Conference Session

Early Engineering Design Experiences

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aezeden Mohamed, University of Manitoba; Myron (Ron) Britton, University of Manitoba

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

tobrings these issues into the curriculum. Students learn the importance of the “soft skills” early in theircareers. The discussions that arise from in-class situations provide an excellent foundation for the follow-onphilosophy class on ethics that the students are required to take. Communication, both oral and written, iscritical to the success of any engineer and any design. Because these designs are the result of group effort,most students see, first-hand, the effects of communication, both good and bad. Even the best designs have adifficult time being supported and implemented if the design engineers cannot justify their designs in a clearand concise manner. During this course, students are provided with a strict set of guidelines for their

Conference Session

Knowing our Students, Faculty, and Profession

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Anna Pereira, Michigan Technological University; Michele Miller, Michigan Technological University; William Helton, Michigan Technological University; Leonard Bohmann, Michigan Technological University; Chris VanArsdale, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

higher forthe leadership and communication attributes.It is interesting to note that all the significant traits were “soft” skills. In the cases where namegender was significant, the women were always rated higher on average than males. It is alsoworth noting that a career fair may not be an accurate representation of the engineering field.One possible reason is recruiters may be directed to focus on the recruiting of more women andminorities. For example, government agencies actively recruit females and minorities in aneffort to increase representation of both in the workplace. Besides government agencies, otherrecruiters may focus on recruiting women. McIlwee and Robinson suggest that since themajority of graduates in engineering are male

Conference Session

ECE Laboratory Development & Innovations

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Luke Niiler; David Beams

Session 3432 Improving Technical Writing through Published Standards: The University of Texas at Tyler Electrical Engineering Laboratory Style Guide David M. Beams Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Texas at Tyler Lucas P. Niiler Department of English and Writing Center Director, University of Texas at TylerAbstractThe writing of technical reports is an integral part of the duties of practicing engineers. Theaccreditation criteria of EC2000 recognize this by placing emphasis on "soft skills

Conference Session

TC2K and Assessment

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Kenneth Reid; Elaine Cooney

Session 2149 Assessment Rubrics for TAC-ABET Interpersonal Skills Elaine M. Cooney, Kenneth Reid Purdue School of Engineering and Technology Indiana University Purdue University IndianapolisIntroductionMeasuring non-technical skills (sometimes called “soft skills”), such as the ability to function onteams (ABET Technology Criteria 2000, Criterion 1.e.), or the ability to communicateeffectively (Criterion 1.g.) can be a challenge to technology faculty trained in engineeringtechnology, but not necessarily experts in communication or leadership. These skills

Conference Session

The Best of Interdisciplinary Programs

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Ralph Ford; Jana Goodrich; Robert Weissbach

initial course offering, the faculty identified two principal areas ofimprovement. The first area concerned student team dynamics. Engineering and technologycurricula often focus on the technical abilities of students, neglecting the “soft skills” that willoften determine success or failure for a graduate when (s)he enters the workforce. As anexample, project management skills are often neglected in an engineering curriculum, requiringadditional training for those engineers who end up in management positions6. Skills such as theability to lead and work effectively as a member of a team are frequently identified as critical tothe success of an engineer, but typically are lacking in new engineering graduates7. The same istrue of business students

Conference Session

New Trends in Computing and Information Technology Education

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tanya Stanko P.E., Innopolis University; Oksana Zhirosh, Unium

Tagged Divisions

Computing & Information Technology

classes outside school, thus demonstrating special interest inIT, and reported their wish to pursue a degree in IT in future. A supplementary educationcompany Unium provided this data. The results show consistent replies among the groupsthat participated in the online survey and some discrepancy with the feedback fromstakeholders interviewed in the previous study, namely top management stakeholders,who placed a stronger emphasis on disciplinary knowledge, team work andcommunication skills, than did employers, students and high-school pupils respondents.The results of this study will be used to educate students about the expectations of theemployers regarding their competencies, to tailor the university courses, and toimplement soft-skills

