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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Systems Thinking - Learning Objectives, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa Aug 2011

Systems Thinking - Learning Objectives, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

This document is a list of learning objectives based on the framework of Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning: foundational knowledge, application, integration, human dimension, caring, and learning how to learn. It represents the aspirations for learning that the systems thinking is based on.


Materials - Activities, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa Aug 2011

Materials - Activities, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

The document contains activities for students in higher education. These activities are focused on materials issues related to sustainability. It is designed for the general engineering or science audience. Its design is based on the framework of the Fink Taxonomy of Significant Learning. Each activity includes a profile that indicates whether the activity involves direct or indirect information sources, whether the experience is doing or observing and whether it involves individual or group reflection. The profile also includes notes for faculty, an estimate of the time investment, a graphic of the developmental aims with respect to the six areas of …


Water, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa Aug 2011

Water, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

This document is a set of learning materials to support the teaching of water issues particularly related to sustainability in engineering. It is designed for the general engineering or science audience. Its design is based on the framework of the Fink Taxonomy of Significant Learning. The document is a fully-editable set of slides in open source format (pptx) that includes references to targeted learning objectives on each slide and annotations in the notes section of each slide.


Materials - Learning Objectives, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa Aug 2011

Materials - Learning Objectives, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

This document is a list of learning objectives based on the framework of Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning: foundational knowledge, application, integration, human dimension, caring, and learning how to learn. It represents the aspirations for learning that the materials is based on.


Water - Activities, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa Aug 2011

Water - Activities, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

The document contains activities for students in higher education. These activities are focused on water issues related to sustainability. It is designed for the general engineering or science audience. Its design is based on the framework of the Fink Taxonomy of Significant Learning. Each activity includes a profile that indicates whether the activity involves direct or indirect information sources, whether the experience is doing or observing and whether it involves individual or group reflection. The profile also includes notes for faculty, an estimate of the time investment, a graphic of the developmental aims with respect to the six areas of …


Water - Learning Objectives, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa Aug 2011

Water - Learning Objectives, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

This document is a list of learning objectives based on the framework of Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning: foundational knowledge, application, integration, human dimension, caring, and learning how to learn. It represents the aspirations for learning that the water is based on.


Materials, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa Aug 2011

Materials, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

This document is a set of learning materials to support the teaching of materials issues particularly related to sustainability in engineering. It is designed for the general engineering or science audience. Its design is based on the framework of the Fink Taxonomy of Significant Learning. The document is a fully-editable set of slides in open source format (pptx) that includes references to targeted learning objectives on each slide and annotations in the notes section of each slide.


Population - Activities, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa Aug 2011

Population - Activities, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

The document contains activities for students in higher education. These activities are focused on population issues related to sustainability. It is designed for the general engineering or science audience. Its design is based on the framework of the Fink Taxonomy of Significant Learning. Each activity includes a profile that indicates whether the activity involves direct or indirect information sources, whether the experience is doing or observing and whether it involves individual or group reflection. The profile also includes notes for faculty, an estimate of the time investment, a graphic of the developmental aims with respect to the six areas of …


Population, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa Aug 2011

Population, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

This document is a set of learning materials to support the teaching of population issues particularly related to sustainability in engineering. It is designed for the general engineering or science audience. Its design is based on the framework of the Fink Taxonomy of Significant Learning. The document is a fully-editable set of slides in open source format (pptx) that includes references to targeted learning objectives on each slide and annotations in the notes section of each slide.


Population - Learning Objectives, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa Aug 2011

Population - Learning Objectives, Jane Qiong Zhang, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

This document is a list of learning objectives based on the framework of Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning: foundational knowledge, application, integration, human dimension, caring, and learning how to learn. It represents the aspirations for learning that the population is based on.


