Engineering Education Commons^™

Development Of A System Architecture For The Prediction Of Student Success Using Machine Learning Techniques, Tatiana A. Cardona

Doctoral Dissertations

“ The goals of higher education have evolved through time based on the impact that technology development and industry have on productivity. Nowadays, jobs demand increased technical skills, and the supply of prepared personnel to assume those jobs is insufficient. The system of higher education needs to evaluate their practices to realize the potential of cultivating an educated and technically skilled workforce. Currently, completion rates at universities are too low to accomplish the aim of closing the workforce gap. Recent reports indicate that 40 percent of freshman at four-year public colleges will not graduate, and rates of completion are even …

Utility Of Reading Assignments In Environmental Engineering Education For Effective Learning And Greater Student Engagement In An Era Of Innovative Pedagogy And Emerging Technologies, Sanjay Tewari

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Making teaching more effective has been a never-ending pursuit since the dawn of education. Engineering education is no exception to this. There have been numerous pedagogical advances making engineering education more effective. Most engineering majors, some more than others, have dedicated laboratories for hands-on learning of specific concepts and techniques. However, a major portion of teaching still takes places in classroom settings. Educators adopt various pedagogical practices, teaching-aids, and technologies to engage students in the controlled environment of classrooms. In ideal class settings, an instructor should be able to reach out to all students regardless of their learning styles. Introductory …

Problem-Based Learning As A Pedagogy For Individual Students -- Quantifying The Long-Term Effects Of Land Subsidence And Rising Sea Levels In Coastal Areas For Greater Student Engagement, Sanjay Tewari

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Course-based class discussions usually are limited to course syllabus and topics of lectures. If a discussion goes beyond course syllabus and the topics, usually there is a time constraint of class/lab periods, keeping educators and students from going deeper. Even without time constraints of class/lab settings, some students get engaged in the overall learning process more when they are challenged or tasked to solve a problem. This paper focuses on the pedagogical aspect of problem-based learning and its application for greater engagement of these students in quantifying the long term effects of land subsidence and rising sea levels in coastal …

Global Engineering And Language Attitudes In The U.S.: A Quandary, Jorge Porcel

Arts, Languages and Philosophy Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Generating Interest Among Undergraduates Toward Research In Environmental Engineering By Incorporating Novel Desalination Technology-Based Hands-On Laboratory Assignments, Sanjay Tewari, Md Ashique Ahmed, Chandra Mouli Tummala

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Undergraduate students were exposed to hands-on novel desalination laboratory experiments in an attempt to generate interest towards research in the broad field of environmental engineering and specifically in the field of water desalination. The laboratory exercises were designed to introduce desalination techniques, enhance their learning experiences, generate interest among them, and prepare them as potential researchers in laboratory settings. The hands-on experience of capacitive deionization (CDI) based laboratory experiments provided foundational and working knowledge of the CDI concept and allowed students to learn basic methodology followed in environmental laboratories to arrive at technical conclusions.

Students were given opportunity to desalinate …

A Retention Model For Community College Stem Students, Jennifer Snyder, Elizabeth A. Cudney

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The number of students attending community colleges that take advantage of transfer pathways to universities continues to rise. Therefore, there is a need to engage in academic research on these students and their attrition in order to identify areas to improve retention. Community colleges have a very diverse population and provide entry into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs, regardless of student high school preparedness. It is essential for these students to successfully transfer to universities and finish their STEM degrees to meet the global workforce demands. This research develops a predictive model for community college students for degree …

Leveraging The Nam's 'Getting Nurses On Boards Coalition' To Promote Nae's 'Changing The Conversation' Campaign, Daniel B. Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

As described in reports by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), engineers and the profession of engineering lack visibility, relevance, and influence with the public. One approach to address this situation is the, "Changing the Conversation," campaign that uses market research techniques to improve the public image of the engineering profession. In related efforts, scientists have developed the, "March for Science," campaign to advocate for the role of science in evidence-based public policy at the local, state, and international levels. In contrast to marketing materials and advocacy campaigns, this article argues that the approach adopted by nurses and the profession …

The Comprehensive Handling Of Safety In An Autonomous Robot Capstone Project, John G. Ciezki, Steve Eugene Watkins

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A systematic approach to safety issues is described in the context of an autonomous robot capstone project. The treatment of safety should not be an ad hoc or an after-thought aspect of design projects. Engineering students need to consider safety as an integral component of the design process and to identify and address hazards systematically in each stage of project work. Appropriate actions include researching professional standards and regulations, incorporating safety best practices, developing safety checklists and operating protocols, and providing significant safety documentation. Formal safety components were added to a capstone design project for electrical and computer engineering undergraduates …

