bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Engineering Freshman Enrollments: Critical and Non‐critical Factors
Authors: Heckel Richard W. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractFreshman enrollment and bachelors degree data over the last three decades for all undergraduates as well as engineering students are analyzed and compared to variations in the numbers of high school graduates. Engineering enrollment data trends are shown to differ significantly from those of undergraduates as a whole and to exhibit little correlation with trends in high school graduation data. Freshman engineering enrollments show a very strong correlation with factors which might indicate to high school students the magnitude of their personal economic gain such as on‐campus industrial interviewing intensity, annual growth in starting salaries and starting salary levels relative to average salaries of all undergraduates. No correlation between engineering freshman enrollments and national economic conditions as measured by the Gross Domestic Product or unemployment was found. Implications of the correlation between freshman enrollments and perceived personal economic reward are considered in terms of strategies for recruiting freshmen, student performance in engineering curricula and trends for the future.
Women Faculty in Engineering: Changing the Academic Climate
Authors: Trautner Janice J. , Chou Karen C. , Yates Janet K. , Stalnaker Judith 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThis paper presents selected results from a unique conference “Facing Issues: Women Faculty in the Structural Engineering Professions,” with supporting documentation from literature. The conference was held in April, 1993 and was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Division of Civil and Mechanical Systems. Gender‐specific issues that were of interest to the female faculty and professional engineers who attended the conference are reviewed and discussed. These issues are bias, lack of professionalism shown toward women faculty, isolation, visibility/invisibility, patronization, faculty spouse issues, and other women not acknowledging women engineers. Suggestions and recommendations on how to increase the number of women recruited and, more importantly, retained on engineering faculties are offered to women faculty, colleagues and supervisors of women faculty, university administrators, and funding agencies.
Computer‐Assisted Distance Learning, Part II: Examination Performance of Students On and Off Campus
Authors: Davis James L. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractTechnical Japanese courses taught to engineering students at the University of Wisconsin‐Madison were offered to professionals at corporations and government laboratories around the United States over a period of nine semesters via audiographic teleconferencing and interactive satellite broadcasts. Examination scores by students from three groups (campus, audiographics, satellite) were analyzed statistically on a semester‐by‐semester basis. In only two of the eight semesters in which a course was offered via audio‐graphics was there a discernible difference (at the 5% level) between the scores of the audiographics students and the scores of the campus students. In one instance the scores of the students on campus were higher; in the other instance the scores of the students at the remote sites were higher. Over the five semesters in which a course was offered via interactive satellite broadcasts there was no semester in which the difference in scores between the satellite group and the campus group was statistically significant (at the 5% level). The results of this study support the assertion that students at remote sites in a well‐planned distance education program can achieve a performance comparable to that of students who receive on‐site instruction.
Interactive Multimedia Courseware and the Hands‐on Learning Experience: An Assessment Study
Authors: Regan Melissa , Sheppard Sheri 
Published: January 2013

AbstractAn Experimental Bicycle Dissection Exercise was designed in which students perform an abbreviated and slightly altered version of the “Bicycle Dissection Exercise” offered in the Stanford course, “Mechanical Dissection.” Like the formal course version of the Exercise, student groups were supplied with a bicycle, tools, a manual, and an assigned set of questions; unlike the formal course Exercise, groups in the Experimental Exercise were also supplied with a multimedia stack that explained (through graphics, text, sound and movies) various aspects of the bicycle. This multimedia stack was created to enrich the dissection experience by providing information and background on the mechanics of bicycles. Three groups of students were videotaped performing this Experimental Bicycle Dissection Exercise. The videotapes were then evaluated by a multidisciplinary group of reviewers using a technique called Video Interaction Analysis (VIA). This paper presents a summary of the experimental assessment process and our findings regarding the educational value of the multimedia courseware in exercises with a hands‐on component.
