Conference Session

Student Learning and Teamwork

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Warren Hill, Weber State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

Page 11.1159.5of the teaching process, it might be useful actually ask students about the learningexperiences in their courses as part of the evaluation. John Centra in Reflective FacultyEvaluation5, discusses the SEEQ (Student's Evaluation of Educational Quality)evaluation form which specifically asks about learning and the academic value of thecourse.Even with a good instrument, a note of caution is in order. The results from a singlecourse should never be used as a measure of instructional effectiveness, good or bad. Anumber of factors can influence the results from a single course such as it being the firsttime the course was taught, the instructor being new or relatively new, or the instructorhaving multiple preparations that term. The

Conference Session

Capstone Courses II

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bradley Rogers, Arizona State University; Dale Palmgren, Arizona State University; Albert McHenry, Arizona State University; Scott Danielson, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Systems Engineering Constituent Committee

Systems Engineering3This diagram simply reflects sound and obvious problem-solving strategy, and reflects theframework of the principles and procedures for the design of security systems. When details ofeach of these fundamental tasks are identified, the talent and expertise necessary to accomplishthe development and implementation of the security system becomes clear. To illustrate thisconjecture, consider the following more detailed diagram, which Sandia has developedspecifically for the problem of physical security. Page 11.114.4 Figure 2 – Details of the Sandia Methodology for Physical Security3Figure 2 includes details of the

Conference Session

Software Engineering Curriculum Support

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jayathi Raghavan, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Massood Towhidnejad, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach

Tagged Divisions

Software Engineering Constituent Committee

. Page 11.318.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 Challenges in an Industry-Academic CollaborationAbstract:Studies have shown the benefits of industry-academic collaborations for the students,faculty and industry partners. However, there are many challenges in establishing suchcollaborations that if not addressed, may result to either the failure of such collaborationor an unpleasant experience for parties involved. In this paper, the authors firstsummarize some of the advantages of such collaborations as it is reflected by theirexperience and in literature survey. This is followed by identifying a series of challengesthey may arise. Some of the challenges mentioned in this paper may be familiar toexperienced

Conference Session

Integrating Math, Science, & Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen Pennell, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Peter Avitabile, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; John White, University of Massachusetts-Lowell

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

material. As a result of this collaboration, the mathematician hasmodified his Engineering Differential Equations course to reflect more of the engineering pointof view. This paper describes these course modifications as well as the collaborative program andthe teaching modules being developed to implement it.Differential Equations Course ModificationsThe changes in the Engineering Differential Equations course discussed in this paper grew out ofa larger program designed to improve student motivation to learn basic STEM material and toimprove their retention of this material from one semester to the next. The main idea of thisprogram is to develop projects spanning several courses and several semesters. Two suchprojects have been developed to date

Conference Session

NSF Grantees Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Melinda Hess, University of South Florida; Autar Kaw, University of South Florida

Tagged Divisions

Division Experimentation & Lab-Oriented Studies

data previously discussed.Student performance was examined relative to their starting abilities, as reflected in theircombined GPA across four prerequisite courses, Calculus I, Calculus II, Calculus III, andDifferential Equations.2 In the previous study7 that examined results from two of the four delivery modalities, student performance wasmeasured using results from 12 multiple choice questions (6 questions each from Nonlinear Equations andInterpolation) as part of the final examination. The six questions of each topic were based on the corresponding sixlevels of Bloom’s taxonomy16. Since Summer 2004, only 4 questions are asked in the final examination on each

Conference Session

Design for Community and Environment

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Odis Griffin, Virginia Tech; Vinod Lohani, Virginia Tech; Jennifer Mullin, Virginia Tech; Jenny Lo, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Design in Engineering Education

appropriateconstruction materials. The project required the students to complete a series of assignmentswhich reflected significant stages in the engineering design process, and culminated in the“Sustainable Development Design Fair” where one team from each of the forty-one workshopsections competed for one of three awards decided by a panel of faculty judges. Supplementaleducational material was also presented in the lecture and workshop sessions to aid the studentsthrough this assignment. Results of the project are discussed and include a focus groupinterview and online surveys conducted to assess the effectiveness of this new approach ofintroducing design in the early part of engineering curriculum.1.0 IntroductionA new department of engineering education

