bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Teamwork across Disciplinary Borders: A Bridge between College and the Work Place
Authors: Bhavnani Sushil H. , Aldridge M. Dayne
Published: January 2013

Learning the language of the work place in one's chosen field of expertise often goes beyond a well‐defined technical curriculum, to encompass skills such as inter‐personal relationships, crisis management, and objectivity. Success on the job necessitates the mastery of these other skills almost as much as the acquisition of core technical knowledge. An inter‐disciplinary teaming course has been developed to allow students to realize the need for these skills and attempt to impart some of them in a structured environment.
Airplanes for Everyone: A General Education Course for Non‐Engineers
Authors: Eberhardt Scott
Published: January 2013

The Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, at the University of Washington, has introduced a new course to non‐engineering students. This course is distinguished by the fact that it is specifically designed for non‐engineering/science students. The course, called AA101: Air and Space Vehicles, fulfills a “natural world” graduation requirement for University undergraduates. This course has proven so popular that after the first offering it has filled the auditorium and all lab sections every quarter. It is now being offered three quarters a year.

AA101 includes hands‐on learning, multi‐media presentations, and classroom demonstrations. Lab sections each week demonstrate principles learned in class and are usually centered about a fun activity. Examples include learning to fly with Microsoft Flight Simulator, building a rubber powered balsa airplane, and launching water rockets. In several of these activities, teamwork is stressed.

A conscious decision in the creation of the course was to eliminate analysis in order to attract the broadest audience. Graduates of AA101 are thus familiar with the concepts but cannot apply analytical tools to aerospace engineering.
Teaching Teachers to Teach Engineering—T4E
Authors: Conley Christopher H. , Ressler Stephen J. , Lenox Thomas A. , Samples Jerry W.
Published: January 2013

The essence of a teacher‐training program that has proven to be successful with faculty from around the nation, and the world, is presented. T4 E is a week‐long short course run at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. The goal of this short course is to provide participants with a solid foundation of effective teaching skills that they can subsequently build upon as they continue to teach. The focus of T4 E is on well organized classes presented in a clear and logical fashion that promotes the active participation of students.
Perspectives on an Internet‐Based Synchronous Distance Learning Experience
Authors: Williamson Christopher , Bernhard Jennifer T. , Chamberlin Kent
Published: January 2013

This paper examines the distance learning process by providing an informed student's perspective as well as the instructor's perspective on an Internet‐based synchronous distance learning experience. Throughout the semester, the student maintained a class‐by‐class journal on his experiences and reactions to the Internet‐based course. This journal served as a crucial resource in the subsequent evaluation of the virtual classroom experience. The analysis provided in this paper, informed by current research on traditional and distance education, suggests that community, interaction, pedagogy, attention, and feedback play important roles in the success of an Internet‐based learning experience. Specific comments by the course instructor, as well as survey results from both students and other instructors for a number of synchronous Internet‐based courses, are also presented. This data further illuminates the student synchronous distance education experience and contributes additional insight into the delivery method and its ongoing evolution. The unique observations and conclusions provided here are useful for both instructors and students interested in participating in synchronous as well as asynchronous computermediated education.
Effectiveness of an Internet‐Based Graduate Engineering Management Course
Authors: Evans Rosemarie M. , Murray Susan L. , Daily Madison , Hall Richard
Published: January 2013

This research provides engineering educators analytical evidence as to the effectiveness of Internet‐based course instruction. The research examined the University of Missouri‐Rolla's Internet‐based Advanced Production and Operations Management course, with a focus on determining the effectiveness of the Internet‐based education tools used. Over 100 students in five Internet‐based classes and one traditional, in‐class control group were given three sets of surveys, learning style assessments, a course pre‐test, and a course final examination. Multiple conclusions were drawn from this study based on analyses of the data collected. First, the Internet‐based students performed equally as well as the control group as measured by the difference between pre‐test and post‐test scores. Second, the Internet‐based students were found to have had exaggerated time requirement expectations for taking a course in the Internet environment. Third, the students rated the effectiveness and satisfaction positively for the Internet classroom format. Initially, the Internet‐based students were skeptical of electronic lectures but their experiences were positive.
Sooner City—Design Across the Curriculum
Authors: Kolar Randall L. , Muraleetharan Kanthasamy K. , Mooney Michael A. , Vieux Baxter E.
Published: January 2013

