bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Designing Laboratory Procedures to Enhance Graduate Attributes
Authors: Ahmed Salim , Imtiaz Syed , James Lesley , Spracklin-Reid Darlene
Published: April 2017

In undergraduate laboratory courses, students often perform experiments by following standard procedures designed by the instructors or outlined in the laboratory manuals. The calculation procedures are also provided to estimate certain parameters using experimental data. Finally they report the findings from the experiments. These activities lead to anumber of different learning outcomes and students achieve a number of attributes. They gain experience with problem analysis, use of engineering tools, investigation and communication which are identifiedas required graduate attributes by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. However, the important aspect of design that may be achieved through the development of structured experimental procedure remains unattended. In this article we discuss an approach for undergraduate laboratory experiments to enhance the attributes of engineering graduates. In this approach students are not provided with the experimental procedure; instead they need to develop the procedure to meet the goal of the experiments. This approach is currently being implemented in the laboratory component of a Process Dynamics and Control course at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. A survey on students’ achievement of graduate attributes as well as an assessment of learning outcomes will be carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach.
AUTOMATED TOOLS FOR MULTI-CAMPUS UNIVERSITY COURSE ASSESSMENT
Authors: Haj-Ali Amin , Harb Adnan , Abdul-Nabi Samih , Elhage Hisham , Hussein Bassam
Published: April 2017

To improve the university teaching quality, and towards ABET accreditation, it is imperative to assess each course offered and provide feedback to instructors to evaluate the course outcomes and their relationship to the overall program outcomes in order to enhance the teaching methodologies and techniques. This paper aims at presenting the automation of the course assessment in the multi-campus common exams Lebanese International University by introducing two dynamic Excel Tools. The first one is the course section grading tool used by the instructor to evaluate his students and generate an assessment report. The second tool is the statistical tool that collects all class sections data and provides a statistical report including the course outcomes scores and the score of each program outcome. The coordinator uses this report to analyze the results, synthesizes the instructor recommendations, and proposes corrective actions to close the loop of continuous improvement.
LESSONS FROM THE INAUGURAL SATELLITE DESIGN CHALLENGE
Authors: Schor Dario , Anderson Kane , Byagowi Ahmad , Russell Brady , McKay Scott , Marriott Veronica , Fazel-Darbandi Reza , Woelk Matthew , Schoenfeld Anthony , Nemeth Craig , Glowacki Pawel , Linton Greg , Kinsner Witold , Britton M.D (Ron) , Symonds Malcolm
Published: April 2017

The inaugural Canadian Satellite Design Challenge provided many experiential learning opportunities for students through the design, implementation, and testing of the T-Sat1 nanosatellite.The University of Manitoba team elected to build all components from the ground up in order to develop many technical and non-technical skills that complement the classroom experience.The first phases of the project focused on the definition of requirements, specifications, and interfaces. Then, the team began prototyping, implementing, and integrating subsystems. Finally, the spacecraft was tested at the Canadian Space Agency laboratories in Ottawa and obtained second place overall in the competition.This paper describes some of the major lessons from the implementation, integration, and testing phases of the project. In addition, some insight is provided as to the ongoing changes for the second iteration of the competition that aim at improving the experience and performance of the satellite.
LESSONS LEARNED FROM MCMASTER’S FIRST CRACK AT A SUSTAINABILITY COURSE
Authors: Hilchey Joel , Drumm Mallory
Published: April 2017

While many courses at McMaster University cover some sustainability related material, 2012 saw the initiation of a new special project: To develop and deliver McMaster's first dedicated sustainability course, complete with community involvement, project-based learning, and registration open to students across all faculties. Five areas are discussed where we've seen huge opportunity for innovation in higher education: avenues for community involvement, cross-faculty enrollment, innovative teaching formats, project-based learning (both in terms of project success rates and benefits to students), and learning objectives (specifically as developed for sustainability education).
WHICH TYPE OF DESIGN PROJECT IS BEST: NARROW AND DETAILED OR BROAD AND CONCEPTUAL?
Authors: Buchal Ralph O.
Published: April 2017

Engineering design is an essential part of the engineering curriculum, and it is important to select projects with appropriate scope and challenge to develop the desired skills subject to constraints on time, student ability and available resources. This paper considers two types of projects typically encountered in capstone design: detailed design projects, and conceptual design projects. Detailed design projects usually have a goal of constructing and testing a physical prototype, and the main focus is on CAD modeling, detailed analysis, engineering drawings, manufacturing processes, prototype fabrication, and testing. Conceptual design projects focus on the conceptual design stages, and typically do not result in a prototype. These projects are more open-ended, and focus on problem definition, background research, order-of-magnitude analysis, numerical simulation, technical and economic feasibility, and consideration of nontechnical aspects including impact on society and the environment. This paper compares and contrasts the two types of projects in terms of their characteristics, and evaluates them based on the CEAB Graduate Attributes. Both types of projects provide valuable and complementary design experience, and each type emphasizes different attributes.
SERVICE LEARNING AND TEAM WORK – ELEMENTS OF LEADERSHIP
Authors: McMartin Dena E.
Published: April 2017