Conference Session

Professional Development and Advising for Graduate Students

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katy Luchini-Colbry, Michigan State University; Theresa Lynn Gonzalez

Tagged Divisions

Graduate Studies

andprofessional success as individuals, and their ability to succeed after graduation in research,academic, and industry careers.11,12 Specific areas where graduate students often need supportinclude: building community inside and outside their home departments;5,6,13,14 understandingand accessing campus resources;5,15–17 and planning for careers.11,18,19 While graduate studentsneed to develop academic and professional skills in order to complete their coursework andresearch, it is also essential to develop “soft skills,” such as interpersonal communications,conflict resolution, time management, and team work.20This paper describes a multi-year effort to develop professional development activities forEngineering graduate students at Michigan State

Conference Session

Ocean and Marine Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shyam Aravamudhan, North Carolina A&T State University; Diedrich A. Schmidt, North Carolina A&T State University; Hany Nakhla, North Carolina A&T State University

Tagged Divisions

Ocean and Marine

believed that the introduction of challenge-based engineering projectswill create a favorable atmosphere for creativity, increased participation and teamwork.Furthermore, the expected outcome for the participating students are valuable technical andproblem-solving skills, teamwork, project and time management and other soft skills includingwritten and oral communication. In addition, the Perseus demonstration, and associatedpresentations and reports, will provide the Department of Defense (DOD) and relatedstakeholders insight into a number of rapidly evolving technical areas of interest through non-traditional lenses.Project DemonstrationAt the end of the two-semester period during November 2013, the Perseus II demonstration tookplace in the Dive

Conference Session

Impact of Community Engagement on Students

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura M. Patterson, University of British Columbia

Tagged Divisions

Community Engagement Division

began in 2011.2.2 The First IterationThe first iteration of the Community Service Learning Team Proposal Project (CSLTPP), wascreated in 2011 for 60 students of a first term, first-year engineering writing course, which is apart of a common first-year engineering curriculum.The not-for-profit community organizations were contacted through of the University of BritishColumbia, Okanagan campus’s Community Service Learning Program. Several local communityorganizations had a variety of needs that engineers and their unique skills could serve. Some ofthese organizations were scientific in nature, some had engineering/science-related problems thatengineers could address, and some simply needed the creativity and soft skills engineers possess.Because

Conference Session

Engineering Management Division Technical Session 1

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Martin William Weiser, Eastern Washington University; Hani Serhal Saad, Eastern Washington University; Kyle Frederick Larsen P.E., Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Management

also be used as a general tool for manydifferent applications for technology and engineering.Students in Engineering and Technology need to be successful in the competitive world thereforewe need American engineers and technicians that are not only technically well-grounded but alsotalented in creativity, leadership, communication, and professionalism2. This includes projectmanagement and other soft skills necessary for success in the global world in which we now live.Technical competency, although necessary, is not sufficient for young engineers or othertechnically educated professionals who wish to quickly realize their potential in the consultingbusiness, industry, or government. They must supplement technical competency with

Conference Session

The Philosophy of Engineering and Technological Literacy

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mani Mina, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

 old  model  was  to  start  with  the  technician  training  and  infuse  more  science,  and  mathematical  version  of  the  50’s-­‐60’s  technician  trainings.  However,  the  pragmatic  essence  of  engineering  to  build,  design,  and  make  things  was  fading  and  began  to  disappear  in  most  curricula.    Consequently,  ABET  tweaked  its  emphasis  to  ensure  that  engineers  are  developing  the  right  balance  of  hard  and  soft  skills.     Page 24.679.5  One  perspective  on  the  ABET  requirement  was  to  liberate  engineering  education  by  bringing  together  the  most  important

