Engineering Commons^™

Promoting Computer Science With Video Games: Teaching Object-Oriented Programming Through Unity, Dylan Graves

Computer Engineering

In recent years, the demand for people educated in computer science has continued to grow as the possible applications of software expand. For this reason, it is important to not only offer young adults the ability to learn computer science, but also to intrigue them with interesting and engaging applications of computer science. Organizations, such as the CollegeBoard and Exploring Computer Science, have been working to make computer science education more available and desirable to younger audiences. This project contributes to these goals by creating and implementing a curriculum for teaching object-oriented programming to high school students through video game …

Global Technology Experiences For Upper-Division Engineering Students: An Assessment, Patricia Backer, Wenchiang Chung

Faculty Publications

In order for students to thrive in the highly competitive global economy, it is critical for them to develop international perspectives and appreciation. As a result, in 2004, the San Jose State University’s Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering established a one-million-dollar Global Technology Initiative (GTI) program. The mission of the GTI program is to expand students’ horizons about the opportunities and challenges of a global economy, to expose them to global, environmental, and energy problems in which technology plays a central role, to motivate their learning of global issues and different cultures, and to introduce them to a more …

Distinctively Christian Engineering: Implementing Guiding Principles In Our Civil Curriculum, Joel K. Sikkema, Justin Vander Werff

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

At Dordt College, we work to make our motto, Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God alone), the organizing principle for all activities. In the Engineering Department, it is our responsibility to continue to shape our program to be holistic and Christ-centered in order to equip our students to serve the Lord obediently in engineering. To direct the development and modification of our engineering curriculum, we established a set of five distinctively Christian guiding principles for engineering. Setting the direction for this work required a grounding point. Therefore, in a subsequent manuscript we evaluated the extent to which these principles were …

The Power Of Creative Space In Engineering Education, Jeff Zabudsky, Farzad Rayegani, Yael Katz

Faculty Publications and Scholarship

In order to graduate globally capable engineers who are not only technically savvy, but socially competent and business smart, Sheridan’s School of Engineering has found both a process and a ‘place’ to meet these goals and align with their vision to create curricula that inspire innovation and creativity. The process: the CDIO methodology that helps graduate “ready to work” engineers. The place: Sheridan’s Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Design Technologies (CAMDT).

In the fall of 2013 Sheridan unveiled its new visual identity with a tag line that challenges people to "get creative." It's a bold and courageous statement that reflects …

Work Integrated Learning In Stem In Australian Universities: Final Report: Submitted To The Office Of The Chief Scientist, Daniel Edwards, Kate Perkins, Jacob Pearce, Jennifer Hong

Higher education research

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) undertook this study for the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). It explores the practice and application of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in STEM, with a particular focus on natural and physical sciences, information technology, and agriculture departments in Australian universities. The project involved a detailed ‘stocktake’ of WIL in practice in these disciplines, with collection of information by interview, survey instruments, consultation with stakeholders and literature reviews. Every university in Australia was visited as part of this project, with interviews and consultation sessions gathering insight from more than 120 academics and support …

Finding Your Path, Michael Foster, Justin Vander Werff

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Each of us has a desire to do good, fulfilling work. How do we find this work? Do we discover it or is it something we create for ourselves? If we believe there is a particular area in which we should work, then work decisions can become even more burdensome. Since there are so many areas in which we could work, and many more we may not even know about, how do we know if we have chosen the right path? These questions are particularly acute for college students. From first-year students through seniors, some aspect of their journey toward …

Developing Entrepreneurial Thinking In Engineering Students By Utilizing Integrated Online Modules, Ronald S. Harichandran, Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, Nadiye O. Erdil, Cheryl Q. Li, Jean Nocito-Gobel, Samuel Bogan Daniels

