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Use of the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges for Engineering as a Semester-Long Project for an Introduction to Engineering Course

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Conference

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Indianapolis, Indiana

Publication Date

June 15, 2014

Start Date

June 15, 2014

End Date

June 18, 2014

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

FPD 9: First-Year Projects

Tagged Division

First-Year Programs

Page Count

8

Page Numbers

24.1314.1 - 24.1314.8

DOI

10.18260/1-2--23247

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/23247

Download Count

408

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Paper Authors

biography

Lindsay Corneal Grand Valley State University

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Lindsay Corneal is an Assistant Professor in the Padnos College of Engineering and Computing at Grand Valley State University. She received her B.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Windsor, a M.B.A. from Lawrence Technological University, and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Materials Science and Engineering.

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Abstract

Use of the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges for Engineering as a semester-longproject for an Introduction to Engineering courseThe Grand Challenges for Engineering that have been identified by the National Academy of Engineering(NAE) are the basis of a semester-long project within an Introduction to Engineering course. Eachsection of the Introduction to Engineering course was split into groups of four to five students, with eachgroup investigating one of the fourteen challenges. There were various assignments on this topic foreach group to complete over the course of the semester. They started by identifying the types ofengineers that would be involved in addressing their challenge, as well as identifying the non-engineering professionals that would also need to be involved. They completed a literature review oftheir topic and submitted an annotated bibliography from their literature review. They then wrote up asummary of their topic, using the information they had gathered, and finally ended the course with apresentation of their Grand Challenge topic.These assignments based on the NAE’s Grand Challenges for Engineering were used to introducestudents to the diverse fields of engineering as well as to develop skills in finding and reviewing technicalinformation, presenting information in written form, and preparing and making presentations, all whileworking as a part of a team. This project was designed to meet many of the course objectives as well asto develop skills that will be needed in many of their future engineering classes.This paper presents an overview of the project and individual assignments as well as the outcomes andfeedback from the students that participated in the project. The plans for further modifications andimprovements to this project and assignments will also be presented.

Corneal, L. (2014, June), Use of the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges for Engineering as a Semester-Long Project for an Introduction to Engineering Course Paper presented at 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Indianapolis, Indiana. 10.18260/1-2--23247

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