The Future of Safety and Health in Engineering Education
Authors: Dembe Allard E. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractDespite calls for the integration of safety into engineering curricula and the establishment of ABET requirements for safety‐related instruction, few engineering colleges have instituted formal course offerings focusing on safety and health. Impediments include the lack of room for additional coursework in the standard curriculum, the perceived unavailability of qualified faculty and instructional materials, and a widespread conviction among faculty and administrators that safety is not critical to an engineering education. Attempts to address this need by developing special instructional safety modules or enrolling students in full‐semester safety courses have met with limited success. An alternative approach is to use safety‐related examples and case studies to portray conventional engineering principles. Rather than separating safety instruction into a distinct course or modules, this approach would present safety principles as a fully‐integrated part of traditional engineering practice. To make this idea a reality, appropriate examples and cases will need to be developed and disseminated. In addition, industry involvement, government backing, and financial support is required.
Industrial Experience: Its Role in Faculty Commitment to Teaching
Authors: Fairweather James , Paulson Karen 
Published: January 2013

AbstractUsing national survey data for full‐time faculty in engineering and the natural sciences, this paper examines whether previous work experience in industry affects faculty attitudes and behaviors toward teaching and research. The results show that across type of institution and irrespective of seniority, faculty with industrial experience spend a greater percentage of their time on teaching above and beyond their work assignment, are more likely to teach undergraduates, are less likely to think about changing jobs to spend more time on research, and are less likely to believe that publishing should be the primary criterion in promotion and tenure decisions. These results suggest that efforts to enhance the value of teaching in engineering and the natural sciences cannot be addressed solely through efforts to reform the attitudes of existing faculty. Instead, adding experience in industry as an important criterion in hiring new faculty may be fundamental to changing the existing culture and to placing greater emphasis on teaching.
Outcomes Assessment in Engineering Education
Authors: Shaeiwitz Joseph A. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractOutcomes assessment is a method for determining whether students have learned, have retained, and can apply what they have been taught. Assessment plans have three components: a statement of educational goals, multiple measures of achievement of the goals, and use of the resulting information to improve the education process. The results of outcomes assessment are part of a feedback loop in which faculty are provided with information that they can use to improve both their teaching and student learning. The experience of the Department of Chemical Engineering at West Virginia University is used as an example of how an assessment plan is developed and implemented. Examples of multiple measures of student learning outcomes and how the resulting information is used are presented. The resulting feedback loop allows for corrections to be made in specific classes if deficiencies are found, and indicates when remedial action should be taken to ensure that students do not graduate until a minimum level of competency is achieved.
Experimental Curriculum in Diagnostics and Control of Unsteady Flows
Authors: Komerath Narayananm. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractTo be a successful experimenter, the engineer must continually learn and integrate concepts and skills from various disciplines. Unconventional techniques are needed to overcome traditional obstacles and integrate such experimental learning into the crowded undergraduate curriculum, and to tie the curriculum to the leading edge of technology. This paper describes the experiments and learning methods of a Flow Imaging and Control Laboratory and the integration of its products into the fluid dynamics curriculum. Obstacles to laboratory development were circumvented by empowering students and applying an iterative approach both to the development of the program and to the methods of learning. New courses in diagnostics and control of fluid dynamics were developed and tested. A visual database has been established as a vehicle to continually integrate research advances into the curriculum. A mechanism for self‐sustainment and evolution of the curriculum has been devised. Learning fluid dynamics is improved by providing visual access to the dynamics of fluids, enhancing hands‐on participation, integrating flow control problems, and enabling resonance between research and undergraduate education.
Collaborating with a Medical School to Assess Occupational Health and Safety Content in an Engineering Curriculum
Authors: McKnight Robert H. , Donnelly Carol , Cole Henry P. , Ross I. J. , Piercy Larry R. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractA research center in the College of Medicine assisted the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department in the assessment of occupational health and safety instruction in the undergraduate agricultural engineering curriculum. An interdisciplinary team developed a questionnaire to explore three facets of health and safety instruction: 1) content and placement in the curriculum, 2) reasons for teaching occupational health and safety, and 3) adequacy of teaching resources. The questionnaire was pilot tested using agricultural engineering faculty and technicians from a large land grant university. Responses to the questionnaire revealed strengths and weaknesses in the curriculum regarding occupational health and safety instruction. The questionnaire will be expanded and further tested with a broader subject base. This cooperative effort demonstrates that medical schools can be a valuable resource to engineering schools who are looking for ways to improve occupational health and safety instruction in their curricula.
