bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
First Year Civil and Environmental Engineering Design Experience
Authors: Safferman Steven I. , Zoghi Manoochehr , Farhey Daniel N.
Published: January 2013

The University of Dayton requires all first year engineering students to enroll in a design course that is composed of several standalone modules. Included in the first generation of this class was a module on civil and environmental engineering, the topic of this manuscript. The goals of this module were to define civil and environmental engineering, illustrate the interrelationship of all engineering disciplines, show the integration of technical and non‐technical issues, and introduce the design process. To achieve these goals, case studies and panel discussions were presented and a laboratory exercise conducted. The laboratory exercise consisted of two components. In the environmental engineering component, students designed a filtration/contact unit to treat polluted water. The civil engineering component required building a structure to hold the filtration unit. These exercises integrated technical and non‐technical issues. The technical components were the open‐ended design problem associated with cleaning polluted water and the construction of the process support structure and the non‐technical issues included related social considerations, teamwork, technical writing, ethics, and finance. Students' assessments of the module have revealed that the objectives of the module were largely achieved.
Statistical Evidence for Enhanced Learning of Content through Reflective Journal Writing
Authors: Burrows V. A. , McNeill B. , Hubele N. F. , Bellamy L.
Published: January 2013

We present statistical evidence that when students voluntarily write reflective “journal entry” essays on assigned reading, their performance on multiple‐choice quizzes on the reading is improved compared to students who do not complete such essays. A Smirnov non‐parametric test and a pair‐wise comparison analysis were used to establish the validity of the hypotheses.
Introducing Cooperative Learning through a Faculty Instructional Development Program
Authors: Mourtos Nikos J. , Allen Emily L.
Published: January 2013

Cooperative Learning was officially introduced in the College of Engineering at San Jose State University in 1995 with a two‐day workshop. The Faculty Instructional Development Program in the college maintains interest in the subjsect and provides support for instructors who use Cooperative Learning, through workshops and informal discussions (Conversations on Teaching). This paper discusses the effectiveness of the program in introducing, promoting, and implementing Cooperative Learning among the faculty and students in the college of engineering. A variety of performance criteria have been used in this assessment, some faculty‐centered and some student‐centered. The results indicate that although a relatively small percentage of faculty have chosen to adopt Cooperative Learning as a teaching tool in their courses, the impact on student attitudes and learning is significant, making the effort worthwhile.
A Curriculum to Enhance Environmental Literacy
Authors: Nair Indira , Jones Sharon , White Jennifer
Published: January 2013

Environmental literacy is an important part of undergraduate education. Such literacy is optimally gained with an approach that weaves together the necessary disciplinary knowledge within a problem‐based context. This paper describes the result of efforts over a decade developing and teaching an environmental literacy course at the undergraduate level. The objective of the course is to enable students to make informed decisions in the context of environmental issues. In this paper, we describe the theoretical underpinnings of the course, provide a course description, and discuss a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the course in promoting environmental literacy. The material is currently being organized as a web‐based text.
Integrating the Boyer Report into Architectural Engineering Technology Education at the University of Hartford
Authors: Davis Daniel , Petry Elizabeth
Published: January 2013

Building Community: A New Future for Architectural Education and Practice by Ernest L. Boyer and Lee D. Mitgang of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1996, was intended to be a “comprehensive study of education and practice for the 21st century.” It was commissioned by the five national architectural organizations that joined together with a common goal of seeing the need for an independent study of professional education and practice: the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), the American Institute of Architects Students (AIAS), the National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB), and the National Architectural Accrediting Board, Inc. (NAAB). The Boyer report identified problems, opportunities, and challenges not only for the primary audience of architecture educators and practitioners but also others in higher education. Boyer and Mitgang challenged architects and educators to “a new vision.” This vision would connect architecture schools and the profession more effectively to the changing social context. The academy was challenged with providing A Connected Curriculum. Practicing architects were challenged with providing A Unified Profession. The Boyer report, “urged schools to prepare future architects for lives of civic engagement, of Service to the Nation” [1]. The authors of Building Community were optimistic that the challenges could be met and we have taken on this challenge.
Engineering Design Assessment Processes and Scoring Scales for Program Improvement and Accountability
Authors: DAVIS DENNY C. , GENTILI KENNETH L. , TREVISAN MICHAEL S. , CALKINS DALE E.
Published: January 2013

Assessment of student achievement in engineering design is an important part of engineering education and vital to engineering program accreditation. Systematic assessment of design is challenging yet necessary for program improvement. Programs with design distributed across the curriculum and with significant numbers of transfer students face special challenges in assessing students' design capabilities and providing meaningful feedback to improve design education.