Conference Session

Innovative Classroom Techniques

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James Hanson, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Patrick Brophy, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

-answer technique witheach interviewee. During this part of the interview the practitioner was asked “What arecommon errors you have seen?” Follow-on questions often included probing such as “How doyou check for those errors?” This technique resulted in the identification of 20 tools. Question-and-answer required less time than the critical incident technique; however, that was due to thelow number of tools identified. In general, the practitioners appeared to struggle to identify thedesired information during this part of the interview. Again, this may reflect the subconsciousnature of the thought processes involved. In order to recognize the thought process, theinterviewee might need to experience a situation where the process is used or have a

Conference Session

ERM Potpourri

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Veronica Burrows, Arizona State University; Michael Oehrtman, Arizona State University; Anton Lawson, Arizona State University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

modify them, 3) affective qualities such as curiosity, intimacy, and frustration,and 4) metacognitive skills such as monitoring for quality and effectiveness of thought processes.While problem solving does not capture all forms of mathematical activity, frameworks tocharacterize other categories involve similar processes. For example, Harel’s DNR proofframework6,7 consists of three principles: Duality, Necessity, and Repeated reasoning. Theduality principle links students’ ways of understanding (involving one’s interpretations,solutions, and evidence) to their ways of thinking (beliefs, problem solving approaches, andproof schemes). The necessity principle reflects the intellectual need to engage in the process ofcreating or understanding a

Conference Session

Environmental Engineering Curricula

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kurt Paterson, Michigan Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Environmental Engineering

.Among the students, there is a rough balance between the big-picture global learners(52% of the students) and the orderly step-by-step sequential learners (48%). Nearly twotimes as many students learn best through sensory input (65%) versus intuition (35%).The preference in the visual-verbal pairing is more skewed, nearly five times the numberof students have a preference for visual learning (83%) versus verbal learning (17%).Lastly, for every student who learns best by reflecting on material (13%), there are almostseven who prefer active learning (87%). These results are similar to past ILS studies ofenvironmental engineering students5. Clearly, a lecture-based course would not be idealfor these students. These results are not a call to

Conference Session

Improving the Mathematical Preparation of Students

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Shuki Aroshas, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology; Igor Verner, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology; Avi Berman, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

the experimental group vs. 25-35% in the control group.Typical student reflections to a question on the contribution of studying applications forunderstanding calculus concepts were as follows: "Through applications I grasped the complex calculus concepts". "The impact of a one-hour application session is the same as of a regular (two- hour) tutorial". "Sorry that applied problems were not given in the first Calculus course".The follow-up study using statistical and qualitative methods indicated that the groups whichstudied calculus with applications had significant advantage in the half-course and final examgrades. The students mentioned the high contribution of applications to understandingcalculus concepts and their

Conference Session

International and Sustainability Perspectives and Women in Engineering

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado-Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

that worked in refugee camps in areas hit with natural disasters and civil conflicts. Atthe end of the semester, students write reflective essays on civil engineering and why they maywant to become civil engineers. In these essays, 50% of the 8 women and 21% of the 84 menstated an interest in serving society. One female student wrote: “I was surprised and interested toread [about] the international and service aspects.... I would like to find out more about this formof ‘emergency civil engineering’.” Another female student commented: “I like that I would bedoing something that makes a difference in the community.”The three-credit First-Year Engineering Projects course (GEEN 1400) has had a few sectionsfocused on “Appropriate Technology” over

Conference Session

Mechanical ET Design & Projects

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Timothy Cooley, Purdue University-New Albany; Terrence O'Connor, Purdue University-New Albany

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

. The left block was solid and clamped to the edge of a table. The right blockcontained a precision-drilled hole to tightly contain the now-exposed dart tube of the gun. Afteralignment with the appropriate target surface and adjustment to the required zero-degree initialtrajectory angle, the wing nut was tightened and checked for accuracy and rigidity. Figure 2. Page 11.152.3Chronometer Circuit DescriptionThe projectile is propelled past two pairs of QRB 1134 reflective sensors. The QRB 1134reflective sensor has an IR photo emitter and an IR photo detector on it. Both the photo emitterand photo detector

Conference Session

International Engineering Education II

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Dalton, The Petroleum Institute; Isoroku Kubo, The Petroleum Institute