A Review of Literature on Teaching Engineering Design Through Project‐Oriented Capstone Courses
Authors: Dutson Alan J. , Todd Robert H. , Magleby Spencer P. , Sorensen Carl D. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractTeaching engineering design through senior project or capstone engineering courses has increased in recent years. The trend toward increasing the design component in engineering curricula is part of an effort to better prepare graduates for engineering practice. This paper describes the standard practices and current state of capstone design education throughout the country as revealed through a literature search of over 100 papers relating to engineering design courses. Major topics include the development of capstone design courses, course descriptions, project information, details of industrial involvement, and special aspects of team‐oriented design projects. An extensive list of references is provided.
Engaging Freshmen Through Advisor Seminars
Authors: Merritt Travis R. , Murman Earll M. , Friedman Donna L. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractA little more than a decade ago, MIT initiated a program of Freshman Advisor Seminars (FAS) in response to the need for improved academic advising and intellectual diversity in the freshman year. FAS build on a “very small group” learning model by bringing eight advisees together with an advisor (normally a faculty member) and an upperclass associate advisor for a weekly, informal seminar on one of a wide variety of leader‐chosen topics. FAS have become the dominant mode of first year advising at MIT, with approximately 90% of the freshman class enrolled in 135 different seminars during the 1996‐97 Academic Year. This paper introduces the MIT FAS program, sets forth its origins and its goals, and presents a case study of its implementation within one MIT academic department. Some lessons learned are extracted from the study.
The Nuts and Bolts of Cooperative Learning in Engineering
Authors: Mourtos Nikos J. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractA great number of engineering students work alone most of the time. This is in sharp contrast with industry where most of the work is performed in teams. The ability to work in a team effectively is not acquired automatically. It takes interpersonal and social skills which need to be developed and practiced. In addition, research shows that the student‐student interaction, often neglected in traditional ways of teaching, is a most effective way of learning. Thus, it is imperative that we encourage our students to work with each other in their efforts to achieve their educational goals. In this paper I discuss my experience with Cooperative Learning (CL) in a variety of engineering courses during the last four years. The discussion includes benefits and problems along with possible solutions. Lastly, I have made an effort to evaluate the impact of CL on student performance and attitude.
The Emerging Faculty as Team
Authors: Rudd Walter G. , Pancake Cherri M. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe Computer Science Department at Oregon State University is re‐examining faculty roles and the relationships between individual faculty members and the department and university. The result is a system for deciding upon faculty activities that makes more effective use of individual faculty members' talents and interests. The scheme aims to help faculty members enhance their own performance and progress in their careers while the overall performance of the department is increased. The primary features of the system are a revision and re‐allocation of long‐term individual responsibilities and a task‐oriented approach to schedule short‐term faculty activities. While the plan was implemented only recently, preliminary results are encouraging.
The Learning Factory—A New Approach to Integrating Design and Manufacturing into the Engineering Curriculum
Authors: Lamancusa John S. , Jorgensen Jens E. , Zayas‐Castro Jose L. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe Learning Factory is a new practice‐based curriculum and physical facilities for product realization. Its goal is to provide an improved educational experience that emphasizes the interdependency of manufacturing and design in a business environment. The Learning Factory is the product of the Manufacturing Engineering Education Partnership (MEEP). This partnership is a unique collaboration of three major universities with strong engineering programs (Penn State, University of Puerto Rico‐Mayaguez, University of Washington), a premier high‐technology government laboratory (Sandia National Laboratories), over 100 corporate partners covering a wide spectrum of U.S. Industries, and the federal government that provided funding for this project through the ARPA Technology Reinvestment Program. As a result of this initiative, over 14,000 square feet of Learning Factory facilities have been built or renovated across the partner schools. In the first two years of operation, the Learning Factories have served over 2600 students. Four new courses, and a revamped senior projects course which integrate manufacturing, design and business concerns and make use of these facilities have been instituted. These courses are an integral part of a new curriculum option in Product Realization. The courses were developed by a unique team approach and their materials are available electronically over the World Wide Web. Industry partners provide real‐world problems and are the customers for students in our senior capstone design courses. As of December 1996, over 200 interdisciplinary projects have been completed across the three schools. These projects involve teams of students from Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical Engineering and Business. Forty‐three faculty members, across five time zones, are engaged in this effort.