This manuscript presents an assessment process that supports effective transfer of design credits, feedback for improvement of design education, and evaluation of program success in design education. Mid‐program and end‐of‐program assessment strategies are included. Design scoring standards are presented to establish a basis for making performance comparisons within and among programs.
A Collaborative Learning Methodology for Enhanced Comprehension using TEAMThink®
Authors: PANETTA KAREN , DORNBUSH CHARLES , LOOMIS CATHERINE
Published: January 2013

This paper discusses a teaching methodology to improve the retention of lecture material through peer collaboration among students. The methods introduced also help measure a student's comprehension of class material. In addition, the techniques allow the instructor to obtain continuous feedback on areas that students have difficulty grasping. The instructor can also observe students interpretation of concepts and their written communication skills.

The entire process was conducted through the Internet using Athenium's TEAMThink® software. The TEAMThink® software is a professional product developed by Athenium and was developed primarily as a training tool for corporations. This is the first time an educational institution has used it as part of the curriculum. The experiences presented here were conducted on an Operating Systems course at Tufts University's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science consisting of 36 seniors and 4 graduate students and a second year Introduction to Digital Logic Circuits course consisting of 100 undergraduate students. The TEAMThink® learning process features a quiz making and quiz taking game, where students collaborate in teams to create multiple‐choice quiz questions which challenge the learning of other students. The experiences reported in this paper discuss the benefits of this approach from the student and the instructor perspectives. The unexpected outcomes such as the feedback provided to the developers of the TEAMThink® software are also discussed.
Integrated Thermal‐Fluid Experiments in WPI's Discovery Classroom
Authors: OLINGER DAVID J. , HERMANSON JAMES C.
Published: January 2013

An integrated experimental‐analytical‐numerical approach to engineering education has been developed in introductory thermal‐fluid courses at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Central to these innovations is a facility at WPI known as the Discovery Classroom. In this facility the traditional lecture hall has been redefined to combine a multi‐media classroom, an adjoining experimental laboratory, and computational facilities. This approach was designated as the DIANE philosophy:

Daily Integration of Analytical, Numerical, and Experimental methods into engineering classes. In this approach, experimental apparatus are demonstrated directly in class during an engineering lecture. Real‐time quantitative data are acquired from the apparatus, and the data are immediately analyzed and compared to concurrently developed theory by the students in class. One objective of this approach is to help students better understand relationships between the physical experiments and theory.

Three undergraduate engineering classes were re‐designed: fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and aerodynamics. Student surveys indicate that nearly 90% of 390 students preferred the re‐designed courses to traditional lecture‐oriented courses, while also believing that they gained a better understanding of engineering fundamentals.
The Academic Bookshelf
Authors: Rover Diane T.
Published: January 2013

Taking Our Own Advice: Team Teaching Teaching Alone, Teaching Together: Transforming the Structure of Teams for Teaching by James L. Bess and Associates Jossey‐Bass
Reversing the Lecture/Homework Paradigm Using eTEACH® Web‐based Streaming Video Software
Authors: Foertsch Julie , Moses Gregory , Strikwerda John , Litzkow Mike
Published: January 2013

A new online streaming video and multi‐media application called eTEACH, http:eTEACH.engr.wisc.edu was used to reform a large, lecture‐based computer science course for engineering majors. In‐class lectures were replaced with videotaped lectures and other materials that students viewed on the Internet on their own schedule, making it possible to use the live class periods for small, team problem‐solving sessions facilitated by the professors and a teaching assistant. By using the eTEACH application to transform course lectures into “homework” and free up the face‐to‐face class time for working on problems that were similar to homework assignments, the professors effectively reversed the lecture and homework paradigm of a typical large lecture course. A thorough course evaluation over two semesters showed that students who took the online lecture version of the course gave significantly higher ratings to all aspects of the course, including lecture usefulness, professor responsiveness, the course overall, and the instructor. Although a few students missed having the opportunity to ask questions during lectures, about two‐thirds of the 531 students surveyed felt it was easier to take notes and understand the lectures presented via eTEACH than it would have been while attending the same lecture live, and 78% of students appreciated the ability to view and review course lectures on their own schedule.
Turning Students into Professionals: Types of Knowledge and ABET Engineering Criteria
Authors: Gorman Michael E.
Published: January 2013