The School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science (CEES) at the University of Oklahoma (OU) has been developing a curriculum reform project entitled Sooner City since Spring 1997; it was implemented in Fall 1998. For the project, incoming freshman are given a plat of land that is turned into a blueprint for critical infrastructure segments of the city. Design tasks include all facets of the traditional civil engineering program, ranging from sewer and water infrastructure to steel buildings. The project is unique in that it threads a common, four‐year design theme throughout the curriculum, yet does so in a flexible, cost‐effective manner; it unifies the curriculum and allows material learned in early courses to carry forward; and it provides a natural forum for incorporating other pedagogical reform initiatives, such as just‐in‐time learning, collaborative learning, and active learning with in‐class use of laptops. A primary goal is to produce graduates who consistently think at a higher level, and who are thus capable of handling open‐ended design projects that require creativity, self‐analysis, and awareness of economic, social, and political issues. The extent to which the Sooner City project meets this goal is being assessed through formative and summative evaluations by an external reviewer.
Teamed Internships in Environmental Engineering and Technology: A Project Report
Authors: Croissant Jennifer L. , Ogden Kimberly , Ogden Gregory
Published: January 2013

This paper is a summary report of the “Teamed Internships Program” (TIP), an Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant through the National Science Foundation (NSF). This three‐year project created internships encompassing regional industries, federal research facilities, and two‐ and four‐year educational institutions. The project cultivated teamwork and communication skills for environmental technician and engineering students, developed instructional materials, and provided valuable contacts with industry. To foster faculty and teacher enhancement and student interest in environmental science and technology, insights from the program were incorporated into instructional materials and educational modules for dissemination to local secondary schools.
Collaborative Learning in the Classroom: A Writing Across the Curriculum Approach
Authors: Randolph Gary B.
Published: January 2013

The principles of “Writing Across the Curriculum” (WAC) has the potential to help educators more fully engage the learning styles of all students and achieve higher levels of learning according to the Bloom taxonomy. WAC exercises were built into an information systems class to create a fully collaborative learning approach. Students worked as a team on in‐class exercises, edited each other's work, and even collaborated on examinations. Students indicated that they learned more in this format. They also said that even examinations were learning experiences, incorporating brainstorming and discussion.
Ethics Exercises for Civil, Environmental, and Geological Engineers
Authors: Santi Paul M.
Published: January 2013

The practices of civil, environmental, and geological engineering share many common ethical dilemmas. These fields typically require extensive interaction with clients and regulatory agencies, while dealing with unpredictable earth materials for design and uncertain design parameters. Consequently, a capstone design course must address not only technical issues, but also a wide range of ethical and behavioral issues. This study presents a series of exercises used in the classroom to teach these issues through dealing with “gray” ethical areas, concepts of advocacy and the use of compromise, relating specific stories to global concepts, proper behavior in the corporate environment, and the influence of corporate culture on ethical decisions. The exercises were designed to incorporate a variety of active learning styles, including individual and group writing, group short answer, group design, and role playing as an individual and as part of a team. Only a small commitment of class time is required to complete these exercises, roughly six lecture periods and one laboratory period.
EC2000 and Measurement: How Much Precision is Enough?
Authors: Rogers Gloria M.
Published: January 2013

As engineering faculty engage in the process of developing assessment plans to implement continuous quality improvement and satisfy the requirement of Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC2000), there is a concern about what measures are adequate to provide evidence that an engineering program is meeting its stated objectives. Some engineering programs are looking at using course grades as evidence that students are meeting the learning outcomes mandated by Criterion 3 of EC2000. After all, if there is a course in engineering design, why shouldn't grades be used to demonstrate that students are acquiring the skills necessary to meet the required outcome? The question remains as to whether or not course grades are adequate and/or efficient as a means to evaluate program effectiveness. This paper will define what is meant by educational inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes in order to clarify the focus of the new “outcomes assessment” model of engineering education accreditation. A framework will be presented to clarify the meaning and scope of assessment activities needed to meet the information needs of academic programs and institutions. Models for course assessment and program assessment will be presented and the similarities and differences discussed.
A Review of Literature on Effectiveness of Use of Information Technology in Education
Authors: Kadiyala Madhavi , Crynes Billy L.
Published: January 2013

Many engineering educators and administrators hope that new learning technologies can help relieve the accreditation and other curricular pressures without loss of learning nor added costs. With so much promise from use of new technologies, we conducted an extensive review of studies seeking evidence of this promise. Over 2,200 studies were reviewed (directly or indirectly) and about 760, which met our criteria, were used. Our review provides convincing evidence that information technologies can enhance learning when pedagogy is sound, and when there is good match of technology, techniques and objectives.
Impact of Holistic and Learning‐Oriented Teaching on Academic Success
Authors: Bernold L.E. , Bingham W.L , McDonald P.H. , Attia T.M.
Published: January 2013

