Engineering Education Commons^™

Exploring Curriculum Flexibility And Compliance Through The Use Of A Metric For Curricular Progression, George Dante Ricco, Matthew Ohland

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

No abstract provided.

Integrating Children’S Literature Into Occupational Learning About Engineers, Brianna L. Dorie, Monica Cardella

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

At a very young age, a child has the ability to formulate ideas regarding the occupation of a lawyer, a nurse or even a doctor. However, studies have shown that most children have limited information regarding engineers, and the lack of knowledge can often perpetuate into adulthood(Cunningham et al., 2005; NAE, 2002). Augur et al. (2005) found that “occupational aspirations and expectations of children undergo dramatic development changes during the elementary years, as well as resisting change in other respects.” This means prior to school education,children have already formed their perception of occupations and that stereotypical attributes have already been …

Engineering Children's Literature: Development Of An Engineering Storybook For Young Children, Brianna L. Dorie, Monica Cardella

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

While the notions of doctor, teacher and firefighter are ubiquitous in young literature,there is a lack of engagement about engineering (Holbrook et al., 2008). Picture books are a compelling medium for introducing concepts to children at a young age. Story books have the ability to present new information, increase stimulation of the imagination, and deliver messages both moral and social. In a school setting, story books have been shown to impact kindergartener’s mathematical achievement when produced in tandem with a mathematics unit (Keat & Wilburne, 2009). However, there have been little to no studies regarding the impact of engineering literature …

Assessing Engineering Students' Information Literacy Skills: An Alpha Version Of A Multiple-Choice Instrument, Ruth Eh Wertz, Meagan Ross, Senay Purzer, Michael Fosmire, Monica Cardella

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Information literacy is crucial component of developing life-long learning skills. However, few standard and easily gradable assessment tools exist to assess the information literacy competencies of learners. In this paper, we discuss the development of a multiple choice instrument designed to measure these competencies in an efficient and expedient manner, and we present results of data collected from 366 first-year engineering students. The instrument requires students to first read a technical memo and, based on the memo‟s arguments, answer eight multiple choice and two open-ended response questions. The mean score on the multiple choice portion was only 3.46 out of …

Do Students Gather Information To Inform Design Decisions? Assessment With An Authentic Design Task In First-Year Engineering, Ruth Eh Wertz, Meagan Ross, Michael Fosmire, Monica Cardella, Senay Purzer

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Information gathering is a very important aspect of the design process, one that is used continuously throughout the project to make informed design decisions. This study reports the development of an authentic instrument used to assess skills related to information gathering in first-year engineering students. Existing assessment tools, such as the scenario-based Self- Knowledge Inventory of Lifelong Learning (SKILLS), developed by Conti & Fellenz, or the Self- Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS), developed by Guglielmino, were evaluated. While these have the advantage of being very easy to administer and analyze, one significant disadvantage is that they are self-reported and thus …

Lifelong Learning And Information Literacy Skills And The First Year Engineering Undergraduate: Report Of A Self-Assessment, Meagan Ross, Michael Fosmire, Ruth Eh Wertz, Monica Cardella, Senay Purzer

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

ABET accreditation requires engineering students to attain ‘a recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in lifelong learning.” (Outcome 3.i) However, there are few standard tools that attempt to assess the skills and techniques students need in order to achieve those outcomes. Focusing on the problem articulation and information literacy skills embedded in lifelong learning competencies, the authors constructed a standardized assessment to measure student self-perceptions of how often they employ those skills. The criteria for these competencies were based on the Information Search Process of Carol Kuhlthau, engineering design process characteristics, and the authors’ own analysis …

Doctoral Students As Course Instructors: Three Engineering Teaching Assistants' Socialization Experiences, Irene Mena, Heidi Diefes-Dux, Brenda Capobianco

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

The purpose of this study was to explore and understand the types of socialization experiences that result from engineering graduate teaching assistants‟ (TAs) roles as course instructors. Socialization refers to an individual‟s process of becoming a part of a group. In the context of doctoral education, socialization can be a complex area to study, largely because there are many roles and groups for which graduate students can be socialized.

Using situated learning, more specifically the communities of practice literature, as the theoretical framework, this study looked at how three doctoral engineering TAs, with experience as course instructors, become members of …

Exploring The Motivations For Migration Among Engineering Students, Ida Ngambeki, Demetra Evangelou Dr, Matthew Ohland, George Dante Ricco

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

Students often graduate from a major other than that in which they first enrolled. A large proportion of this migration happens within engineering with students moving from one discipline of engineering to another. This movement between disciplines sometimes happens several times. While there has been extensive examination of why students leave engineering,very little research has looked into why students leave one engineering discipline for another.Longitudinal data collected from several engineering colleges has shown that there are definite trends within the movement of engineering students.This study examines the reasons for some of these trends using a unique approach which combines both …