In order to implement the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) engineering criteria, it is important for engineering educators to understand different types of knowledge and how these types relate to the outcomes described in Criterion 3. This paper first provides a heuristic for framing a program's educational objectives by identifying exemplars of the types of engineers a program seeks to graduate. Three sections then follow, each addressing categories of knowledge: tacit knowledge, four types of knowledge that can either be tacit or explicit, and knowledge created and shared in teams. Examples of the relationship of traits of knowledge to the outcomes in Criterion 3 are provided. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of how these types of knowledge are imbued in engineering students at the University of Virginia, as well as suggestions for additional ways in which they could be infused into engineering curricula.
Motivating Students with Disabilities to Prepare for SEM Careers
Authors: Napper Stan A. , Hale Paul N. , Puckett Frank J.
Published: January 2013

The National Science Foundation funded the project Enabling SUCCESS (Enabling Students to Undertake the Challenge of Careers in Engineering and Science) at Louisiana Tech University beginning in 1996. The goals of this three‐year project were to: stimulate student interest in science, engineering, and mathematics (SEM); heighten the awareness among middle school students, their families, and their science teachers of the opportunities for persons with disabilities in these fields; and provide them with an understanding of the importance of career exploration and taking appropriate college preparatory courses in high school. The project at Louisiana Tech University built upon twenty years of experience in applying assistive technology to the needs of people with disabilities and a ten‐year history of national educational reform initiatives. The project staff included engineering and science professors, teacher educators, college students, practicing engineers and scientists with disabilities, and rehabilitation technology professionals. A unique feature of this project was its focus on middle school students (grades six through nine) with disabilities, their parents, and their teachers. Through on‐campus workshops and showcases, home science activities, and college student mentoring, the project sought to inform and motivate. This paper summarizes the major activities of the model project and the results of the three‐year effort.
A Survey of Faculty Teaching Practices and Involvement in Faculty Development Activities
Authors: Brawner Catherine E. , Felder Richard M. , Allen Rodney , Brent Rebecca
Published: January 2013

As part of its program assessment activities, the Southeastern University and College Coalition for Engineering Education (SUCCEED) conducted a faculty survey of teaching practices, involvement in faculty development programs, and perceptions of the importance of teaching in the faculty reward system. The survey was first administered late in 1997 and a modified version was administered late in 1999. This paper summarizes results from the 1999 survey that address the two questions: (1) to what extent do engineering faculty write instructional objectives and use active and team‐based learning?; and (2) how effective are faculty development programs at changing professors' teaching practices? The results indicate that well over half of the 1999 respondents were using the stated teaching methods, with most attributing their use of the methods to their participation in teaching workshops and seminars.
Science Fiction in the Engineering Classroom to Help Teach Basic Concepts and Promote the Profession
Authors: Segall Albert E.
Published: January 2013

Although science fiction has appeared in science and physics education for many years, the genre has not been widely used to augment engineering education. Considering the potential for science fiction to help illustrate many common engineering concepts, while at the same time challenging the students to think about the many possibilities of design and technology, this exclusion represents a loss of a valuable resource. In order to begin utilizing this valuable resource, a new freshman‐level course was developed that uses science fiction films and literature to illustrate and teach basic engineering concepts. Central to the course delivery is “poking fun” at the disobedience of the laws of nature and misuse of engineering while at the same time teaching the correct behaviors. By illustrating basic engineering concepts in this fashion, students can hopefully develop lasting mental pictures of the way things function and the complexities of design. These images can in turn, help the students with core mechanics classes such as statics and dynamics, as well as help the creative design process. Moreover, by highlighting the valuable role engineering plays in transferring science theory to usable technology, the discussions may also help create a positive image of the profession that could aid recruitment and retention. Finally, the genre can also be used to illustrate the implications of technology and society, along with the many ethical considerations of engineering.
A Study of the Impact of Minority Engineering Programs at the FAMU‐FSU College of Engineering
Authors: Ohland Matthew W. , Zhang Guili
Published: January 2013

The Engineering Concepts Institute, and the rest of the comprehensive minority student development program that followed it, has served students of Florida A&M University matriculating to the Florida A&M University—Florida State University (FAMU‐FSU) College of Engineering. A significant relationship between participation in the programs under study and graduation/retention was identified with the Pearson Chi‐squared test, Cochran‐Mantel‐Haenszel statistics, as well as the Mantel‐Haenszel estimate. Students who participated in the program were estimated to have significantly higher odds of five‐year graduation and six‐year graduation than students who did not participate in the program. A comparison of high school GPAs identified a selection bias, and high school GPA was then used to control for this selection bias in a multiple logistic regression model. While multiple individual cohorts remain statistically significant, the aggregate of all cohorts lacks significance due to the small number of participants and the possible overly stringent penalty imposed by the addition of high school GPA. Nevertheless, the results continue to show the positive trend observed earlier—that Minority Engineering Program participants are 25 percent more likely to be retained and graduate in engineering than students who had similar high school GPA but did not participate in the program—it is expected that continuing longitudinal study will bear out this trend as statistically significant. Although the programs described in this paper have been discontinued as a result of personnel changes, the study of the program is still useful as a contribution to the body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of such programs.
The Relationship Between Department Rank and College Rank in Engineering Graduate Program Rankings Conducted by U.S. News and World Report
Authors: Vojak Bruce A. , Price Raymond L. , Carnahan James V.
Published: January 2013

