Innovating Through a Pandemic: Zooming in on the Sustainable Lessons Learned in Engineering Education
- Conference
- Location
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Minneapolis, MN
- Publication Date
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August 23, 2022
- Start Date
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June 26, 2022
- End Date
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June 29, 2022
- Conference Session
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DEED Technical Session 1: Adapting to COVID and other Design Challenges
- Page Count
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23
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--41757
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/41757
- Download Count
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366
Paper Authors
David Orser University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
David Orser a Distinguished University Teaching Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He is a teacher, lab coordinator, and mentor with over a decade of industry experience. David teaches and leads the development of undergraduate curricula with a focus on project-based learning, experiential learning, and laboratory courses. His leadership brings together faculty, TAs, staff, and students, empowering them to continuously improve a system of “Living Labs”. David graduated with his BSEE from Minnesota State University, MSEE and PhD from the University of Minnesota.
Lorraine Francis University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Lorraine Francis is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota She was the 3M Chair in Experiential Learning in the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota from 2016 to 2022. Her research is focused on the field of materials processing. She has developed courses at the departmental and college level, and authored a textbook.
John Sartori
John Sartori is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota. His research interests primarily include computer architecture and electronic design automation for extreme energy efficiency, ultra-low-power IoT, optimizing healthcare with machine learning and AI, and design automation for wearable electronics.
Kyle Dukart University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Kyle Dukart graduated with his B.A. in English and Honors from the University of North Dakota in 1997, followed by an M.A. in English in 1999 and a B.A. in Computer Science in 2002. He received (2016) his Ed.D. emphasizing Higher Education from the University of Minnesota researching the role of extracurricular experiential learning in engineering education. Currently he is the Administrative Director for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the U of M and involved in the administration and growth of the two makerspaces on campus, the Anderson Labs and the Exceed Labs.
Brody Hultman University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Brody Hultman received his B.E.E. degree from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, in 2021. He is currently pursuing the M.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. His research interests include high-frequency DC-DC power converters, high-frequency gate drivers for GaN and SiC devices, and scripting languages for power system control and protection.
Lauren Linderman University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Lauren Linderman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering at the University of Minnesota. Her research focuses on sensing and control systems for enhanced resilience of civil infrastructure. Prof. Linderman is the recipient of several research and teaching awards including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the University of Minnesota Taylor Career Development Award.
Aaron Massari University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Prof. Aaron Massari earned his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Arizona State University and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Northwestern. After postdoctoral work at Stanford University he began his independent research career at the University of Minnesota in 2006.
R Penn University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Lee Penn is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of MN - twin cities, and they have taught chemistry courses, seminars about bikes and nanotechnology, and more. Lee’s research group works with nanoparticles - their synthesis and characterization and how they behave in environmental systems – and green materials synthesis. Lee has served as a chemistry advisor, faculty advisor to several student groups, direct mentor to undergraduates through research projects and mentoring programs, and has developed innovative teaching techniques.
Abstract
Necessity is the parent of invention. Everyone in higher education experienced that proverb firsthand these past two years. Now, it is time to understand which of those inventions should live on and which will only be a footnote. Our need drove major educational redesign -- our need was the catalyst -- with online learning our only option, we developed new approaches to meet our students' learning, engagement, and retention needs. Project-based design courses were of particular challenge, owing to their specific mix of student collaboration and design-and-build pedagogy.
This evidence-based practice paper investigates the pivot to the pandemic world of online-only availability and what can be retained from the experience to enhance student learning in future engineering education courses. First, it looks at the necessary changes to an experiential project-based inquiry course for first-year students. Second, this paper looks at the adaptations in a microcontroller-based first programming course with a final design project. Both courses are moderately large (~100-200 students/year) and are enrolled by a wide variety of science, engineering, and design majors at a large public research university.
Three key adaptations from these two courses show potentially lasting promise. The first is utilizing individual projects where students collaboratively support each other’s projects (from ideation to implementation). The second is the use of static, responsive, and teleconference-based video submissions for project check-ins, reports, and design reviews. The final is using online communications tools, including Learning Management Systems (LMSs) and particularly the Discord service.
Student ratings of teaching, comments, usage reports, and self-reflections are analyzed. While the data are far from conclusive due to pandemic impacts, they give us confidence that these changes helped students and faculty weather the pandemic storm and provide us with innovations that we can harness in a more normal environment.
Orser, D., & Francis, L., & Sartori, J., & Dukart, K., & Hultman, B., & Linderman, L., & Massari, A., & Penn, R. (2022, August), Innovating Through a Pandemic: Zooming in on the Sustainable Lessons Learned in Engineering Education Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41757
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