WIP Statics Abroad: Lessons in Pedagogy from a Short-term Study Abroad Mechanics Course

David Allen Evenhouse; Charles Morton Krousgrill; Jeffrey F. Rhoads; Edward J. Berger; Jennifer Deboer

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Conference: 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access
Location: Virtual On line
Publication Date: June 22, 2020
Start Date: June 22, 2020
End Date: June 26, 2021
Conference Session: Teaching Statics: What and How?
Tagged Division: Mechanics
Page Count: 19
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--35515
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/35515
Download Count: 532

Paper Authors

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David Allen Evenhouse Purdue University at West Lafayette

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David Evenhouse is a Graduate Student and Research Assistant at Purdue University, pursuing a PhD in Engineering Education and a MS in Mechanical Engineering. He graduated from Calvin College in the Spring of 2015 with a B.S.E. concentrating in Mechanical Engineering. Experiences during his undergraduate years included a semester in Spain, taking classes at the Universidad de Oviedo and the Escuela Politécnica de Ingenieria de Gijón, as well as multiple internships in Manufacturing and Quality Engineering. His current work is investigating the implementation of select emergent pedagogies and their effects on student and instructor performance and experience in undergraduate engineering. His other interests include the philosophy of engineering education, engineering ethics, and the intersecting concerns of engineering industry and higher education.

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Charles Morton Krousgrill Purdue University, West Lafayette

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Charles M. Krousgrill is a Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University and is affiliated with the Ray W. Herrick Laboratories at the same institution. He received his B.S.M.E. from Purdue University and received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Applied Mechanics from Caltech. Dr. Krousgrill’s current research interests include the vibration, nonlinear dynamics, friction-induced oscillations, gear rattle vibrations, dynamics of clutch and brake systems and damage detection in rotor systems. Dr. Krousgrill is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). He has received the H.L. Solberg Teaching Award (Purdue ME) seven times, A.A. Potter Teaching Award (Purdue Engineering) three times, the Charles B. Murphy Teaching Award (Purdue University), Purdue’s Help Students Learn Award, the Special Boilermaker Award (given here for contributions to undergraduate education) and is the 2011 recipient of the ASEE Mechanics Division’s Archie Higdon Distinguished Educator Award.

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Jeffrey F. Rhoads Purdue University, West Lafayette

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Jeffrey F. Rhoads is a Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University and is affiliated with both the Birck Nanotechnology Center and Ray W. Herrick Laboratories at the same institution. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees, each in mechanical engineering, from Michigan State University in 2002, 2004, and 2007, respectively. Dr. Rhoads’ current research interests include the predictive design, analysis, and implementation of resonant micro/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) for use in chemical and biological sensing, electromechanical signal processing, and computing; the dynamics of parametrically-excited systems and coupled oscillators; the thermomechanics of energetic materials; additive manufacturing; and mechanics education. Dr. Rhoads is a Member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), where he serves on the Design Engineering Division’s Technical Committees on Micro/Nanosystems and Vibration and Sound, as well as the Design, Materials, and Manufacturing (DMM) Segment Leadership Team. Dr. Rhoads is a recipient of numerous research and teaching awards, including the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award; the Purdue University School of Mechanical Engineering’s Harry L. Solberg Best Teacher Award (twice), Robert W. Fox Outstanding Instructor Award, and B.F.S. Schaefer Outstanding Young Faculty Scholar Award; the ASEE Mechanics Division’s Ferdinand P. Beer and E. Russell Johnston, Jr. Outstanding New Mechanics Educator Award; and the ASME C. D. Mote Jr., Early Career Award. In 2014 Dr. Rhoads was included in ASEE Prism Magazine’s 20 Under 40.

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Edward J. Berger Purdue University, West Lafayette orcid.org/0000-0003-0337-7607

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Edward Berger is an Associate Professor of Engineering Education and Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, joining Purdue in August 2014. He has been teaching mechanics for over 20 years, and has worked extensively on the integration and assessment of specific technology interventions in mechanics classes. He was one of the co-leaders in 2013-2014 of the ASEE Virtual Community of Practice (VCP) for mechanics educators across the country. His current research focuses on student problem-solving processes and use of worked examples, change models and evidence-based teaching practices in engineering curricula, and the role of non-cognitive and affective factors in student academic outcomes and overall success.

