Showing papers on "Engineering education published in 1995"

Barriers to Success in Quantitative Gatekeeper Courses.

Abstract: Faculty may be able to reduce student attrition from quantitative majors by addressing four barriers to success—precollege preparation, peer culture, classroom climate, and instructional style—in introductory courses in these fields.

Improving the Academic Environment for Women Engineering Students Through Faculty Workshops.

Abstract: In this paper we examine the low numbers of women represented in engineering curricula and some of the factors that help to explain their under representation. We examine some of these factors including: isolation, not seeing the relevance of highly theoretical basic courses, negative experiences in laboratory courses, classroom climate and lack of role models. An outline is presented for two engineering faculty workshops, con ducted at the University of California-Davis, designed to help faculty members understand these issues and develop new strategies for overcoming factors that discourage their female students. Evaluation results are presented along with a series of recommendations for planning, implementing and evaluating these types of workshops.

A Longitudinal Survey of the Information Seeking and Use Habits of Some Engineers

Abstract: From 1978 to 1990 the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan offered «Technical Communications 490: Information Resources for Engineers» to seniors working on research projects. A follow-up study was conducted in 1993 to assess the impact of this course. Questionnaires were sent to 60 students who had taken the class and 60 students with similar characteristics who had not; the return rate for both groups was 50 percent. Although both groups of former students were very similar in their use of information resources on the job, those who had taken the Technical Communications course identified more specific resources available to them. They also rated formal sources of information, such as college and public libraries, more highly than did the respondents who had not taken the class, and spent an average of ten hours more per month searching for information and reading information. These data lead us to conclude that there is a relationship between the former students' use of information resources and their having taken Technical Communications 490. This study also revealed that many engineers have access to the tools needed for electronic information retrieval, and that while few receive formal instruction in their use, there is widespread interest in learning more

Integrating Design Across the Engineering Curriculum: A Report From the Trenches

Abstract: The emphasis from ABET to integrate the design experience across the curriculum has initiated a call for action to engineering departments across the country. This challenges engineering educators to include design in a wide variety of engineering courses and to prevent this emphasis from foreshadowing the subject material of each course. A comprehensive approach is needed where the design work is not a separate entity, but rather is an additional tool which can be used to teach the fundamentals of engineering. This paper reports on the advances of one institution in responding to the call to integrate design across the engineering curriculum. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) has established a design philosophy that treats design education as a developmental process to be practiced during each of the four undergraduate years. To put that philosophy into practice, the USCGA has restructured the engineering curriculum to ensure that students experience design content in their courses each year. This viewpoint of design as a developmental process is consistent with the broad educational objectives of the institution. This paper presents examples of design work from courses in each year of the students' education to illustrate the variety of design problems used to incorporate design across the curriculum. The experiences at the U. S. Coast Guard Academy have been positive and indicate the design across the curriculum initiative can be implemented without drastically impacting faculty workload.

Teaching Students to Document a Design Project and Present the Results

Abstract: Knowing and being able to apply the design process are important to the practicing engineer. Being able to thoroughly document the design process and present the results effectively are skills that employers and clients expect engineers to possess. Students have an opportunity to learn and practice the design process throughout their engineering studies. While they are often asked to document their design projects and present the results, they rarely receive instruction on how to do so effectively. At The Ohio State University, in courses developed as part of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored Gateway Engineering Education Coalition, students are taught to document their design projects and present the results in a professional manner. They produce a variety of documents including laboratory notebooks, a design schedule, progress reports, and a final report. In addition, they make an oral presentation on the project. Instruction on producing a particular document is provided when students are ready to begin work on that document. This paper outlines the instruction on documentation provided at each stage of the design process and discusses evaluation of the documents prepared by the students.

Real-World Problem Solving in Freshman-Sophomore Engineering.

Abstract: Faculty at the Colorado School of Mines have developed a program that introduces freshman and sophomore engineering and science students to open-ended problem solving, to teamwork, and to communication.

