Seattle, Washington
June 14, 2015
June 14, 2015
June 17, 2015
978-0-692-50180-1
2153-5965
Cooperative & Experiential Education Division Technical Session 3
Cooperative & Experiential Education
Diversity
13
26.1356.1 - 26.1356.13
10.18260/p.24693
https://peer.asee.org/24693
435
Chip Ferguson is the Associate Dean of the Kimmel School and Associate Professor of Engineering and Technology at Western Carolina University.
Dr. Paul Yanik is currently an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at Western Carolina University. His background includes fifteen years in the development of telecommunication and mobile microprocessor hardware, and avionics. His areas of research include human-robot interactions, assistive devices, pattern recognition and machine learning. Dr. Yanik received the B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and the M.S. degree form N.C. State University, and the Ph.D. from Clemson University.
Dr. Guanghsu A. Chang, Western Carolina University -
Dr. Chang is an associate professor in the Department of Engineering and Technology at Western Carolina University. He has spent the last 21 years in teaching industrial and manufacturing engineering programs. He earned his MSIE, and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Texas at Arlington. His research interests include robotic applications, manufacturing automation, Design for Assembly (DFA), and Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) applications. He was a vice president of Southern Minnesota APICS (2009-2012) and faculty advisor of APICS student chapter at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Dr. Kaul is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Western Carolina University. His research interests include Fracture Diagnostics, Structural Dynamics and Control, and Motorcycle Dynamics.
Scholarship Program Initiative via Recruitment, Innovation, and TransformationThe National Science Foundation’s funded program ($625,179) entitled SPIRIT: ScholarshipProgram Initiative via Recruitment, Innovation, and Transformation seeks to create a newapproach to the recruitment, retention, education, and placement of academically talented andfinancially needy engineering and engineering technology students. The program began at_______ ________ __________ in Fall 2014 with a recruitment of twenty-seven new andcontinuing students. These students are horizontally and vertically integrated cohorts who will benurtured and developed in a Project Based Learning (PBL) community characterized byextensive mentoring, fundamental and applied undergraduate research, hands-on design projects,and industry engagement. The horizontal integration method creates sub-cohorts with same-yearstudents from different disciplines (electrical, mechanical, etc.) to work in an environment thatreflects how engineers work in the real world. The vertical integration method enables sub-cohorts from different years to work together on different stages of projects in a PBL setting. Thestructure of the SPIRIT program is expected to develop an interdisciplinary environment thatenhances technical competency through learning paradigms that aim to improve critical skillssuch as intentional learning, problem solving, teamwork, management, interpersonalcommunications, and leadership. Support for the students participating in this programincorporates several established support services offered by the host institution and school,including an industry-facing product development center.This paper presents several aspects of the program such as participant selection, initial cohortdemographics, the vertically-based cohort model in PBL, program and student assessmentmodels, and associated student activities. Progress of participating students is continuouslymonitored in order to foster success and retention in the program, and to facilitate the transitionto professional life upon graduation. Successful implementation of the SPIRIT program willcreate a replicable model that will broadly impact 21st century engineering education andworkforce preparedness.
Ferguson, C. W., & Yanik, P. M., & Chang, G. A., & Kaul, S. (2015, June), Scholarship Program Initiative via Recruitment, Innovation, and Transformation Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.24693
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