learning theoryand apply to a course in civil engineering. In order to achieve a new paradigm of the computer-based learning in engineering education, the approach utilizes wireless technology along withPen-based Tablet PC used by the instructor and the students in the classroom. This enables a newlearning environment called “Paperless Classroom.”The ELT is a learning theory that describes learning as a four-step cycle based upon theorthogonal relationship of two continuums of cognitive growth and learning2, 3. Kolb describesexperiential learning proceeds through four modes: Concrete Experience (CE), AbstractConceptualization (AC), Reflective Observation (RO), and Active Experimentation (AE) basedon how people obtain knowledge and develop2. To
name that gives so little insight into its character or potential—and thatcarries negative connotations and limitations that may undermine its chances for continuingsuccess. Although Technically Speaking and many other publications concerned withtechnological literacy reveal well-formed intentions and sophisticated reasoning, it appears thatthe name was selected with little deliberation or reflection on its implications. This paper willargue that we need to stop now to rename the enterprise and to reflect on the numerousconstituencies we will need to engage and system of heterogeneous elements we will need tobring together if we are to have an effective and productive interface between technical expertsand those without technical expertise
University. In addition to technical research interest in applied surface chemistry, her engineering education research interests include the learning of engineering modeling, the impact of reflective practice in learning engineering, authentic assessment methods, and "girl-friendly" education.Vincent Pizziconi, Arizona State University Vincent Pizziconi is an Associate Professor in the Bioengineering Department at ASU. His teaching responsibilities are in the areas of introductory engineering, engineering design and biomaterials. His research interests are in innovative education in engineering and on the development of molecular, cellular and tissue strategies to develop bioresponsive and
still fresh in everyone’s minds), the instructors conduct project retrospectives by asking students about aspects of their work or process during the latest project iteration that they would like to sustain (i.e., continue doing well in the future) and aspects that they would like to improve on. Actual artifacts from two of these discussions are shown in Figure 1.Figure 1. Digital ink artifacts from in-class retrospectives that followed the Sustain / Improve technique. The noteswere taken by the instructor, while the students were reflecting aloud. The technology behind creating theseartifacts is a Tablet PC application that integrates ink with slides
throughthe ABET standards. How does a student become a reflective thinker and effectiveproblem solver? This paper considers the role that text literacy may play in advancingengineering students toward the goal of making them reflective and creative problem-solvers.A bit of skepticism may surround the idea that effective reading has much to do withengineering. Indeed, some educators have suggested that course textbooks provide nomore than supplemental information and can be disposed of. To a large degree,associating scientific literacy with the passive deciphering of the words in a sciencetextbook takes too narrow a view of the concept 2. Rather, scientific literacy in afundamental sense encompasses all the basic abilities of skilled reading, but
specific design and drafting skills related to theirchosen field from their own department. The existence of a generic CADD program that wasdesigned to meet the demands of most technology fields loses its appeal. Over the years, we have 1been working hard to enhance the CADD program by introducing the state-of-the-art softwareand hardware such as Autodesk Inventor, Pro Engineer, and 3D printer into various courses, butthe program name did not reflect what we were doing. Most people still refer CADD simply as a“drafting” program. Another reason for this decline is the lack of growth opportunities for thegraduates. No colleges in this country offer
of synthesis for traditionalcognitive theory based approaches to engineering education. These capstone courses areexpected to help students broaden their perspectives on how to integrate theoretical andpractical knowledge and how to reflect on practice. Within the last decade, employersand leading educators have been complaining that this synthesis, as it pertains to life-longlearning and expertise, may not be enough for new graduates to compete in a fastchanging global marketplace for engineering services. These leaders suggest that newgraduates need: (a) better communications skills; (b) an ability to work in Page 11.430.2multidisciplinary teams
phenomena related to the hypothesis. __________Experimental TestingThese students designed the data collection, and visited the Gait Analysis and InnovativeTechnologies Lab to collect the biomechanical data. The students observed clinicians attachingsix reflective devices to the experimental subject. In one data protocol, the subject lifted a tenpound weight with both right and left arms ten times. For this experimental protocol, the subjecthad 6 reflective markers attached and one to the weight being lifted. The subject then performedten pushups. The students noticed no visual change in the form or velocity of the pushups. Thesubject repeated this process again with the same result. The students modified the protocol toincrease the number of