An integrated, project-based, introductory course in calculus, physics, English, and engineering

Abstract: Describes the development of an integrated introductory course delivered to freshman engineering students at Arizona State University in the Fall '94 semester as a part of the Foundation Coalition program. The course combined and integrated material from introductory courses in calculus, physics, English composition and engineering, normally taught in a stand-alone format. The calculus used in this course was based on the Harvard reform model. The physics was mechanics-based. What differentiated this integrated package from versions found at other institutions in the Coalition was (a) the inclusion of English composition, and (b) the project-based introduction to engineering. In this integrated course, the students learned to organize and develop ideas for both technical and general audiences. In addition, they learned the use of rhetorical principles with readings from the philosophy of science, engineering case studies, and so on. The overarching framework for the class was the use of engineering projects to teach design and modeling principles. The three projects incorporated the calculus and physics that had been learned to date in the class. The first utilized kinematics and curve-fitting to functions to design and build a simple projectile launcher; the second employed dynamics and numerical integration to design and build a bungee drop system; and the third used rotational motion concepts and a data acquisition system to identify the shape and material of a hidden object. The integrated course also employed considerable use of computers in an active learning environment that stressed teaming and other quality tools.

Collaborative support for learning in complex domains

Abstract: Engineering is a complex domain to learn. CaMILE (Collaborative and Multimedia Interactive Learning Environment) aims to facilitate engineering students' learning. CaMILE builds on Cognitive Flexibility the­ ory [14, 15) in a CSILE-like structure [10, 11) through which students share multiple media and collaborate to develop understanding across diverse perspectives. CaMILE includes a collaborative NoteBase, a hyper­ media database with guides, and an electronic book format. We believe that CaMILE supports students' engineering activities, but a cultural shift is required for CaMILE to effectively support students' learning.

Practitioner and Student Recommendations for an Engineering Curriculum.

Abstract: For over 100 years studies have consistently recommended that the engineering curriculum should stress underlying principles and have a considerable range of cultural studies. Nevertheless, some employers continue to state that they are not totally satisfied with the average engineering graduate. The findings of this study, however, suggest that practicing engineers and students are generally satisfied with the civil engineering curriculum. Nevertheless, both groups recommend that the credits allocated to surveying, graphics, and computers should be increased. Practitioners, in general, believe that there should be a decrease in mathematically oriented subjects such as calculus, statistics and numerical methods. Older graduates, in particular, recommend an increase in business courses such as law, accounting, and personnel management. They also believe that technical writing and oral communication skills should be a vital part of the program. It appears to be difficult to design a curriculum, requiring a reasonable number of credits, that satisfies all age groups. Therefore, at commencement, an engineer must expect to initiate a life-long process of informal/formal education to supplement the knowledge obtained by satisfying the civil engineering degree requirements.

Scaffolding knowledge integration through designing multimedia case studies of engineering design

Abstract: The paper describes our experiences teaching a freshman design course ME39C using multimedia case studies of engineering design, multimedia tools, and the Internet. Students, in mixed-ability groups, learn design process and practice through reviewing engineering cases on CD-ROM and using software tools to develop a multimedia case of their own. The curriculum, although having theoretical bases in education research, is highly governed by practical concerns such as rapidly changing technologies, different background experiences of students, and the grading of open-ended work. The course is also driven by new developments in technology and the changing demands of students. In three years, a five person seminar course has evolved into a laboratory of thirty, changing the nature of learning, teaching style, and quality of student work in both positive and negative ways. We describe this course as it progressed from an experimental course to an institutionalized one. Our experiences confirm our belief that curricula should be designed to promote scaffolded knowledge integration by encouraging students to become more independent learners while capitalizing on collaboration and social aspects of learning. Moreover, curricula should be continuously refined and updated to meet the needs of students and reflect advances in technological development toward better preparation in engineering.

