Engineering Commons^™

Perspectives Of Pedagogical Change Within A Broadcast Stem Course, Angela L. Minichiello, Ted Campbell, James T. Dorwand, Sherry Marx

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

As calls for pedagogical transformation of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instruction intensify, the pace of change remains slow. The literature shows that research-based instructional strategies transfer only sporadically into STEM instructional practice. Difficulties associated with implementation and sustainment of instructional change may appear daunting— if not insurmountable—to many STEM change agents and teaching faculty. Subsequently, the path towards systematic and lasting pedagogical transformation in post-secondary STEM stands largely uncharted.

To understand how challenges faced by STEM educators engaged in pedagogical change may be overcome, this paper uses qualitative inquiry to explore an emergent process of teacher change. …

Leveraging Students’ Passion And Creativity: Ethos At The University Of Dayton, Margaret Pinnell, Malcolm Daniels, Kevin P. Hallinan, Gretchen Berkemeier

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The Engineers in Technical Humanitarian Opportunities of Service-learning (ETHOS) program was developed in the spring of 2001 by an interdisciplinary group (electrical, chemical, civil and mechanical) of undergraduate engineering students at the University of Dayton (UD). ETHOS was founded on the belief that engineers are more apt and capable to appropriately serve our world if they have an understanding of technology’s global linkage with values, culture, society, politics, and the economy. Since 2001, the ETHOS program at UD has grown and changed.

From conceptualization, to implementation, to maturation and national recognition, the program has addressed challenges of academic acceptance, programmatic …

Bridging The Gap Between Engineering Design And Pk-12 Curriculum Development Through The Use The Stem Education Quality Framework, Margaret Pinnell, James Rowley, Sandi Preiss, Rebecca P. Blust, Rebecca Beach, Suzanne Franco

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper will describe a unique partnership among the Department of Teacher Education and School of Engineering at the University of Dayton (UD) and the Dayton Regional STEM Center (DRSC). This partnership resulted in the development of the STEM Education Quality Framework (SQF), a tool to guide educators in teaching, learning and refining STEM education. The SQF resulted in a variety of educational tools, including a STEM curriculum template, that was implemented in the DRSCs teacher professional development and curriculum development program entitled the STEM Fellow Program. The STEM Fellow program was later modeled in a unique, NSF sponsored six …

Designing For Success: Developing Engineers Who Consider Universal Design Principles, Kimberly Edginton Bigelow

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Engineers must design for a diverse group of potential users of their products; however, engineering curricula rarely include an emphasis on universal design principles. This research article details the effectiveness of a design project implemented in a first-year engineering course in an effort to raise awareness of the need for engineers to be more inclusive when designing. Students were asked to apply universal design principles to redesign an engineering laboratory to make it more usable to all, including individuals with disabilities who use the room. A representative from the university’s disability services staff, as well as individuals with first-hand experience …

Engineering Innovation And Design For Stem Teachers And The Stem Quality Framework, James Rowley, Sandi Preiss, Margaret Pinnell, Suzanne Franco

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The backbone of economic growth in the United States relies on engineering innovation. However, engineering innovation cannot occur without engineers and scientists. Unfortunately however, many K-12 students do not have a good understanding of the engineering design process or the vast field of engineering. As a result, many students lose interest in math and science and do not pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. This paper will describe a unique partnership among the Teacher Education Program and School of Engineering at the University of Dayton (UD) and the Dayton Regional STEM Center (DRSC). This partnership initiated with the …

Encyclopedia Of Mathematics And Society: 'Engineering Design', Kimberly Edginton Bigelow

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Engineers design everything from automobiles and bridges to prosthetic limbs and sporting equipment. Designing is different from simply building in that it requires the adherence to a very systematic, yet iterative, process known as the “engineering design process.” This process is to engineers what the scientific method is to scientists-guiding steps that help ensure that the end result is the best it can be. When a new product is created without following the steps of the engineering design process, there is a higher likelihood that the product designed will lack some important aspect: the end product may not appropriately account …

A Catholic And Marianist Engineering Education, Kevin P. Hallinan, Margaret Pinnell

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The School of Engineering at the University of Dayton (UD), a Catholic and Marianist University, boasts large enrollments of 1,300 undergraduate and 350 graduate students out of a total of 7,000 undergraduates and 3,000 graduate students. It also boasts a faculty very active in research, which, under the umbrella of the University of Dayton Research Institute, is funded at a level of $100 million per year.

In the past decade, the University of Dayton has sought to better articulate the impact of its Catholic and Marianist traditions, and faculty have been challenged to embody these traditions. University mission statements and …

Gains In Knowledge And Perception Of Engineering After Participation In An Engineering Design Web-Experience Are Gender-Dependent, Kimberly Edginton Bigelow, Gail Wheatley, David Tomasko

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Web-based activities have the potential to teach engineering in both formal and informal science education settings, maximizing outreach efforts. To date, many activities available on the internet teach about engineering, but few allow students to truly “do” engineering.

This project utilized web animation and interaction in the design of a web-based experience focused on engineering design. In this activity, targeted toward middle school students, users played the role of engineer and engaged in the process of designing a cell phone for the older adult market. It was hoped that this web-based activity would increase participant understanding of what engineering is …

Reflections Of College Students Promoting Engineering Through Biomechanical Outreach Activities Indicate Dual Benefits, Kimberly Edginton Bigelow

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Recent work by the National Academy of Engineering revealed that the public has a poor understanding of what engineers actually do on a day-to-day basis. This issue is compounded for non-traditional fields in engineering, such as biomechanical engineering. This is particularly problematic as such fields could draw interest from students not interested in traditional engineering careers, resulting in increased diversity.

To address this, mechanical engineering students taking an elective course, Biomechanical Engineering, were given an outreach assignment to teach at least one individual under the age of 18 about the field of biomechanical engineering through a hands-on activity. Students worked …

The Girl Scout Climbing Wall Multidisciplinary Service-Learning Project, Margaret Pinnell, Corinne M. Daprano, Gabrielle Williamson

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The Girl Scout Wall (GS Wall) project was implemented in two classes at the University of Dayton (UD): a Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) course, and a Health and Sports Science (HSS) course, and Sport Facility Management. The MAE course, Introduction to Materials, is a three-credit, third-year required course where students learn about the basic structure and properties of materials as well as the principles of material selection. The Sport Facility Management course is a three-semester hour, required HSS course where students are introduced to the processes of planning, constructing, equipping, maintaining, and managing sport facilities.