College rankings conducted by various popular magazines have generated both considerable interest and controversy. In this work, we present statistical analyses of thirteen years of U.S. News and World Report graduate program “reputation” rankings for engineering colleges and their constitutive departments, using them to reveal the relationship between department rank and college rank. Two important trends are substantiated in this study. First, we confirm statistically that some colleges with a relatively small number of top‐five ranked departments place higher in the college rankings than some colleges with a significant number of top‐five ranked departments. Second, we observe that college rank is much more closely related to department rank for some disciplines than others, providing additional resolution beyond our earlier work.
Delivering an Engineering Laboratory Course Using the Internet, the Post Office, and a Campus Visit
Authors: Alexander David G. , Smelser R. E.
Published: January 2013

We present the redesign of a sophomore‐level mechanics of materials engineering laboratory course for distance delivery. The distance laboratory course combined multi‐media computer experiments, portable hands‐on exercises, and place‐bound laboratory experiments. Class communication was accomplished through e‐mail, online discussion groups and telephone conversations. Preliminary assessment of this new model for providing hands‐on distance education gave valuable information that supports its effectiveness.
Retention 101: Where Robots Go … Students Follow
Authors: Pomalaza‐Ráez Carlos , Groff Brenda Henry
Published: January 2013

At Indiana University—Purdue University Fort Wayne we have developed ETCS 101—Introduction to Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science, a freshman success course for students in the School of Engineering, Technology, and Computer Science. The main objective of this course is to increase retention. The course aims to provide students with sufficient computer and personal development skills and to help them develop the right mental attitude conducive for academic success. Features of the course include projects of software and hardware nature, extensive use of the Internet and Web software tools, and a team‐teaching format. As the main project of this course, small teams of students design, build, program, and test an autonomous mobile robot using LEGO® parts, sensors, and the Robotic Command eXplorer (RCX) controller. This is a multidisciplinary, project‐driven learning process that encourages students to develop problem solving and teamwork skills and fosters their creativity and logic.
Engineering Accreditation and Standards for Technological Literacy
Authors: Gorham Douglas , Newberry Pam B. , Bickart Theodore A.
Published: January 2013

This article provides an overview of how the International Technology Education Association's Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology's Engineering Criteria 2000's Criterion 3 Program Outcomes and Assessment focus on producing secondary school and engineering graduates with an enhanced level of technological literacy and competency. These documents, providing guidelines for pre‐college through undergraduate education, are intended to promote improvement in the quality and quantity of engineering students and to enhance the level of technological literacy of pre‐college teachers and their students.
Bioinformatics: A New Field in Engineering Education
Authors: Hughey Richard , Karplus Kevin
Published: January 2013

Bioinformatics is a new engineering field poorly served by traditional curricula. Bioinformatics concerns the use of computer and statistical methods to understand biological data, such as the voluminous data produced by high‐throughput biological experimentation. As the demand has outpaced the supply of bioinformaticians, the University of California, Santa Cruz, School of Engineering is establishing undergraduate and graduate degrees in bioinformatics. In this paper we explore the blend of mathematics, engineering, science, and bioinformatics topics and courses needed for an undergraduate degree in this new field.
Social Dimensions of Engineering Design: Observations from Mudd Design Workshop III
Authors: Dym Clive L. , Wesner John W. , Winner Langdon
Published: January 2013

This paper reports on the Mudd Design Workshop III held at Harvey Mudd College (HMC) in May 2001 to provide a forum for engineers and social scientists acting as designers, researchers, and educators, to explore social and societal issues in and for engineering design education. Sessions were devoted to social and systems issues and themes in design; collaboration in design; and pedagogical and institutional issues in design education. Major emergent themes included the need for dialogue about the social dimensions of engineering design to extend across entire college and university faculties, the use of design to enhance the study of values and ethics in undergraduate curricula, the importance of the framing of design problems, and the pedagogical choices made in design courses. Before leaving, participants made commitments to work toward change at least in their own environments.
Instructional Module in Fourier Spectral Analysis, Based on Principles of “How People Learn”
Authors: Greenberg Julie E. , Smith Natalie T. , Newman John H.
Published: January 2013

