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Enhancing the Success of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering Technology Students with an Engineering Calculus II Class Utilizing Open-source Mathematical Software

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Conference

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Tampa, Florida

Publication Date

June 15, 2019

Start Date

June 15, 2019

End Date

June 19, 2019

Conference Session

Mathematics Division Technical Session 1

Tagged Division

Mathematics

Page Count

17

DOI

10.18260/1-2--32752

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/32752

Download Count

352

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Paper Authors

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Erik A. Mayer Pittsburg State University

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Erik Mayer is a Professor at Pittsburg State University in Kansas where he has been instrumental in forming the Electronic Embedded Systems emphasis in the Electronics Engineering Technology program. His research interests are power electronics and embedded systems. He previously taught at Bowling Green State University in Ohio where he worked with the Electric Vehicle Institute . In addition, he worked at Visteon Corporation designing components for hybrid vehicles. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering Science at the University of Toledo in Ohio.

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biography

Yaping Liu Pittsburg State University

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I teach a variety of mathematics classes at Pittsburg State University. In particular, Calculus I, II, III, Engineering Calculus II, and Differential Equations are closely related to engineering.

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David Miller Pittsburg State University

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David Miller completed a B.S. in biological systems engineering at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in 2000, a master's of science in bioengineering at Arizona State University in 2002, and a doctorate in biomedical engineering at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in 2008. After completing his Ph.D., he worked in the medical industry as a product development engineer for three years before coming to Pittsburg State University, where he is a member of the mechanical engineering technology faculty. He teaches courses in engineering mechanics, heat transfer, engineering graphics, and product design. He has designed products using AutoCAD, CATIA, Pro/E, and SolidWorks and is a certified SolidWorks Professional.

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Jeremy Wade PacificSource Health Plans

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Dr. Wade was an Assistant/Associate Professor of Mathematics at Pittsburg State University from 2009-2016. He is currently an analyst at PacificSource Health Plans.

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Abstract

Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MECET) students were previously required to take two semesters of Calculus. However, students typically struggled with the Calculus II class. In the fall semester of 2014, Mathematics, EET, and MECET faculty met to discuss the creation of an Engineering Calculus II course. It was decided that the course would focus on mathematics using examples more relevant to EET and MECET majors. The proposed outcome of the course was to motive students to learn the mathematics and be able to apply them to their field of study. Through subsequent meetings, a textbook was chosen [1] and it was established that the following topics would be covered: integration, complex numbers, matrices, vectors, partial differentiation, polar coordinates, multiple integrals, and first and second order ordinary differential equations. In addition to the lecture, it was decided that Engineering Calculus II should also have a lab component. The labs were to consist of EET and MECET problems to be solved using the SageMath (formerly SAGE) open-source mathematics software [2]. It was proposed that this would further increase student motivation by illustrating applications of the mathematics covered in the lecture. A Summer Teaching Innovation Grant was received in the summer of 2016 in which Mathematics, EET, and MECET faculty created a lab manual which consisted of an EET lab and a MECET lab for each topic [3]. The Engineering Calculus II class was initially offered in the fall semester of 2016 and assessment data was collected at the end of the semester using a lab in which students utilized the SageMath software to solve engineering technology problems. The students’ ability to solve the problems was evaluated using a rubric developed during the grant [3]. Unfortunately, it was discovered a week before the abstract deadline that the assessment results can not be shared due to permission being required by the Institutional Review Board. For the draft paper, it is anticipated that permission will be obtained and that assessment results will be included along with results from Engineering Calculus II classes offered in the fall of 2017 and 2018. In addition, the effect of the Engineering Calculus II course on EET students was assessed using questions from the Electrical/Electronics Technology Outcome Assessment exam developed by SME, the Electrical/Electronics Department Heads Association, and IEEE [3], [4]. This exam has been regularly used for assessing ETAC/ABET student outcomes for the EET program. Pending the approval of the Institutional Review Board, the assessment results comparing the performance of Engineering Calculus II and Calculus II students will be included in the draft paper. References: 1. K.A. Stroud and D.J. Booth, Engineering Mathematics, 7th ed., South Norwalk, CT: Industrial Press, 2013. 2. SageMath - Open-Source Mathematics Software System [Online]. Available: http://www.sagemath.org/. [Accessed October 13, 2017]. 3. ____, ____, ____, "2016 Summer Teaching Innovation Grant Summary: Creating Cross-Disciplinary Laboratory Projects in a Calculus Course for Engineering Technology Students," ____, Summer Teaching Innovation Grant Final Report, March 29, 2017. 4. SME – EET Outcome Assessment [Online]. Available: http://www.sme.org/eet/. [Accessed October 13, 2017].

Mayer, E. A., & Liu, Y., & Miller, D., & Wade, J. (2019, June), Enhancing the Success of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering Technology Students with an Engineering Calculus II Class Utilizing Open-source Mathematical Software Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--32752

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