Elmore, M., & Fellows, S. B., & Gieskes, K. E., & Cummings, L. A. (2015, June), Facilitating Learning With a Project-based Curriculum that Engages First-year Engineering Students   Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.24088

\bibitem{asee_peer_24088}
  Elmore, M., \& Fellows, S. B., \& Gieskes, K. E., \& Cummings, L. A. (2015, June), \emph{Facilitating Learning With a Project-based Curriculum that Engages First-year Engineering Students }
  Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Seattle, Washington.
  10.18260/p.24088

Mike  Elmore, Sharon B Fellows, Koenraad E Gieskes, and Lee A Cummings.  "Facilitating Learning With a Project-based Curriculum that Engages First-year Engineering Students ".  2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington, 2015, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2015.  https://peer.asee.org/24088 Internet.  08 Oct, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_24088}
  Mike  Elmore, Sharon B Fellows, Koenraad E Gieskes, and Lee A Cummings.
  "Facilitating Learning With a Project-based Curriculum that Engages First-year Engineering Students ".
  \emph{2015 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Seattle, Washington, 2015, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2015.
  https://peer.asee.org/24088 Internet.  08 Oct, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_24088
author = "Mike  Elmore, Sharon B Fellows, Koenraad E Gieskes, and Lee A Cummings"
title = "Facilitating Learning With a Project-based Curriculum that Engages First-year Engineering Students "
booktitle = "2015 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2015"
month = "June"
address = "Seattle, Washington"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/24088}
number = {10.18260/p.24088}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -            Facilitating Learning With a Project-Based Curriculum That                       Engages 1st-Year Engineering StudentsMuch research has been done about the many forms in which learning takes place in theengineering classroom, specifically teaching strategies that are designed to engage the learner. Inthe 1st-year engineering program’s required core courses, engagement becomes crucial if studentsare to remain in engineering. Retention, as the current mass of research shows, is a major goal of1st-year programs. Retention becomes more complicated when issues relating to the transition fromhigh school to college are considered in the design of curricula that engage. Faculty who designcurricula and teach in first-year programs must possess the ability to evaluate, be creative, knowwhat is relevant and necessary and then be able to apply and present this knowledge in an engagingmanner. 1st-year engineering program faculty have found that when facilitated student learning isthe focus, students are engaged, resulting in motivation to succeed and increased retention rates.In components of 1st-year core courses, activities are created that generate inquiry through project-based learning. This approach has proven to enhance the classroom experience and retain 1st-yearengineering students.Several experiments in the design project in the spring semesters of 2013 and 2014 were tested:an increase in team size, instruction in the development and writing of project requirements, pairswithin teams researching alternative solution designs, and a culminating exposition in the form ofa competition. The project was designed to promote inquiry-based learning as students developedthe necessary transition skills through project management to succeed in their first year andsubsequently, beyond into their careers. Retention was improved over previous years andanecdotal responses from students were significantly more positive about the teaming process andinvolvement and commitment to the project. Faculty reported weekly that the teams and projectswere progressing much better than in previous years. The project for spring 2015 includes changesbased on student and faculty input from spring 2013 and 2014.This paper describes a semester long 1st-year engineering conceptual design project that engagesstudents in the design process in a way that allows them to experience being engineers and placesthe faculty member in the role of facilitator. The focus is on the engineering communicationscomponent of the linked, integrated core course, though changes incorporated by the engineeringdesign and analysis component that impacts both sides will be discussed. Retention of students inthe spring 2015 semester will be tracked, and surveys administered at key points in the project thatare designed to query students’ level of engagement in the project and their responses to the teacheras facilitator in the classroom will be administered. A description of the design project, the changesmade in the spring 2015 and semester based on the student and faculty feedback from spring 2013and 2014, and the results of data collected throughout the 2015 spring semester will be reported.
AU  - Mike  Elmore
AU  - Sharon B Fellows
AU  - Koenraad E Gieskes
AU  - Lee A Cummings
CY  - Seattle, Washington
DA  - 2015/06/14
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Facilitating Learning With a Project-based Curriculum that Engages First-year Engineering Students 
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/24088
DO  - 10.18260/p.24088
ER  -