In a senior undergraduate course, collaboration between the Environmental Systems Engineering (EVSE) program and Facilities Management (FM) was initiated to provide support to the campus and valuable learning and leadership opportunities for students. A list of potential projects related to the curriculum was developed in consultation with FM employees, the President’s Advisory Committee onSustainability (PACS), and EVSE. The intent of the team projects is to support the strategic plan goals set out bythe University of Regina and Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science by providing high quality, timely educational opportunities with practical, immediate, and sustainable recommendations. The projects and approach to project management include significant elements of leadership, organization and management, communications, and engineering application. Students were provided with project ideas encompassing weighty challenges aligning the interests and expectations of FM and EVSE to result in both short-term and long-term impacts and benefits. In an era of cost-cutting and budget constraints in higher education, the projects allow students the opportunity to provide meaningful recommendations that stretch their engineering and leadership skills while supporting vital evaluation, efficiency and design improvements, and environmental systems analysis incorporating best practices of economics, public attitudes, environmental and public health, team work and management, and communications. Student feedback indicates a high level of satisfaction with the concept of service learning on campus and improved team work and leadership skills development over the course of the semester.
TEACHING AGAINST ENTITLEMENTALITY
Authors: Hilchey Joel
Published: April 2017

It seems more and more students feel "entitled". "Entitlementality" in action looks like sitting around, lacking accountability, expecting success to come without effort or work, and surprised and offended when things don't work out perfectly. It looks like students who expect teachers to do a high level of their work and their thinking FOR them. Meanwhile, borders are opening, careers are ever-changing, and economies are shaky. An attitude of entitlement in this age is a recipe for failure. Educators MUST combat this "entitlementality." Society, although well-intentioned, has unfortunately caused the problem. A relatively "good" and easy life, disconnectedness from nature and other real systems, and a mangled message of "empowerment" decoupled from hard work have symbolically changed L'Oreal's slogan from "I'm worth it" into a whiny "I deserve it." This is a battle worth fighting, and the paper offers techniques to do it – good goals in and of themselves: creativity, empathy, gratitude, and meaningful personal projects.
FROM COLLEGE TO UNIVERSITY: MOHAWK COLLEGE - McMASTER UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP, A SEAMLESS PATHWAY
Authors: Piczak Michael , Al-Mutawaly Nafia
Published: April 2017

In the mid 1960s, Ontario education policy makers recognized the need for an engineering trained individual to fill the gap between high school and university graduates, namely, an engineering technologist. This gap was filled by consolidating existing institutes of technology and creating the Ontario community college system in 1967. However, clear pathways for students to progress from an Ontario college diploma program onto a university bachelor’s degree were extremely limited. In 1997, Mohawk College and McMaster University created a bachelor of technology degree partnership to offer students such an option. This paper will discuss the unique aspects of the collaboration between Mohawk College and McMaster University, with a main focus on the inter-institutional synergies which drive the partnership’s success including: shared facilities and faculty, interdisciplinary co-op placements and joint research programs.
Curriculum Management and CEAB Outcome Reporting: Recent Activities at the University of British Columbia
Authors: Nesbit S. , Wilton S. , Ivanov A. , Froese T. , Sianchuk R.
Published: April 2017

Since 2010, the departments of Civil Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering have partnered in the development of a program assessment protocol aimed at determining how well graduating students achieve independently created Program Learning Goals (PLGs). More recently, the departments are working together to prepare for CEAB Accreditation visits in 2014. This has been a fruitful partnership in part because of the very different undergraduate engineering programs offered by the two departments.This paper reports the curriculum management approach that has emerged from the collaboration between the twoengineering departments, data that has been collected to test hypothesized assessment protocols, and results from a pilot data collection process developed for CEAB outcomes and continual improvement purposes. The paper highlights the management approach, which is based on the conceptualization of the engineering programs as socio-curricular systems, the development of PLG indices, and results from the pilot CEAB outcomes reporting that involves the collection of triangulated data, i.e. the collection of data from the faculty perspective, the student perspective, and the perspective of the Professional Engineering community.
STUDENT PERSPECTIVES ON GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES
Authors: Wright Matt , Campbell Chris , Nesbit Susan , Froese Thomas , Wilton Steve
Published: April 2017