Quantitative Characterization Of Microstructure Features For 1st Generation Advanced High Strength Steels, Margarita Vidrio, Ellen Liu, Donsheng Li, Kyoo Sil Choi, Xin Sun Aug 2011

Quantitative Characterization Of Microstructure Features For 1st Generation Advanced High Strength Steels, Margarita Vidrio, Ellen Liu, Donsheng Li, Kyoo Sil Choi, Xin Sun

STAR Program Research Presentations

The role of Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) in the automotive industry is important because of its affordability and excellent mechanical properties. The 1st generation of AHSS achieves its preferred combination of strength and ductility by embedding harder martensite grains into softer ferritic matrix. Ductility and strength of these steels are important to safety, formability, application, and life. However, a noticeable degree of inconsistent forming behaviors has been observed in the 1st generation AHSS in production, which seems to be related to the microstructure-level inhomogeneity. The objective of this project is to grain fundamental understandings on how different microstructure level …


The Human Dimension Of Systemic Department-Level Change: A Change Agent’S Retrospective On A Case Of Reform, Linda Vanasupa Jul 2011

The Human Dimension Of Systemic Department-Level Change: A Change Agent’S Retrospective On A Case Of Reform, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

This paper represents a narrative of the process of department-level reform through the eyes of the initiating agent of change. Over the course of reform, our program has grown by 40%, primarily through retaining students. We exhibit a 10% net important rate of engineering students in the first two years of the curriculum relative to the college’s 5% mean export rate. Student freshmen SAT scores also indicate that we are attracting students with more balanced learning interests. The design of our Department Level Reform grant was to advance the knowledge of how to design engineering learning experiences that accomplish two …


Peak Stir Zone Temperatures During Friction Stir Processing, Sprinivasan Swaminathan, Keiichiro Oh-Ishi, Alexander P. Zhilyaev, Christian B. Fuller, Blair London, Murray W. Mahoney, Terry R. Mcnelly Mar 2010

Peak Stir Zone Temperatures During Friction Stir Processing, Sprinivasan Swaminathan, Keiichiro Oh-Ishi, Alexander P. Zhilyaev, Christian B. Fuller, Blair London, Murray W. Mahoney, Terry R. Mcnelly

Materials Engineering

The stir zone (SZ) temperature cycle was measured during the friction stir processing (FSP) of NiAl bronze plates. The FSP was conducted using a tool design with a smooth concave shoulder and a 12.7-mm step-spiral pin. Temperature sensing was accomplished using sheathed thermocouples embedded in the tool path within the plates, while simultaneous optical pyrometry measurements of surface temperatures were also obtained. Peak SZ temperatures were 990 ⁰Cto 1015 ⁰C (0.90 to 0.97 TMelt) and were not affected by preheating to 400⁰C, although the dwell time above 900 ⁰C was increased by the preheating. Thermocouple data suggested little variation in …


Application Of Self-Determination And Self-Regulation Theories To Course Design: Planting The Seeds For Adaptive Expertise, Linda Vanasupa, Jonathan Stolk, Trevor Harding Jan 2010

Application Of Self-Determination And Self-Regulation Theories To Course Design: Planting The Seeds For Adaptive Expertise, Linda Vanasupa, Jonathan Stolk, Trevor Harding

Materials Engineering

The paper is grounded in the premise that learning occurs within a dynamic system of social and ecological interactions in the learning environment. Our intent is to open the conversation about hose ac, as engineering educators, design effective learning experiences for this dynamic system, particularly in light of the deeply ethical, adaptive expertise required of today's graduates. Drawing from two well-researched theories of psychological development (self-determination and self-regulation), we assert that fostering the engagement and positive growth required for adaptive expertise necessitates a holistic educational approach. This approach requires us to consider both the psychological needs of the learner, and …


The Systemic Correlation Between Mental Models And Sustainable Design: Implications For Engineering Educators, Linda Vanasupa, Roger Burton, Jonathan Stolk, Julie B. Zimmerman, Larry J. Leifer, Paul T. Anastas Jan 2010

The Systemic Correlation Between Mental Models And Sustainable Design: Implications For Engineering Educators, Linda Vanasupa, Roger Burton, Jonathan Stolk, Julie B. Zimmerman, Larry J. Leifer, Paul T. Anastas

Materials Engineering

Many studies have illuminated our understanding of the kinds of competencies and behaviors exhibited by effective designers. Against the backdrop of global challenges made more urgent by unintentional negative impacts of engineered products and systems, however, we are left to deduce that our ways of educating engineering designers is fundamentally flawed. We assert that one can trace the cause of our collective, unintended negative consequences to the mental models of reality that we consciously or unconsciously carry. In this paper, we present the case for developing awareness and facility with mental models. We also suggest an alternate mental model as …


Workshop - Feminist Engineering Education: Building A Community Of Practice, Alice L. Pawley, Donna Riley, Susan M. Lord, Trevor S. Harding Oct 2009