The influence of the preferred learning styles and psychological types on academic performance have been assessed for engineering students. The subjects of the experiments were different groups of students taking the first and the second courses in the civil engineering department. A holistic teaching/learning approach was designed based on the fact that people have different psychological characters and learn in different ways. During the course, many teaching/learning techniques were introduced to foster the learning process for different learning styles and psychological types. The study explores the implications of the learning styles and the psychological temperaments on the academic performance for experimental and control groups. The Learning Type Measure (LTM) and the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) instruments were used to assess the psychological profiles and the learning preferences of the students. The paper will discuss the result of a comparison of the final grades of two groups of engineering students taught using two different instructional formats. As will be shown, the holistic teaching and learning environment helped those engineering students that are traditionally less successful.
Applying James Stice's Strategy to Teach Design to Sophomore Mechanical Engineering Undergraduates
Authors: Tsang Edmund
Published: January 2013

The James Stice strategies for teaching problem‐solving and improving student learning have been adopted in the development of a sophomore‐level “Materials, Manufacturing & Design” course. The curriculum, the assessment method, and the results of student evaluation over a three‐year period are described. Correlation between assessments by two faculty members (in the form of design project written‐report and oral‐presentation grades) and students self‐assessment (in the form of a retrospective survey employing a Likert‐type scale and student written comments) show that the Stice strategies are successful in teaching engineering design to sophomores.
Introducing Middle School Students to Engineering Principles Using Educational Bridge Design Software
Authors: Symans Michael D.
Published: January 2013

In an effort to motivate middle school students to consider future careers in engineering, an educational outreach program was developed and implemented during National Engineers Week. The outreach program concentrated on bridge engineering and was presented within one day to the entire eighth grade student population of the local public school system. The program began with a presentation on careers in engineering with a particular emphasis placed on bridge engineering. Fundamental engineering concepts used in bridge design were then explained. The students used these concepts to design a single‐span truss bridge using an educational bridge design software program. Finally, a bridge design competition was held in which the students attempted to optimize the design of their bridge.
Technology in Engineering Education: What Do the Faculty Know and Want?
Authors: Chen John C. , Ellis Mike , Lockhart Jason , Hamoush Sameer , Brawner Catherine E. , Tront Joseph G.
Published: January 2013

There currently exists a great interest in integrating technology into the engineering curriculum. The Southeastern University and College Coalition for Engineering Education (SUCCEED) has identified this topic to be one of four “focus areas” for the coalition, and is committed to supporting the effective use of technology in enhancing the learning and teaching environment. We report here the results of a survey of engineering faculty at the coalition universities to identify the training needs and present levels of experience with various technologies. The most surprising finding is that, despite the wide differences in the Coalition's colleges of engineering, the survey results are similar for all campuses. This implies that the results may be widely applicable to other universities. Generally, we found that the faculty's interest in receiving training in a specific technology is highly correlated with a low skill level for that topic, as expected. Of the ten potential workshop topics, those in highest demand include:

presenting lectures or demonstrations from a computer

creating, editing and incorporating multimedia into course materials

creating Web pages for a course

developing multimedia courseware

developing a course delivered entirely via the World Wide Web

developing Java applets to enhance courses

holding electronic help‐sessions.
Quality Planning in Engineering Education: Analysis of Alternative Implementations of a New First‐Year Curriculum at Texas A&M University
Authors: Fournier‐Bonilla Sheila D. , Watson Karan L. , Malavé César
Published: January 2013

In general terms, traditional strategic planning may be described as a mechanism for generating a set of targets and approaches for achieving the established purpose of an organization. For it to be effective, a strategic plan must serve as the basis for creating a set of well‐defined operations that align with the organizational goals and strategies. Because the task of generating an effective plan requires knowledge, time, patience, and persistence, not all organizations are prepared to devote the time and energy that is required to produce a meaningful plan. It is the intent of this paper to describe an approach to quality planning which was used to make major curricular changes in the first‐year engineering education program at Texas A&M University. The planners' intention in this instance was to apply quality function deployment matrices, systems engineering concepts, quality management principles, and multi‐attribute utility analysis to the evaluation of curriculum alternatives in an effort to make the planning process less complex and more systematic.
Multi‐University Design Projects
Authors: Kumar Vijay , Kinzel Gary , Wei Stan , Bengu Golgen , Zhou Jack
Published: January 2013