This paper describes the design and evaluation of an instructional module for teaching/learning Fourier spectral analysis, with emphasis on biomedical applications. The module is based on the principles of “How People Learn” (HPL) as embodied in the Legacy cycle. This cycle is a particular instantiation of problem‐based learning and includes components explicitly aimed at providing context and motivation, facilitating exploration, developing in‐depth understanding, and incorporating opportunities for self‐assessment. In the spectral analysis module, traditional teaching methods are augmented with small group discussions, peer‐to‐peer learning, a Web‐based tutorial, and an interactive demonstration. Assessment included the development of rubrics for scoring student understanding of key concepts, revealing that students who used the module demonstrated better understanding relative to students who studied the material using traditional methods. Survey results and comments indicate that students generally liked the interactive tutorial and demonstration, as well as the structure provided by the HPL framework.
Design for Stamping: Identifying Pedagogically Effective Components in Multimedia Tutors and the Classroom
Authors: Poli Corrado , Fisher Donald , Pollatsek Alexander , Woolf Beverly Park
Published: January 2013

Multimedia tutors have been developed for a number of different areas in manufacturing—including forging, die casting, and injection molding. Typically, students using these tutors perform better than students receiving traditional classroom instruction. However, the strengths and weaknesses of the tutors have not been isolated in any of the reports to date. This paper presents the results of experiments designed to isolate the most effective components used to teach design for stamping. The experiments compared classroom instruction with software tutorials. The results of these experiments indicate that the use of software tutorials when combined with feedback on graded homework assignments is as effective as traditional lectures that also make use of graded homework assignments
Ideas to Minimize Exam Anxiety
Authors: Roney Steve D. , Woods Donald R.
Published: January 2013

The debilitation score from the Alpert‐Haber Anxiety Achievement Test was used to identify students suffering from exam anxiety. Principal component Analysis was then used to show that the debilitation score was strongly related to short‐term and long‐term anxiety and self‐image and not, as expected, to study skills, problem‐solving skills, or avoidance to engage in solving difficult problems. Required workshops to help students address low self‐image and high short‐term and long‐term anxiety were introduced, but they had modest short‐term success. However, significant improvement in student performance occurred when faculty included measures of student performance other than the final exam (such as term work, projects, and self‐assessment) and when students contracted for the weighting that the final exam would contribute to their final grade. The use of self‐assessment was effective for all students regardless of their level of exam anxiety.
On Belay: Peer‐Mentoring and Adventure Education for Women Faculty in Engineering
Authors: Chesler Naomi C. , Single Peg Boyle , Mikic Borjana
Published: January 2013

This paper reports on an intervention program designed to cultivate effective peer mentoring among a small group of women engineering faculty members from different academic institutions. Adventure education, comprised of linked intellectual and physical challenges in an outdoor setting, was chosen as the vehicle to transform the group into a highly functioning team. Based on a qualitative analysis of post‐workshop essays, the intervention resulted in informational, psychosocial, and instrumental mentoring benefits that could serve to support and enhance the participants' academic careers. This paper provides a blueprint for the design of similar workshops for groups that could benefit from additional peer‐mentoring and networking opportunities in the engineering academy.
Creating a Student Centered Learning Environment at the University of Denver
Authors: Delyser Ronald R. , Thompson Sheila S. , Edelstein Jerry , Lengsfeld Corinne , Rosa Albert J. , Rullkoetter Paul J. , Whitman Robert , Whitt Margaret
Published: January 2013

A team of faculty members at the University of Denver changed the learning environment in key courses in the Department of Engineering from predominately teacher centered to student centered. Through this funded project new grading methods were implemented, classrooms were renovated and wired with studio layouts to facilitate learning, the Engineering Circuits Laboratory was rewired and instrumented for automated data acquisition and reporting, and two new pedagogical approaches were developed. At the onset of the project, six goals were established related to student learning. The introduction of industry standard hardware and software provided students with unprecedented hands‐on experience and project related activities stimulated faculty innovations in other current and future courses. Assessment results indicate that the new grading system improved the clarity of expectations for students before assignments were given resulting in increased reported motivation for learning in many courses. Even though course GPAs did not always reflect higher achievement on graded work, faculty members firmly believe that deeper understanding was achieved because more complex material was assimilated.
The Academic Bookshelf
Authors: SWAIN PHILIP H.
Published: January 2013

Psychology of Learning for Instruction, 2nd edition: by Marcy Perkins Driscoll

The Art of Changing the Brain: Enriching the Practice of Teaching by Exploring the Biology of Learning: by James E. Zull
Integrating Communication and Engineering Education: A Look at Curricula, Courses, and Support Systems
Authors: FORD JULIE DYKE , RILEY LINDA ANN
Published: January 2013