This paper outlines a survey validation process and presents preliminary findings from a study of Civil and Electrical and Computer engineering graduate perspectives on their program with respect to the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) Engineering Graduate Attributes. The study’s research question was: What breadth and depth of knowledge, as specified by the Engineering Graduate Attributes, do undergraduate engineering students perceive they have achieved? This research is part of a larger research agenda in these departments in UBC engineering to collect data for the ongoing processes of curriculum improvement and CEAB accreditation. While the Civil and Electrical and Computer Engineering departments at UBC collaborated in this study, different survey instruments were produced for each context. This paper focuses primarily on the Civil Engineering Graduate Attributes Survey Tool.
INCORPORATING TEAM-EFFECTIVENESS AS A LEARNING OBJECTIVE IN THE DESIGN PROJECT WITHIN A TECHNICAL CORE COURSE
Authors: Evans Greg , Sheridan Patricia , Reeve Doug , McGuire Maygan , Minnella Kristina , Fisher Estelle Olivia , Wilkinson Lydia , McAlary Todd
Published: April 2017

CHE 230 ‘Environmental Chemistry’ is a core Chemical Engineering course offered in the spring semester of second year. A central element of the course is the ‘Environmental Consulting Engineering’ project, a full semester design project that is executed in five-member teams. The acquisition of teamwork and group-leadership skills has been one of the project learning objectives for about five years; the related instructional components have been refined every year. This presentation will describe the theoretical foundation and methods used to teach team-effectiveness as part of this design project. Instruction of team skills has been based on two conceptual frameworks. A leadership styles framework examines the preferences of individual students and helps students see how these styles are manifested within a team. This framework allows students to identify their leadership style preferences and more importantly, recognize the strengths of others, and styles that may be missing from their team. A team-effectiveness framework helps students examine organizational, relational and communication behaviours evident within their team, and thereby helps students to recognise where they do, or do not, tend to contribute. These two frameworks provide students with a shared vocabulary, along with a basis to observe and understand their team experiences that can then be used to promote learning and structured reflection. The instructional components used are an introductory lecture on team effectiveness, a two-hour team formation workshop, a reflection done by the team after the first major deliverable and an individual reflection at the end of the course. These components are intended to direct students from recognizing aspects of team-effectiveness, towards seeing deficiencies in their team or their individual contributions. The students are then guided towards finding practical tools and techniques that they can use to become more effective at different aspects of teamwork.
A holistic approach to supporting women and girls at all stages of engineering education.
Authors: Fontana Mara , Wells M. A. , Scherer M. C.
Published: April 2017

In 2010 enrollment of women in Canadian engineering undergraduate programs was 17.7%. Although this reflects a slight increase in the number of female engineers since 2005, much effort is needed to increase diversity in the profession by fostering interest in, recruiting and supporting this group. The following outlines the holistic methods used by the University of Waterloo’s Women in Engineering (WiE) group to support females in all stages of their educations (Kindergarten to Post Graduate). Early Engagement of girls in grade K-8 is used to foster interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and inspire them to enroll and succeed in these courses in grade 11 and 12. Programing for high-school students are designed to highlight how individual interests can be paired with many engineering fields and can lead to a fulfilling professional career. Many WiE programs for elementary and secondary girls are delivered in “girls only” environments to reduce some of the social pressures that may play a role in discouraging them to pursue STEM interests. To further this, the location of each programs is chosen to suit the audience by providing a safe, accessible and comfortable environment, either on campus or within the girls’ communities. Once young women choose engineering, the WiE group offers opportunities for support at the University of Waterloo. These opportunities range from networking with classmates and alumni to mentoring and professional development. These programs are organized both at a faculty and staff level as well as through a student driven platform. Through engagement and support for female students over the continuum of education WiE helps to inspire more women to pursue and enjoy careers in engineering, contribute to diversity of ideas within the profession and create role models for future engineering students.
Benefits of using a dynamic modeling software package in Electrical Engineering courses
Authors: Vrablik Tim , Yue Bonnie
Published: April 2017

Traditional teaching methods follow the process of deductive learning where students are taught particular theories that are reinforced with numerous hand calculations and labs. This teaches students to look at a system and predict the behaviour. It is equally important however to be able to look at a given behaviour and predict the system as well. Unfortunately this inductive style of learning is more difficult to teach because traditional methods do not support this “reverse engineering.” Similarly, when using traditional software there is a disconnect between the theory and the model because the results are strictly numerical and are difficult to relate back to the underlining analytic equations. What is needed is software that allows you to look “under the hood” and see the equations that define the model, reinforcing the analytical concepts being taught in class. In this paper, we examine how engineering concepts can be reinforced using a combination of theory, simulation, and hardware and how the math can be used in a more meaningful way through the use of contemporary modeling and simulation software tools. We will examine a number of examples: Sine-driven Resistor, the inverting OpAmp, and DC motor plus OpAmp. The principle goal of this research is to establish that the use of contemporary software solutions such as Maple and MapleSim promotes inductive learning while also supporting deductive learning of traditional modeling approaches.
THE TETON DAM FAILURE AS A SUPPORT OF AN UNDERGRADUATE COURSE OF SOIL MECHANICS
Authors: Courcelles Benoît
Published: April 2017

