Engineering Education Commons^™

What Value Does Service Learning Have On Introductory Engineering Students' Motivation And Abet Program Outcomes?, Carol Sevier, Seung Youn Chyung, Janet Callahan, Cheryl Schrader

Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

A quasi-experimental study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of using a service learning (SL) method on influencing introductory engineering students' motivation and ABET program outcomes, compared to the effectiveness of using a conventional, non-service-learning (NSL) method. The sample used in the study was 214 students enrolled in an Introduction to Engineering course at a medium-size university in the northwestern region of the U.S. during the fall semester of 2009 and the spring semester of 2010. Sixty-nine students completed SL projects while 145 students completed NSL projects. Both SL and NSL projects were team-based. Using the ARCS model as a …

The Challenges And Implications For Energy Education, Patrick A. Tebbe

Mechanical and Civil Engineering Department Publications

In March 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan was hit by twin natural disasters of a 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami more than 10 meters high. The combination forced a shut down of the reactor and severed externally provided power. Backup generators and batteries, which at first functioned normally, were swamped and disabled by the tsunami waters. The subsequent loss of reactor core cooling led to rising temperatures that ultimately resulted in a partial melting of the fuel rods and several hydrogen explosions (produced by a steam-zirconium reaction). Eventually, the situation was brought under control, but not …

Work-In-Progress: Linking A Geographically Distributed Reu Program With Networking And Collaboration Tools, Thalia Anagnos, Alicia Lyman-Holt, Sean Brophy

Faculty Publications

The George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation coordinates a geographically distributed REU program with up to 30 students at 5 to 7 research sites each summer. Creating a sense of cohort and providing opportunities for the students to interact is challenging. The program coordinators have leveraged the NEES hub cyberinfrastructure to engage students in professional development and peer-to-peer interaction. Some experimentation with Facebook to sustain engagement with alumni is underway. Resources include a course management system (Moodle embedded in NEES hub) and a virtual world called Quake Quest. Through the course management system students post a variety …

Assessing Technological Literacy Of Middle School Students, Lawrence E. Whitman, Mandy C. Phelps, Karen V. Reynolds, Barbara S. Chaparro

Publications

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a rigorous and relevant pre-engineering curriculum implemented in middle schools and high schools throughout the United States. PLTW has a hands-on approach using activities and project-based learning. The College of Engineering at Wichita State University has partnered with three local school districts to implement the PLTW program to increase interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). This study begins to assess the impact of the PLTW program on student perceptions and attitudes toward engineering and technology as part of an ongoing three-year assessment. A pre- and post-assessment were administered to middle school students …

Software Engineering Education Needs More Engineering, A. Frank Ackerman, Ph.D., Sushil Acharua, D.Eng.

Computer Science & Software Engineering

To what extent is “software engineering” really “engineering” as this term is commonly understood? A hallmark of the products of the traditional engineering disciplines is trustworthiness based on dependability. But in his keynote presentation at ICSE 2006 Barry Boehm pointed out that individuals’, systems’, and peoples’ dependency on software is becoming increasingly critical, yet that dependability is generally not the top priority for software intensive system producers. Continuing in an uncharacteristic pessimistic vein, Professor Boehm said that this situation will likely continue until a major software-induced system catastrophe similar in impact to the 9/11 World Trade Center catastrophe stimulates action …

Wireless Ad Hoc Networks For Mobile Devices Via High Frequency Sound Waves, Yashar Bahman

Computer Engineering

The purpose of this research it to give mobile phones the ability to create a cross-platfor wireless ad-hoc network. To accomplish this the phone’s speaker/microphone will be treated as a modulator/demodulator (or modem for short). The idea is that the phone will generate sine waves at various frequencies to output them on the speaker on one end and also record audio with the microphone to analyze and decode it into data on the other.

Once complete, these functionalities will all be rolled up into one easy to use library named Wave, which can be used to send data back and …

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.

Chef Sifty, Dereck Quock

Computer Engineering

In our society today, childhood obesity has become a more prevalent problem, which needs to be fixed. Children constantly eat and snack unhealthily and parents need to understand the importance of teaching children how food affects their body and well-being. Teaching this to children at an early age will help to instill a healthy lifestyle for the child. Chef Sifty is a cooking game developed for Sifteo cubes that aims to show children the importance of nutrition while having fun. Using Sifteo’s concept of Intelligent Play, the objective of this project is to show children some healthy food and snack …

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 …

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 …

Retrofitting A Car Alternator For Low-Speed Power Generation, Yuri Carrillo

Electrical Engineering

This report presents the analysis and methods taken to appropriately modify a car alternator to operate as a low speed generator for wind or hydro power generation. A Toyota car alternator taken from a junkyard is characterized via an Open-Circuit test to evaluate its operating specifications. The car alternator is also measured to determine its physical dimensions. The acquired values are used with the generated voltage equation to determine the machine’s unknown rotor values— the product of the rotor winding factor and the number of rotor windings (kfNf). Using the generated voltage equation with the determined machine parameters, the number …