mid 1990s with emphasis being placed onoutcomes assessment using externally-normed tests such as FE/EIT, Missouri Western alsoadopted externally-normed tests such as AIC (American Institute of Constructors), NICET(National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies), and SME (Society ofManufacturing Engineering) for its programs in construction, electronics, and manufacturingrespectively. Students’ performance in these nationally-normed tests did not match thecompetence levels reflected in the grades of the students. Soon it was discovered that the contentof these external tests, especially in AIC and SME tests, was not aligned with MissouriWestern’s curriculum in certain areas. A decision was made to revert back to the in
Civil Engineers(ASCE), the BOK makes recommendations on “what should be taught to and learned by futurecivil engineering students.” These recommendations are delineated in 15 outcomes. The first 11outcomes reflect verbatim those currently used by the Accreditation Board for Engineering andTechnology (ABET) 4. Four new outcomes (Outcomes 12-15), “address technical specialization,project management, construction, asset management, business and public policy andadministration, and leadership.” Commentaries and descriptions of competencies explain eachoutcome. Outcome 12 “reflects the additional technical specialization4“and Outcomes 13-15“reflect the additional professional and practice knowledge, skills, and attitudes” embodied inASCE Policy
somenegative results for over simplification of the problem, model convergence, validation andboundary condition/material property assignment raises concerns. At this time it is difficult toassess the root cause of these deficiencies. The deficiencies are possibly a reflection of ourpractices in second year, a reflection of other supporting courses, a reflection of the quality of theparticular teams and/or a reflection of the capstone design advising that was provided. Furtherassessment of previous and future capstone projects will be conducted to help in the assessmentof the second year initiative. The next evolution in our use of CAD/CAE will be developed inlight of these initial observations of the capstone design projects. The exercise has proven
was to explore the impact that service-learning might have on students’ learning, including their level of engagement and motivation, ina required first year course.One method for assessing student learning is an anonymous instructor evaluation questionnaire;at the University of Michigan, such a questionnaire is required for all courses at the end of thesemester The Likert-scale questions are divided into two categories. The first four questionsaddress students’ perceptions of the quality of the course and instructor, the extent to which they“learned” in the course, and their desire to enroll in the course. The second set of questions isdirected at the specific teaching outcomes for the course. These reflect outcomes centered ontechnical
/customized information literacy instructionand communication skill development. This paper describes how the course instructor,librarian, and writing center staff learned from each other’s reflections to make theassignment a meaningful learning experience not only for students but also forthemselves through sharing the lessons learned from the evolving teaching and learningprocess.According to the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board forEngineering and Technology (TAC of ABET) Criterion 2 Program Outcomes,engineering technology graduates should demonstrate a mastery of knowledge(Criterion2 a), an ability to apply current knowledge and adapt to emerging applications ofmathematics, sciences, engineering and technology (2 b
the World (STW) as part of their general education requirement.Beyond increasing their technical literacy, the STW course intends to help studentsrecognize how science and technology (S&T) relate to other parts of culture, preparingthem to reflect critically on the nature and scope of S&T, and develop a personalperspective of their own. The case study in this innovative teaching approach, isintended not only to facilitate stated course objectives, but to encourage students to studyother cultures on their own, where they may plan to travel, or have already visited, to seewhat role technology has played. In so doing, they may find nuanced instances of thedigital divide worldwide, and issues that may either realistically complicate or
. Page 11.1283.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 The Efficacy of Ongoing Course Assessment for Enhancing Student Learning in Structural Design CoursesAbstractA technique was recently developed for the continuous assessment of student learningthat involves measuring students’ perception of learning of course topics. The assessmentinstrument is divided into several modules with each module consisting of a detailedlisting of course topics. This instrument has been used in the author’s on-campus andonline structural analysis courses. The results of the data collected from a structuralanalysis course pointed to enhancement in student learning, with the additional benefit offorcing the students to reflect on and take
