Engineering Commons^™

Evaluating The Implementation Of Curriculum Development For Sustainable Design In Electrical Services Engineering, Michael Mcdonald, Stephen Donohoe

Conference papers

The professional role of electrical services engineers is evolving and changing to meet the needs of industry, both national and internationally. The current demands throughout the built environment are primarily driven by European Directives and Government policies pertaining to sustainable design, energy reduction and energy efficiency. Thus, it is essential that Ireland’s Higher Education Institutions meet these challenges head on by developing diverse programmes which have sustainability at the core of curriculum design. Moreover, programmes of this nature will ensure that young engineers of the future command key transferable skills and enhance their lifelong learning which is required for today’s …

Sweet (Small Wind Energy Estimation Tool), Thomas Woolmington, Keith Sunderland

Other resources

Description:

Generic Wind Energy Estimation Model incorporating Turbulence Intensity.

Requirements:

Manufacturer specific wind turbine characteristic

Mean wind speed at a specific height

Site conditions in terms of TI and Surface Roughness

Disclaimer:

This model has been designed as an estimation tool for estimating the wind power yield of a custom turbine for an idealised set of site conditions for a given year.

While the assumptions that are made in this estimation tool are mathematically plausible they should not in any way be interpreted as an alternative to a real world site assessment.

A list of assumptions to which the model …

Issues In Organisation And Management Of Multidisciplinary Group Design Projects, Ken Keating, Claire Brougham, Graham Gavin, Ger Reilly

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Lean Integrated Design And Production: A Contractor's Perspective, Fiacra Mcdonnell

Articles

The scenario I have chosen for my paper concentrates on my experiences while employed as a senior estimator with Aidan Elliott Construction Ltd in 2009. Aidan Elliott Construction Ltd was a medium sized building contractor based in the Republic of Ireland. The company in question had an annual turnover of €15m, and was engaged in procuring construction contracts through competitive tendering. The contracts in question ranged in value between €200,000 and €12m. My responsibilities included pricing individual tenders, and compiling all the necessary documentation surrounding the procurement process for that company.As a company, we were pricing work on a competitive …

Online Resource Aiding Students To Practice And Perfect Manufacturing Based Skills, Robert Martin Morris, Frank Dunne, Maurice Collins

Conference papers

As part of our teaching in the Departments of Fabrication and Transport Engineering in the Technological University Dublin we use industrial metal folding machines to help students to learn the sequencing of folds on manufactured sheet metal components. Many students have difficulty visualising the folding sequences required to complete practical manufacturing assignments. This paper details the digital media resource which was developed to provide students with the opportunity to offer a proposed solution to questions which relate to the folding sequence required for these components. Feedback is provided through the medium of pre recorded videos which show the component being …

Vb.Net Functions And Subs: Worked Analysis For A Mortgage Loan App., Jerome Casey

Instructional Guides

No abstract provided.

The Integration Of Sustainable Development Competencies In Irish Engineering Education: Findings Of A Curriculum Content Investigation Of Four Engineering Programmes, Iacovos Nicolaou, Eddie Conlon

Conference papers

This paper presents the initial findings of an investigation of the Sustainable Development (SD) content in five professional engineering degree programmes in a large Irish Institute of Technology.

A comprehensive investigation of the modules content was conducted to see to what extent the learning outcomes for SD as set out in the Barcelona Declaration and SD competencies were covered by the modules. It was found that 40% of the 137 modules included SD learning outcomes and/or addressed SD competencies. The modules have a focus on environmental issues and tend to address only one of the three dimensions, environmental, social and …

Surveying First-Year Students Prior Conceptual Understanding Of Direct Current Resistive Electric Circuits: An Update, Aidan O'Dwyer

Conference papers

There is an increasing diversity of educational background of students entering Level 7 and Level 8 programmes in engineering in Irish third level education. Student reasoning about basic electricity concepts often differs from accepted explanations. The paper reports, analyses and reflects on the results of a multiple-choice diagnostic test to assess student understanding of such concepts (developed by Engelhardt and Beichner (2004) for U.S. high school and college students) taken by four cohorts of students, on the same DIT Level 7 engineering programme, from 2008-12 (n=106) and two cohorts of students, on the same DIT Level 8 engineering programme, from …

Comparison Of Examination Performance In Mathematics, Physics And Electricity Of First Year, Level 7 Student Cohorts In Electrical Engineering, Aidan O'Dwyer

Conference papers

This contribution reports on the highly statistically significant relationship (p < 0.001) established in student examination performance in the three central scientific subjects in a Level 7, Year 1 engineering programme at Dublin Institute of Technology. A range of data is taken over seven academic years (from 2005-12 inclusive). Recommendations for learning and teaching as a result of this analysis are proposed.