To improve the attractiveness of the undergraduate course of Soil Mechanics at Polytechnique Montreal, a new approach relying on the study of the Teton Dam failure from a forensic point of view was introduced in 2012. A course evaluation performed at the end of the session demonstrated that the case study was very interesting to sensitize the students to technical and non-technical aspects, but that the formula was not ideal for active learning. Indeed, the lack of hindsight was not adequate to warranty an active participation of all students. As a consequence, a new version of the case study based on team projects is under development. The paper presents the new case study approach, the methodology and the tools under development to help the students with the case study and finally concludes with the implication of the case study in the formation of future engineers.
The Process of Continual Improvement of Engineering Programs at the University of Manitoba: Now and Next
Authors: Sepehri Nariman , Kinsner Witold , Burak Jean-Paul , Shafai Cyrus , Annakkage Udaya , Mann Danny , Kuhn David , Shalaby Ahmed , Alfaro Marolo , Morrison Jason , Ferens Ken , Birouk Madjid , Labossiere Paul , Torchia Mark , Beddoes Jonathan
Published: April 2017

This paper describes the process that has been implemented for continual improvement of the Engineering programs at the University of Manitoba. The continuous improvement process developed is founded on: (i) assessment of graduate attributes, (ii) evaluation of student success, and (iii) further improvement of the programs. Graduate attributes are assessed both directly and indirectly. The direct assessment of attributes is through course-embedded procedures, while the indirect assessment is through compilation of many activities at both the Program, Department and Faculty levels, as well as via effective feedback from the students and the external engineering community. Together these assessments provide important information for the newly- established Curriculum Management Committee (CMC) to identify/prioritize needs, make recommendations and oversee the implementation of improvements. We describe steps taken to ensure a sustainable continuous program improvement process.
Using Peer Instruction Pedagogy for Teaching Dynamics: Lessons Learned from Pre-Class Reading Quizzes
Authors: Miller-Young Janice
Published: April 2017

Peer Instruction (PI) is a widely used pedagogy which generally includes the use of two main teaching strategies: student pre-class preparation with an associated online quiz, and active in-class engagement including small-group discussions about conceptual questions. As an instructor trying this pedagogy for the first time, my purpose was to investigate both students’ learning and attitudes in my first/second year engineering dynamics course, using their answers to the reading quizzes as the main source of data. In short, students with the highest quiz marks did well in the course, indicating successful reading and learning strategies. Similarly, students with the lowest quiz marks attained lower overall marks. Students who did less well in the course were also more negative about the PI format (the class size of 17 did not allow for statistical analysis). Negative comments tended to be related to an expectation that the teacher should lecture more, indicating less understanding of cognitive principles. These results will provide a baseline for evaluating future teaching efforts which will include examining whether more directly encouraging deep learning strategies will be more effective for student learning.
TEACHING SELF-AFFINE AND DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
Authors: Kinsner Witold
Published: April 2017

Teaching digital signal processing at the graduate and undergraduate levels has a long tradition at universities. The signals include time series, still images, videos, and volumetric data such as radar and Doppler radar. The traditional topics such as spectral techniques in single-scale analysis and synthesis are now being expanded to include wavelet bases for multiscale analysis and synthesis [2]. The course described in this paper [1] expands the analysis to polyscale analysis and synthesis as it relates to self-affine processes and dynamical systems [3-4]. This course presents foundations of fractal (polyscale) and chaos theory, with applications to engineering. A unified approach to fractal dimensions provides tools for multiscale and polyscale analysis of time series, images, video, and other objects. Other topics include analysis and synthesis of mono- and multifractal coloured noise for research purposes, as well as stability analysis of dynamical systems, characterization of chaos using Lyapunov exponents, and reconstruction of strange attractors from experimental data. The course also provides a unified description of 19 different fractal dimensions grouped in four classes based on: set- morphology, entropy, spectrum, and variance. Special attention is given to (a) probability and pair-correlation algorithms for E-dimensional images and strange attractors, (b) batch and real-time computation of the variance fractal dimension, and (c) the Rényi dimension spectrum formulation for fractals and multifractals. The objective is to learn how to characterize multifractals through multi- and poly-scale analyses, and how to extract features for their classification. This paper describes the structure of the course, the set of topics covered, the set of course projects, and the lessons learned from the extensive experience with the course.
The Use of an Open-Ended Project to Improve the Student Experience in First Year Programming
Authors: Hulls Carol , Rennick Chris , Bedi Sanjeev , Robinson Mary , Melek William
Published: April 2017