reflectionpaper that describe how the experience affected them personally.Since its inception in 2001, the ETHOS program has sent over 30 students to five countries totake part in summer service-learning internships. Information obtained from the reflection andtechnical papers and program evaluation sheets indicate that students who have participated inthe international service-learning internships have gained perspectives on the influence ofengineering and technology in the global world. Further, these experiences have providedgrowth in technical knowledge and problem solving, and in language development and culturalawareness.Alumni Assessment StrategyAlthough the ETHOS service-learning internship program has a fairly well established methodfor
group processing. Team time isstructured so that students have time to reflect on group dynamics and interpersonalfactors that influence successful project completion. This focus helps reinforce the teamtime and develop and solidify skills in working with technical teams.This study was designed to explore the ways in which students perceive team experiencesand the impact of these experiences on attitudes toward teamwork and its relevance toengineering. It is not unusual for students to express uncertainty about working on teamsor to question the necessity of group projects. It is widely recognized that the skillsgained from working on teams are important for engineers to possess. Therefore, it isessential that students not only gain these
women’s roles are alsoaddressed in the course through selection of speakers with a variety of personal/professional lifesolutions as well as supporting materials from the USU ADVANCE Institutional TransformationAward. To overcome the small number of freshmen women interested in engineering, data fromthe Women’s Experiences in College Engineering project is shared to help the studentsunderstand their feelings are typically aligned with a larger body of female students across thecountry. Student reflections acquired through required essay questions and examinations arepresented to help understand whether their career choices are influenced by conservativeattitudes toward family and women’s roles. Preliminary retention data is
include reflective statements with their portfolio artifacts. This process ofself-evaluation leads to a higher quality of education2. The ultimate goal of the educationalportfolio is to provide a record of the student’s educational history that emphasizes the learningoutcomes of the student above and beyond the actual diploma while giving the student a greatersense of accomplishment. Traditionally, these portfolios have been paper-based with artifacts stored in folders,binders or other suitable container. With the wide spread use of computers and other technology,the evolution of portfolios from an all-paper to an all-digital format seems natural. Electronicportfolios are still in the early stages of development but many advances have
problem-based learning (PBL) asapplied to medical education, students are presented with a patient case and engage in self-directed discovery of a diagnosis of the problem7. In the PBL approach students can seek outinformation from faculty who serve as tutors or consultants.Schon describes an architectural studio model where the design process is learned as “reflection-in action”8. The teaching model consists of a dialogue between the coach and student whereunderstanding is developed through communication and reflection about the design itself. AsSchon states the “dialogue has three essential features: it takes place in the context of thestudents’ attempt to design; it makes use of actions as well as words; and it depends onreciprocal reflection
student teams toapply the knowledge within an ongoing project instance that follows a specified process. Theresult is a highly iterative methodology evolving the student’s competencies in a rapid fashion.Each course in the Enterprise sequence follows this immersive approach to teaching softwareengineering concepts. For each concept, students are first exposed at a high level to the conceptand its importance to the software engineering profession. Students then undertake a problem-centered learning (PCL) exercise of some depth to gain working knowledge of specifictechniques realizing the concept or method. Then, in project teams, students are asked to applytechniques on complex, scalable projects. Teams then perform reflective learning
FROM THE “DATABASE” TO “DATA” COURSES Tatiana Malyuta tmalyuta@citytech.cuny.edu NYC College of Technology 300 Jay Street Brooklyn, NY 11201 Abstract: The paper discusses different roles of data in today’s applications, Information Systems (IS) and the Web, the new approaches and data technologies that support these roles, and the necessity to reflect these issues in the curricula of computer majors. Databases remain the most important topics of data courses, which have to be updated with coverage of the tremendous advances in database technology that
Page 11.1446.10sections do not explicitly take into account the characteristics of the participants in the ETPPprogram, specifically characteristics that are relevant to their role as learners. In particular, ourdata reflects the activities of adult learners (graduate students and post-docs) who had a range ofprior teaching experiences. Transformative learning theory is a theory with potential to take thisfeature of our situation into account.Transformative learning theory is a theory of learning that stems from adult education and seeksto explain instances where learner has more experience and significant commitment to priorbeliefs and where the learning is a process of reflecting on experience outside of formal learningenvironments (i.e., at
