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Full-Text Articles in Education

The Honour House Project: Reservist Re-Entry Program, Sarah A. Rajala, Kevin J. Wainwright, Barbara E. Endicott-Popovsky Jun 2011

The Honour House Project: Reservist Re-Entry Program, Sarah A. Rajala, Kevin J. Wainwright, Barbara E. Endicott-Popovsky

Sarah A. Rajala

Both the United States and Canada invest a great deal of resources in the training of their military personal. Many of the skills and experiences accumulated by soldiers are those that are highly valued by civilian employers. Further, these skills are often embodied in academic programs, suggesting soldiers would have a comparative advantage in such programs; however, despite the efforts of government agencies, many soldiers are unable to convert their skills and training into meaningful careers. While there are several reasons why individuals leaving military duty have trouble re-integrating into work and education, one of the major obstacles is the …


Alternative Approach To Assessing Military Training For Advanced Placement Into Engineering And Technology Programs, Kevin James Wainwright, Barbara Ellen Endicott-Popovsky, Sarah A. Rajala Jun 2011

Alternative Approach To Assessing Military Training For Advanced Placement Into Engineering And Technology Programs, Kevin James Wainwright, Barbara Ellen Endicott-Popovsky, Sarah A. Rajala

Sarah A. Rajala

Both the United States and Canada invest a great deal of resources in the training of their military personal. Many of the skills and experiences accumulated by soldiers are those that are highly valued by civilian employers. Further, these skills are often embodied in academic programs, suggesting soldiers would have a comparative advantage in such programs; however, despite the efforts of government agencies, many soldiers are unable to convert their skills and training into meaningful careers. While there are several reasons why individuals leaving military duty have trouble re-integrating into work and education, one of the major obstacles is the …


Ifees: Enhancing Engineering Education At A Global Scale, Lueny Morrell, Claudio Borri, Hans J. Hoyer, Sarah A. Rajala, Seeram Ramakrishna, Xavier Fouger, Bruno Laporte, José Carlos Quadrado, Maria M. Larrondo Petrie, Duncan Mckenzie Frasier Oct 2008

Ifees: Enhancing Engineering Education At A Global Scale, Lueny Morrell, Claudio Borri, Hans J. Hoyer, Sarah A. Rajala, Seeram Ramakrishna, Xavier Fouger, Bruno Laporte, José Carlos Quadrado, Maria M. Larrondo Petrie, Duncan Mckenzie Frasier

Sarah A. Rajala

Engineering and technology play a key role in globalization as developed and developing countries develop and implement effective and efficient strategies that advance their economies and social development. Engineering has played a critical role in economic development in the history of civilization, because engineers are important not only in solving local problems but also in knowledge creation and knowledge transfer. Thus, science and technology education need to be in continuous evolvement in order to keep assisting countries reduce poverty, boost socio-economic development and make the right decisions for sustainable and environmentally compatible development. In a flat world, a global approach …


An Integrated Living And Learning Community For First And Second Year Undergraduate Women In Science & Engineering, Katherine Titus-Becker, Sarah A. Rajala, Laura Bottomley, Dianne Raubenheimer, Jo-Ann Cohen, Kala Bullett, Susan Grant, Fay Cobb Payton, Barbara Kirby, Adrianna Kirkman, Wendy Krause, Carrie Thomas Jun 2007

An Integrated Living And Learning Community For First And Second Year Undergraduate Women In Science & Engineering, Katherine Titus-Becker, Sarah A. Rajala, Laura Bottomley, Dianne Raubenheimer, Jo-Ann Cohen, Kala Bullett, Susan Grant, Fay Cobb Payton, Barbara Kirby, Adrianna Kirkman, Wendy Krause, Carrie Thomas

Sarah A. Rajala

The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Village combines a group living experience with resident, upper-class mentors who assist in the transition to university life. Programs for the WISE community are designed to promote academic success, foster the formation of lasting relationships with fellow students, professors and mentors, and provide out-of-classroom experiences. The WISE Village is a supportive environment in which women engage in focused inquiry within their disciplines and develop the skills and talents necessary to become successful students and professionals in STEM fields. When the WISE Village began in 2003, it was as a partnership with University Housing, …


The Development Of Undergraduate Distance Education Engineering Programs In North Carolina, Sarah A. Rajala, Tom Miller Jun 2007

The Development Of Undergraduate Distance Education Engineering Programs In North Carolina, Sarah A. Rajala, Tom Miller

Sarah A. Rajala

The College of Engineering at North Carolina State University has a strong track record in providing distance education to the citizens in North Carolina through credit-based courses and degree programs. To provide increased access to engineering education on the undergraduate level and enhance the success of the student transfer population, the College of Engineering developed two new 2+2 engineering programs and a distance education bachelor of science in engineering program. The 2+2 programs are designed to provide students enrolled at institutions without engineering programs the opportunity to take some of the fundamental engineering courses in addition to their general education …