Tagged Divisions

International

for a particular field. Today there is more of an emphasis on thewhole person, exemplified by concerns that students exiting institutes such as ours should beable to call upon a range of competencies of a more behavioral nature.Recognizing that the most immediate and dominant product of the Petroleum Institute will bebaccalaureate graduates, the institutional educational goals for baccalaureate degrees identifyattributes that reflect this whole-person development of the graduating student. This is stated inour graduate profile which includes the following description: • The graduating student will appreciate the critical role played by verbal, written and graphical communications in engineering practice and project management, and

Conference Session

New Topics in Engineering Economics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Nippert, Widener University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Economy

differences between spreadsheet solutions and calculator solutions to engineering economicproblems. Begin by noting that student errors can be grouped into two broad classes.Class 1. Errors that depend on the computational tool the students use. These errors can be further broken down into: 1.1 Mechanical errors that do not reflect errors in understanding but are merely calculation errors or errors related to the usability of the interest tables (e.g. reading the wrong line on an interest table) 1.2 Programming errors including the wrong cell or group of cells in the argument list of a functionClass 2. Major conceptual errors: those mistakes which reflect faulty understanding of

Conference Session

Achieving the Civil Engineering Body of Knowlegde

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Enno Koehn, Lamar University; James Koehn, Chadron State College; Sunil Paleru, Lamar University

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

supports the concept of the master’sdegree as the First Professional Degree (FPD) for the practice of civil engineering at theprofessional level.” There was a great level of discussion and opposition to this approach bymembers of the society.6,13,14 The perception was that outstanding practical experience may bejust as or more important than advanced course work. Upon reflection and after numerous discussions, Policy Statement 465 was amended in2001 and 2004 and today reads: “the ASCE supports the attainment of a Body of Knowledge forentry into the practice of civil engineering at the professional level. This would be accomplishedthrough the adoption of appropriate engineering education and experience requirements as aprerequisite for

Conference Session

Engineering in High School

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Venkat Chandrasekhar, Northwestern University; Marcel Grdinic, Glenbrook North High School; Nathan Unterman, Glenbrook North High School; R.P.H. Chang, Northwestern University; Emma Tevaarwerk, Northwestern University

Tagged Divisions

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

NCLT is based at Northwestern University, and involvescollaboration with a wide range of universities and colleges, including the University ofMichigan and Purdue, as well as high schools across the country. Our goals includeusing cutting-edge research to engage and inspire pre-college students to becomeinterested in science and engineering, particularly nanoscience and nanotechnology.Background and ApproachTraditionally, we think of “looking” at something small with a light microscope. In fact,the size of objects resolved with a light microscope is limited by diffraction to roughly200 nm. Hence, we cannot see nano-objects because the wavelength of the visible light issimply too large to be reflected off of them. So another “touch” based

Conference Session

Teaching Strategies in Graphics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yi-hsiang Chang, Purdue University; Craig Miller, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Design Graphics

overview of whatergonomics is by UK’s Ergonomics Society12 as an attention catcher, and two case studiesavailable online that addressed physical ergonomics in workstation design13 and cognitiveergonomic in cockpit panel selection14 respectively. The overview article gave the students anidea of what to expect in this course module, and the case studies were to bring them immediatelyto the ergonomic applications. Students would turn in reflection papers by answering givenquestions afterward. Two-hour lectures were then given as a review of their readings; and theactivity of critical thinking was conducted in class through questioning and discussions among allthe class participants.Next, a laboratory assignment was designed to help students learn an

Conference Session

Improving ME instructional laboratories

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jed Lyons, University of South Carolina

Tagged Divisions

Mechanical Engineering

Education. 21:5, 491-508.12. Edwards, H. (1993). Mistakes and Other Classroom Techniques: An Application of Social Learning Theory. Journal of Excellence in College Teaching. 4, 49-60.13. Goodwin, S. (1997). The Effects of Error Detection Instruction on Developmental Algebra Students. Dissertation. West Virginia University.14. Socha, D., Razmov, V., and Davis, E. (2003). Teaching Reflective Skills in an Engineering Course. Proceedings of he 2003 American Society of Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition.15. Lorenzet, S., Salas, E. and Tannenbaurm, S. (2005). Benefiting from Mistakes: The Impact of Guided Errors on Learning, Performance and Self-Efficacy. Human Resource Development Quarterly. 16:3, 301