We describe a multi‐university design project in which teams of students across different campuses collaborate on a design and manufacturing project. We show how such projects sensitize students to issues in concurrent engineering and train them in interpersonal skills, communications, and system integration. We believe that this approach allows us to simulate real‐world conditions by imposing realistic boundary conditions on the student teams.
Integrating Writing Instruction into Engineering Courses: A Writing Center Model
Authors: Walker Kristin
Published: January 2013

Engineering students often have difficulty learning how to write laboratory reports in their field. To assist students with this learning process and teach them writing strategies that will prove helpful in the workplace, a writing center was established in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at the University of South Carolina. There, consultants trained in technical writing work closely with ECE faculty members and teaching assistants to create a supportive network for students as they draft reports, including discussions during recitation periods, team consultations, and individual consultations. This paper presents a theoretical framework for the writing center program, as well as specific writing strategies that have proven helpful. Assessment methods and feedback from faculty and students about the success of the program are presented as well.
The Classroom of the Future: An Internet‐Delivered National Course on Thermal Management of Electronics
Authors: Bhavnani Sushil H. , Bar‐Cohen Avram , Joshi Yogendra K.
Published: January 2013

Teaching inter‐disciplinary material poses special challenges due to the diversity of student backgrounds. This problem is compounded if the material being taught is intended for both undergraduate and graduate students. Mechanical Engineering faculty members from three universities have come together to address this problem using a layered, multimedia delivery mechanism via the Internet. This has resulted in the first‐ever, live, full‐duplex, Internet course taught at any of the three partner universities: Auburn University, the University of Maryland, and the University of Minnesota. With the addition of colleagues from industrial sites such as Philips in the Netherlands and three other universities in Japan, Singapore, and Australia, the next offering will expand to become an international course. The authors hope to illustrate that a course delivered over the Internet adds significantly to the learning process in a cost‐effective manner.
Enabling Engineering Performance Skills: A Program to Teach Communication, Leadership, and Teamwork*
Authors: Seat Elaine , Parsons J. Roger , Poppen William A.
Published: January 2013

A minor in Engineering Communication and Performance is being created at the University of Tennessee in conjunction with the engage Freshman Engineering Program. This minor provides engineering undergraduate students with formal training and a credential in complementary performance skills necessary for success in today's workplace. This interdisciplinary program is designed to improve the ability of engineering graduates to work on teams, to be effective communicators, to be socially adept, and to be prepared for leadership roles.

Five courses compose the minor. Three of these courses are new and custom‐prepared for engineering students, while the other two may be selected from a limited list of courses that provide in‐depth training on supervision, cultural diversity, and interpersonal interaction. This multi‐disciplinary program takes a novel approach in the subject matter presentation and in the method of coaching students to use these skills. In the custom courses, students receive instruction and are placed in mini‐practicums. To complete the minor, students participate in a full practicum in a social service setting.

This paper discusses assessment; course development; program basis and development; strategies for implementation of this new program; integration between engineering, counseling psychology, and human services; and student, faculty, and industry response to the program. The collaboration makes this program transportable to other institutions as it is dependent on having institution expertise in the disciplines of counseling and human services rather than having engineering educators with expertise in these fields. Our experience with establishing this collaboration will also be discussed.
Components of an American Indian Computer Science Transfer Degree Program*
Authors: Cleave N. Van
Published: January 2013

From 1995 to 1997, a culturally relevant transfer degree program was developed at a tribally controlled Community College in Minnesota. Broad traditional values held in common by most indigenous peoples formed the backbone of the project. These values led to the formulation of several significant components of culturally sensitive programs, which were enhanced by classroom practices adopted and distilled during more than two decades of teaching from middle school to the graduate level. Many of these coincided with and reinforced traditional American Indian values. In addition, practical lessons were learned while creating this new model of education. Our conclusion: the core of minority‐centered education should be good teaching strategies applied to a specific population but applicable to and effective for all students.
Learners as Knowledge Workers—Some Implications*
Authors: Broberg Anders
Published: January 2013

Traditionally, behavioristic models have been used for the design of interactive learning environments. In contrast, this paper proposes a pedagogical model based on social constructionism and phenomenology which we believe is more adequate when, for instance, information seeking and WWW become natural components in the learning situation. In this model, learners are seen as persons who continuously alter their conceptions and ideas by working with data, information, and knowledge, i.e. learners as knowledge workers. The most important point in viewing learners as knowledge workers is exactly that the learners change their understanding by working with the information, and that they do that with the help of cognitive tools. I see it as a necessity that the learning environment consists of tools that support them in their learning processes: tools for constructing, processing and observing information, data, and knowledge. Equally important in this new kind of learning situation are tools to establish and maintain focus, manage information overload, to bridge distances in the learning situation, and to communicate.
Making Engineering Education Fun
Authors: Higley K.A. , Marianno C.M.
Published: January 2013