Workshop - Feminist Engineering Education: Building A Community Of Practice, Alice L. Pawley, Donna Riley, Susan M. Lord, Trevor S. Harding

Materials Engineering

As a result of a series of papers and special sessions held at FIE between 2004 and 2008, a community of CSET educators interested in exploring feminist pedagogies has formed at FIE. Past participants in these sessions have expressed a desire to learn more about what makes a set of pedagogies "feminist." At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of research papers at FIE that draw on feminist research methods or topics. This workshop is designed to meet the needs of members of the FIE community who have some experience with feminist pedagogies or research …


Work In Progress - A Mixed-Methods Approach To Developing An Instrument Measuring Engineering Students' Positive Ethical Behavior, Mathew A. Holsapple, Cynthia J. Finelli, Donald D. Carpenter, Trevor S. Harding, Janel A. Sutkus Sep 2009

Work In Progress - A Mixed-Methods Approach To Developing An Instrument Measuring Engineering Students' Positive Ethical Behavior, Mathew A. Holsapple, Cynthia J. Finelli, Donald D. Carpenter, Trevor S. Harding, Janel A. Sutkus

Materials Engineering

Ethics education and the drive to produce ethical professional engineers is an important focus of one body of research on engineering education. This research often defines the positive outcome of ethics education as students and professional engineers choosing not to engage in unethical behavior. This paper discusses a portion of a larger research project and details efforts to identify and validate a definition of ethical behavior that includes the decision to engage in a positive behavior, defined as a service to a larger community. Through a series of interviews and focus groups with engineering administrators, faculty, and students, the authors …


The Effects Of Thermal Annealing On The Obliquely Deposited Ag–Ge–S Thin Films, F. Wang, W. P. Dunn, M. Jain, C. De Leo, N. Vicker, Richard N. Savage, Xiaomin Jin, S. Mamedov, P. Boolchand Jun 2009

The Effects Of Thermal Annealing On The Obliquely Deposited Ag–Ge–S Thin Films, F. Wang, W. P. Dunn, M. Jain, C. De Leo, N. Vicker, Richard N. Savage, Xiaomin Jin, S. Mamedov, P. Boolchand

Materials Engineering

Obliquely deposited thin films of ternary Ag–Ge–S glasses are characterized in this work. Thin films are fabricated in a vacuum thermal evaporator at different evaporation angles and examined by Raman spectroscopy. The Raman mode frequency of GeS4 corner-sharing (CS) structure of the as-deposited films display a red-shift as a function of Ag content due to reduced global connectivity, and therefore decreased network stress. Film thickness of normally deposited thin films is significantly less when compared against obliquely deposited ones. Sulfur-ring (S8) modes are observed in thin films but not in corresponding bulk material. Thermal annealing of thin …


Utilizing Quantum Dots To Enhance Solar Spectrum Conversion Efficiencies For Photovoltaics, Richard N. Savage, Hans Mayer, Matthew Lewis, Dan M. Marrujo Dec 2008

Utilizing Quantum Dots To Enhance Solar Spectrum Conversion Efficiencies For Photovoltaics, Richard N. Savage, Hans Mayer, Matthew Lewis, Dan M. Marrujo

Materials Engineering

Silicon-based photovoltaics typically convert less than 30% of the solar spectrum into usable electric power. This study explores the utilization of CdSe based quantum dots as spectral converters that absorb the under utilized UV portion of the solar spectrum and fluoresce at wavelengths near the band-gap of silicon-based solar cells. A flexible 1 mm thick thin-film structure that contains an array of microfluidic channels is designed and fabricated in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using soft-lithographic techniques. The channels are approximately 85 microns wide by 37 microns tall and are filled with a solution containing the quantum dots. The thin-film structure can easily …


Work In Progress - A Design Guide To Retain Female (And Male) Students In Engineering, Linda Vanasupa, Katherine C. Chen, Stacey Breitenbach, Karen R. Bangs Oct 2008

Work In Progress - A Design Guide To Retain Female (And Male) Students In Engineering, Linda Vanasupa, Katherine C. Chen, Stacey Breitenbach, Karen R. Bangs

Materials Engineering

Despite a rich body of research on factors contributing to attrition of women during the college, women continue to be underrepresented in the graduating classes of most traditional engineering disciplines. We present our Four-Domain Development Diagram (4DDD) in an attempt to enable a systems approach to managing all the factors that contribute to retention. This diagram makes explicit the connections between the learners' response factors in the learning environment, including motivation, interest, and ultimately retention. Although we are only three years into our use of the diagrams' relationships, we have seen a lower overall net attrition rate (male and female) …