In this article we point to the ways in which engineering and communication disciplines can work together to ensure the ABET criterion that encompasses effective communication is represented in engineering curricula. Drawing upon examples from several universities in North America, we offer useful portraits of writing across the curriculum approaches, interdisciplinary courses, integrated programs, and a variety of support systems including writing and communication centers and online resources. As we develop increased awareness of the importance of including communication instruction in engineering curricula, the variety of possibilities presented in this article can help us integrate communication and engineering education.
Making the Grade with Students: The Case for Accessibility
Authors: GALL KEN , KNIGHT DANIEL W. , CARLSON LAWRENCE E. , SULLIVAN JACQUELYN F.
Published: January 2013

Student‐based teaching evaluations are one critical component of instructor and course evaluation in most universities. The purpose of this study is to critically examine several factors that drive student‐based ratings of instructors and courses in an undergraduate mechanical engineering program. The findings are based on a statistical study of student ratings in 181 mechanical engineering courses during a three and one‐half year period, two mid‐semester classroom interviews, and anecdotal evidence garnered from personal experience. A key rating that appears strongly linked with the overall instructor and course rating is the “accessibility of the instructor.” The instructor accessibility factor outweighs others often cited by conventional wisdom, such as perceived course workload or expected grade in the course. Rationale for the strong correlation between instructor rating and perceived instructor accessibility is discussed. Several suggestions for how to improve instructor accessibility and resulting student‐based teaching evaluations are provided.
Student Learning of Criterion 3 (a)‐(k) Outcomes with Short Instructional Modules and the Relationship to Bloom's Taxonomy
Authors: PIMMEL RUSSELL L.
Published: January 2013

Engineering accreditation criteria require that engineering graduates demonstrate competency with a set of skills identified in Criterion 3 (a)‐(k). Because of a scarcity of instructional material on many of these topics, a team of engineering instructors developed and tested a set of short modules for teaching these skills. Using before and after module surveys, the students indicated their confidence in their ability to do specific tasks derived from the module's learning objectives. Data also were obtained with a control group not receiving the instruction. In comparing pre‐ and post‐module data, 33 percent of the comparisons were significantly different at the 0.05 level. In comparing control and post‐module data, the corresponding value was 44 percent. These results indicate that instruction with these short modules produced a significant effect on student learning.
Taking Stock: An Analysis of the Publishing Record as Represented by the Journal of Engineering Education
Authors: WHITIN KATHERINE , SHEPPARD SHERI
Published: January 2013

The Journal of Engineering Education emerged in the engineering education community in 1993 as a continuation of the American Society of Engineering Education's journal, Engineering Education. The Journal of Engineering Education was to play a role in the broadening of engineering education culture by helping to bring the scholarship of engineering education to the same level of respect and recognition in the faculty reward system as traditional scholarship in engineering sciences. In doing so, the journal hoped to keep pace with and encourage the significant changes in engineering education needed to prepare for the challenges of 21st century practice.

This paper discusses the engineering education environment as reflected in six years of papers published in the Journal of Engineering Education from 1996 to 2001. Topics of papers are identified, along with changes and trends in these topics during the six‐year period. In addition, characteristics of particularly convincing papers are enumerated and discussed. This paper is offered as a summary and review of this six‐year body of work on engineering education and should aid the engineering education community in reflecting on the success of the Journal in promoting and encouraging the scholarship of teaching.
Analysis of the First Ten Years of the Journal of Engineering Education
Authors: WANKAT PHILLIP C.
Published: January 2013

The analysis of the Journal of Engineering Education (JEE) is extended to the ten year period from 1993 through 2002. The most common keywords remain teaching, computers and design although “assessment” and “ABET” became popular from 1998 to 2002. The most cited reference and author are ABET Criterion 2000 and Richard Felder, respectively. The median number of JEE citations of articles published in JEE during 1993 and 1994 is one. The number of papers with financial support increased by over 80 percent. NSF is the dominant source of support. Comparing the second five‐year period to the first five‐year period, there were increases in the percentages of papers reporting data, doing assessment, and using educational or learning theories. These results are consistent with a journal that is becoming more research oriented.
Animating to Build Higher Cognitive Understanding: A Model for Studying Multimedia Effectiveness in Education*
Authors: ELLIS TIMOTHY
Published: January 2013

This paper presents a model for designing experiments to test the effectiveness of multimedia and other technological enhancements in education. It is based upon a discussion of an experimental study that examined the impact of one specific multimedia enhancement—animation—on a very specific aspect of learning—the ability to apply knowledge, for a well‐defined population—adult, continuing education students, in a highly specified knowledge domain–Boolean algebra.

