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Full-Text Articles in Science and Mathematics Education
The Honour House Project: Reservist Re-Entry Program, Sarah A. Rajala, Kevin J. Wainwright, Barbara E. Endicott-Popovsky
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 …
Not Just Informative, But Necessary: Infusing Green And Sustainable Topics Into Engineering And Technology Curricula, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Elif Kongar
Not Just Informative, But Necessary: Infusing Green And Sustainable Topics Into Engineering And Technology Curricula, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Elif Kongar
Kurt A. Rosentrater
Generally accepted duties of engineers and technologists encompass designing and implementing solutions to problems. When so doing, it is their responsibility to be cognizant of the impacts of their designs on, and thus their accountability to, not only society in general, but also subsequent effects upon the environment. They need to be able to concurrently satisfy these competing needs, as well as constraints specific to the design challenges at hand. Responding to these requirements are the growing fields of green engineering and sustainable engineering. Both of these areas encompass many concepts, ideas, and tools, all of which are essential information …
The Development Of Undergraduate Distance Education Engineering Programs In North Carolina, Sarah A. Rajala, Tom Miller
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 …
The Global Relevance Of Bio-Based Industries To Engineering And Technology Education, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Radha Balamuralikrishma
The Global Relevance Of Bio-Based Industries To Engineering And Technology Education, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Radha Balamuralikrishma
Kurt A. Rosentrater
The society in which we live has developed an insatiable demand for energy and material goods. In particular, recent data reveals that the aggressive pursuit of improved standards of living in the highly populated countries of India and China has contributed to increased demand for fossil fuels, which has exacerbated the recent spike in energy costs. Historically, these needs have been met primarily by fossil fuels and other non-renewable raw materials. As environmental concerns grow, however, renewable resources are gaining increased attention. This paper examines the emergence and importance that bio-based industries are increasingly beginning to play. A bio-based enterprise, …
An Evaluation Of An Established Case Study For Engineering Technology Education, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Radha Balamuralikrishma
An Evaluation Of An Established Case Study For Engineering Technology Education, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Radha Balamuralikrishma
Kurt A. Rosentrater
Engineering and technology educators focus on meeting existing and future needs of industry when designing the content domain and planning instructional methods in their discipline. However, undergraduate students in engineering and technology rarely have an opportunity to solve real world problems that require integration across several disciplinary branches of engineering and those outside of engineering. This makes it difficult for students to make the transition from academia to industry especially in an era where the principles of concurrent engineering are employed in new product design and development. Therefore, there is a strong need to bring challenging, industry involved problems into …
Biorefining Of Renewable Resources—Emerging Opportunities For Engineering Education, Kurt A. Rosentrater
Biorefining Of Renewable Resources—Emerging Opportunities For Engineering Education, Kurt A. Rosentrater
Kurt A. Rosentrater
The society in which we live has developed an insatiable demand for energy and material goods. Historically these needs have primarily been met by utilizing fossil fuels and other nonrenewable raw materials. As environmental concerns grow, however, renewable resources are gaining increased attention. This paper examines industrial biorefineries, which are at the leading edge of the development of emerging biobased industries. Biorefineries, similar in concept to traditional petroleum refineries, utilize various conversion technologies to produce multiple products, including fuels, chemicals, industrial products, and electrical power from renewable biomass sources, such as corn stover, residue straw, perennial grasses, legumes, and other …
Preparing New Faculty Members To Be Successful: A No-Brainer And Yet A Radical Concept, Rebecca Brent, Sarah A. Rajala, Richard M. Felder
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.
Ethics For Industrial Technology Majors: Need And Plan Of Action, Kurt A. Rosentrater, R. Balamuralikrishma
Ethics For Industrial Technology Majors: Need And Plan Of Action, Kurt A. Rosentrater, R. Balamuralikrishma
Kurt A. Rosentrater
The recent introduction of sessions dedicated to “Industrial Technology” in the annual ASEE conference is testimony that this discipline has gained its rightful place in the company of engineering and engineering technology. This new level of partnership and collaboration between engineering and technology programs promises to be a step in the right direction for society at large. Engineering and technology majors both supplement and complement each other’s knowledge and skills and it is crucial for educators to build bridges of active interaction. This paper takes aim at one specific as well as basic need in teamwork and interdisciplinary projects – …
Ethics For Industrial Technology, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Radha Balamuralikrishma
Ethics For Industrial Technology, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Radha Balamuralikrishma
Kurt A. Rosentrater
This paper takes aim at one specific, as well as basic, need in teamwork and interdisciplinary projects – ethics and its implications for professional practice. A preliminary study suggests that students majoring in industrial technology degree programs may not have adequate opportunity to formally study and engage in ethical aspects of technology vis-à-vis the practices of the profession. It is reasonable to assume that the ethical dilemmas faced by an industrial technologist would parallel those of engineers and managers. To address this issue, this paper identifies a domain of knowledge that would constitute a necessary background in ethics for industrial …
K-12 And University Collaboration: A Vehicle To Improve Curriculum And Female Enrollment In Engineering And Technology, Janis P. Terpenny, Thomas Gralinski
K-12 And University Collaboration: A Vehicle To Improve Curriculum And Female Enrollment In Engineering And Technology, Janis P. Terpenny, Thomas Gralinski
Janis P. Terpenny
In 1993, the State of Massachusetts enacted the Educational Reform Act to improve student performance and to increase school accountability. One of the curriculum frameworks of this initiative is titled Science and Technology/Engineering. One of the strands within that framework, Technology/Engineering, outlines standards in seven curriculum areas to be assessed at the high school level on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). This framework is somewhat controversial but supported by numerous surveys focusing on national needs. The movement of traditional Industrial Arts programs to a Technology/Engineering approach in both delivery and content has created a new set of problems with …
Succeed-Sponsored Freshman Year Engineering Curriculum Improvements At Nc State: A Longitudinal Study Of Retention, Matthew W. Ohland, Sarah A. Rajala, Timothy J. Anderson
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
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 …
Relevant Design Experiences For Agricultural And Biosystems Engineers: Team Focus Through Competition, D. Raj Raman, Ronald E. Yoder
Relevant Design Experiences For Agricultural And Biosystems Engineers: Team Focus Through Competition, D. Raj Raman, Ronald E. Yoder
D. Raj Raman
The multitude of specializations within biosystems engineering makes traditional capstone design courses, which typically focus on a single topic, less relevant. In our department, our year-long capstone design experience involves machine component design. While this experience is useful to students in all concentrations, ideally, students concentrating on biological-, food-, and soil and water-engineering will have a capstone design experience that integrates their unique technical capabilities. New capstone courses should also enhance the broader skills of undergraduate engineers, including teamwork, time and resource management, oral and written communication, and integrated computer skills. However, a variety of issues militate against simply adding …
The Evolution Of An Introductory Biological Engineering Course: Design Is The Endpoint!, D. Raj Raman
The Evolution Of An Introductory Biological Engineering Course: Design Is The Endpoint!, D. Raj Raman
D. Raj Raman
Four the past four years, I have taught the sophomore level course, Agricultural Engineering 243 Material and Energy Flows in Biological Systems each spring semester. During the first offering, I used the lecture method to transmit information, and homework assignments and exams to reinforce skills and test comprehension. The greatest weakness of this technique seemed the lack of hands-on experience which I gave my students, and their subsequent lack of physical intuition. Enhancing their physical intuition drove the first curricular revision—using in-class demonstrations and simulations of key physical and biological processes. This technique did not work as well as expected, …