Maintaining student interest is more than an academic exercise. Institutions or departments that fail to challenge and actively involve their students in the learning process risk losing them to competing programs where the curricula are more dynamic and relevant. Within the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Oregon State University, we continually seek innovative ways to promote student retention while maintaining academic excellence. One recent effort was to restructure a first‐year nuclear engineering/health physics course. Using nuclear techniques, students were required to solve a fictitious murder. In the process they learned about teamwork, nuclear forensics methods, radiation protection, and basic radiation interactions. The class members were brought into the mystery playing the part of “graduate students” who helped their police‐detective uncle solve the case. To assist in their investigation the students subpoenaed expert “witnesses” to educate them on nuclear principles. The students, through homework, explained their actions, methods, and reasoning to a nontechnical participant (their “uncle“). By building on knowledge gained through interviews and homework, the students were able to solve the mystery. This mode of teaching requires extensive hands‐on faculty participation. However, the potential long‐term benefit is increased comprehension of course content as well as greater student interest and retention.
Developing a Systems Approach to Engineering Problem Solving and Design of Experiments in a Racecar‐Based Laboratory Course
Authors: Lyons Jed , Young Edward F.
Published: January 2013

A capstone mechanical engineering laboratory course is being implemented at the University of South Carolina that develops the student's abilities to analyze complex mechanical and thermal systems, to design experiments, and to develop their professional skills. The course is based upon an integrated sequence of laboratory experiments on a Legends‐class racecar. This vehicle is chosen as the system of study because it provides opportunities for the students to apply the spectrum of their mechanical engineering knowledge. It's also exciting to the students. As the students progress through the series of experiments, they are increasingly involved in experimental design (selecting sensors, sensor locations and experimental operating conditions). The course culminates in a truly open‐ended design of an experiment of their choosing. This course development project is supported by the National Science Foundation's Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement Program, the NSF's Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement Program, and the University of South Carolina. This paper describes the work in progress.
Collaborative Learning vs. Lecture/Discussion: Students' Reported Learning Gains*
Authors: Terenzini Patrick T. , Cabrera Alberto F. , Colbeck Carol L. , Parente John M. , Bjorklund Stefani A.
Published: January 2013

This study examined the extent to which undergraduate engineering courses taught using active and collaborative learning methods differ from traditional lecture and discussion courses in their ability to promote the development of students' engineering design, problem‐solving, communication, and group participation skills. Evidence for the study comes from 480 students enrolled in 17 active or collaborative learning courses/sections and six traditional courses/sections at six engineering schools. Results indicate that active or collaborative methods produce both statistically significant and substantially greater gains in student learning than those associated with more traditional instructional methods. These learning advantages remained even when differences in a variety of student pre‐course characteristics were controlled.
Transforming the Engineering Curriculum: Lessons Learned from a Summer at Boeing
Authors: Gorman Michael E. , Johnson Vicki S. , Ben‐Arieh David , Bhattacharyya Shankar , Eberhart Scott , Glower Jacob , Hoffmann Klaus , Kanda Arun , Kuh Anthony , Lim Tae Wook , Lyrintzis Anastasios , Mavris Dimitri , Schmeckpeper Edwin , Varghese Philip , Wang Yu (Michael)
Published: January 2013

The Boeing Corporation conducts an A.D. Welliver summer fellowship program for engineering educators. This article describes the lessons learned by the 1998 summer Fellows. These include increasing emphasis on cost, communications and continuous learning, modifying faculty promotion guidelines to honor collaboration in teaching and research, and collaborating with industry on exit criteria. Eventually, industry has to become a partner in the educational process. The Fellows unanimously agreed that the Welliver Program was a valuable experience.
Ethics Instruction in Engineering Education: A (Mini) Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Haws David R.
Published: January 2013

