East Lansing, Michigan
July 26, 2020
July 26, 2020
July 28, 2020
2
10.18260/1-2--35775
https://peer.asee.org/35775
260
Assistant Director of First-Year Engineering Programs, Newark College of Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Dr. Jaskirat Sodhi is interested in first-year engineering curriculum design and recruitment, retention and success of engineering students. He is the coordinator of ENGR101, an application-oriented course for engineering students placed in pre-calculus courses. He has also developed and co-teaches the Fundamentals of Engineering Design course that includes a wide spectra of activities to teach general engineering students the basics of engineering design using a hands-on approach which is also engaging and fun. He is an Institute for Teaching Excellence Fellow and the recipient of NJIT's 2018 Saul K. Fenster Innovation in Engineering Education Award.
Dr. Ashish Borgaonkar works as Asst. Professor of Engineering Education at the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Newark College of Engineering located in Newark, New Jersey. He has developed and taught several engineering courses primarily in first-year engineering, civil and environmental engineering, and general engineering. He has won multiple awards for excellence in instruction. He also has worked on several research projects, programs, and initiatives to help students bridge the gap between high school and college as well as preparing students for the rigors of mathematics. His research interests include engineering education, integration of novel technologies into engineering classroom, excellence in instruction, water, and wastewater treatment, civil engineering infrastructure, and transportation engineering.
Abstract – The purpose of this GIFTS presentation and paper is to highlight the outcomes of this pilot program, explore the benefits of incorporating an online education resource, such as Rubin Education and, areas for future improvement. In the spring 2020 we piloted the use of the Rubin Education learning resource and our experiences and assessments will be shared in this presentation. Rubin Education is an online educational platform that hosts a wealth of content related to developing student’s professional skills (E.g. Networking, resume/cover letters, interview) as well as communication skills (E.g. Phone and email etiquette, concise language, body language). Over time, multiple stakeholders have identified that recent graduates of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs could improve their communication skills and professionalism to be better prepared to enter the workforce. In an effort to improve the communication and professional development of first-year engineering students we collaborated with Danny Rubin of Rubin Education. Our pilot program consisted of two sections of first-year seminar students throughout the spring semester. Pre-assessment data indicated that our first-year engineering students felt confident that they understood the need and importance of strong communication skills and professionalism. However, the vast majority of the cohort admitted that they lack the practical skills and/or education related to strong communication skills and professionalism. Over the course of the spring semester students in this cohort have been exposed to online learning modules as well as in-class discussions and exercises. Upon completion of the first-year seminar class, this cohort will be asked to complete a post-assessment related to communication skills and professionalism as well as an opportunity to provide general feedback on their individual experiences with Rubin Education. The aforementioned student feedback, pre and post-assessment data will be shared by the date of the presentation along with our institutions plans moving forward based off what we learned.
Baldwin, R., & Sodhi, J., & Borgaonkar, A. D. (2020, July), Pilot Program: Infusing Rubin Education into First-Year Seminar Paper presented at 2020 First-Year Engineering Experience, East Lansing, Michigan. 10.18260/1-2--35775
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