Work In Progress – Building The Survey Of Engineering Ethical Development (Seed) Instrument, Janel A. Sutkus, Donald D. Carpenter, Cynthia J. Finelli, Trevor S. Harding Oct 2008

Work In Progress – Building The Survey Of Engineering Ethical Development (Seed) Instrument, Janel A. Sutkus, Donald D. Carpenter, Cynthia J. Finelli, Trevor S. Harding

Materials Engineering

When developing surveys, researchers can readily identify the concepts they intend to study, but how do they create individual survey items that will most accurately measure those concepts? Here we describe the first year of a four-year NSF project in which the E3 Team (Exploring Ethical Decision Making in Engineering) prepared to develop a national survey of the curricular and cocurricular activities, events, and experiences affecting the ethical development of engineering undergraduates. As this survey is likely to be the most comprehensive assessment of ethical development - both in content and scope - ever administered to engineering undergraduates, it …


The Psychology Of 'Ought', Trevor S. Harding Oct 2008

The Psychology Of 'Ought', Trevor S. Harding

Materials Engineering

As educators, we would like to believe that we can influence the ethical growth of our students. If we are to do this, it seems worthwhile to first understand what ethical decision-making is and how it happens. For millennia, ethical decision-making has fallen within the domain of philosophy. However, recent evidence suggests that the average person does not consider ethical dilemmas in the abstract. Instead, ethical decision-making appears to be a complex dance between an individual’s rational calculus of the ethical dilemma and their emotional response to the context of the dilemma. I will present an argument that in the …


Work In Progress - Attaining And Measuring Global Competency For Engineering Graduates, James Widmann, Linda Vanasupa Oct 2008

Work In Progress - Attaining And Measuring Global Competency For Engineering Graduates, James Widmann, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

Downey et al. laid out a clear path of learning criteria and outcomes for global competence in their 2006 Journal of Engineering Education publication. We build on their work by integrating other disciplinary perspectives to expand upon the questions: "How can global competency be learned?", and "How can we assess it?" In this work-in-progress paper, we propose an expanded framework for global competence and identify the use of Fink's taxonomy of significant learning as a tool to consider how it can be achieved through careful design of classroom learning experiences. Drawing heavily from other models, our framework attempts to articulate …


A Longitudinal Study Of The Ethical Development Of Engineering And Non-Engineering Students At A National Research University, Cynthia J. Finelli, Janel A. Sutkus, Donald D. Carpenter, Trevor S. Harding Jul 2008

A Longitudinal Study Of The Ethical Development Of Engineering And Non-Engineering Students At A National Research University, Cynthia J. Finelli, Janel A. Sutkus, Donald D. Carpenter, Trevor S. Harding

Materials Engineering

No abstract provided.


The Four-Domain Development Diagram: A Tool For Designing Development-Centered Teaching, Linda Vanasupa, Trevor S. Harding, William L. Hughes Jun 2008

The Four-Domain Development Diagram: A Tool For Designing Development-Centered Teaching, Linda Vanasupa, Trevor S. Harding, William L. Hughes

Materials Engineering

Research in education has brought to light the complexity of the learning process, demonstrating that students' development is influenced by a myriad of cultural and social factors, as well as the environment in which learning takes place. Engineering curricula, however, are primarily focused on teaching content knowledge, often resulting in a gap between what is taught and what is learned. We propose that shifting some of the focus onto the process of learning that occurs within the student and leveraging multiple known connections from educational psychology can result in more effective engineering education. Here we define “effective” engineering education as …


Converting Traditional Materials Labs To Project-Based Learning Experiences: Aiding Students' Development Of Higher-Order Cognitive Skills, Linda Vanasupa, Katherine C. Chen, Jonathan Stolk, Richard N. Savage, Trevor S. Harding, Blair London, William L. Hughes Nov 2007

Converting Traditional Materials Labs To Project-Based Learning Experiences: Aiding Students' Development Of Higher-Order Cognitive Skills, Linda Vanasupa, Katherine C. Chen, Jonathan Stolk, Richard N. Savage, Trevor S. Harding, Blair London, William L. Hughes