Prior to 2010, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering students at the University of Waterloo were taught an introductory programming course using C++ in first year. Historically, the emphasis was on learning syntax; practising problem-solving was a distant second priority. In addition, many students were noticeably disengaged in lectures, and the assessments used were not authentic.Starting in 2010, a course project was implemented to address these concerns. The project was immediately well received by students, as evidenced by a noticeable number of students going well beyond the minimum project requirements and the variety of projects implemented. Since the project was introduced, the students have been able to successfully answer less structured final exam questions. The increase in problem-solving and thinking skills more than offsets the reduction in language-specific facts. The logistics, challenges and resources required to implement a project of this scope will be described
I flipped my tutorials: a case study of implementing active learning strategies in engineering
Authors: Verrett Jonathan , Kietzig Anne-Marie , Orjuela-Laverde Maria
Published: April 2017

A variety of active learning strategies havebeen applied to engineering classrooms, includingflipping classrooms by recording lectures and havingstudents watch them outside of class time. In this study, asimilar approach was used for long-answer problemspresented in one-hour tutorial sessions. Problemsolutions were recorded and made available online.Instead of solving long-answer problems, tutorials beganwith a review of relevant material. The review was thenfollowed by independent working time where studentswere free to interact with the teaching assistant anddiscuss concepts with one another while working on anonline quiz.Students generally responded very positively tothe changes and appreciated the ability to go throughproblem solutions at their own pace with the recordings.In tutorials, the quizzes were successful at encouragingdiscussion of course content amongst students. Thetechniques also provided a repository of online videosand quizzes to be used in future course iterations.
SHORT DESIGN PROJECTS FOR AN INTRODUCTORY THERMOFLUIDS ENGINEERING COURSE
Authors: Hastie Michele , Haelssig Jan
Published: April 2017

The Faculty of Engineering at Dalhousie University offers a common introductory course that covers the basic principles of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics in a unified manner. This introductory course is a mandatory part of the curriculum for all engineering programs offered at Dalhousie. In this course, students are required to perform six laboratory experiments, and since 2012 students have also completed short, four-week design projects.The short design project helps students to acquire more of the graduate attributes defined by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB), including design, communication, and team work skills. They also provide students with a well-deserved break from purely theoretical work in lectures and tutorials, and a chance to develop some hands-on abilities.This paper describes the lessons learned from the last three design projects, which were focused on modifications to a Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube, design of a pop-pop boat, and design of a double pipe heat exchanger. The primary challenges have been the limited engineering design experience possessed by students in their third semester of studies, the heavy workload that second-year engineering students already have, and the relatively large class size. Even though there are clear challenges related to integrating a design project into a large second-year class, the results seem to indicate that these design projects provide a positive learning experience for the students.
A RETROSPECTIVE: DESIGNING A CAREER DEVELOPMENT PREPARATION COURSE IN A MANDATORY COOP ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM
Authors: MacKenzie Allan
Published: April 2017

In the 2012-2013 academic year McMaster’s University School of Engineering Technology (SET) introduced a Professional Workplace Practices course (GENTECH 2PW3) within the Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) Program. The course uses an experiential learning approach to instill key employability skills required to successfully participate and progress in today’s dynamic engineering and technology organizations. It is a second year academic prerequisite before a student can commence the B.Tech Program mandatory 12 month coop work experience. The course is delivered and supported by a multidisciplinary team that includes faculty members, career development practitioner, who serve as instructional assistants, and the McMaster Engineering Career and Coop Services (ECCS) department. For the purposes of knowledge sharing, this paper will discuss the GENTECH 2PW3 course structure, delivery, administration, and outcome results for 470 students from the last three cohort years.
Using Student Focus Groups to Support the Validation of Rubrics for Large Scale Undergraduate Independent Research Projects
Authors: Romkey Lisa , Chong Alan , El Gammal Lobna
Published: April 2017

Finding methods of validating rubrics forsignificant “capstone” experiences, including fourth yeardesign projects and the research-oriented thesis, can bechallenging, given the large number of individualstypically involved in the assessment of studentdeliverables. This paper describes a methodology forusing student focus groups to support the validation of arubric for a fourth year thesis course in a largeEngineering Program, and the results from these focusgroups. Through focus group discussion and activitysheets used in the focus groups, a number of interestinginsights were raised about both the rubric, namely: a lackof consultation by the students with the rubric until thefinal stages of writing the final report; concerns andinconsistencies in the perception of how supervisors willuse the rubric; a perceived lack of focus on process andproject experience-related criteria and concerns with thelevel of expectation of the project experience-relatedcriteria that are present, and other concerns related toterminology and distance between rubric descriptors. Thefocus group provided a useful forum for discussion oncourse experience and assessment, effectively allowingstudents to both individually reflect, and build on eachother’s ideas and suggestions.
INDUSTRY PERCEPTIONS OF GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE WORKPLACE
Authors: Petkau Donald S.
Published: April 2017