Hypothetical Cases In Engineering Ethics, Steve Eugene Watkins

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An important educational subject for engineering students is engineering ethics. Common instructional objectives are to develop knowledge of ethical principles, e.g. professional codes, and to apply these principles to specific situations. Case studies are useful instructional examples and exercises and cases are central to student ethics competitions. Historical case studies emphasize the relevance of ethics in engineering work. Hypothetical case studies can address specific ethical principles and provide great design flexibility. This paper discusses hypothetical cases in engineering ethics in the context of instructional exercises or student competitions. Recommendations are given for the development of versatile cases and for approaching …

Lean Six Sigma Journey In A Uk Higher Education Institute: Challenges, Projects, And Key Lessons Learned, Jiju Antony, Elizabeth A. Cudney

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Lean Six Sigma is a powerful methodology for achieving process efficiency and effectiveness resulting in enhanced customer satisfaction and improved bottom line results. Although a number of manufacturing and service organizations are utilizing the power of this integrated methodology, Higher Education Institutions have been slow to introduce and develop this process excellence methodology. The purpose of the paper is to critically evaluate Lean Six Sigma as a powerful business improvement methodology for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Higher Education Institutions. The paper will explore the fundamental challenges and critical success factors encountered with the introduction and development of Lean …

Environmental Engineering Laboratory Development To Promote Active And Hands-On Learning, Sanjay Tewari

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This extended abstract details one instructor’s experience in incorporating hands-on laboratory portion in a junior level civil engineering class, Environmental Engineering. The objective of the change was to help students become more involved and aware of their own learning through active participation so that they can relate to course contents in a better way. The author sought to achieve this through a laboratory structure that 1) required students to reflect on certain topics and device a do-it-yourself experiment to measure certain parameters and 2) provided a level of autonomy by allowing them to choose to work alone or in small …

Traffic Study Using A Video Camera And An Image Processing Software Lessons Learned, Sanjay Tewari, Nazimuddin Wasiuddin, Marissa K. Orr

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Highway Engineering I – CVEN332, is a junior-level course in civil engineering that covers primarily traffic engineering and transportation planning. Traffic engineering topics include isolated intersection signal timing design, intersection capacity analysis and freeway capacity analysis. In fall 2015, students collected real life and local field data in two design modules and used a traffic camera compatible with the video processing software in one design module. The objective of this study is to assess if the usage of local, real life field data and introduction of a traffic camera have any impact on increasing learning, increasing feeling of preparedness and …

Pre-College Engineering Activities With Electronic Circuits (Work-In-Progress), Steve Eugene Watkins

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Projects involving engineering experimentation, design, and measurement can be effective content for pre-college STEM outreach. Such applications-oriented activities can promote literacy and interest in technical topics and careers and have the added benefit of showing the relevance of science and mathematics. Exposure to electrical engineering concepts is discussed using the 555 timer integrated circuit. This low-cost device can be used for modular activities involving the production of light, sound, and motion. Specific projects are presented that are appropriate for pre-college students from 9th-grade through 12th-grade.

Work In Progress -- Does A Technology-Rich Transportation Engineering Experiences Increase Interest In Civil Engineering, Marissa K. Orr, Sanjay Tewari, David E. Hall, Norman D. Pumphrey

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper examines whether a technology-rich transportation engineering experience generates interest among college freshman students towards transportation related degrees and careers, specifically, whether it increases interest in civil engineering. Louisiana Tech’s first-year engineering experience provides relevant, project-focused education for over 500 students each year and an opportunity to introduce transportation-related projects. The six semester-hour, three-course sequence, called “Living with the Lab,” boosts experiential learning through student ownership of inexpensive laboratory equipment. In one section of the Living with the Lab course, a transportation engineer visited the class and the students were led through a technology-rich transportation engineering activity. They used …

A Systematic Review Of Technological Advancements To Enhance Learning, Elizabeth A. Cudney, Julie Ezzell

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Assessing student learning styles and incorporating thought-provoking activities has been a focus of research for years. Virtual technology and social media are transforming traditional classrooms into training spaces that can be tailored for individual learning patterns and personalized for different skill levels. These technological tools are not only revolutionizing the conventional lecture-based classroom but also beginning to incorporate options such as flipped and blended classrooms. Students in these nontraditional settings are given additional hands-on experience that allows them to become immersed in a variety of subjects. Flipped classrooms in particular use class time effectively by challenging students to prepare prior …

Work-In-Progress: Statistics Components In A Circuits Laboratory For Ece Sophomores, Steve Eugene Watkins, Theresa M. Swift, Amardeep Kaur