The paucity of substantial evidence supporting the value of multimedia as an educational enhancement can at least partially be attributed to definitional problems within experimental designs. What specifically does “learning,” and, for that matter, “multimedia”, mean? If these terms are not explicitly defined and intimately incorporated into the experimental controls, there is little hope for creditable results. This study indicates that careful attention to defining these two terms can produce meaningful results.
Scoring Concept Maps: An Integrated Rubric for Assessing Engineering Education
Authors: Besterfield‐Sacre Mary , Gerchak Jessica , Lyons Mary Rose , Shuman Larry J. , Wolfe Harvey
Published: January 2013

We investigated the use of concept maps to assess “knowledge integration,” by developing a rubric to “score” maps using two samples of students. In 2000, a sample of sophomore, junior and senior industrial engineering students was asked to develop concept maps of that field. This exercise was repeated in 2002 with seniors, half of whom participated as sophomores. The maps were scored using “traditional” counting metrics proposed by other researchers and with a holistic approach developed for the study. The holistic approach indicated that students improved as they matriculated through the program, and also enabled faculty to identify programmatic weaknesses. Although the “traditional” methods provided quantifiable information, closer examination questioned whether that information was representative of students' true conceptual understanding. Consequently, a scoring rubric was developed and tested using attributes of the holistic approach.
Assessing Adaptive Expertise in Undergraduate Biomechanics
Authors: Pandy Marcus G. , Petrosino Anthony J. , Austin Barbara A. , Barr Ronald E.
Published: January 2013

This paper describes the design, development, implementation, and assessment of a multimedia‐based learning module focused on biomechanics. The module is comprised of three challenges and is based on a model of learning and instruction known as the How People Learn (HPL) framework. Classroom assessment of the first challenge was undertaken to test the hypothesis that the HPL approach increases adaptive expertise in movement biomechanics. Student achievement was quantified using pre‐ and post‐test questionnaires designed to measure changes in three facets of adaptive expertise: factual and conceptual knowledge and transfer. The results showed that the HPL approach increased students' conceptual knowledge as well as their ability to transfer knowledge to new situations. These findings indicate that challenge‐based instruction, when combined with an intellectually engaging curriculum and principled instructional design, can accelerate the trajectory of novice to expert development in bioengineering education.
An Assessment Analysis Methodology and Its Application to an Advanced Engineering Communications Program
Authors: Pappas Eric C. , Kampe Stephen L. , Hendricks Robert W. , Kander Ronald G.
Published: January 2013

An assessment of a discipline‐specific advanced engineering communications program initiated over a decade ago and those assessment strategies that best measure the success of the program are described. Novel ideas for the visualization and interpretation of the data are presented. These techniques are conducive to an “assess‐revise‐assess” strategy for curriculum improvement since they can efficiently assist in defining an appropriate and rapid response to program needs and constituency expectations. Based in part on the assessment results, additions and extensions to the original program have been made. These include instruction in interpersonal communications, teamwork, engineering research and professional ethics, management and professional development skills, critical and creative thinking, and engineering design and are described briefly to place the current program in proper context for assessment. Positive correlations show that the program continues to be highly regarded by students, faculty, the college administration, alumni, and industry.
Survey of Library Services at Engineering News Record's Top 500 Design Firms: Implications for Engineering Education
Authors: Napp John B.
Published: January 2013

This paper reports on the findings of a national survey of the library services available at Engineering News Record's Top 500 Designs Firms. In mid‐October 2002, a survey was mailed to all 500 firms. The survey was in two parts. One part was to be completed by a principal in the firm. The second part was to be completed by the degreed librarian (holding a Masters in Library Science or its equivalent) if the firm employed one. The findings indicated that 74.4 percent of responding design firms do not employ a degreed librarian. In 79 percent of those firms, engineers obtain information on their own. This situation, along with other results, seems to suggest that more information literacy instruction may need to be included in the engineering curriculum.
Identifying and Removing a Calculus Prerequisite as a Bottleneck in Clemson's General Engineering Curriculum
Authors: Ohland Matthew W. , Yuhasz Amy G. , Sill Benjamin L.
Published: January 2013

A review of prerequisites often reveals that reasons for requiring a prerequisite may no longer prevail due to curriculum or course changes. Based on a study of a curriculum bottleneck unrelated to required mastery, the prerequisite structure in Clemson University's General Engineering curriculum (the common first‐year curriculum for all engineering students) was changed so that Calculus I could be taken in the second semester. Student record analysis shows both the magnitude of the bottleneck prior to the policy change and the effect on student enrollment practices after the policy change. Longitudinal studies show a statistically significant improvement in retention in engineering adding to the body of evidence that indicates that it is important to retention that students start college mathematics at a level for which they are prepared.
Improving a School's U.S. News and World Report Ranking
Authors: Tsakalis Konstantinos S. , Palais Joseph C.
Published: January 2013

