Honolulu, Hawaii
June 24, 2007
June 24, 2007
June 27, 2007
2153-5965
Educational Research and Methods
17
12.1401.1 - 12.1401.17
10.18260/1-2--2606
https://peer.asee.org/2606
586
MICHAEL A. COLLURA, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of New Haven, received his B.S. Chemical Engineering from Lafayette College and the M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University. He is currently serving as the Coordinator of the Engineering Foundation Program. His professional interests include the application of computers to process modeling and control, as well as reform of engineering education.
Samuel Bogan Daniels, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of New Haven, received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University and has a P.E license in CT. He is currently the freshman advisor for Mechanical Engineering, ASME & SAE Faculty Advisor, PLTW UNH Affiliate Professor, and has interests in solid modeling, electric vehicles and composites.
Jean Nocito-Gobel, an Assistant Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of New Haven, received her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is currently serving as the Coordinator for the First Year Program. Her professional interests include modeling the transport and fate of contaminants in groundwater and surface water systems, as well as engineering education reform.
DAVE HARDING is an Associate Professor and coordinator of Chemical Engineering at the University of New Haven. He received his B.S. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Perdue University and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University. He has a PE license from the state of Indiana and nearly ten years of industrial experience. His professional interests include oxidation catalysis, pollution prevention and environmental processes.
The Current Generation of Integrated Engineering Curriculum - Assessment After Two Years of Implementation
Abstract
In September of 2004 our university adopted the Multidisciplinary Engineering Foundation Spiral Curriculum as the basis for disciplinary engineering programs in Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Mechanical and General Engineering. The curriculum includes a sequence of first and second year engineering courses, matched closely with the development of students’ mathematical sophistication and analytical capabilities and integrated with course work in the sciences. Students develop a conceptual understanding of engineering basics in this series of courses which stress practical applications of these principles.
The new curriculum was designed to provide students with a multidisciplinary perspective while developing basic engineering skills and fostering an understanding of basic engineering concepts. Each of the ten courses in the program were developed and are taught by faculty from several disciplines. Course materials are intended to make students keenly aware of the highly integrated nature of the current practice of engineering. It was also expected that the novel program would prove to be attractive to a broader range of students than those drawn to traditional disciplinary programs. Finally, student retention was expected to be enhanced by the new courses.
Students who entered as freshmen in 2004 are currently juniors, taking courses in their disciplinary major. This study attempts to provide early data on the success of the program through the following measures:
• Impact of the new curriculum on student recruiting through a survey of newly matriculated students • Impact on student retention from first to second and second to third years • Comparison of student performance in early disciplinary courses with that of students in previous years • Impact of program implementation on faculty attitudes
Collura, M., & Daniels, S., & Nocito-Gobel, J., & Harding, W. D. (2007, June), The Current Generation Of Integrated Engineering Curriculum Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2606
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