Conference Session

Improving the Mathematical Preparation of Students

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jenna Carpenter, Louisiana Tech University; Ruth Ellen Hanna, Louisiana Tech University

Tagged Divisions

Mathematics

accurate predictor of student success in Calculus I than the Math ACT or if it,together with the Math ACT, might be more reliable than the Math ACT data alone. In thispreliminary report, we focus on whether or not the Math ACT accurately reflects studentpreparedness for calculus.A Comparison of Math ACT Scores, ALEKS Initial Assessments and Course GradesOne measure of student preparedness and prerequisite knowledge in Math 240, our Calculus I, isthe student’s score on the initial ALEKS assessment. Students are asked to take their initialALEKS assessment during the first week of classes. Moreover, they are taking the assessment“cold”, that is, without reviewing or studying for the assessment. In the Fall Quarter, the

Conference Session

Collaborative & New Efforts in Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Fazil Najafi, University of Florida

Tagged Divisions

International

semester basis. This type of data collection procedure is veryeffective in retaining and evaluating a student’s overall academic standings. Studentsand advisors must be responsible for developing assessment data that is updated regularlyand kept by all parties involved in the assessment program.Applicants’ Accessibility to Their Data RecordEach UG and G student has full access to his or her work progress. Students are tomaintain their work progress records (e.g., courses, grades, etc., see Table 1). Similarassessment tables are also to be developed to reflect the student’s research work progress.From these tables, applicants are able to analyze their work, adjust and make improve

Conference Session

Women Faculty Issues and NSF's ADVANCE program

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lisa Aultman-Hall, University of Connecticut; Britt Holmen, University of Connecticut

Tagged Divisions

Women in Engineering

advancing all areas of engineering will be better if based on a diversity of ideas and experience from people of different backgrounds and groups within society. (2) The leaders of organizations and institutions are critical elements in defining the organizational culture that is essential to attracting and maintaining diversity in engineering. Leaders are vital to setting future direction and should reflect the full diversity of our communities. Unfortunately, engineering leadership does not reflect the full extent of diversity in society today. Page 11.1050.2 (3) Women leaders will attract more women and promote diversity at all

Conference Session

Innovative Techniques in Graphics

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marty Fitzgerald, East Tennessee State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Design Graphics

., the texture pattern for the floor had any specularhighlights from windows or lights removed so that the final renders would reflect the positions ofthe virtual camera and light sources). Digital photos were taken for the views out of thewindows, and for some of the views into adjacent rooms. Page 11.312.3 Figure 3 Model, TexturedBasic Computer Graphic LightingThe first step in the process towards photorealistic lighting is the placement of traditionalcomputer graphics lights: point, spot, and area. These are positioned and oriented at thelocations of

Conference Session

Assessment

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Faouzi Bouslama, Zayed University; Azzedine Lansari, Zayed University; Akram Al-Rawi, Zayed University

Tagged Divisions

Educational Research and Methods

laterassessed by faculty members. The LOs are observable demonstrations of student learning thatoccur after a significant set of learning experiences. Typically, these demonstrations orperformances reflect what students know, what they can actually do with what they know, andtheir confidence and motivation in demonstrating what they know.Although the OBE2,3 is a very promising approach which answers the needs for students to haveskills that can make them competitive once they join the workforce, there are a number of issuesthat need to be carefully addressed for the OBE to be successful and to have efficientimplementation. Issues such as the evaluation and the assessment of the student’s work, the

Conference Session

The Senior Experience: Capstone and Beyond

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Philip Dunn, University of Maine; Bryan Pearce, University of Maine-Orono

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

consisting of presentations to clients, plan development, and marketingmaterials.This paper will discuss how project management tools are introduced to civil engineeringstudents and how these skills are utilized in developing the preliminary capstone proposal.BackgroundThe development of CIE 413 Project Management was based on several TC2K/ABET criterion 2objectives. Each of these objectives helped formulate the strategies used to present projectmanagement topics in both active and reflective learning methods. The objectives that wereapplied included: a. demonstrate an appropriate mastery of the knowledge, techniques, skills, and modern tools of their discipline, b. apply current knowledge and adapt to emerging applications