Conference Session

Teaching Software Engineering Process

Collection

2005 Annual Conference

Authors

Lee Vallone

: teamwork, communication skills suchas listening & supporting, conflict resolution, leadership, risk management, presentation,political skills, and finally, knowing how all the technical and interpersonal pieces fit together.Most software engineers learn these skills the hard way, by trial and error on the job. Somenever learn. Consider the typical engineering career progression where a developer does anoutstanding job designing and implementing software and is thus promoted into management, aposition that relies almost entirely on the “soft” skills. While one might argue that the highfailure rate of software projects is due to aggressive schedules and unrealistic customerexpectations, it is certainly conceivable that the Peter Principle1 is a

Conference Session

Unique Laboratory Experiments & Programs Poster Session

Collection

2005 Annual Conference

Authors

Steven York; Lynn Nystrom; Elizabeth Joyce; Michael Gregg; Richard Goff; Jeffrey Connor

. Employers are searching for well-rounded professionals. As a result, traits suchas communication skills, leadership skills, creativity, and the ability to work in a teamenvironment are in high demand. Unfortunately, these skills are not often a part of thecurriculum.There are a variety of roles that the SEC plays in the College of Engineering. The SEC providesa forum that allows student representatives to speak directly with the dean, to keep him abreastof student concerns about the education provided by our College of Engineering. There is afreshman mentoring program that helps new students adjust to the rigors of the engineeringcurriculum, as well as the college environment. The Leadership in Engineering Conferenceteaches soft skills to young

Conference Session

Emerging Trends in Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2005 Annual Conference

Authors

Jake Ingman; Camille Schroeder

professional, being a leader, interacting with others, andpublic speaking. Many of these skills fall within the ABET Criteria a-k. At a very early age,these students are preparing themselves for a future career by having these types of engineeringand social experiences. These experiences qualify them to lead the next generation asoutstanding engineers. In particular, it is very difficult to teach young college students the skillsnecessary to speak effectively (criterion g) or how to work on a team (criterion d) when they areheavily involved in their basic program of study. The participants of FLL are alreadyexperiencing and learning many of these “soft” skills prior to enrolling in higher education,making them an enhanced group of potential

Conference Session

Exploring Trends in CPD

Collection

2005 Annual Conference

Authors

M. Zoghi

non-technical tools (or “soft skills”) to be able to face newchallenges. They will be expected to interact with people of varying educational and socialbackgrounds. Several outcomes specified in the so-called “Body-of-Knowledge” initiative,proposed by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), advocate skills in business andpolicymaking, project management and leadership, etc (ENR December 2004). Also, theABET’s Engineering Criteria 2000 students’ performance outcome mandate the “knowledge ofcontemporary issues” and “the broad education necessary to understand the impact ofengineering solutions in a global and societal context” (ABET 1998). Many of these topics areintegrated within the revised Civil Engineering Practice (formerly seminar

Conference Session

Multidisciplinary Engineering Education by Design

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Jim Rand; Don Bowie; Donald Peter; Anthony Donaldson

ambitious design projectwith substantial documentation requirements. Students complained, and rightly so, that thenon-technical aspects were robbing them of time they needed to work on the electronicdesigns themselves. Some who especially had a difficult time appreciating thedevelopment of “soft skills” complained that they did not major in electrical engineering tolearn about business!In light of this recognized burden, it was decided to offload some non-technical topics fromthe Spring Quarter course into Winter Quarter Electronics II course (EE3722.Consequently, in the 2002 course sequence this was done, as well as some other lesserimprovements. This proved to be a help, but it was still too much to cram into a singlecourse without losing

Conference Session

Emerging Trends in Engineering Education

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Vijay Rajappa; Steve Watkins; Ray Luechtefeld

requirecollaborative effort. Engineers interact in the workplace with technical peers in other disciplinesat all stages of design, development, and application. Hence, engineering work is increasinglyoriented toward boundary-crossing, multi-disciplinary team activity. The potential and need to Page 9.461.1improve engineering training and education regarding team soft skills such as team dynamics Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Educationand communication are widely recognized 3. Current accreditation criteria