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Jennifer Deboer Purdue University, West Lafayette

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Jennifer DeBoer is currently Assistant Professor of Engineering Education and Assistant Professor (by courtesy) of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. Her research focuses on international education systems, individual and social development, technology use and STEM learning, and educational environments for diverse learners.

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Abstract

In the Summer of 2019, instructors from a large midwestern university led the inaugural instance of a short-term study abroad trip to Western Europe. This four-week program included 12 intensive, 4-hour class meetings designed to teach students a full semester of Statics content knowledge. The course was originally designed to include active, blended, and collaborative learning elements in both its instruction and learning resources, bringing demonstrations, videos, and group activities into the students’ learning environment. The process of adapting this research-based Statics curriculum, built around a typical 16-week semester, to fit its new international setting was impacted by the timeline, the student population, their social context, and the resources available abroad. For example, the weekly instructor office hours held during a typical semester became daily office hours while abroad, combining a week’s worth of course content and instructional resources into a single day.

Engineering researchers and administrators have frequently highlighted the benefits of experiential learning, including the international educational experiences afforded by study abroad programs. These study abroad experiences provide engineering students with unique opportunities to develop their professional skills and global competencies, while simultaneously promoting student success and fulfilling key standards for program accreditation. This work-in-progress paper describes our initial observations and their implications from the study abroad course in question by combining reflections from the lead instructor with semi-structured interviews from student participants. The paper specifically outlines the decisions that were made when transitioning the existing statics class and environment to its abbreviated format, examines the implications of those decisions using qualitative analysis of interviews and comparison to published study abroad and accelerated learning research, and conveys general insights and lessons learned from the study abroad program. Our emergent findings highlight the importance of student collaboration and community, emphasize the need for culturally embedded learning activities, and note how active, blended, and collaborative learning methods can easily translate to an accelerated classroom environment. As a work-in-progress, the paper concludes by laying the groundwork for subsequent qualitative and quantitative inquiry as well as future instruction in the course.

Citation
Format

Evenhouse, D. A., & Krousgrill, C. M., & Rhoads, J. F., & Berger, E. J., & Deboer, J. (2020, June), WIP Statics Abroad: Lessons in Pedagogy from a Short-term Study Abroad Mechanics Course Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--35515

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - In the Summer of 2019, instructors from a large midwestern university led the inaugural instance of a short-term study abroad trip to Western Europe. This four-week program included 12 intensive, 4-hour class meetings designed to teach students a full semester of Statics content knowledge. The course was originally designed to include active, blended, and collaborative learning elements in both its instruction and learning resources, bringing demonstrations, videos, and group activities into the students’ learning environment. The process of adapting this research-based Statics curriculum, built around a typical 16-week semester, to fit its new international setting was impacted by the timeline, the student population, their social context, and the resources available abroad. For example, the weekly instructor office hours held during a typical semester became daily office hours while abroad, combining a week’s worth of course content and instructional resources into a single day.

Engineering researchers and administrators have frequently highlighted the benefits of experiential learning, including the international educational experiences afforded by study abroad programs. These study abroad experiences provide engineering students with unique opportunities to develop their professional skills and global competencies, while simultaneously promoting student success and fulfilling key standards for program accreditation. This work-in-progress paper describes our initial observations and their implications from the study abroad course in question by combining reflections from the lead instructor with semi-structured interviews from student participants. The paper specifically outlines the decisions that were made when transitioning the existing statics class and environment to its abbreviated format, examines the implications of those decisions using qualitative analysis of interviews and comparison to published study abroad and accelerated learning research, and conveys general insights and lessons learned from the study abroad program. Our emergent findings highlight the importance of student collaboration and community, emphasize the need for culturally embedded learning activities, and note how active, blended, and collaborative learning methods can easily translate to an accelerated classroom environment. As a work-in-progress, the paper concludes by laying the groundwork for subsequent qualitative and quantitative inquiry as well as future instruction in the course.
AU  - David Allen Evenhouse
AU  - Charles Morton Krousgrill
AU  - Jeffrey F. Rhoads
AU  - Edward J. Berger
AU  - Jennifer Deboer
CY  - Virtual On line 
DA  - 2020/06/22
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - WIP Statics Abroad: Lessons in Pedagogy from a Short-term Study Abroad Mechanics Course
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/35515
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--35515
ER  -