Preparing New Faculty Members To Be Successful: A No-Brainer And Yet A Radical Concept, Rebecca Brent, Sarah A. Rajala, Richard M. Felder Jun 2006

Preparing New Faculty Members To Be Successful: A No-Brainer And Yet A Radical Concept, Rebecca Brent, Sarah A. Rajala, Richard M. Felder

Sarah A. Rajala

A multifaceted program at North Carolina State University involving workshops and mentorships helps prepare new faculty members and graduate students for successful academic careers. This paper describes the elements of the program, reviews assessment data for each element, and offers recommendations to engineering schools wishing to establish their own programs for new and future faculty members.


The North Carolina State University Women In Science And Engineering Program: A Community For Living And Learning, Sarah A. Rajala, Laura J. Bottomley, E. A. Parry, J. D. Cohen, Susan C. Grant, C. J. Thomas, T. M. Doxey, G. Perez, R. E. Collins, J. E. Spurlin Jun 2004

The North Carolina State University Women In Science And Engineering Program: A Community For Living And Learning, Sarah A. Rajala, Laura J. Bottomley, E. A. Parry, J. D. Cohen, Susan C. Grant, C. J. Thomas, T. M. Doxey, G. Perez, R. E. Collins, J. E. Spurlin

Sarah A. Rajala

Women are underrepresented in many of the disciplines in engineering, the mathematical sciences, and the physical and natural sciences, both at the undergraduate and the graduate levels. Depending upon the discipline, we lose women at varying points along the way. The pipeline of women interested in studying in engineering disciplines and in physics, for example, narrows considerably at the undergraduate level. In other disciplines such as mathematics, the retention rate for women at major research universities is much lower than at liberal arts institutions and the percentage of women who pursue graduate studies is much lower than that of their …


Assessment Of Introduction To Engineering And Problem-Solving Course, Joni E. Spurlin, Jerome P. Lavelle, Mary Clare Robbins, Sarah A. Rajala Jun 2003

Assessment Of Introduction To Engineering And Problem-Solving Course, Joni E. Spurlin, Jerome P. Lavelle, Mary Clare Robbins, Sarah A. Rajala

Sarah A. Rajala

At North Carolina State University, the freshmen’s first course in engineering is E101, Introduction to Engineering and Problem-Solving. It is offered each fall to over 1,100 first year engineering students. In an effort to continuously improve the course, we put into place a plan to assess the course's learning outcomes. Assessment data collected in fall 2001 and fall 2002 through surveys, rubrics, and class assignments were evaluated to determine how well students met learning outcomes related to communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. This paper presents the assessment methods used in this course and provides examples of how the assessment findings were …


Outcomes Assessment: Developing An Electronic Assessment Database As A Model For Collection And Analysis Of Data, Joni E. Spurlin, Sarah A. Rajala, Jerome P. Lavelle, O. Jerome Hoskins Jun 2002

Outcomes Assessment: Developing An Electronic Assessment Database As A Model For Collection And Analysis Of Data, Joni E. Spurlin, Sarah A. Rajala, Jerome P. Lavelle, O. Jerome Hoskins

Sarah A. Rajala

As the ABET process in each institution moves toward outcomes assessment, it pushes each program to develop and implement its outcome assessment plans. Assessment plans document how programs will gather data, interpret the findings, and use the results to make improvements in programs, curricula, and resources. The ABET team at North Carolina State University (faculty from each engineering discipline along with assessment-knowledgeable personnel) has developed a model that academic programs within the College of Engineering use to determine what data to gather, where to obtain the data, and what criteria may be most appropriate when interpreting the data. This paper …


Succeed-Sponsored Freshman Year Engineering Curriculum Improvements At Nc State: A Longitudinal Study Of Retention, Matthew W. Ohland, Sarah A. Rajala, Timothy J. Anderson Jun 2001

Succeed-Sponsored Freshman Year Engineering Curriculum Improvements At Nc State: A Longitudinal Study Of Retention, Matthew W. Ohland, Sarah A. Rajala, Timothy J. Anderson

Sarah A. Rajala

NC State’s involvement in the NSF-sponsored SUCCEED Coalition has led to a number of changes to the freshman year of the engineering curriculum as reported previously (e.g., ASEE 1999, Porter, et al.). An explicit objective of these changes was to retain in engineering those students who were qualified and interested in engineering, but were leaving engineering for other reasons. While a number of isolated innovations have been studied and have demonstrated positive benefit, this study looks at each freshman cohort from 1987 through 1998 to evaluate changes in retention in engineering during that period. Eleven cohorts were studied; five (1987- …