Conference Session

Design in Freshman Year

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Philip Parker; Max Anderson

; GOAL 3: Enhance various “soft” skills such as time management, communication skills, teamwork, etc.; Page 9.235.1Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Education GOAL 4: Provide freshmen with an understanding of the breadth of the civil and environmental engineering profession; GOAL 5: Positively impact retention of freshman civil and environmental engineering students.BackgroundThe University of Wisconsin-Platteville is one of the largest primarily undergraduate

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Philip Parker; Max Anderson

challenging; GOAL 3: Enhance various “soft” skills such as time management, communication skills, teamwork, etc.; Page 9.236.1Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Education GOAL 4: Provide freshmen with an understanding of the breadth of the civil and environmental engineering profession; GOAL 5: Positively impact retention of freshman civil and environmental engineering students.BackgroundThe University of Wisconsin-Platteville is one of the largest primarily

Conference Session

Experience with Experiential Learning

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Mary Beth Lakin; Gary Crossman

Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Educationabout the identification of learning outcomes. They must also determine specific criteria, levelof sufficiency of documentation, appropriate level of writing, and issues with learning gaps.Courses often have objectives related to professional behaviors, or soft skills, such ascommunication, ethics, presentation and collaboration, so there must be consideration of howthese skills can be assessed in the portfolio process (Lakin and Clark, 2002). At Old Dominion,the engineering technology faculty re-examined and clarified learning outcomes for the capstonecourse and how they could most effectively be

Conference Session

Raising the Bar and Body of Knowledge

Collection

2003 Annual Conference

Authors

Ernest Smerdon

in technical skills based on mathematics and science. Those professional skills(sometimes referred to as soft skills) are integrated with the technical skills in ABET/EACCriterion 3 – Program Outcomes and Assessment. At least half of the items listed in Criterion 3refer to these professional skills – skills that any practicing professional must have whether ornot he/she be an engineer. It is anticipated that the foundation for these professional skills areplaced as part of the educational process. Words that were seldom mentioned in engineeringeducation a decade or two ago – multidisciplinary team skills, professional and ethicalresponsibility, effective communication, global and social context, lifelong learning, andknowledge of

Conference Session

Emerging Trends in Engineering Education

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Mesut Muslu

.14Engineering educators generally agree that design projects provide significant opportunities tomotivate students. The Electrical Engineering (EE) faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (UWP) believes that appropriately designed projects integrated into the curriculumprovides immediate applications of the theory and also expands students’ horizon regardingwhat kind of problems they will be dealing with in the real world after graduation.Furthermore, design projects help students develop their “soft skills” that are essential to besuccessful professionals. Hence, the EE faculty has designed a curriculum where design isdistributed throughout the curriculum. The following sections detail our approach to teachingdesign and providing extensive

Conference Session

Materials Science for Nonmajors

Collection

2004 Annual Conference

Authors

Jamie Workman

Telecommunications Classrooms with an Emphasis on Soft Skills, www.nctt.org/experientiallearning 4. Workman, J. Siurek, A. Smith G., Development of a Multimedia Laboratory Supplement for an Introduction to Materials Course: A Computer Graphics Technology Senior Design Project, Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition, Montreal, Quebec, June 2002Biographical Information Page 9.891.8 Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering

Conference Session

ET Distance Learning

Collection

2003 Annual Conference

Authors

Susan Sauer; Mark Moore; Amin ul Karim; Ahmed Khan

the design of the GWEC curriculummodules. Additionally, woven into the material and practical application exercises areseveral other core components: critical thinking, problem solving, communication, andteamwork. In terms of importance, these “soft skills” are on par with theoreticalknowledge and application.GWEC represents an innovative win-win model that works. Educators are kept abreastof the latest in wireless technology through interaction with industry leaders and throughan annual Faculty Workshop. They are provided with – and indeed, helped create – abasic wireless curriculum that may be utilized by instructors to augment and/or enhance