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Statistics concepts are required for undergraduate curricula in electrical engineering and computer engineering (ECE). Accreditation guidelines specify that such instruction must include “applications appropriate to the program name” [ABET Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs, 2014-2015]. Curricula content in probability and statistics are commonly done in a stand-alone course, but additional exposure within engineering-content courses can provide great value. Many basic concepts can be introduced before the comprehensive stand-alone course. A good ECE context is an electrical circuits laboratory in which students need to understand electrical component tolerances and related design issues. Statistics-related assignments in a required, sophomore-level laboratory course are …

Teaching Engineering Ethics, Steve Eugene Watkins

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Instruction in engineering ethics is an important aspect of professional development. For universities, it is an element of program assessment and is considered for accreditation. For engineering students, it addresses relationships in professional life and is a topic for professional licensure. A common instructional objective is for students to have an ability to continue developing their ethical knowledge and judgment. Topical content typically includes an introduction to principles of applied ethics with supporting examples of related engineering situations. This paper discusses the organization of the ethics component in a senior seminar course. Key topics are ethics principles in the context …

Strategies To Enhance Learning In A Large Engineering Economics Course: Including Students’ Perceived Values In The Instructional Redesign Process, Kellie S. Grasman, D. Cernusca

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Purposeful implementation of technology in instructional design presents opportunities to increase institutional efficiency while simultaneously improving instructional quality. This paper presents findings from the implementation of a hybrid/buffet approach in an undergraduate Engineering Economics large course. A Design-Based Research (DBR) approach informed the instructional redesign and measured its effectiveness through multiple iterations, or macro-cycles, of implementation. Overall, pedagogical structure and specific technology solutions applied to each course component are described, as well as preliminary measures of effectiveness and student perception from a pilot offering of the hybrid/buffet course. Encouraged by positive preliminary results, a second implementation informed further study of …

Organizing A Student Poster Session In An Asee Section Conference, Steve Eugene Watkins, Les Kinsler, Julia L. Morse, Douglas R. Carroll

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Student poster sessions at conferences can be valuable experiences for undergraduate and graduate students and can enrich the conference program for all participants. Student poster presentations beyond the local campus can provide additional experience in professional communication (especially in preparing succinct abstracts and in effective visual design), can prepare students for future conference participations, and can facilitate student-faculty interaction. Several issues exist when including student poster sessions in engineering education conferences. How can the content of posters be related to an engineering education theme? How are communication principles of audience and purpose incorporated into the session guidelines and review process? …

Educating The Professional Engineer Of 2020: The Changing Licensure Requirements, Susan L. Murray, Terri M. Lynch-Caris

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Engineering education programs would be well served to align their curricula and program outcomes to the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam and Professional Engineer (PE) Exam specifications. These exams are required steps in the process of becoming a licensed engineer in most states. NCEES (the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing professional licensure for engineers and surveyors. It develops, administers, and scores these examinations used for engineering licensure. Starting in 2011, NCEES held survey-creation meetings with diverse teams to develop a draft survey containing the subjects in each discipline and …

An Engineering Physics Introduction To Electronics For Ece Sophomores, Steve Eugene Watkins

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electronic devices and circuits are fundamental parts of undergraduate curricula in electrical engineering and computer engineering (ECE). A sophomore-level course that gives a balanced treatment of semiconductor device physics and electronic circuit analysis is described. The course topics are semiconductor physics, diodes, transistors, operational amplifiers, and optoelectronics. The course is a prerequisite for upper-level electronics, semiconductor physics, and semiconductor circuit layout curricula. A stronger link between physical principles and device behavior and an improved sequence in electronics instruction are outcomes.

An Inverted Teaching Model For A Mechanics Of Materials Course, Jeffery S. Thomas, Timothy A. Philpot

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Instructors at Missouri University of Science and Technology have been offering certain sections of a mechanics of materials course in an inverted format for the past two years. In this format, students learn the concepts outside of class, using a textbook, animations and videos developed by the authors, and work on homework either individually or in groups during the optional class time. Students take eight multiple-choice exams and a final exam that is common to both the inverted sections and the more traditional lecture-based sections. Homework in the inverted sections is assigned but not graded. The in-class exams are given …

Software Education For Changing Computing Technology, Steve Eugene Watkins

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Software education has been dominated by procedural-based programming languages such as BASIC, FORTRAN and C, and before that, the assembly languages. The primary reason that this methodology has held such sway in education was that it allowed quick action for the first major users of computers. This approach was the most straight-forward means of utilizing hardware that, over the last 60 years, has gotten faster and more complex through smaller and more densely packed elements. However, traditional advances as described by Moore’s law are now reaching both physical and economic limits. Pure object-oriented programming approaches offer benefits for hardware that …