What are the objectives of engineering ethics? How is it being taught and how might instruction be more effective? The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) annual conference proceedings (1996–1999) contain 42 papers that treat engineering ethics as a coherent educational objective. Some of these papers disclose small components that seem to be part of a larger ethics curriculum. Other papers discuss engineering courses that are clearly the department's major ethics commitment. While it would be inappropriate to assume that the 42 papers represent the only means by which engineering students receive ethics instruction, these papers do present a variety of more‐or‐less defensible approaches and certainly the major intentional approaches of engineering curricula. This paper will develop an analysis of the 42 articles, including a discussion of where ethics is being taught (from both a chronological, and disciplinary perspective), and the six pedagogical approaches used to transfer an understanding of ethics to the student. These approaches include professional codes, humanist readings, theoretical grounding, ethical heuristics, case studies, and service learning. These six approaches will also be analyzed in terms of their promise to develop the ethical competencies needed by engineers.
In Pursuit of Excellence and Gender Equality: Engineering Education at Kuwait University
Authors: Al‐Sanad Hasan A. , Koushki Parviz A.
Published: January 2013

The multi‐dimensional effort in the pursuit of excellence in engineering education at Kuwait University is described. The engineering program curricula have continuously been modified to provide engineering students with an intellectual foundation that is broad, well‐rounded, and multi‐disciplinary. He pursuit of excellence in engineering education has earned the College ABET's “substantial equivalency” rating for six of its programs.

Women constitute more than forty percent of the incoming engineering student body in recent years. A comprehensive questionnaire survey of the alumni of the College of Engineering was performed. Nearly all of engineering women alumnae are presently employed and a majority feel that the education and training, which they received from the engineering programs, were excellent and responsive to the needs of their jobs. A clear majority of women alumnae also feel equal (or even superior), to their male counterparts with regard to job‐related factors. The feeling of equality is positively and significantly correlated with GPA, field of specialization, and years of experience.
Sloan Foundation Scholarship Program: Mentoring Undergraduates toward Doctoral Degrees
Authors: Colucci‐Ríos José A. , Briano Julio
Published: January 2013

In the last decade rapid advances and complex nature of new and improved technologies and fierce competition are demanding a more profound expertise at all professional levels in Chemical Engineering related industries. Graduate programs are an attractive option to fill this need. This and other factors led the chemical engineering department at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez campus to implement several programs and initiatives in order to encourage students to pursue doctoral degrees. A key component of this strategy is the Sloan Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship Program. During the first three years a significant increase (from 2 to 10% of the graduating BS class) resulted in those continuing to graduate school. The main components of the program are mentoring, undergraduate research, summer internships, and graduate school orientation seminars.
An Alternative Paradigm–Taking A Live Undergraduate Engineering Program Off‐Campus
Authors: Peterson William R.
Published: January 2013

This paper chronicles the first four years of offering courses in a manufacturing engineering bachelor's degree program and the first group of students graduating from this program. The program was designed to meet the specific needs of manufacturers in the western Michigan area where it is offered. The program—a joint effort of Western Michigan University, Muskegon Community College, and local industry—was offered exclusively at one of the university's regional centers located on a community college campus. Some lessons learned are presented.
Amoco Computer Simulation in Chemical Engineering Education
Authors: Mackenzie J. G. , Earl W. B. , Allen R. M. , Gilmour I. A.
Published: January 2013

Computer simulation of a chemical plant can provide students with a different learning environment, where they can investigate and understand the plant by changing the values of variables and observing responses. The Amoco Computer Simulation Model is a computer‐based simulation of the Amoco Resid Hydrotreater that has been used as the final assignment for the chemical engineering design course taken by third year students at the University of Canterbury. This project allowed students to further develop their problem solving skills, implementing some of the techniques taught earlier in the course. Students investigated the chemical process by gathering data, performing data analysis and validating their results on the pilot plant. A control strategy was developed and tested to simulate the start up of a single reactor, controlling the operating conditions manually to reach steady state, and then ceasing control of the system, noting time elapsed before automatic shut down after 40 hours. Another important aspect of the project was that students worked together in groups of three, which the majority of students enjoyed. A questionnaire administered at the end of the course measured student responses to this learning experience. Tests, before and after using the simulation, assessed the learning outcome, and showed a significant improvement.
Reverse Engineering and Redesign: Courses to Incrementally and Systematically Teach Design
Authors: Wood Kristin L. , Jensen Daniel , Bezdek Joseph , Otto Kevin N.
Published: January 2013