Ec2000 Criterion 2: A Procedure For Creating, Assessing, And Documenting Program Educational Objectives, Michael Carter, Sarah A. Rajala, Rebecca Brent Jun 2001

Ec2000 Criterion 2: A Procedure For Creating, Assessing, And Documenting Program Educational Objectives, Michael Carter, Sarah A. Rajala, Rebecca Brent

Sarah A. Rajala

Criterion 2 [Program Educational Objectives (PEO)] is arguably the most important part of ABET EC2000. PEO embody the broad vision for an engineering program that drives the overall accreditation process. They also provide a crucial nexus point for the assessment of each program, the point at which the programmatic issues of the other EC2000 criteria—curriculum, faculty, facilities, etc.—are considered within the larger context of the needs of key constituencies of the program and the mission of the institution. Criterion 2 plays an essential role in EC2000's goal of encouraging continuous improvement in engineering programs and of providing the opportunity for …


North Carolina State University Summer Transition Program – A High School To College Bridge Program For Enhancing Undergraduate Engineering Education, Tony L. Mitchell, Alisa Hunt-Lowery, Sarah A. Rajala Aug 2000

North Carolina State University Summer Transition Program – A High School To College Bridge Program For Enhancing Undergraduate Engineering Education, Tony L. Mitchell, Alisa Hunt-Lowery, Sarah A. Rajala

Sarah A. Rajala

The NC State University College of Engineering is an internationally recognized producer of engineers and computer scientists who are prepared to make an immediate contribution to the workforce. Our research faculty are recognized around the world for cutting edge research. Essential to our mission and continued success is a steady stream of top-notch students who contribute to and celebrate ethnic, academic and gender diversity. Each year an entering freshman class of 1100 new engineering students includes 20% women and 20% underrepresented minority students. The rate at which they persist through our undergraduate program is impacted by how they adapt during …


North Carolina State University Center For Minority Engineer Development, Tony L. Mitchell, Sarah A. Rajala, Laura J. Bottomley, Mary Clare Robbins Aug 2000

North Carolina State University Center For Minority Engineer Development, Tony L. Mitchell, Sarah A. Rajala, Laura J. Bottomley, Mary Clare Robbins

Sarah A. Rajala

North Carolina State University, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, is the largest state-supported university of the sixteen-campus University of North Carolina educational system. The College of Engineering at NC State University is among the best in the country, offering outstanding degree programs and preparing students for exciting and rewarding careers. Our graduates are heavily recruited internationally for positions in a variety of settings, including business management, construction, transportation, hardware and software development, computer engineering and design. The College of Engineering comprises 10 departments offering 16 BS, 17 MS, and 14 Ph.D. degree programs and conducts the largest undergraduate and …


Introduction To Engineering Problem Solving—A New Course For 1100 First Year Engineering Students, Richard L. Porter, Laura J. Bottomley, Mary Clare Robbins, Walthea V. Yarbrough, Sarah A. Rajala, Hugh Fuller Jun 1999

Introduction To Engineering Problem Solving—A New Course For 1100 First Year Engineering Students, Richard L. Porter, Laura J. Bottomley, Mary Clare Robbins, Walthea V. Yarbrough, Sarah A. Rajala, Hugh Fuller

Sarah A. Rajala

During the past several years, NC State University has offered several experimental courses designed for the first year student in engineering; IMPEC, an integrated approach to mathematics, physics, engineering, and chemistry; E123, a mechanical dissection course which is now linked with the first year writing and composition course; and ECE 292D, a hands-on team based design course offered to upper class students as well. All were offered as an alternative to the introductory course (E100) that had little academic content, no engineering problem solving, and consisted of a large lecture room format with information dissemination as the major goal. Although …


Attitude About Engineering Survey, Fall 1995 And 1996: A Study Of Confidence By Gender, Hugh Fuller, Susan C. Grant, Kristine C. Lawyer, Richard L. Porter, Sarah A. Rajala Jun 1997

Attitude About Engineering Survey, Fall 1995 And 1996: A Study Of Confidence By Gender, Hugh Fuller, Susan C. Grant, Kristine C. Lawyer, Richard L. Porter, Sarah A. Rajala

Sarah A. Rajala

One of the primary goals of the North Carolina State University College of Engineering (COE) is to enroll the best undergraduate students possible. One factor hampering the achievement of this goal is the lack of interest of many female high school students in the traditionally male-dominated field of engineering. With no special recruiting activities aimed at informing young women about the field of engineering and recruiting them to our campus, the results are not surprising: even though women represent forty percent of the undergraduate enrollment at the University, they represent just under twenty percent in the COE. In order to …