Missouri S&T Engineering Management Capstone Senior Design: Lessons Learned And Challenges To Come, Stephen A. Raper

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A more traditional, capstone senior design course was recently added as a requirement for Engineering Management undergraduates in the Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Department at Missouri S&T. The case studies course that had served that purpose was deemed to be insufficient for ABET accreditation purposes by department faculty. The most recent 2008 accreditation visit for the department verified this belief and caused the department to launch the new class earlier than anticipated to prove the class would be taught and that it would meet required standards. Thus, no weaknesses or concerns were noted in this area in the final …

The Effect Of On-Line Videos On Learner Outcomes In A Mechanics Of Materials Course, Jeffery S. Thomas, Richard H. Hall, Timothy A. Philpot, Douglas R. Carroll

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Mechanics of Materials course is one of the core engineering courses included in the curriculum of mechanical, civil, mining, petroleum, marine, aeronautical, and several other engineering disciplines. As a core course, the Mechanics of Materials course typically has large enrollment. Initiatives aimed at improving the effectiveness of the engineering core courses can have a major impact on engineering education by virtue of the large number of students affected.

Computers afford opportunities for creative instructional activities that are not possible in the traditional lecture-and-textbook class format. The study described in this paper examines the effectiveness of asynchronous online video that …

Using Social Networking Game To Teach Operations Research And Management Science Fundamental Concepts, Ivan G. Guardiola, Susan L. Murray, Elizabeth A. Cudney

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents our experience using the popular game FarmVille by Zynga® to teach the fundamentals of linear programming and integer programming concepts to undergraduate students in an introductory operations research course. FarmVille is a popular game within the social networking website Facebook®. A month-long contest was introduced amongst the students with the goal to be the best individual farmer by striving to reach high levels of revenue, experience, and aesthetic appeal of their own unique farm. The contest is to demonstrate the concepts of problem formulation, solution methods, multiple and competing objectives, implementation of policy, and reformulation. The students …

Using Abet Assessment Requirements As A Catalyst For Change: Enhancing And Streamlining The Engineering Management Undergraduate Program At Missouri S&T, Stephen A. Raper, Susan L. Murray, Christa Moll Weisbrook, William Daughton

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Engineering Management (EM) undergraduate degree program at Missouri University of Science & Technology (formerly University of Missouri-Rolla) was the first program of its kind. The program started over 40 years ago and it is one of only five ABET accredited undergraduate EM programs [1]. The initial degree program included a senior year of management courses in conjunction with three years of courses in common engineering disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering. In the 1990s the program underwent a major restructure and students combined core engineering management classes with an emphasis area inside the department. Industrial, manufacturing, packaging, …

Work In Progress -- Balancing Prescribed And Project-Based Experiences In Microfabrication Laboratories, Chang-Soo Kim, Steve Eugene Watkins

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Student education for microfabrication processes needs to integrate theoretical understanding with process understanding. Instructional challenges exist in designing effective laboratory experiences. The pedagogical issues include linking theoretical lecture concepts to cost-effective laboratories, tailoring the relative time between lectures and laboratories, and balancing the laboratory assignments between prescribed and project-based experiences. We describe the progressive implementations of microfabrication laboratory experiences in graduate courses. The first offering has no laboratory activity. The prescribed laboratory and project-based laboratory components were gradually incorporated. All laboratory experiences were team-based and utilized cost-effective facilities. The assessments indicate that students prefer significant laboratory experience and that learning …

Product Focused Freeform Fabrication Education, Frank W. Liou, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Presented in this paper is our experience of teaching freeform fabrication to students at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, and to high school students and teachers. The emphasis of the curriculum is exposing students to rapid product development technologies with the goal of creating awareness to emerging career opportunities in CAD/CAM. Starting from solid modeling, principles of freeform fabrication, to applications of rapid prototyping and manufacturing in industry sponsored product development projects, students can learn in-depth freeform fabrication technologies. Interactive course content with hands-on experience for product development is the key towards the success of the program.

Encouraging Lifelong Learning For Engineering Management Undergraduates, Susan L. Murray, Stephen A. Raper

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The current ABET guidelines place an emphasis on life-long learning for our undergraduate students. What is life-long learning? How can we encourage students to consider global issues, current events, or even anything "that isn't going to be on the next test"? In this paper we present survey results evaluating habits of undergraduate students entering an engineering management program and seniors related to life-long learning including attending professional society meetings, reading trade publications, reading business related books, and other learning outside of the classroom activities. This paper also presents a two semester effort to increase life-long learning activities among undergraduate engineering …