A variety of design‐process and design‐methods courses exist in engineering education. The primary objective of such courses is to teach engineering design fundamentals utilizing repeatable design techniques. By so doing, students obtain (1) tools they may employ during their education, (2) design experiences to understand the “big picture” of engineering, and (3) proven methods to attack open‐ended problems. While these skills are worthwhile, especially as design courses are moved earlier in curricula, many students report that design methods are typically taught at a high‐level and in a compartmentalized fashion. Often, the students' courses do not include opportunities to obtain incremental concrete experiences with the methods. Nor do such courses allow for suitable observation and reflection as the methods are executed. In this paper, we describe a new approach for teaching design methods that addresses these issues. This approach incorporates hands‐on experiences through the use of “reverse‐engineering” projects. As the fundamentals of design techniques are presented, students immediately apply the methods to actual, existing products. They are able to hold these products physically in their hands, dissect them, perform experiments on their components, and evolve them into new successful creations. Based on this reverse‐engineering concept, we have developed and tested new courses at The University of Texas, MIT, and the United States Air Force Academy. In the body of this paper, we present the structure of these courses, an example of our teaching approach, and an evaluation of the results.
Mentoring Engineering Students: Turning Pebbles into Diamonds*
Authors: Vesilind P. Aarne
Published: January 2013

Mentoring differs from advising in that a personal relationship is established between the student and the professor, and this relationship may last for many years after the student's graduation. Very often it is difficult to define both what mentoring is and how a professor can become a good mentor to students. This paper describes some attributes of mentoring and suggests how one might become a good mentor to students.
ABET Program Criteria: Review and Assessment for a Civil Engineering Program
Authors: Koehn Enno “Ed”
Published: January 2013

Recently, the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) sponsored programs to recommend changes for the engineering curriculum. In addition, various other studies, such as that conducted by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), investigated methods to strengthen undergraduate education.

The present investigation is based on a study of Lamar University civil engineering undergraduate and graduate students as well as practicing alumni. The findings suggest that all three groups, practicing engineers as well as undergraduate and graduate students, perceive that some subject areas are more important than others. For example, greater than 40% of each group identified four subject areas that presently receive or should receive a high level of coverage in the civil engineering curriculum. They include: mathematics through calculus and differential equations; structural and geotechnical engineering; and major design experience or course. In addition, more than 40% of the undergraduates and practicing engineers also perceive that hydraulics/hydrology/water resources presently receive or should receive a high level of coverage. In contrast, graduate students and practitioners also believe that construction management/surveying, and structural/materials and hydraulics laboratories receive or should receive a high level of coverage. These results suggest strong support for the traditional technical aspect of engineering. In addition, they may be interpreted as positive reinforcement for the Engineering Criteria 2000 program requirements. Nevertheless, all three groups rate professional practice issues at a relatively lower percentage. The foregoing are among the various subjects that have been included in the Civil and Similarly Named Engineering Program Criteria that have been adopted by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as criteria that must be considered in order to satisfy the requirements of an accredited civil engineering degree.
Strategies for Improving the Classroom Environment*
Authors: Finelli Cynthia J. , Klinger Allen , Budny Dan D.
Published: January 2013

This paper describes some strategies for the educator seeking to better his/her classroom effectiveness. It was inspired by one of the technical sessions of the 29th Annual IEEE/ASEE Frontiers in Education Conference in which over a dozen experienced college instructors engaged in a roundtable discussion of ways to improve a classroom environment. In this paper, those ideas are discussed and then supplemented with general advice and specific suggestions from the experience of the authors. The paper concludes with a bibliography of related reference material from a wide variety of educational sources.
A Technology‐Enhanced Learning Environment for an Optical Fiber Communications Course*
Authors: Hinton H. Scott , Gonzalez Roberto , Tedder Laura L. , Karandikar Sandeep , Behl Harpreet , Smith Paul C. , Wilbanks John , Humphrey James , Gordon Murray , Lightner Michael
Published: January 2013

This paper describes a technology‐enhanced learning environment for an undergraduate course on Optical Fiber Communications (http:ctle.colorado.edunsf2000).
Re‐Use or Re‐Invent? Understanding and Supporting Learning from Experience of Peers in a Product Development Community*
Authors: Liang Tao , Bell David G. , Leifer Larry J.
Published: January 2013

In this paper, we describe usage patterns of a design information system, and discuss issues of learning from experience of peers through socially and technologically mediated interactions in a product development community. The study spanned from 1994–1999 and involved a graduate level project‐based course at Stanford University. A web‐based design information system was put in place to enable project teams to store design information, and to access information previously stored by their peer teams from the current year and from prior years. Quantitative analyses of access logs to the system identified patterns of usage, and qualitative interviews identified social issues on such usage. The analyses answer two underlying assumptions associated with such systems to show that with regards to re‐use: 1) more data do not correlate with more usage, and 2) more usage does not necessarily correlate with higher performance, except when over a longer‐term basis. Additionally, patterns of usage show a significantly higher ratio of access to process‐related files than to project‐related files, and show a temporal access pattern that is demand‐driven and closely matches project deliverables and milestones. User interviews identified social factors that significantly influence how teams use the system, such as teaching staff recommending particular information to particular teams.
Virtual Reality and Learning by Design: Tools for Integrating Mechanical Engineering Concepts*
Authors: Impelluso Tom , Metoyer‐Guidry Tina
Published: January 2013