Conference Session

Feedback and IT: Improving Student Learning

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Roberts, University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Tagged Divisions

Civil Engineering

curriculum in general, and 6. The outcomes of teaching, as reflected in student learning.8The method or methods selected should be tuned to assess the desired aspects to beevaluated. The evaluator should also be selected with the end in mind—it should besomeone with expertise in evaluating the desired aspect(s).Time is also an important consideration. Faculty members are very busy and reluctant tocommit to excessively time-consuming projects. Many successful peer review projectsrequire a surprisingly small time commitment. A time commitment on the order of a halfhour per week or less is typically feasible—any program requiring significantly more Page

Conference Session

Emerging Trends in Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Javad Hashemi, Texas Tech University; Sachin Kholamkar, Texas Tech University; Naveen Chandrashekar, Texas Tech University; Edward Anderson, Texas Tech University

semester of 2005. This classconsisted of 64 students. While this laboratory class consists of six experiments, analysis wasperformed only on 4 experiments as only four virtual labs (Measurement of Hardness, Coldrolling, Metallography and tensile testing) are available at this time. At the beginning ofsemester, the students were asked to fill out an evaluation sheet in which they indicated theircurrent GPA. They were also asked to complete the Index of Learning Styles Questionnairedeveloped by Soloman and Felder of North Carolina State University(http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html). This survey asks a series of questionsbased on which a student can be identified as a) Active or reflective learner b

Conference Session

Assessment & TC2K Methods

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kim Nankivell, Purdue University-Calumet; Jana Whittington, Purdue University-Calumet; Joy Colwell, Purdue University-Calumet

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Technology

9100 students, about half traditionaland half non-traditional students. Most of the students on campus work in addition to attendingschool. The campus is primarily a commuter campus, but does have some residential students.Some of the concerns in the student surveys reflect the issues and priorities of this type ofstudent population. A primarily residential campus may find that other concerns have a higherpriority for their students. Purdue University Calumet Enrollment 10000 9000 8000 7000 6000 Full time 5000

Conference Session

Emerging Trends in Engineering Education Poster Session

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Devdas Pai, North Carolina A&T State University; Gukan Rajaram, North Carolina A&T State University; Ricky Lewis, Northeast Guilford High School; Oliver Lewis, North Carolina A&T State University; Cindy Waters, North Carolina A&T State University; Jagannathan Sankar, North Carolina A&T State University

because it behaves the same way; it is reflected by amirror and is blocked - or more accurately, absorbed by non-reflecting surfaces. A simpleexample for the gas analyzer is the spectrometer. A spectrometer is an optical instrument for measuring properties of light. The measuredvariable is often the light intensity but could also be the polarization state, for instance. Theindependent variable is often the wavelength of the light, usually expressed as some fraction of ameter. Spectrometer is a term that is applied to instruments that operate over a very wide range Page 11.833.2of wavelengths, from gamma rays and X-rays into the far infrared

Conference Session

Collaborative & New Efforts in Engineering Education

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mike Murphy; Michael Dyrenfurth, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

International

large part on who is asking. Different people atthe university may well have different reasons to pursue (or not) international collaboration.Hunter2 reported on American efforts and Knight & deWitt3 shared international perspectives onboth such reasons and the condition of internationalization. Page 11.438.2Perspectives matter • Institutional (President) The position promulgated by institution Presidents and senior leadership is usually readily discernable in documents such as a Strategic Plan. Additionally, these positions are often reflected in the comments made by such leaders when addressing senate meetings, convocations and other gatherings of faculty and students. Note that, in the

Conference Session

Trends in Energy Conversion and Conservation

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Giri Venkataramanan, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Annette Muetze, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Tagged Divisions

Energy Conversion and Conservation

remark on theimpact of the experience as it has been observed with the first generation course participants.Furthermore, other similar activities that have been developed as a result of this course are alsodiscussed.II. Effective PedagogyThe Kolb’s learning style inventory (KLSI) is based on the concept that the learning processfollows a cycle of activities consisting of four distinct segments, namely (a) feeling (throughconcrete experience or CE); (b) thinking (through abstract conceptualization or AC); (c)watching (through reflective observation or RO); and (d) doing (through active experimentation Page 11.101.2or AE)9,10. It is readily