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

An approach to develop entrepreneurial thinking skills in engineering students by integrating online modules into existing courses is described. Eighteen online modules covering a variety of topics will be developed. Developers for the modules are selected by reviewing proposals submitted in response to a broadly distributed request for proposals. Developers undergo extensive training before embarking upon module development. Students will complete each standalone module outside of class hours. Instructors who deploy a module in their course will develop contextual course assignments that reinforce concepts covered in the modules. These instructors also undergo training and are assisted by an external consultant. …

Teaching Matlab And C Programming In First Year Electrical Engineering Courses Using A Data Acquisition Device, Phillip Wong, Branimir Pejcinovic

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Our industry partners often voice a complaint that our newly graduated electrical engineering (EE) students do not have sufficient programming skills. This is not a new concern. In a traditional undergraduate EE curriculum, one or two programming courses compose the entirety of the student’s training in programming. The courses may be taught by the computer science department without significant emphasis on engineering fundamentals. While the principles of computer science may be well covered, the ability to apply the knowledge to practical engineering problems is frequently lacking. To compound the problem, teaching novices the basics of programming can be very challenging …

Teaching Would-Be Ip Lawyers To "Speak Engineer": An Interdisciplinary Module To Teach New Intellectual Property Attorneys To Work Across Disciplines, Cynthia Laury Dahl

All Faculty Scholarship

More than ever before, law school graduates interested in business law enter a workforce where they must effectively interface with professionals from other disciplines. Yet there are precious few opportunities in law school for students to practice the skills required to perform on an interdisciplinary team. This is especially true regarding mixed teams of law and technical students.

This essay explores a model for integrating an interdisciplinary practicum module into a free-standing class. The module challenges teams of law and engineering students to work together to perform a prior art search, interview an inventor, and draft patent claims over a …

The Use Of Polleverywhere In Engineering Technology Classes To Student Stimulate Critical Thinking And Motivation, Otilia Popescu, Laura C. Chezan, Vukica M. Jovanovic, Orlando M. Ayala

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Critical thinking is considered one of the most important aspects of the learning process at the college level, especially in the field of engineering technology. However, developing critical thinking can prove to be quite challenging. It takes a lot of instructional effort and support for undergraduate students enrolled in engineering technology programs to develop the ability to analyze, adequately synthesize conceptual knowledge, and then apply that knowledge to practical problem-solving situations. This ability is a critical component of any successful completion of job responsibilities for future engineers. In this study we examine the effectiveness of the web-based polling system Polleverywhere …

Using Systematic Literature Reviews To Enhance Student Learning, Branimir Pejcinovic

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Literature review is a skill assumed to be in the arsenal of all graduate students pursuing thesis options at the MS or PhD level. There are many resources on writing literature reviews, from campus writing centers to books such as Machi and McEvoy. One would also assume that this is among the very first tasks that research-oriented students would undertake. However, our brief and preliminary survey of graduate students in our electrical and computer engineering department showed that they have very little to no experience in performing literature reviews, and discussions with other faculty confirmed this observation. Unlike some other …

Unikl Wins 6 Medals At Itex 2015, Azman Ismail

Azman Ismail

No abstract provided.

Best Practices For Designing An Undergraduate Engineering Curriculum, Subrata Das, Komal K. Das, Krishna Singh

Journal of Research Initiatives

This article offer examples of best practices for planning instructional learning within the naturalistic setting and based on real learning experiences. The inquiry, based on practices and strategies proven successful in an undergraduate engineering class is the focus of this best practices article. This article is also a useful guide for administrators, practitioners, and undergraduate educators who make decisions on instructional delivery and scholarship. The instructional activities offer core instruction and curriculum modules on best practices for effective college instruction.