Engineering Leadership, Mike Murphy, Eugene Coyle

Books/Book chapters

By 1921 the American sociologist Thorstein Veblen in his book The Engi-neers and the Price System argued for a technocracy in which the welfare of humanity would be entrusted to the control of the engineers because they alone were competent to understand the complexities of the industrial system and processes and thereby optimize and maximize its output. This chapter sets out to explore the extent to which Veblen’s technocratic leadership thesis has come to pass. We first review the role of the engineer in society and in the context of Europe, the US and China, and examine the influence of …

Creating Multi-Layer Animations In Flash: Two Tutorials A Butterfly Animation And Filling A Glass, Jerome Casey

Instructional Guides

No abstract provided.

Rubric For Assessing Epistemological Understanding Of Students Who Are Learning Design., Shannon Chance

Conference papers

There is an extensive base of literature that attempts to describe how college students understand “knowledge” and their role in generating it. Educators draw from this literature to help students develop increasingly sophisticated ways of using knowledge. Although existing research aims for broad generalizability, it is clear that various disciplines have developed their own unique value systems. Scholars of “hard,” physical science are likely to hold very different ideas about the nature of “fact” and “inevitability” than those in the “softer,” social sciences [1]. Various disciplines conceptualize, use, and generate new knowledge in ways that differ dramatically, yet little research …

The Challenge Of Educating Engineers For A Close, Crowded And Creative World, Ela Krawczyk, Mike Murphy

Books/Book chapters

The world that is emerging based on the development and everyday use of new technologies is a world that can be described as close, crowded and creative. Studies have highlighted that traditional curricula and pedagogical methods for engineering education are deficient in terms of developing and nurturing key skills required by engineers to succeed in this world. The challenge for the engineering academic leaders of today is to begin with the end in mind: to begin with a description of the competences that the engineer of the future should have in order to succeed in their aspirations as an engineer, …

A Teaching Practice Review Of The Use Of Multiple-Choice Questions For Formative And Summative Assessment Of Student Work On Advanced Undergraduate And Postgraduate Modules In Engineering, Aidan O'Dwyer

Articles

This paper reflects on, reports on and evaluates the use of multiple-choice questions, in both formative and summative assessment modes, on control engineering modules taken by advanced undergraduate and postgraduate engineering students, over four academic years. The material covered by the modules is analytical in nature. The rationale for examining the assessment strategy was the poor performance by students in a closed book traditional terminal examination on one of the advanced undergraduate modules over some years. The change in assessment strategy has improved student learning, as measured by assessment data; student feedback on the assessment methods is broadly positive. The …

Exploring The Barriers To Independent Study And Learning In First Year Undergraduate Engineering Students?, Robert Martin Morris

Conference papers

This mixed method case study was carried out in the Technological University Dublin, Ireland and was conducted with the co-operation of four experienced lecturers of engineering and three groups of first year undergraduate engineering students.

The main aim of the research was to identify factors which represent barriers to the independent study and learning of first year engineering students.

Many first year engineering students do not return to college for the second year of their programmes. Many reasons for this are identified in the research, including the failure of students to pass assessments and exams as a result of the …

Formative Assessment Practices In Built Environment Higher Education Programmes And The Enhancement Of The Student Learning Experience, Lloyd Scott, Chrisopher Fortune

Conference papers

It is widely accepted across Higher Education (HE) that assessment has a strong link with learning and a key factor in this link is formative assessment. Formative assessment is generally defined as an activity taking place during a programme or unit of learning with the express purpose of improving and enhancing student learning. However, there is still considerable disagreement over the roles of lecturers and students in this process. It is therefore very important to understand how lecturers in built environment (BE) undergraduate education perceive their own roles and the role of their students in using assessment strategy to deliver …

Successful Engineering And Technology Student Mobility: Key Student Perspectives And Quality Determinants Before, During And After Student Exchange Under The Atlantis Programme, Mike Murphy, Donal Mchale, Michael Dyrenfurth

Conference papers

In this paper, we describe the lessons learned, and determinants of quality, from two Atlantis programmes. Additionally our two student authors will share key student perspectives relevant to student mobility: (1) before they visited the partner university, (2) while they were studying at the partner university and (3) after they returned to their home university. Purdue University and the Technological University Dublin, together with the Hochschule Darmstadt and Pennsylvania State University, were successful in securing an Atlantis mobility grant [1] for four years to support student and staff mobility between the United States and Europe. The programme has just completed …

Creating A Graphical Front-End For A Book Or Dvd Using Photoshop, Jerome Casey

Instructional Guides

No abstract provided.

