Incorporating an Open-Ended Project to Address Complexity Solution of Engineer’s Problem in Undergraduate Laboratory Course

wee sing Yeo; P.K. Imbrie; Azrul Abidin Zakaria; Zubaidi Faiesal Bin Mohamad Rafaai

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH) Technical Session 13: Lab Experiences
Tagged Division: Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH)
Page Count: 14
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--43633
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/43633
Download Count: 169

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wee sing Yeo University of Cincinnati

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WS Yeo is a Charactered Engineer register with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, United Kingdom. She led research projects and also involve actively as member in research projects led by other staff. She adopted outcomes-based engineering (OBE) program accreditation practices since 2006-2022.

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P.K. Imbrie University of Cincinnati

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P.K. Imbrie is the Head and Professor of the Department of Engineering Education and a Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
University of Cincinnati. He received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University. He is an advocate for research-based approaches to engineering education, curricular reform, and student retention. Imbrie conducts both traditional, as well as educational research in experimental mechanics, piezospectroscopic techniques, epistemologies, assessment, and modeling of student learning, student success, student team effectiveness, and global competencies He helped establish the scholarly foundation for engineering education as an academic discipline through lead authorship of the landmark 2006 JEE special reports “The National Engineering Education Research Colloquies” and “The Research Agenda for the New Discipline of Engineering Education.” He has a passion for designing state-of-the-art learning spaces. While at Purdue University, Imbrie co-led the creation of the First-Year Engineering Program’s Ideas to Innovation (i2i) Learning Laboratory, a design-oriented facility that engages students in team-based, socially relevant projects. While at Texas A&M University Imbrie co-led the design of a 525,000 square foot state-of-the-art engineering education focused facility; the largest educational building in the state. His expertise in educational pedagogy, student learning, and teaching has impacted thousands of students at the universities for which he has been associated. Imbrie is nationally recognized for his work in active/collaborative learning pedagogies, teaming and student success modeling. His engineering education leadership has produced fundamental changes in the way students are educated around the world.

Imbrie has been a member of ASEE since 2000 and has been actively involved with the Society in various capacities. He has served in multiple leadership roles in the ERM and FPD divisions, including: ERM board of directors (2002-2004), program chair for ERM (2005 and 2009), ERM program chair for Frontiers in Education (FIE) (2004), FIE Steering Committee ERM representative (2003-2009), as well as program chair (2016) and division chair (2016-17) for FPD. He has also served on two ASEE advisory committees.

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Azrul Abidin Zakaria

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Zubaidi Faiesal Bin Mohamad Rafaai

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Abstract

This work highlights the laboratory instructional design’s ability to impart skills and attributes that are needed by professional engineers in the current and near future, such as the ability to think critically and be problem solvers. First, the work focuses on how students are able to learn critical thinking skills by solving complex problems effectively through an open-ended project in an undergraduate laboratory course that incorporates four key features: (i) team-based framework; (ii) multidisciplinary education including sustainability of a project or coursework based learning; (iii) application of modern tools in complex engineering problem with an understanding of the limitations; and (iv) communicate effectively by means of oral presentation, and / or technical report writing on complex engineering activities. Second, this work focuses on how these instructions or features are taught and assessed for students to comprehend the increasingly complicated solutions of engineers’ problems in the undergraduate laboratory course and fulfillment of ABET criterion 3. The open-ended project has been incorporated in sophomore laboratory courses at a higher learning institution, with a program outcome (PO) that is governed by the Washington Accord (WA) attribute through the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) network. The PO’s relate the ability of students to do a set of knowledge or skills acquired as they progress through the program by graduation. The course outcome (CO) with the performance description is mapped to their respective PO’s by a CO-PO matrix. In addition, an assessment matrix offers a framework to identify, collect, and prepare data to evaluate the attainment of each program outcome. The assessment consists of a safety quiz, pre-labs, final reports, an open-ended project, an instructor evaluation, and peer evaluations that relate the relevant CO and strategies to their respective PO. The laboratory course requires a three hour laboratory weekly meeting or work over fourteen weeks based on the following learning schedule: Introduction and laboratory safety procedures, five fundamental tests on continuous weeks, project proposal submission weeks prior to the commencement of the open-ended project at weeks 11 and 12. The project proposal creates the chance for each team to develop their understanding and validate experimental set-up through social negotiation with their instructor. This therefore encourages synthesis of learning through constructivism. The open-ended project is an example of a practice that reinforces engineering students when solving complex problems. The results showed PO attainment achievement of between 79 and 98 percent for five consecutive semesters I 2019 to semester I 2021. The laboratory course with an open-ended project encompasses the three pillars of pedagogical learning theory: behavioral, cognitive, and constructivist. The open-ended project is easily designed according to existing laboratory equipment and therefore transferable to any institution.

Citation
Format

Yeo, W. S., & Imbrie, P., & Zakaria, A. A., & Rafaai, Z. F. B. M. (2023, June), Incorporating an Open-Ended Project to Address Complexity Solution of Engineer’s Problem in Undergraduate Laboratory Course Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--43633

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - This work highlights the laboratory instructional design’s ability to impart skills and attributes that are needed by professional engineers in the current and near future, such as the ability to think critically and be problem solvers. First, the work focuses on how students are able to learn critical thinking skills by solving complex problems effectively through an open-ended project in an undergraduate laboratory course that incorporates four key features: (i) team-based framework; (ii) multidisciplinary education including sustainability of a project or coursework based learning; (iii) application of modern tools in complex engineering problem with an understanding of the limitations; and (iv) communicate effectively by means of oral presentation, and / or technical report writing on complex engineering activities. Second, this work focuses on how these instructions or features are taught and assessed for students to comprehend the increasingly complicated solutions of engineers’ problems in the undergraduate laboratory course and fulfillment of ABET criterion 3. The open-ended project has been incorporated in sophomore laboratory courses at a higher learning institution, with a program outcome (PO) that is governed by the Washington Accord (WA) attribute through the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) network. The PO’s relate the ability of students to do a set of knowledge or skills acquired as they progress through the program by graduation. The course outcome (CO) with the performance description is mapped to their respective PO’s by a CO-PO matrix. In addition, an assessment matrix offers a framework to identify, collect, and prepare data to evaluate the attainment of each program outcome. The assessment consists of a safety quiz, pre-labs, final reports, an open-ended project, an instructor evaluation, and peer evaluations that relate the relevant CO and strategies to their respective PO. The laboratory course requires a three hour laboratory weekly meeting or work over fourteen weeks based on the following learning schedule: Introduction and laboratory safety procedures, five fundamental tests on continuous weeks, project proposal submission weeks prior to the commencement of the open-ended project at weeks 11 and 12. The project proposal creates the chance for each team to develop their understanding and validate experimental set-up through social negotiation with their instructor. This therefore encourages synthesis of learning through constructivism. The open-ended project is an example of a practice that reinforces engineering students when solving complex problems. The results showed PO attainment achievement of between 79 and 98 percent for five consecutive semesters I 2019 to semester I 2021. The laboratory course with an open-ended project encompasses the three pillars of pedagogical learning theory: behavioral, cognitive, and constructivist. The open-ended project is easily designed according to existing laboratory equipment and therefore transferable to any institution.
AU  - wee sing Yeo
AU  - P.K. Imbrie
AU  - Azrul Abidin Zakaria
AU  - Zubaidi Faiesal Bin Mohamad Rafaai
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Incorporating an Open-Ended Project to Address Complexity Solution of Engineer’s Problem in Undergraduate Laboratory Course
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/43633
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--43633
ER  -