Assessing Impact Of Exposure To Cyberphysical Systems On Student Interest In Information Technology Careers, Mayari I. Serrano Anazco

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

The main purpose of this project is to determine if the use of Information Technology (IT) tools, specifically cyberphysical devices, in outreach sessions will promote interest of young individuals in pursuing IT careers. The Diversity office of Purdue’s College of Technology offers a number of outreach sessions to a variety of target populations throughout the year. Each department in the college has an opportunity to present a session related to a field of study offered by the department. The research was carried out thru the Spring 2015 semester during the DOiT and Vision outreach programs offered through the college’s Diversity …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Spring 2015, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge. The senior design competition helps focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects on …

Session D-4: Coolhub.Imsa: Collaborative Innovation In Action, Carl Heine, James Gerry

Carl Heine

Transform STEM teaching and learning with CoolHub.IMSA, a free virtual platform where youth and adults collaborate on projects they create. Explore the site through the eyes of project members and discover powerful ways to collaborate, innovate and network for learning.

Social Media For Informal Science Learning In China: A Case Study, Ke Zhang, Fei Gao

Fei Gao

This article reports a case study on a popular informal science learning community via social media in China, named GuoKr (meaning “nutshell” in English). Data were collected through a variety of Chinese social media and social networking sites, web-based community portals, and discussion boards. Content analyses and data mining were conducted to investigate how GuoKr successfully attracted and engaged public in informal learning on scientific topics in particular. The study found three key characteristics that contributed to the success of such learning communities: (a) utilizing a variety of social media to empower participants with just-in-time, accidental learning opportunities; (b) daily …

Comparing Role-Playing Activities In Second Life And Face-To-Face Environments, Fei Gao, Jeongmin J. Noh, Matthew J. Koehler

Fei Gao

This study compared student performances in role-playing activities in both a face-to-face (FTF) environment and a virtual 3D environment, Second Life (SL). We found that students produced a similar amount of communication in the two environments, but the communication styles were different. In SL role-playing activities, students took more conversational turns, but have shorter exchanges compared to the FTF environment. Students generated an equal amount of topic-related concepts in the two environments. They also reported role-playing activities in SL as more interesting and less formal. The educational implications for this study are discussed.

Case Study Of Using A Social Annotation Tool To Support Collaboratively Learning, Fei Gao

Fei Gao

The purpose of the study was to understand student interaction and learning supported by a collaboratively social annotation tool — Diigo. The researcher examined through a case study how students participated and interacted when learning an online text with the social annotation tool — Diigo, and how they perceived their experience. The findings suggested that students participated actively in the collaborative learning activity and were engaged in a variety of behaviors including self-reflection, elaboration, internalization, and showing support. Although students generally had a moderately positive attitude toward using the social annotation tool for collaborative learning, a few problems were identified. …

Exploring The Use Of Discussion Strategies And Labels In Asynchronous Online Discussion, Fei Gao

Fei Gao

Drawing on research in both constrained online discussion environments and strategy instruction, this approach combines explicit instruction on discussion strategies with the use of post type labels. In a trial of this approach in an online course, students actively used the discussion strategies and post type labels in their discussion. Analysis of student posts and survey responses suggested that students in the experimental group used discussion strategies more frequently after the intervention as compared to the control group and perceived that this approach positively impacted their discussions. In addition, there is a certain degree of improvement in the quality of …

Tweeting For Learning: A Critical Analysis Of Research On Microblogging In Education Published In 2008-2011, Fei Gao, Tian Luo, Ke Zhang

Fei Gao

This study critically analyzed the current body of published research on microblogging in education (MIE) to build a deep and comprehensive understanding of this increasingly popular phenomenon. Twenty-one studies on MIE in 2008-2011 were selected based on the selection criteria and analyzed to answer the following questions: (a) What types of research have been published on MIE? (b) How was microblogging used for teaching and learning in these studies? (c) What educational benefits did microblogging have on teaching and learning? and (d) What suggestions and implications did the current research have for future MIE research and practices? The analysis suggested …

Enhancing Classroom Learning Experience By Providing Structures To Microblogging-Based Activities, Tian Luo, Fei Gao