At the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba research has been undertaken to determine the level of student competency in the graduate attributes as set forth by the CEAB accreditation process. This study takes an alternative view and seeks to understand the current industry requirements for a new graduate employee based on the graduate attributes. It consisted of a questionnaire completed by two groups of engineers working in a major energy corporation in the Province of Manitoba. One group consisted of senior engineers with a minimum of 15 years experience while the other was of new graduates with at minimum 18 months of service. The groups were asked to complete a questionnaire on the level of competency they felt was required for new graduates entering the workplace. This paper describes the process and the analysis of the information. Results were compared with an assessment of a new graduate’s competency levels. The information shows that while a student’s competency levels at graduation may be lower than expected they still generally meet the requirements of the workplace. Information also shows that areas of concern are not in the technical areas but rather in the professional skills.
The positive benefits from the observation that test duration is mostly uncorrelated with student grades
Authors: Dunn Kevin G.
Published: April 2017

New and experienced instructors strugglewith setting tests and exams at a suitable level ofdifficulty, with appropriate questions for the allocatedtime. Tests that are too short might be thought of as givingstudents undue advantage. Exams that are too long leavestudents feeling pressured and anxious, and without timefor careful thought to display mastery of the conceptsbeing tested.Unlimited time tests are a way to eliminate the effect ofanxiety. In this paper we start by reviewing existing workon this topic and explain the data collected in our context.We confirm the literature findings that grades are notinflated by longer durations – if anything, we show thereis a slight decrease with longer durations.Practical applications exist for universities that arefacing pressure to shorten exam durations, due toscheduling limitations as class sizes grow. Mainly though,these results will set the mind of new instructors at ease,and validate suspicions of veteran instructors: tests mustbe of short-enough duration to alleviate time-pressure andanxiety. Building in excess time is required to fairly assesslearning outcomes. Students have a higher level ofsatisfaction knowing they can display their capabilityfairly, and this comes without undue advantage.
ENGINEERING ETHICS EDUCATION: MORE THAN A CEAB REQUIREMENT
Authors: Rottmann Cindy , Reeve Doug , Sacks Robin , Klassen Mike
Published: April 2017

The Canadian Engineering AccreditationBoard (CEAB) requires faculties of engineering toincorporate graduate attribute 3.1.10 “ethics and equity”into their curricula. More than the CEAB requirement,engineering educators have an obligation to preparestudents for the ethical dilemmas they will inevitably facein their workplaces and their lives. Our analysis of surveydata collected during a pilot study of our ethical casestudies project examines a gap between students’perceptions about the effectiveness and importance ofengineering ethics education. While there was aconsiderable range in participants’ ratings of theeffectiveness of previous engineering ethics coursework,they consistently placed a high value on the importance ofethics in engineering education. This finding is significantbecause it challenges the prevailing assumption thatengineering students’ disinterest in non-technicaleducation is the primary barrier to effective ethicsinstruction.
Cultivating High School Leaders through Engineering and Science
Authors: Mieske Joel , Scherer Martin , Wells Mary
Published: April 2017

Engineering and leadership go hand in hand for many within the engineering profession and throughout undergraduate studies. Students are challenged to work in teams, self-assign tasks, manage team members, set deadlines and see projects to completion. The Waterloo engineering Catalyst High School Summer Leadership Program (Catalyst) aligns specifically with the engineering knowledge base, problem analysis, investigation, design, lifelong learning and communication outcomes outlined by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). Catalyst was developed to link engineering problem solving and design with leadership skills.Catalyst students are engaged to develop both soft and hard skills in an effort to display the multitude of connections, benefits and opportunities available to students entering their undergraduate studies. More and more entrepreneurship, design and effective group leadership are all becoming essential traits and skills for students entering the workforce as well for those taking the leap to dream, market, build and succeed with their own ideas or products.Over the past three years, the summer leadership program has grown through trial, feedback and collaborative brainstorming to offer a four-week program that focuses on leadership skills, design, research exposure and entrepreneurship. Through hands-on design thinking and problem solving projects, entrepreneurial group study and by offering leadership experience in a controlled setting a new type of high school student emerges. One who is prepared, excited and inspired to get involved, try, fail and challenge themselves and their peers to create change and solve problems facing their generation.
A Proposed New Graduate Program in Technical Product Innovation at UBC
Authors: Hodgson Antony J. , Van der Loos H.F. Machiel
Published: April 2017