Conference Session

Assessing Teaching and Learning

Collection

2002 Annual Conference

Authors

Donald Headley; Sanjiv Sarin

Educationwere asked to subjectively rate themselves on very specific abilities. The same students were thengiven a test that measured the same abilities. Correlations between students’ self-assessment andtheir performance on test questions are used to comment on the general validity of engineeringstudent self-assessments.2. BackgroundInterest in student self-reports has been motivated by the recognition that achievement tests aloneare not sufficiently viable for outcomes assessment. This is due to several reasons. First, it isquestionable whether a test can adequately measure all outcomes of interest, especially thoseinvolving soft skills such as team work and life long learning. Second, there is concern whether asingle nationally administered test (or

Conference Session

Global Engineering Education

Collection

2002 Annual Conference

Authors

William Paterson; Samantha De Bon; Jean-Yves Chagnon; Deborah Wolfe

reflect such issues as technological advances and thegrowth of the engineering team in the workplace. Over the past decade the CEAB increased therequirements for complementary studies (soft skills) and moved from a proportional measure ofcurriculum to an absolute measure. Changes under consideration at the present time include: · refining the curriculum content requirements for Basic Science and Mathematics, · including morale and commitment of faculty, support staff and students as a component of the qualitative evaluation, and · including the requirement for students to be exposed to the concepts of project management.The engineering profession expects of its members competence in engineering as well as anunderstanding of the impact of

Conference Session

Perceived Quality Engineering Education

Collection

2003 Annual Conference

Authors

Shelia Barnett; Joan Burtner

with valuable practical experience,there is a lack of specific literature documenting the benefits of co-op/intern programs, especiallywith respect to fundamental engineering principles4. Researchers at other engineering schoolshave offered anecdotal evidence that university-sponsored work experiences provide a richenvironment in which students can develop skills related to learning outcomes such as teamworkand communication, but few have provided quantitative data. Wankat, Oreovicz and Delgass19report that a 1994 alumni survey indicated that practical work experience, along with lab anddesign courses taken at the school, were very important sources for learning certain "soft skills".The survey instrument listed written and oral communication

Collection

2001 Annual Conference

Authors

Neal Armstrong; Steven Nichols

, American Society for Engineering Education.The Task force also considered the needs of industry as reflected in the membership of theEngineering Foundation Advisory Council and other sources. As an example, the Task forcereferred to Mechanical Engineering in the 21st Century: Trends Impacting the Profession.12The report identified the following "important" skills relevant that EngineeringEntrepreneurship could support:13 Excerpts from Mechanical Engineering in the 21st Centruy Important "Hard" Skills Important "Soft Skills Use of new Materials Effective communication Ability to apply new technology Teamwork Abstract thinking

Collection

2000 Annual Conference

Authors

Asif M. Shakur; Ali Eydgahi; Abhijit Nagchaudhuri

to appreciatecomplexity; to be capable of working in a variety of interpersonal and organizational settings; tobe able to act reflectively.Engineering is a profession in which knowledge of mathematical and natural sciences acquiredby study, experience and practice is prudently applied to develop ways to utilize optimallymaterials and forces of nature for the benefit of mankind and improving quality of life. "Service-Learning" is a combination of academic instruction with service that addresses real communityneeds. It uses reflection and critical thinking to provide an emphasis on personal growth andcivic responsibility. Humanities and Social Sciences curricula emphasize more on "soft skills"and "social service" and as such have naturally

Conference Session

Real-world Applications in ET

Collection

2002 Annual Conference

Authors

Randall Timi; Dannie Hutchinson; William Strenth; James Otter

Society foe Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright ã 2002, American Society for Engineering Education" Page 7.9.8 3. Students in general prefer this model versus a strictly academic classroom setting for construction education. Students also feel like they learn a lot about soft skills (communication, leadership, people skills, planning, documentation) through this process. 4. The process continues to improve and evolve much like an actual construction company. Nothing is the same each semester. 5. The