Faculty Mentoring: A Unique Approach to Training Graduate Students How to Teach
Authors: Sherwood Juli L. , Petersen James N. , Grandzielwski Julie M. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractA summary of the motivations and observations of a recent faculty mentoring project designed to provide a graduate student with practical teaching experience is provided. The motivation for the project, the approach taken, and the results of the project are described from the perspective of the faculty mentor, the student trainee, and the student being taught in the class.
Characteristics of Freshman Engineering Students: Models for Determining Student Attrition in Engineering
Authors: Besterfield‐Sacre Mary , Atman Cynthia J. , Shuman Larry J. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractNationwide, less than half the freshman who start in engineering graduate in engineering, and at least half of this attrition occurs during the freshman year. Clearly, the freshman year is critical for both academic success and retention of engineering students. Such success depends not only on the knowledge and skills learned during this first year, but also on the attitudes individual students bring with them to college. Hence, if these attitudes can be measured before beginning college, we can develop more targeted programs for reducing attrition and improving academic success. Further, by measuring changes in student attitude over the course of the freshman year, we can develop better methods to evaluate engineering education programs.To learn more about these attitudes and how they impact upon retention, we undertook a three‐year research effort. First we identified attitudes incoming students have about the field of engineering, their perceptions about the upcoming educational experience, and their confidence in their ability to succeed in engineering. These attitudes were then related to performance and retention in the freshman engineering program. To accomplish this, a closedform survey was developed, tested and administered to the 1993–94 and 1994–95 freshman engineering classes. This study demonstrated that student attitudes can provide an effective means for evaluating aspects of our freshman engineering program, particularly those relating to issues of attrition. Specifically, students who left the freshman engineering program in “good academic standing” had significantly different attitudes about engineering and themselves than those possessed by other comparison groups: students who stayed in engineering and students who left engineering in “poor academic standing.”We developed regression models to predict attrition and performance in our freshman engineering program using quantified measures of student attitudes. Implementation of the models has allowed freshman advisors to better inform students of opportunities that engineering offers, to devise better programs of study that take advantage of students' varied interests, and to set retention goals that are more realistic.
Design and Computational Methods in Basic Mechanics Courses
Authors: Brinson L. Cate , Belytschko Ted , Moran Brian , Black Tom 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThis paper describes the changes incorporated in experimental versions of the two basic mechanics courses in the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University to increase the design and computer content. These Statics and Strength of Materials classes include linear algebra, an introduction to matrix methods of structural analysis including truss elements in one and two dimensions, and the constant strain triangle. Design analysis projects are also added to the courses. We describe the new material, what has been eliminated, and our reasons for these choices. Examples of computer projects, students' reactions, and plans for the future are also summarized.
A Comparative Assessment of Students'Experiences in Two Instructional Formats of an Introductory Materials Science Course
Authors: Demetry Chrysanthe , Groccia James E. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractAn educational experiment at Worcester Polytechnic Institute is described in which the instruction of the Introduction to Materials Science course (ES2001) was modified to incorporate active and cooperative learning. The overall goal was simultaneously to enhance educational quality and faculty productivity. Aspects of the course modification included use of “active” rather than traditional lectures, assignment of students to cooperative learning teams, introduction of a “product dissection project,” and a “teacher as manager” approach to instruction, in which undergraduate Peer Learning Assistants and the graduate Teaching Assistant took on responsibilities as part of the instructional team. Data were gathered from 382 students in three traditional course offerings and two active/cooperative offerings, using various survey instruments to measure students' learning and performance, attitudes about learning, interest in materials science, and their satisfaction with the course.
Bridge Engineering for the Elementary Grades
Authors: Carroll Douglas R. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractA one hour presentation was developed to get elementary school students interested in engineering. The presentation begins with the students building a six feet long, structurally sound bridge which they can crawl across. A pictorial presentation helps them learn to identify some of the different types of bridges: truss, stone arch, steel arch, concrete girder, cable‐stayed, and suspension. They are introduced to the fundamental engineering concepts of tension and compression. These concepts are reinforced by demonstrating that if a tension member is replaced with a chain then the bridge is still strong, but if a compression member is replaced with a chain the bridge will collapse. The presentation was integrated into the engineering curriculum by having senior design groups develop new bridge concepts and introduce new ideas into the presentation. This project provides a good senior design problem and helps keep the program fresh and interesting for the grade school children.