Facilitating Teaching And Research On Open Ended Problem Solving Through The Development Of A Dynamic Computer Tool, Matthew Verleger, Heidi Diefes-Dux

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

Model Eliciting Activities (MEAs) are realistic open-ended problems set in engineering contexts; student teams draw on their diverse experiences both in and out of the classroom to develop a mathematical model explicated in a memo to the client. These activities have been implemented in a required first-year engineering course with enrollments of as many as 1700 students in a given semester. The earliest MEA implementations had student teams write a single solution to a problem in the form of a memo to the client and receive feedback from their TA. For research purposes, a simple static online submission form, a …

Developing A Global Real Time Assessment Tool For The Teaching Enhancement Of Engineering Graduate Teaching Assistants, Nathan Mcneill, Jeeyeon Hahn, Asawaree Ajit Kulkarni, Monica F. Cox

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

No abstract provided.

Model Of Students' Success: Important Factors Of Student Persistence In Engineering, Jien-Jou Lin, Qu Jin, P.K. Imbrie

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

No abstract provided.

Growing Pains: Chinese Engineering Education During The Late Qing Dynasty, Nathan Mcneill, Sensen Li, Junqiu Wang

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

No abstract provided.

Asee Student Members’ Needs Analysis: Implications For The Asee Student Constituent Committee, Daniel Bumblauskas, Ana Torres-Ayala, Matthew Verleger

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

No abstract provided.

Are Simulation Tools Developed And Used By Experts Appropriate Experimentation Tools For Educational Contexts?, Alejandra De Jesus Magana De Leon, George Bodner, Sean B. Brophy

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

No abstract provided.

Rube Goldbergineering: Lessons In Teaching Engineering Design To Future Engineers, Shawn Jordan, Nielsen Pereira

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

Hands-on learning experiences and interactive learning environments can be effective in teaching K-12 students. Design, in essence, is an interactive, hands-on experience. Engineering design can be taught in the classroom using innovative hands-on projects, such as designing and building serve to teach design, promote creativity, and provide opportunities for hands-on problem solving, in addition to giving students experience working in cooperative teams. In turn, these experiences could encourage students to consider future careers in engineering and science.

This paper explores findings from data collected during the authors’ recent experience teaching a group of fifteen 4th – 6th grade students enrolled …

Lean Six Sigma Principles In Capstone Aeronautical Engineering Technology Courses, Sergey Dubikovsky, Mary E. Johnson

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

No abstract provided.

Decision Making In First Year Engineering: Exploring How Students Decide About Future Studies And Career Pathways, Ida Ngambeki, Odesma Dalrymple, Demetra Evangelou Dr

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

The number of students enrolling in engineering has declined steadily over the last fifteen years, and the number of engineers joining certain fields in engineering has decreased even more drastically. A number of studies have demonstrated a strong relationship between students’ interests and abilities and their persistence in engineering. It is therefore logical to assume that students who choose a major which makes the best use of their skills and engages their interest, are more likely to not only stay, but also thrive in the field of engineering which they choose. Students who make a poor choice, because of incomplete …

Apples And Oranges? A Proposed Research Design To Examine The Correspondence Between Two Measures Of Engineering Learning, Patrick Terenzini, Lisa Lattuca, Matthew Ohland, Russell Long

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

In 2004, ABET commissioned Engineering Change, a study of the impact of Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC2000) on the preparation of undergraduates for careers in engineering. One legacy of that study is a database of EC2000-specific self-reported student learning outcomes at 40 institutions, including precollege characteristics and engineering program outcomes for more than 4,300 graduates of the class of 2004. A second dataset, the Multiple-Institution Database for Investigating Engineering Longitudinal Development (MIDFIELD), compiles institutional data, including demographic and academic transcript records and Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) scores, from nine universities from 1987-2005. In this paper, we propose a design to combine …

Student Performance And Faculty Development In Scale Up Engineering Mechanics And Math Courses, Lisa Benson, William Moss, Sherrill Biggers, Scott Schiff, Mariss Orr, Matthew Ohland

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Our research team is in their second year of implementing active and cooperative learning in second-year engineering mechanics and math courses using the Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) model. With this approach, large studio classes are taught with an emphasis on learning by guided inquiry instead of standard listening and note taking by students. The project focuses on the development and delivery of instructional material and documentation of student comprehension, performance and perceptions in Statics, Dynamics, and Multivariate Calculus courses at Clemson University. The project is also examining the benefit of integrating the content of the two …

Student Study Habits And Their Effectiveness In An Integrated Statics And Dynamics Class, Marisa Orr, Lisa Benson, Matthew Ohland, Sherrill Biggers

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Integrated Statics and Dynamics is a required five-credit course that was offered for Mechanical Engineering students at Clemson University for the first time in Fall 2006. The large-enrollment course was taught using innovative active learning techniques and new course materials. To aid in the development of the course, 211 students were asked to self-report their study habits in an 8 question survey. A cluster analysis was used to identify three study habit profiles. Knowing how students allocate their time and the effectiveness of their strategies can promote more effective guidance for students who are struggling to learn the material while …

"... A Good Imagination And A Pile Of Junk.", Shawn Jordan, Robin S. Adams

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

The engineering workplace is placing more emphasis on teamwork in interdisciplinary environments, out-of-the-box thinking, creative engineering, and brainstorming. These skills are taught to varying degrees in standard engineering curriculums, and often the most fruitful opportunities exist for students to learn in venues outside of the classroom.