processing.Several questions are related to a balanced grading system for team work and individualcontributions, in addition to a balanced load distribution inside the team. The use of openended and real life problems are encouraged such that the students realize differentknowledge levels and aspects inside the team. The importance of the students' reflection ontheir learning experience, confidence level evaluation, and positive feedback on classactivities are also addressed. The use of instructor expectations and assignment checklists,which map into course learning objectives and outcomes, are encouraged as assessment tools.Portfolios, journals, student surveys and questionnaires are also encouraged to ensuretriangulation for the assessment of course
visual and performing artsAbstractEngineering educations routinely use a variety of means to assist in the education process,including all forms of media (books, visual aids, virtual sources, etc.). The incorporation of “realworld” materials and experiences is disappearing. Students actually see the hardware aspects oftheir subject less and less, including (small scale) individual components and (large scale)industrial processes. While this may reflect economic and convenience realities, there is apotential conceptual error being made by instructors (and subsequently adopted by students) thatstudying models, diagrams, illustrations, etc. of engineering objects or processes of interest isequivalent to (and perhaps even superior to) including the
subset of a larger study employing multipledata collection techniques including written reflections, audio-taped interviews, paper-and-pencilconcept mapping, written surveys, and video-taped think-aloud protocols. For this paper, we useonly the data provided in the weekly written process reflections completed by students. As aresult, the data pertinent to this paper and analysis consist of 60 written weekly processreflections from the six student participants in the two course sections. In each weekly processreflection students responded to the following three questions: 1) how would you describe whatyou have been doing over the past week? 2) what challenges have you encountered?, and 3) whatare you taking away? Though these questions do imply
Research, Review of Educational Research, Review of Higher Education,Studies in Higher Education).Inclusion CriteriaEach article chosen for inclusion in the database was determined by us to meet all five of thefollowing criteria: 1. It had an educational intervention. 2. The intervention was at the undergraduate level. 3. The intervention was in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field. 4. It discussed an outcome (no matter how anecdotal). 5. The outcome was related to improved learning or performance, retention, or assessment (and not simply student satisfaction).Although we have classified all the articles accepted for inclusion as “research,” this does notnecessarily reflect
the teachershelp learners to direct their own learning in ways that suit their individual learning styles.This manuscript describes the development and implementation of a Web CT-based coursewhich requires the nuclear engineering technology students at Excelsior College to developonline portfolios reflecting technical competencies acquired by them during their academicstudies and through practical experience. It is a capstone requirement in which studentsdocument their ability to integrate knowledge from technology areas, general education, andpractical experience in order that program outcomes are achieved.The manuscript provides a complete description of the ITA process at Excelsior College. Detailsregarding the use of information
alsomentioned that it is much better when the presentations are made available on-line; the studentsbelieved that this option saved time. It is not clear from the answers whether the time savingsare reflected in the classroom, whether it contributes by increasing the total amount of materialscovered or by saving student time spent writing.(2) What are the goals of teaching engineering and the types of skills and attitudes that need to be learned?The participants reported that one of the main goals of teaching engineering was to develop abasic knowledge (n=4) and that there was a conflict between knowledge and grades (n=2). Onestudent compared the goal of engineering to the process of checking boxes; being prepared forgraduate school and the real
servicelearning. The management of teams class syllabus had planned a semester’s study of teamtheory, observation of team influence and roles and analysis of team performance in films. Theclass made a decision to radically restructure the learning experience to respond to their needs toactively work for a positive outcome from a tragic event.This article talks about how the changed class format helped students to integrate skills from abroad college experience—marketing, accounting, writing, management, leadership, graphics,public relations, facilities planning, project management and research. The learning cyclechanged from observation and reflection, abstract concepts, testing in new situations andexperiencing (Kolb & Fry)1 to one of creating