Global Technology Initiative At San Jose State University: Results Of Seven Years Of An International Experience For Students, Belle Wei, Patricia Backer, Wenchiang Chung, Andrew Wood

Faculty Publications

For XXX students to thrive in the highly competitive global economy, it is critical to develop international perspectives and knowledge. The $1 million Global Technology Initiative (GTI), established in 2004, provides SJSU students with an opportunity to gain a global perspective of the world by learning about technology and business developments in the Asia Pacific region. GTI donors are high-tech business leaders with strong business ties in Silicon Valley and the Asia Pacific region. Given the current trend of engineering globalization in the global economy, particularly the trend of outsourcing Silicon Valley manufacturing, development, and design work to foreign countries, …

Impact Of Self-Efficacy On Interest And Choice In Engineering Study And Careers For Undergraduate Women Engineering Students, Patricia Backer, Rona Halualani

Faculty Publications

Self-efficacy refers to the belief in a persons’ ability to perform a specific task. Starting in middle school, girls tend to underestimate their abilities in STEM. This confidence gap among girls persists through high school into college. This gap is presumed to be partially responsible for the gender gap in engineering and other STEM fields (e.g. computer science, physics). In 2006, women only earned 19.5% of the undergraduate BS engineering degrees in the U.S. This paper investigates the motivations of women students at XXX to pursue engineering careers, including their level of self-efficacy and sources of academic support, and the …

Hybrid Course Design: Leading A New Direction In Learning Programming Languages, Lulu Sun, Matthew Kindy, Caroline Cecile Marcelle Liron, Christopher Grant, Shirley Waterhouse

Publications

“Introduction to Computing for Engineers” is a programming course emphasizing problem solving. The lack of practice time, in addition to the algorithm-centric nature of programming, results in an inadequate comprehension of course material. In the fall of 2010, three faculty members created and implemented online activities consisting of video lecture slides, and mini on-line quizzes at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to give students more “hands-on” learning (rather than expecting them to absorb content through lecture). Students do online lecture study by themselves, then come to the lab to practice on the following day with the instructor and teaching assistant. In the …

Perceptions Measurement Of Professional Certifications To Augment Buffalo State College Baccalaureate Technology Programs, As A Representative American Postsecondary Educational Institution, Christopher N. Brown

Industrial Technology Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess, measure, and analyze whether voluntary, nationally-recognized professional certification credentials were important to augment technology programs at Buffalo State College (BSC), as a representative postsecondary baccalaureate degree-granting institution offering technology curricula. Six BSC undergraduate technology programs were evaluated within the scope of this study: 1.) Computer Information Systems; 2.) Electrical Engineering, Electronics; 3.) Electrical Engineering, Smart Grid; 4.) Industrial Technology; 5.) Mechanical Engineering; and 6.) Technology Education. This study considered the following three aspects of the problem: a.) postsecondary technology program enrollment and graduation trends; b.) the value/awareness of professional certifications to employers …

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 …

Future Critical Issues And Problems Facing Technology And Engineering Education In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Petros Katsioloudis, Johnny J. Moye

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The purpose of this research was to determine the future critical issues and problems facing the K-12 technology and engineering education profession in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This study was based on the Wicklein nationwide studies (1993a, 2005). Even though this study did not exactly replicate the Wicklein studies--since it was limited to the Commonwealth of Virginia--the method and questions used were identical. The modified Delphi research design was used to draw consensus among technology and engineering education experts in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Seventy-five percent of the participants agreed with one another concerning the top five critical problems and …

A Comparative Analysis Of Preferred Learning And Teaching Styles For Engineering, Industrial, And Technology Education Students And Faculty, Petros Katsioloudis, Todd D. Fantz

STEMPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Teaching Higher On Bloom's Taxonomy: Experience In Introduction To Graphical Communications Course, Lulu Sun, Christopher Grant

Publications

Introduction to Graphical Communications is designed to familiarize the student with the basic principles of engineering drawing, to improve three dimensional visualization skills, and to teach the fundamentals of a computer aided design program. Much of the instruction is focused on knowledge and comprehension, low levels of Bloom's taxonomy. However, the students' ability to use this knowledge and comprehension to explore real engineering design is unknown. This paper includes the implementation of Bloom's taxonomy in the Introduction to Graphical Communications course, and shows how students are moved up Bloom's taxonomy by including a group final project into the course. Students …

An Analysis Of The Best Practices Of Cooperative Education In The Us With The Purpose Of Addressing Various Armenian Engineering Education Problems, Sona White

Theses and Dissertations

This research shows that the expansion of cooperative education programs and university-industry partnerships can help to address some of the problems that engineering education in Armenia is facing today. These problems include lack of connections between universities and industry, outdated curricula, shortages of funding for university staff and facilities, and limited success in helping students qualify for job-related demands of the global economy. In order to identify requirements for developing effective cooperative education programs in Armenia, this study analyzes the characteristics and features of highly successful cooperative education programs in the United States that might be applicable to the requirements …