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at San Diego State University recently began to redesign its introductory courses in mechanical engineering. The objectives of these newly designed courses are to incorporate the “learner as designer” strategy and engage students in real‐world applications in order to positively impact student motivation and conceptual understanding of mechanical engineering concepts. To achieve these objectives, the courses are designed to use virtual reality as a tool that integrates the fundamental concepts of design, analysis, and manufacturing. The first implementation of one of these courses afforded an opportunity to study a particular type of “learner as designer” strategy‐the “learner as instructional designer strategy.” This paper describes the four courses and the impact of the “learner as instructional designer strategy” on students' conceptual understanding of and attitude towards mechanical engineering concepts.
Using the Affinity Research Group Model to Involve Undergraduate Students in Computer Science Research*
Authors: Teller Patricia J. , Gates Ann Q.
Published: January 2013

The Affinity Research Group model is an attractive vehicle for involving undergraduates in research, retaining them, and fostering their interest in higher education. Using this model, students are given opportunities to develop, employ, and integrate knowledge and skills required for research with knowledge and skills required for cooperative work. Potential adopters of the model often inquire about the feasibility of applying the model in a field like computer science, in which it often is the case that a student must have a solid academic foundation in order to be involved in research. This paper addresses this question by illustrating how the model has been applied to computer science research projects that involve students with different skill levels and experience. In particular, the paper presents example structured tasks and related activities that demonstrate how students develop domain expertise, gain an understanding and appreciation of the research process and its practice, and acquire technical, team, communication, problem‐solving, and higher‐level thinking skills.
A K‐12/University Partnership: Creating Tomorrow's Engineers*
Authors: DeGrazia Janet L. , Sullivan Jacquelyn F. , Carlson Lawrence E. , Carlson Denise W.
Published: January 2013

Supported by the National Science Foundation, the GK‐12 Fellows program at the University of Colorado at Boulder explores innovative ways for engineering graduate students to use engineering as the vehicle to provide K‐12 classroom instruction and hands‐on experiences that integrate physical sciences, mathematics, engineering and technology. Engineering “Fellows” fill a crucial gap in the two‐way exchange of content and pedagogy between the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the K‐12 community of learners. The active presence of real world, engineering role models in K‐12 classrooms improves the quality of math and science content, and introduces engineering to teachers and young students as a potential career path. Working through the University's graduate program legitimizes K‐12 outreach as a valid, and satisfying, academic endeavor for graduate students.
Developing Aspiring Engineers into Budding Entrepreneurs: An Invention and Innovation Course*
Authors: Sullivan Jacquelyn F. , Carlson Lawrence E. , Carlson Denise W.
Published: January 2013

Our invention and innovation course for engineering students cultivates an understanding of the entrepreneurship and invention world through a hands‐on introduction to product design and development. A pervasive emphasis on team dynamics as well as on the processes of design, invention and innovation fosters an environment that produces successful teams and inventions. This paper describes objectives and components of the elective course, development of high‐performance invention teams, course evaluation, assessment tools and results, and lessons learned.

Students working in teams design and build an invention of their choice, and explore entrepreneurial topics such as profitability, marketing, sources for capital, and patenting. Creating business feasibility studies leads each team to estimate the manufacturing cost of their product and forecast potential sales revenues and profits. A two‐week, low‐risk introductory creativity and design project provides an early opportunity for creative expression, as well as insight into individuals' contribution and effectiveness in a team environment.

Our course was inspired and initially supported by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). Some student teams have subsequently received NCIIA product development funding.
Interdisciplinary Laboratory in Advanced Materials: A Team‐Oriented Inquiry‐Based Approach
Authors: Biernacki Joseph J. , Wilson Christopher D.
Published: January 2013

Few opportunities exist in most undergraduate engineering curricula for students of different disciplines, even within engineering, to work together. This project demonstrates a way to interject such activities by bringing together students across disciplines from otherwise independent courses. In this first phase of activities at Tennessee Technological University (TTU), chemical engineering (ChE) students from a required laboratory course and mechanical engineering (ME) students from a design elective were brought together in a common interdisciplinary‐team inquiry‐based term project. This report summarizes the course objectives and structure, offers a brief synopsis of the outcomes and direction for the project.