UBC has held two NSERC Chairs in Design Engineeringthrough which we have established connections with theSauder School of Business (through our New VentureDesign program) and other engineering departments(through our multidisciplinary capstone design course).We are now planning a renewal application for ourDesign Chair that aims to extend the scope of designrelatedwork at UBC by establishing a graduate programin Technical Product Innovation (TPI) that will connectApplied Science, the Business School, Computer Scienceand Industrial Design at the Emily Carr University of Artand Design. The TPI program will offer both thesis andnon-thesis degree options at the master's level, along witha concentration certificate that will be available to non-TPI students. The curriculum will have five keycomponents: (1) a technical base in the area of thestudent's undergraduate specialization, (2) courses ininnovation theory and entrepreneurship in collaborationwith the Sauder School, (3) courses in human factorsengineering in collaboration with computer science,(4) special 'passport-style' skills-based courses inprototyping, visual communication and user evaluation incollaboration with industrial design, and (5) project andthesis options that will allow for work on industry- orentrepreneurship-based design projects. The goal of theproposed program will be to train students to take onleadership roles in product development programs in bothstartups and established companies. The TPI programwill initially focus on three key areas: medicaltechnologies, consumer products and business-to-businessproducts. It will build on two significant cross-universityinitiatives - the multi-faculty Human-ComputerInteraction interest group (hci@ubc) and the universitywideEntrepreneurship@UBC program - and will tie intorelated emerging initiatives such as the Innovation Hub atVancouver General Hospital and Wearables@UBC.
PATHWAYS BETWEEN ENGINEERING AND EDUCATION FACULTIES: EFFORTS TO ESTABLISH AN ENGINEERING EDUCATION GRADUATE PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA
Authors: Ingram Sandra , Hechter Richard , Cicek Jillian Seniuk , Ruth Douglas
Published: April 2017

Engineering education is a recognized field of research and inquiry that draws on a number of established disciplines to enhance the practice and teaching of engineering. Within the last ten years, some universities in the U.S. and abroad have developed engineering education graduate programs with an emphasis on drawing from the education discipline in particular. These programs range in scope from those in which graduate students maintain a technical area of expertise alongside a focus on pedagogy to more interdisciplinary collaborations with education faculties. In Canada, such programs are still in development and the more recent movement towards outcomes-based assessment in engineering schools to satisfy changing accreditation requirements, has further mobilized an institutional interest in teaching and learning processes. This paper reports on the evolution of such a program, combining the expertise of both engineering and education faculties at the University of Manitoba to achieve this synergy.
DESIGN OF A ROBOTIC ARM FOR TEACHING INTEGRATED DESIGN
Authors: Kafuko Martha , Singh Ishwar , Wanyama Tom
Published: April 2017

Automation systems are generally made upof three main subsystems, namely mechanical, electricaland software. The interactions among these componentsaffect the integrated system in terms of reliability, quality,scalability, and cost. Therefore, it is imperative that thethree components of automation systems are designedconcurrently through an integrated design paradigm.This leads to the need to teach integrated design conceptsto students in programs such as process automation,electrical and computer engineering, and mechanicalengineering. However, due to the time constraint, it isalmost impossible to run full integrated design classprojects. Therefore, instructors have to decide on theparts of the design process that their class projects haveto focus on, and the parts that have to be reviewed for thecompleteness of the integrated design process. In thispaper we present the design and implementation of amicrocontroller based, 3D printable, low cost robotic armsuitable for teaching integrated design. Moreover, thepaper presents how the robotic arm design is used in anintegrated design project of an Industrial Networks andControllers course. Since the focus of this course is theelectrical and software subsystems of the robotic arm,and we do not have enough time to do a full design,students review the design of the robotic arm presented inthis paper and use it to either 3D print the robotic arm orpurchase the mechanical subsystem of the robotic armthat meets the specification.
INTEGRATING A SHORT SIMULATION PROJECT INTO AN INTRODUCTORY TRANSPORT PHENOMENA COURSE
Authors: Haelssig Jan , O’Malley Devin
Published: April 2017

Transport phenomena is an integral part of many engineering curricula. Some programs, particularly in chemical engineering, teach transport phenomena in an integrated manner, but most teach heat, mass and momentum transfer in separate courses. Since powerful computers and software packages are now available to solve transport problems numerically, many current transport phenomena courses incorporate these tools for demonstration purposes. Many institutions also offer advanced level courses focusing on the use of this type of software, but the intuitive nature of modern software packages also permits the integration of these tools directly into introductory courses.This paper summarizes efforts made in the Department of Process Engineering and Applied Science at Dalhousie University to integrate one such tool, COMSOL Multiphysics, directly into the introductory transport phenomena course. In an introductory course, the time available to study software tools is inherently limited, and therefore it is necessary to introduce these topics as efficiently as possible. In our course, several hands-on tutorials are used to introduce students to COMSOL. We avoid focusing too much on numerical methods, error estimation techniques, or even detailed model validation techniques. Instead, these tutorials focus on using commercial software to solve transport problems and demonstrating good modeling practices. Near the end of the course, students are asked to complete a short modeling project. In the latest iteration, students were asked to reproduce a simulation in a recent journal publication, to expand on the results, and comment on the significance of their findings. The main challenges related to implementing such a project include selecting problems that do not have unreasonably high computational requirements, the increased workload for teaching assistants, the required level of expertise among teaching assistants, and the increased workload for students.
Industrial Automation in Unit Operations Labs
Authors: Apostolou Konstantinos , Singh Ishwar
Published: April 2017

