil, architectural, andmechanical engineering and engineering technology.A discussion of the types of loads exerted onbuildings and bridges followed. These includeddead loads, live loads mandated by building codes,wind, snow, earthquake, thermal and impact loads,Figure 1. This discussion introduced the concepts ofcodes as instruments of public safety. Wood, steel Figure 1and concrete were discussed as building materialsfor structures. The girls were shown the design codes for each of these materials as examples ofthe kinds of

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

William Stratton; Ranaye Marsh; Jonathan Lawson; Jay Kunze

issues were, and what others had done tomitigate the problem. For this purpose the symposium of April 1998 was held at ISU at whichover 60 papers were presented.The introductory keynote speech was presented by Robert Furgason 1 who had recently completedhis elected term as the President of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology(ABET). At the time (1998), ABET was just starting to implement trial cases for its newly Page 6.242.1 Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright 2001, American Society for Engineering Educationadopted

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2001 Annual Conference

Authors

J. Giolma; Kevin Nickels; Farzan Aminian

for workin electrical, chemical, and mechanical engineering. The elective courses round out thegroundwork for a quality engineering science degree with some specialization in a student’schosen field. As a result, the student base for fundamentals and design courses contains not onlyengineering students who consider themselves primarily devoted to the study of electricalengineering, but also of mechanical and chemical engineering. The electrically oriented electivecourses serve an audience that might be considered more traditional for these primarilyintroductory courses.The department offers five courses that utilize digital logic in some fashion. Table 1 summarizesthe basic information about these courses. • In the spring of the sophomore