Successful Engineering And Technology Student Mobility: Key Student Perspectives And Quality Determinants Before, During And After Student Exchange Under The Atlantis Programme, Mike Murphy, Donal Mchale, Michael Dyrenfurth, James Barnes

Articles

The EU-US Agreement through the Atlantis Programmes supports consortia of higher education and training institutions working together at undergraduate or graduate level to improve their educational services, to compare and modernise curricula and to develop joint study programmes with full recognition of credits and qualifications. The EU-US Atlantis Programme funds innovative projects across three strands: mobility projects, double or joint “transatlantic degrees” for students in the EU and US and policy-oriented measures. The main focus of activities must be on transatlantic rather than intra-European or intra-American interactions. Funded activities, such as the development of curricula, joint study programmes, exchanges and …

An International Comparison Of Engineering Programs In Their Emphases And Professional Skills Development, Gul Okudan Kremer, Mike Murphy, Brian Bowe

Articles

In the face of grand challenges for engineering, several efforts have been undertaken to identify the vision for what we should expect from our undergraduate engineering students. For example, one of the significant reports indicates that our graduates should aspire “to have the ingenuity of Lillian Gilbreth, the problem solving capabilities of Gordon Moore, the scientific insight of Albert Einstein, the creativity of Pablo Picasso, the determination of the Wright brothers, the leadership abilities of Bill Gates, the conscience of Eleanor Roosevelt, the vision of Martin Luther King, and the curiosity and wonder of our grandchildren.” This statement implies that …

Critical Issues And Lessons Learned In Establishing Concurrent International Ms Degree Programs In Engineering Technology, Mike Murphy, Michael Dyrenfurth, Gary Bertoline, Robert Herrick, Kathryne Newton, Sancho Maria-Ribera, Nuria Castell, James Barnes, Matthias Kuder, Gareth O'Donnell

Articles

Globalization, competitiveness, and innovation are frequently employed themes as governments, business and industry and universities attempt to respond to the challenges facing them. Clearly business as usual is not likely to be successful in the future. One strategic response for universities has been a significant impetus – in many parts of the world – towards dual, joint or concurrent degree programs involving international partners. It is perhaps not surprising that engineering is among the disciplines that make most use of international collaboration but it seems that engineering technology programs do not yet participate as extensively in this aspect of international …

Building A Successful Transatlantic Collaboration In Engineering/Technological Education; Lessons From A Six Year Journey, Donal Mchale, Mark Mcgrath, John Lawlor

Conference Papers

This paper reflects on key learning’s from the first six-years (2004-2010) of the development of a collaborative journey of two trans-Atlantic higher-educational institutions. It describes the progress towards building a sustainable and innovative international educational partnership in Engineering/Technological education between the Technological University Dublin,DublinIrelandandPurdue University,Indiana,USA.

In particular, the paper provides insight into the iterative stages of development of this relationship. It reflects on some of the key challenges and it recognises the critical enablers of success. It focuses on challenges and solutions in the following six important areas

(i) The partnership initiation stage. Key considerations and important enablers of future …

Why Do School-Leavers Study Engineering In The Technological University Dublin And How Do They Get There: A Report Of A Survey Of 390 First Year Engineering Students In The Technological University Dublin And A Summary Of The Data Collected Since 2003., Eddie Conlon, Kathleen Murray

Reports

This report sets out the findings of a survey of 389 first year engineering students who commenced studying in the Technological University Dublin (DIT) in September 2007. The questionnaire was completed online using WebCT.

The background information on students is taken from DIT records.This data is based on the records of 525 students who were attending DIT courses in October 2007.

Evaluation Of Robocode As A Teaching Tool For Computer Programming, Arnold Hensman

Conference Papers

Robocode began as an educational tool to aid in learning Java programming. It has since evolved into something of a phenomenon, as the prospect of creating simple to complex virtual tanks appears to pose an attractive challenge to both novice and expert programmers alike. What started out as a teaching tool has grown into a worldwide network of competitors, all keen to prove that their ‘bot’ stands out from the crowd. Competitions are well organised and many Robocode events are a PR dream for the computing companies that sponsor them. Without a doubt, this easy to use application has sparked …

Research Into Evaporative Cooling Of Buildings In Maritime Climates, Ben Costelloe, Donal Finn

Reports

Concern with environmental emissions has focused attention on traditional forms of energy use in buildings, with a view to reducing and making more rational use of energy consumption. One area of concern is the traditional, refrigeration based, commercial air conditioning system, which has high levels of electrical power consumption in fans and refrigeration compressors. There is also concern among building owners and design teams, supported by the PROBE series of post occupancy studies, conducted by the CIBSE, that many buildings, with traditional forms of air conditioning, under perform in terms of occupant satisfaction, ease of operation and control, maintenance costs …