Chemical engineering unit operation labsdo an excellent job of integrating the whole curriculumand exposing students to pilot-scale systems. Where theyare often lacking, though, is the exposure to and use ofreal-life industrial automation by the future graduates. Aunit operation lab that has been automated usingindustrial level paradigms and equipment is the focus ofthis paper. A partnership with a global automationmanufacturer (Emerson) was established and the lab wasretrofitted using industrial sensors and actuators, aDistributed Control System (DeltaV DCS), industrialnetworks (FOUNDATION Fieldbus and AS-i), HumanMachine Interface (HMI) screens, and systemredundancy. The details of the automation along with itsuse through the lab curriculum will be discussed. Thiscross-curricular approach benefits students as, throughthe regular unit operation labs, they become familiar withkey elements of an automated set-up, understand the needfor it and its limitations, see control loops in action,communicate to the units through the HMI, and use theHMI to recover historical data on the processes. The labis a meso-scale of a processing facility and preparesstudents for field work after graduation. At the sametime, the traditional exposure to “manually operated”sensors and final elements is maintained as some of theunits have not been converted to fully automated systems
TEACHING AN ADVANCED ENGINEERING MOOC: LESSONS LEARNED
Authors: Harris Jeffrey , Heikoop William , Van Beek Allison , Wallace James S.
Published: April 2017

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) allow anyone in the public to learn from professors at universities across the world. An internet connection is the only requirement to participate in a MOOC. In engineering, the majority of MOOCs are targeted at self-learners, and consequently most courses are based on introductory undergraduate courses. The University of Toronto offered its first advanced engineering MOOC entitled, “Wind, Waves & Tides” based on a mixed fourth-year undergraduate and graduate level course. A total of 11,723 students registered in the course, and 617 students completed the course in its entirety. The following paper describes the experience of teaching a niche interest MOOC and the lessons learned throughout the endeavour.
Approaching the Loop: A Brief Review of Effective Practises in Continuous Program Improvement
Authors: Kaupp Jake , Frank Brian
Published: April 2017

Using the results of outcomes basedassessment for the purposes of continuous improvement,or closing the loop, is a frequent topic of discussion inhigher education, and is becoming more commonplaceamongst Canadian engineering programs. There havebeen several organizations and institutions in the UnitedStates that have been investigating outcomes assessmentand how institutions use the data for improvementpurposes. Most notable of these are the National Institutefor Learning Outcomes Assessment and the schoolsparticipating the in the Wabash Study. Despite theseinvestigations and discussions, there is no clearconsensus of what a functioning closed loop resembles,due to the diversity that exists between one institution andthe next. Ultimately it will be the decision of an individualinstitution as to what the final process will resemble, butthere are some key or effective practises for continuousimprovement that can help institutions guide and shapetheir approach to closing the loop.This paper will briefly review the current landscape incontinuous improvement in higher education, and presenteffective practises, common themes and techniques forclosing the loop. The intent of this paper is to provide aresource collection of effective practises to help develop ameaningful, sustainable and practical data-informedcontinuous improvement process with a focus onengineering.
DELIVERY OF A GRADUATE COURSE IN FIRE PERFORMANCE TESTING USING VIDEOCONFERENCE TECHNOLOGY
Authors: Torvi David , Weckman Elizabeth
Published: April 2017

There is a growing demand for fire safetyengineers. While new fire safety engineering programshave been created, the demand for highly qualifiedpersonnel is growing more rapidly than the supply of newgraduates. One particular challenge is the ability of asingle institution to offer the range of courses required ina comprehensive fire safety engineering program.Fire Performance Testing and other courses in theUW Fire Safety Engineering program are offered in amodular format: lectures are given over one week, andstudents submit coursework over the following four to sixmonths. This format allows a larger number of practicingengineers and faculty from other universities to take orteach courses. This paper focuses on the use ofvideoconference technology in ME 770. Since 2012 abouthalf of the students, and one of the instructors, have takenthe course or delivered their lectures by videoconference.Lessons learned, and efforts to establish modular firecourses with other universities, will also be discussed.