Atlanta, Georgia
June 23, 2013
June 23, 2013
June 26, 2013
2153-5965
Educational Research and Methods
10
23.366.1 - 23.366.10
10.18260/1-2--19380
https://peer.asee.org/19380
507
Dr. Amelink is Research Analyst and Assessment Specialist in the Dean's Office, College of Engineering, Virginia Tech.
Bevlee A. Watford is professor of engineering education at Virginia Tech. She currently serves as the associate dean for academic affairs and the Director of the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity.
Dr. Glenda R. Scales serves as both Associate Dean for Distance Learning and Computing and Director of the Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program (CGEP) in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. Dr. Scales also provides leadership for international programs, research computing and academic computing within the College of Engineering. She holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Instructional Technology from Virginia Tech, an M.S. in Applied Behavioral Science from Johns Hopkins and a B.S. in Computer Science from Old Dominion University.
Jean Mohammadi-Aragh is a Ph.D. Candidate and Dean’s Teaching Fellow in Virginia Tech's Department of Engineering Education. She earned her B.S. in 2002 and her M.S. in 2004 in Computer Engineering at Mississippi State University. She previously worked for the Geosystems Research Institute as a scientific visualization and virtual reality researcher, and for Mississippi State's Electrical and Computer Engineering department as Outreach Coordinator. Her research interests focus on technology in engineering education, effective design of engineering courses and curricula, and scientific visualization.
Dakota Farquhar-Caddell is a Masters's student in the Higher Education program at Virginia Tech and serving as a research assistant in the College of Engineering. His research interests include examining factors that impact learning experiences both in and out of the traditional classroom.
Defining and Measuring Innovative Thinking Among Engineering Undergraduates Innovative thinking skill development among engineering undergraduates is of criticalimportance to the global economy. The ability to transform creative ideas into useful productsand services through problem-solving that requires applying known information to unknownsituations, finding new information and assessing its value or worth, and collaboratingsynergistically to develop ideas can be developed through pedagogical approaches that createengaging and active learning environments. Instructional technology, when used effectively, hasbeen shown to enhance educational environments facilitating active and engaging learningstrategies such as providing access to information, ideas, and collaborative exchanges focused ongenerating innovative solutions. Recent advancements in slate enabled laptop computers andsmaller slate hand-held devices (e.g., Tablet PCs, iPads, HP Slate 500s), a form of instructionaltechnology, and their impact on innovative thinking skills have been relatively unexamined. Thispaper reports the initial findings from a NSF sponsored study that is being undertaken toexamine whether effective use of instructional technology, specifically slate enabled technology,has an impact on the innovative thinking skills among engineering undergraduates enrolled inlarge lecture classes. The methodology used in this study a quasi-experimental mixed methodapproach utilizing a control and treatment group. Findings can be used to improve innovativethinking skills through effective pedagogical approaches which may include employment ofvarious forms of slate enabled instructional technology.
Amelink, C. T., & Watford, B. A., & Scales, G. R., & Mohammadi-Aragh, M. J., & Farquhar-Caddell, D. (2013, June), Defining and Measuring Innovative Thinking Among Engineering Undergraduates Paper presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--19380
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