Work in Progress: A Novel Two-Semester Course Sequence that Integrates Engineering Design, Sociotechnical Skills, Career Development, and Academic Advising
- Conference
- Location
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Portland, Oregon
- Publication Date
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June 23, 2024
- Start Date
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June 23, 2024
- End Date
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June 26, 2024
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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First-Year Programs Division (FYP)
- Page Count
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11
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--48338
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/48338
- Download Count
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51
Paper Authors
Benjamin J. Laugelli University of Virginia
Dr. Laugelli is an Assistant Professor of Engineering and Society at the University of Virginia. He teaches courses that examine social and ethical aspects of technology and engineering practice.
Keith Andrew Williams University of Virginia
Born in Georgia, USA; moved shortly thereafter to Jordan and then to southern Africa, including Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Botswana, and South Africa, attending local/native schools throughout. Completed middle school education via correspondence with The Calvert School in Baltimore, Maryland. Returned to the US for three years of high school. Completed MS degree in physics at the University of Kentucky in 1999, including stipendium at the Ruprecht-Karls University in Heidelberg, Germany. Graduate work included two research appointments in Japan. Completed a Ph.D. in materials physics at Penn State University in 2001. Completed postdoctoral research in the Molecular Biophysics Group at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands; thereafter established a nanophysics laboratory in the Physics Department at the University of Virginia (UVa). Appointed Program Manager and division CTO for the Materials, Corrosion, and Environmental Technologies Department of Leidos (f/k/a SAIC), based at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC, while on leave from UVa. Presently Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at UVa, and also Director of the ENGR (introductory engineering) program.
Esther Tian University of Virginia
Esther Tian is an Associate Professor of Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at University of Virginia. She received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia. Her research interests include bio-inspired robotics and engineering design education.
Julia Lapan University of Virginia
Shaylin Williams
University of Virginia
orcid.org/0000-0002-8703-1007
Shaylin Williams is invested in identifying ways to improve the engineering education experience for future generations of engineers. As a McNair Scholar, Shaylin worked on chemical engineering projects creating thermal barriers for food packaging and studying soil remediation. Additionally, she completed an REU project in healthcare engineering at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. She earned a master’s degree in industrial and systems Engineering with a Management Systems Concentration in December 2022. Shaylin recently completed her Ph.D. in Engineering Education at Mississippi State University, using Self Determination Theory to analyze freshmen and continuing Summer Bridge students’ experiences and senior engineering students’ graduation plans. She previously worked on a longitudinal study researching how varying first-year experience structures affect students’ engineering identities and involvement in communities of practice. Shaylin now serves as an Assistant Professor for the University of Virginia’s First Year Engineering Center and is interested in learning more about what contributes to engineering students’ success, how they can get the most out of their undergraduate programs, and how programs can be better designed to cater to students’ needs.
Deepyaman Maiti University of Virginia
Deepyaman Maiti is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering and Society in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia. He teaches Introduction to Engineering and Applied Mathematics classes, and se
Anne Marguerite McAlister
University of Virginia
orcid.org/0000-0002-4155-251X
Anne M. McAlister is a PhD student and graduate research assistant in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Special Education at the School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on identity devel
Benjamin Goldschneider University of Virginia
Benjamin Goldschneider is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Foundations at the University of Virginia. He holds a PhD in Engineering Education from Virginia Tech, as well as a BS in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University. His research interests include students' sense of belonging, socialization, program development, and pre-college introductions to STEM material.
Nicole Dufalla University of Virginia
Anna Leyf Peirce Starling
University of Virginia
orcid.org/0009-0000-8944-0675
William H. Guilford
University of Virginia
orcid.org/0000-0002-6543-5713
Will Guilford is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia, and he serves as the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs in the School of Engineering, and as Director of the First Year Engineering Center. He received his B.S. from St. Francis College, and his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Biophysics at the University of Vermont before joining UVA in 1997.
Abstract
We present our work in progress of the design and implementation of a new first-year introductory design course sequence in the School of Engineering at the University of Virginia, replacing two long-standing required courses for first-year students – one that introduced the field of engineering, and another that focused on sociotechnical principles and communication. In developing this new course sequence, a task force first generated a set of guiding principles to drive the curriculum redesign, gathered feedback on needed technical and professional proficiencies from alumni, faculty, and employers, and sought information about what engineering looked like at peer institutions before defining a vision the curriculum. Among the recommendations was the creation of a new two course “Engineering Foundations” sequence to integrate engineering design, communication, ethical reasoning, sociotechnical thinking, develop students’ professional competence, and embed academic advising and career development. The sequence has since been deployed and is taught by purpose-hired faculty who serve a dual role as the student’s professor and academic advisor, meaning that every student has regular, face-to-face interaction with their advisor. This increased contact promotes a supportive environment for students as they navigate the beginnings of their college careers. Learning objectives are consistent across sections of the courses taught by the different faculty, and evidence-based pedagogies are consistently employed. Importantly, the interwoven technical and sociotechnical approach to engineering is supported by guidance, materials, and guest lectures from faculty with specialization in Science, Technology, and Society (STS) and directly applied by students within the context of their design projects. The expertise of career development professionals supports the program’s objective to develop students’ professional competence alongside their engineering knowledge. By leveraging an integrated and well-supported curriculum, the new Engineering Foundations courses provide a holistic approach to educating first-year engineers. While constructing an engineering course sequence is not a novel process, our integration of technical and sociotechnical content is unusual. We report on our process and the resulting course sequence so that other institutions might benefit from the insights we gained.
Laugelli, B. J., & Williams, K. A., & Tian, E., & Lapan, J., & Williams, S., & Maiti, D., & McAlister, A. M., & Goldschneider, B., & Dufalla, N., & Starling, A. L. P., & Guilford, W. H. (2024, June), Work in Progress: A Novel Two-Semester Course Sequence that Integrates Engineering Design, Sociotechnical Skills, Career Development, and Academic Advising Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--48338
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