Fei Gao

Microblogging tools such as Twitter have been frequently adopted in educational settings to facilitate learning in recent years. Although the original purpose of microblogging tools is to connect with others in a wide network and instantly share what is happening to them with the rest of the world, educators have vigorously attempted to repurpose the utilization of the tool and integrate it into various educational settings to promote student learning. The purpose of this study is to examine student learning experience under a set of structured microblogging-based activities and to identify the affordances and constraints of the technology. Students participated …

Designing A Discussion Environment To Enhance Connectivity And Sustainability In Asynchronous Online Discussion, Fei Gao

Fei Gao

Lack of connectivity and sustainability are two common problems in asynchronous online discussions. In this paper, the author proposes that the two problems may have to do with the structure of threaded forums, that is, the design of threaded forums may constrain participants from having well-connected and sustained discussions. A new discussion environment was developed to promote the connectivity and sustainability of discussion in an online course, and an exploratory study was conducted to test the effectiveness of the new environment.

New Model Of Productive Online Discussion And Its Implications For Research And Instruction, Fei Gao, Charles Xiaoxue Wang, Yanling Sun

Fei Gao

We develop a new model of productive online discussion based on a brief review of research literature on online discussion. As compared to previous discussion models, the new model provides a more systematic and comprehensive framework to understand how learning occurs through online discussion. Based on the new model, we propose several directions for research on improving the quality of online discussion and learning.

Designing Asynchronous Online Discussion Environments: Recent Progress And Possible Future Directions, Fei Gao, Tianyi Zhang, Teresa Franklin

Fei Gao

Asynchronous online discussion environments are important platforms to support learning. Research suggests, however, threaded forums, one of the most popular asynchronous discussion environments, do not often foster productive online discussions naturally. This paper explores how certain properties of threaded forums have affected or constrained the quality of discussions, and argues that developing alternative discussion environments is highly needed to offer better support for asynchronous online communication. Using the Productive Discussion Model developed by Gao, Wang & Sun (2009), we analyzed current work on four types of asynchronous discussion environments that have been developed and researched: constrained environments, visualized environments, anchored …

The School Of Engineering And Computer Science Class Of 2015 Computer Science And Computer And Electrical Engineering Academic Celebration Program, Cedarville University

Engineering and Computer Science Academic Celebrations

No abstract provided.

Ensc 110 (Energy In Perspective) Bibliography, Supplementary Reading, Adam Liska

Adam Liska Papers

Energy, Thermodynamics, Complexity, Evolution, & Astronomy
Energy & Technology
Energy: Petroleum & Coal
Bioenergy, Animals, & Food
Energy & Environment
Energy & Climate Change
Energy, Oil Security, & War
Energy & Societal Collapse

Bibliography of 47 monographs

Ensc 300 (Energy Seminar) Annotated Bibliography, Supplementary Reading, Adam Liska

Adam Liska Papers

Innovation
Sociology of Innovation, Business, & Work
Sustainable Business Strategy
Leadership
Science, Engineering, & Business History
Economics
Energy, Business, & Environmental Policy
Climate Change & Insurance
Education
Ethics

62 monographic resources

The School Of Engineering And Computer Science Class Of 2015 Mechanical Engineering Academic Celebration Program, Cedarville University

Engineering and Computer Science Academic Celebrations

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Student Experience In Team-Based Project Courses Using Essence Reflection Meetings, Todd Sedano, Cécile Péraire

Cécile Péraire

Background: Many software engineering curriculum contain a team-based project course. This is the case of Carnegie Mellon University Silicon Valley’s masters of science in software engineering. In this context, we have been using Essence Reflection Meetings for five semesters with 17 teams and approximately 70 students. During these meetings, the teams reflect on various project’s dimensions based on a systems thinking framework. The positive results have been published in research papers.

Activity and Discussions: Participants will learn about Essence Reflection Meetings for team-based project courses by practicing in a classroom environment. They will discuss challenges and solutions for team-based project …