This paper will show how building Rube Goldberg machines is a fantastic way for learners from various disciplines to get hands-on project experience in a team environment. Intense brainstorming and work sessions result in inventive and unique machines that are fascinating for both participants and spectators to watch. In addition, students have opportunities to …

Quantum Dots: Bringing Nanoscience And Engineering Into The High School Classroom, Shanna R Daly, Lynn Bryan, Emily D Wischow

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

No abstract provided.

Artificial Intelligence Methods To Forecast Engineering Students' Retention Based On Cognitive And Non Cognitive Factors, Jien-Jou Lin, Alexander Malyscheff, P.K. Imbrie

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Two Peer Evaluation Instruments For Project Teams, Kerry Meyers, Stephen Silliman, Matthew Ohland, Leo Mcwilliams, Tracy Kijewski-Correa

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

The College of Engineering at the University of Notre Dame has utilized a paper-pencil instrument for peer evaluations since 2005 as a portion of the assessment of project team efforts (typically 4-5 students per team) in its First Year Engineering Course. The College was considering moving from paper-pencil peer evaluations to an on-line, behaviorally based evaluation instrument, CATME1. The instructors at Notre Dame conducted a comparative study of student feedback on these two instruments during the fall 2007. During the fall semester, the students (~380) within the first year course were divided into two groups, one group using the paper-pencil …

Impact Of Feedback And Revision On Student Team Solutions To Model Eliciting Activities, Matthew Verleger, Heidi Diefes-Dux

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

Helping first-year engineering students to embrace the iterative and open-ended nature of engineering problem solving is a challenge when their prior learning experiences have focused heavily on achieving a correct answer in a single attempt. In this paper, the authors will present a case study of student work from the Fall 2007 implementation of Model-Eliciting Activities (MEAs) to demonstrate the impact of the iterative process of feedback and revision on the quality of student products. They will also discuss some of the future research questions resulting from the iterative process used with MEAs.

Professors’ Instructional Approaches And Students’ Perceptions Of Nanohub Simulations As Learning Tools, Alejandra De Jesus Magana De Leon, George Bodner, Sean B. Brophy

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

No abstract provided.

Adapting And Implementing The Scale Up Approach In Statics, Dynamics, And Multivariate Calculus, Lisa Benson, Sherrill Biggers, William Moss, Matthew Ohland, Marisa Orr, Scott Schiff

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

This study seeks to deliver and document more effective Statics and Dynamics instruction by implementing the Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment University Programs (SCALE-UP) model, in which large studio classes are taught with an emphasis on learning by guided inquiry instead of on listening. The project is also examining the benefit of integrating the content of the two traditional sequential courses and the parallel content in multivariable calculus. By tracking multiple sections taught using different approaches in different departments, the project’s experimental design plans to control for each of the changes being made simultaneously to understand the benefit of each.

Software For Student Team Formation And Peer Evaluation: Catme Incorporates Team-Maker, Richard Layton, Matthew Ohland, Hal R. Pomeranz

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Last year, a multi-university research team designed a web-based peer evaluation instrument called CATME (Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness) that is simple to use. In a previous, smaller-scale research effort, a group of students and faculty developed a software package called Team-Maker that automates the process of assigning students to teams. The present work incorporates the functionality of the Team-Maker software package into the CATME system. The goal of the integrated package is twofold: 1) to provide a useful tool for faculty to manage teams at their institutions; and 2) to create a high-quality, easy-to-use tool for investigating research …

The Case Method: Using Case Based Instruction To Increase Ethical Understanding In Engineering Courses, Brock Barry, Aman Yadav

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

The case method: Using case-based instruction to increase ethical understanding in engineering courses Introduction

The paper presents a discussion of how case-based instruction is performed and the perceived benefits of its application. We begin with a brief discussion of the historical background of case- based instruction and then discuss the use of case methodologies within various educational contexts. Connections are then made to its use in general ethics instruction, as well as specifically engineering ethics instruction. Finally, we conclude the paper with a call for rigorous education research to compare the various methods of ethics instruction, including case-based instruction, and …

The Chemical Engineering Environment: Catalyst Or Inhibitor To Students' Confidence In Success?, Mica A. Hutchison, George Bodner, Deborah Follman

School of Engineering Education Graduate Student Series

No abstract provided.