Materials Engineering

Against a backdrop of compelling societal needs, graduates in science and engineering now must master their disciplines and demonstrate a sophisticated level of cognitive, affective and social development. This has lead a number of national and international commissions on science and engineering to urge educators to re-think the way in which STEM disciplines are taught. We have chosen to "repackage" a traditional undergraduate materials engineering curriculum in a form designed to promote the development of higher-order cognitive skills like self-directed learning and design. Classic metallurgy experiments have been converted to project-based learning experiences where students are put in the role …


Work-In-Progress - Self-Directed Learning And Motivation In A Project-Based Learning Environment, Trevor S. Harding, Linda Vanasupa, Richard N. Savage, Jonathan D. Stolk Oct 2007

Work-In-Progress - Self-Directed Learning And Motivation In A Project-Based Learning Environment, Trevor S. Harding, Linda Vanasupa, Richard N. Savage, Jonathan D. Stolk

Materials Engineering

Self-directed learning is a key competency in life-long learning, an outcome often cited for engineering education, and is dependent on students' motivation, meta-cognition, and self-regulation with regards to a learning task. Few studies have addressed the aspects of engineering learning environments that promote the development of self-directed learning abilities. The goal of this study was to identify relationships between students' perceptions of their self-directed learning ability and their learning motivation within a project-based learning environment. Junior engineering students in a test cohort with heavy emphasis on project-based learning completed surveys on self-directed learning aptitude and learning motivation. Responses were compared …


The Theory Of Planned Behavior As A Model Of Academic Dishonesty In Engineering And Humanities Undergraduates, Trevor S. Harding, Mathew J. Mayhew, Cynthia J. Finelli, Donald D. Carpenter Sep 2007

The Theory Of Planned Behavior As A Model Of Academic Dishonesty In Engineering And Humanities Undergraduates, Trevor S. Harding, Mathew J. Mayhew, Cynthia J. Finelli, Donald D. Carpenter

Materials Engineering

This study examines the use of a modified form of the Theory of Planned Behavior in understanding the decisions of undergraduate students in engineering and humanities to engage in cheating. We surveyed 527 randomly selected students from three academic institutions. Results supported the use of the model in predicting ethical decision-making regarding cheating. In particular, the model demonstrated how certain variables (gender, discipline, high school cheating, education level, international student status, participation in Greek organizations or other clubs) and moral constructs related to intention to cheat, attitudes toward cheating, perceptions of norms with respect to cheating, and ultimately, cheating behaviors. …


Collaborative Design Of Project-Based Learning Courses: How To Implement A Mode Of Learning That Effectively Builds Skills For The Global Engineer, Richard N. Savage, Jonathan Stolk, Linda Vanasupa Jun 2007

Collaborative Design Of Project-Based Learning Courses: How To Implement A Mode Of Learning That Effectively Builds Skills For The Global Engineer, Richard N. Savage, Jonathan Stolk, Linda Vanasupa

Materials Engineering

Success for tomorrow’s engineers necessitates the design of curricula that promote awareness of the broader impacts of engineering, enhances systems thinking, reflects sustainable engineering practices, and helps prepare students to make an impact in the global community. Project-based learning approaches that emphasize student learning rather than instructor teaching may be a key to successful development of “global engineers.” Evaluations of project-based courses show increases in student motivation, problem-solving ability, communication and teaming skills, knowledge retention, and capacity for self-directed learning. Despite these reported benefits, curriculum-wide implementations of project-based learning are rare, probably partly due to the traditional emphasis on technical …


A Systemic Model Of Development: Strategically Enhancing Students' Cognitive, Psychomotor, Affective And Social Development, Linda Vanasupa, Jonathan Stolk, Trevor S. Harding, Richard N. Savage Jun 2007

A Systemic Model Of Development: Strategically Enhancing Students' Cognitive, Psychomotor, Affective And Social Development, Linda Vanasupa, Jonathan Stolk, Trevor S. Harding, Richard N. Savage

Materials Engineering

The challenges of the 21st century create an imperative for engineering educators: to design learning experiences that result in engineering professionals with a sophisticated level of cognitive, psychomotor, social and affective development. We propose a tool for the design process. Our systemic model of development (SMD) is based on a large body of learning theory and empirical data. It maps the relationships among the major factors that influence learning in the form of a causal loop diagram. To demonstrate the value of the SMD, we compared the motivational profiles of a test group (36 students) who took an engineering course …