In this paper we analyze the 2002 U.S. News and World Report rankings of universities offering graduate programs in engineering. We show that a reasonably simple model, whose independent variables are derived from the intuitive causal relationships among the various performance sub‐measures, can represent the data. The results can be used to quantify the choice of an efficient policy for improving a school's ranking.
The Intellectual Development of Science and Engineering Students. Part 1: Models and Challenges
Authors: Felder Richard M. , Brent Rebecca
Published: January 2013

As college students experience the challenges of their classes and extracurricular activities, most undergo a developmental progression in which they gradually relinquish their belief in the certainty of knowledge and the omniscience of authorities and take increasing responsibility for their own learning. At a high developmental level (which few reach before graduation), they recognize that all knowledge is contextual, gather and interpret evidence to support their judgments from a wide range of sources, and willingly reconsider those judgments in the light of new evidence. This paper reviews several models of intellectual development, discusses their applicability to science and engineering education, and defines the difficulties that confront instructors seeking to promote the development of their students. A companion paper formulates an instructional model for promoting development that addresses those difficulties.
Motivation of Engineering Students to Participate in Teaching Evaluations
Authors: Giesey Jeffrey J. , Chen Yining , Hoshower Leon B.
Published: January 2013

This study employs expectancy theory to evaluate some key factors that motivate students to participate in the teaching evaluation process. The results show that engineering students generally consider the improvement of teaching to be the most important outcome of teaching evaluations, followed by the improvement of course content and format. Making the results of evaluations available for students' decisions on course and instructor selection ranked third, while the least important use was influencing a professor's tenure, promotion, and salary raise. Students' motivation to participate in teaching evaluations is also impacted significantly by their expectation that they will be able to provide meaningful feedback.
Designing Cognitive Apprenticeships for Biomedical Engineering
Authors: Newstetter Wendy C.
Published: January 2013

This article explores challenges involved in developing effective and workable models for engineering education that emphasize the development of student cognitive skills over the delivery of specific course content. It chronicles efforts to systematically design engineering learning environments based on cognitive and learning science studies and then to optimize those environments through “design‐based research.” It follows the evolutionary trajectory of curricular design efforts over four years using Problem‐based Learning (PBL) in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech, elucidating the activities, mistakes, realizations and the progressive refinements instituted towards the development of learning theory in the context of biomedical engineering. It argues for the need to scaffold students in the development of model‐based reasoning throughout the engineering curricula.
Engineering Ethical Curricula: Assessment and Comparison of Two Approaches
Authors: Drake Matthew J. , Griffin Paul M. , Kirkman Robert , Swann Julie L.
Published: January 2013

The paper assesses two approaches for delivery of engineering ethics: a full semester ethics course and an engineering course that includes an ethics module. The Defining Issues Test was used to compare the improvement of a student's moral reasoning ability in each class as compared to a control class. Our findings were that the module approach used did not provide any improvement in moral reasoning. In addition, although the ethics course showed improvement when compared to the module, it was not significantly different from the control class. We also found that there was little distinction between males and females and no distinction by age, although education level did have an impact. The results suggest that to improve a student's moral reasoning and sensitivity to ethical issues, engineering ethics must be integrative, delivered at multiple points in the curriculum, and incorporate specific discipline context.
Developing and Assessing Students' Entrepreneurial Skills and Mind‐Set*
Authors: Bilén Sven G. , Kisenwether Elizabeth C. , Rzasa Sarah E. , Wise John C.
Published: January 2013

A primary goal of The Pennsylvania State University's new Engineering Entrepreneurship (E‐SHIP) Minor is to build students' life skills so they can succeed within innovative, product‐focused, cross‐disciplinary teams. The E‐SHIP Minor is designed for undergraduate students majoring in engineering, business, or IST (Information Sciences and Technology) who aspire to be innovation leaders for new technology‐based products and companies. This paper outlines five E‐SHIP program components to meet this mission: the core courses for the minor, E‐SHIP competitions in which students exhibit their products and ideas, the E‐SHIP Event Series, student organizations to support out‐of‐classroom entrepreneurial interest, and team projects for local industry and Penn State researchers. Penn State's engineering entrepreneurship program is reviewed, summarizing both quantitative and qualitative assessment data to date, previewing future assessment plans, and providing a summary of lessons learned during the development and implementation of this program.