bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Making Engineering Education Fun
Authors: Higley K.A. , Marianno C.M. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractMaintaining 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

AbstractA 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

AbstractThis 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

AbstractThe 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

AbstractWhat 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

AbstractThe 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

AbstractIn 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

AbstractThis 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

AbstractComputer 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

AbstractA 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

AbstractMentoring 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

AbstractRecently, 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

AbstractThis 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

AbstractThis 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

AbstractIn 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

AbstractThe 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

AbstractThe 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

AbstractSupported 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

AbstractOur 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

AbstractFew 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.