Longitudinal Assessment of the Achievement of the Desired Goals and Characteristics of a First-Year Engineering Course Redesign
- Conference
- Location
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Portland, Oregon
- Publication Date
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June 23, 2024
- Start Date
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June 23, 2024
- End Date
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July 12, 2024
- Conference Session
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First-Year Programs Division Technical Session 1: Evolving First Year Programs
- Tagged Division
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First-Year Programs Division (FYP)
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/47753
Paper Authors
Kelly Salyards Bucknell University
Dr. Salyards is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Bucknell University. She has BAE, MAE, and PhD degrees in Architectural Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University. Her research areas include vibration serviceability, origami-inspired structures, and engineering education. She is actively involved with ASCE's Excellence in Civil Engineering Education (ExCEEd) Workshop.
Katsuyuki Wakabayashi
Bucknell University
orcid.org/0000-0002-0112-1846
Kat received his bachelor of science in both chemical engineering and materials science and engineering from University of Pennsylvania, and he has a PhD in chemical and materials engineering from Princeton University. After a post-doctoral position at Northwestern University, Kat started teaching at Bucknell University in 2007, and currently is a Rooke Professor of Chemical Engineering. His research interests are polymeric materials and coffee science.
Richard J. Kozick Bucknell University
Richard J. Kozick received the B.S. degree from Bucknell University in 1986, the M.S. degree from Stanford University in 1988, and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992, all in electrical engineering. He is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Bucknell University, where he started teaching in 1993. His research interests are in signal processing, communications, and medical ultrasound imaging.
Benjamin Wheatley
Bucknell University
orcid.org/0000-0002-9779-485X
Benjamin Wheatley was awarded a B.Sc. degree in Engineering from Trinity College (Hartford, CT, USA) in 2011 and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO, USA) in 2017. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Bucknell University. He runs the Mechanics and Modeling of Orthopaedic Tissues Lab at Bucknell, which is centered around musculoskeletal biomechanics and orthopaedic research, and his pedagogical interests include first year engineering, computational analysis, and design.
Abstract
(Complete Evidence-based Practice) For nearly 20 years, the first-year introductory engineering course at XXX University followed a seminar-based format. This course was successful, but opportunities for improvement were apparent in recent years. The desired outcomes and associated characteristics were reconsidered with the solicitation of the College of Engineering in 2020 and a three-year redesign was undertaken and completed in Fall 2023 with its third iteration.
This paper assesses how the redesign achieved the initial goals and how its delivery reflects the desired characteristics. Four course outcomes were adopted: 1) Develop creative solutions by applying engineering design, math, science, and data analysis, 2) Construct an effective prototype or model using technology and tools, 3) Demonstrate improved power skills (communication, teamwork, information literacy, professionalism), and 4) Employ NSPE Code of Ethics to examine case studies and extrapolate for other situations. In terms of the course outcomes, this paper describes how students self-assessed their achievement of these course outcomes through course evaluation surveys over three years. The appropriateness of the selected outcomes is evaluated by constituents of the program (students, faculty, staff, and expo attendees) to inform future direction of the course.
In addition to the course outcomes, the coordinators identified several desired characteristics of the redesigned course based on feedback from colleagues throughout the process. The College of Engineering colleagues desired a course that incorporated a focus on design, hands-on projects, transferable power skills, transferable technical skills, and an ethical grounding. It was also desired that the redesigned course reflect XXX’s engineering identity, excitement for the profession of engineering, create an inclusive community, and develop professionalism in the first-year students. After three iterations of the course (with small additions/improvements incorporated annually), a survey was administered to all engineering students who experienced the redesigned course to determine if the course delivery and student experience achieved these desired characteristics.
The results of the survey are analyzed and indicate that the achievement of course outcomes has improved over the three iterations of the course. The effectiveness of specific activities and aspects of course delivery in achieving the desired course characteristics are also assessed. Finally, the authors reflect on the process of redesigning a college-wide course and coordinating efforts across multiple sections.
Salyards, K., & Wakabayashi, K., & Kozick, R. J., & Wheatley, B. (2024, June), Longitudinal Assessment of the Achievement of the Desired Goals and Characteristics of a First-Year Engineering Course Redesign Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47753
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