Peer tutoring in engineering design: A case study

Abstract: The case study provides an evaluation of the use of peer tutoring to introduce students to the use of a state-of-the-art solid modelling designer's package in a second year mechanical engineering design subject at the University of New South Wales. In 1993 a situation arose in which peer tutoring was seen as a viable teaching strategy for the first 4 weeks of the second year subject. Approximately three-quarters of the students had taken the traditional pencil-and-paper drawing and descriptive geometry in their first year, whereas one-quarter of the students had taken an equivalent subject at work stations employing the designer's package. Hence the majority of students would require intensive tutorial assistance to develop sufficient mastery of the packages to undertake design work, whilst one-quarter of the students were already proficient in their use. The outcomes from the evaluation study have indicated a new potential for using peer tutoring to achieve course goals related to the developmen...

Preventive Engineering: Strategy for Dealing with Negative Social and Environmental Implications of Technology

Abstract: Preventive engineering approaches make use of information on how technology affects human life, society, and the biosphere, so as to adjust engineering theory and practice to create a greater compatibility between technology and its contexts. A detailed study of undergraduate engineering education and a variety of new approaches (such as the design for the entire life cycle, energy end-use oriented strategies, the design of healthy workplaces, and sustainable city concepts) demonstrates a largely untapped potential for such preventive approaches. Developing this potential could bring competitive advantages to industry, economic benefits to society, and a better quality of human life within current constraints.

Learning style based innovations to improve retention of female engineering students in the Synthesis Coalition

Abstract: The paper describes the use of integrative multimedia courseware designed to scaffold student learning and accommodate learning style differences. Synthesis courseware aimed at improving the retention of under-represented engineers has been further designed to work effectively in a range of educational settings, including classroom, high-tech small study groups and self-paced individualized learning. As an example, the paper focuses on the spatial reasoning project aimed at improving the retention of female engineering students through scaffolding students in spatial reasoning. The courseware described can be found on the NEEDS (National Engineering Delivery System) database of engineering courseware.

Reflective Practice in Engineering Design

Abstract: Civil engineers ar valued by society for their knowledge and skills which, though based on theory, are forged through experience. Indeed, the real world is a messy place of complex, interacting systems which time and time again demonstrate the inadequacies of engineering theory. The scientific approach to engineering education does not equip graduates effectively for professional practice. This paper introduces the concept of 'reflective practice', explains how it can be formalized and suggests that it should be adopted alongside the traditional technical rationality approach to teaching engineering design. It involves analysing past failures, using artificial intelligence and, above all, looking at the big picture.

Students connecting engineering fundamentals and hardware design: observations and implications for the design of curriculum and assessment methods

Abstract: The paper explores how engineering students use fundamental concepts studied in analysis classes as they undertake experiences in hardware design and dissection. Examples are drawn from videotape studies and in situ observations of students. We observed that students learn by reflecting on their experiences and by linking and contextualizing theoretical and practical knowledge. Curriculum design and assessment methods that help foster these skills are discussed.

Re-engineering engineering education

Abstract: For years, companies have complained that new engineering graduates fall short on the practical engineering skills that would make them more productive in the real world. Here, the author describes how industry is helping to redesign the education of engineers by sponsoring student projects, supplying laboratory instruments and procedures, and giving seminars on the latest technologies at faculty workshops. >

The use of learning style innovations to improve retention

Abstract: Polytechnic University is an urban Science and Engineering school with substantial enrolments of non-majority students. Recent efforts at the Polytechnic have focused on increasing enrolment of minority women enrolled in two year college physical science and pre-engineering programs to transfer into four-year engineering B.S. Programs. A new core curriculum required for all entering freshmen in engineering disciplines, and encouraged for minority transfer students, emphasizes hands-on laboratory based learning, engineering and mathematics upfront on a need to know basis, cooperative learning, and the development of oral and written communication skills. Preliminary evaluation of the core for 144 entering students in fall, 1993, demonstrated that while most students prefer the new approach, women and/or black and Hispanic students are significantly more enthusiastic about cooperative learning, hands-on learning, and peer tutoring; and less enthusiastic about traditional lecture-based teaching and learning. These students also show differences in learning style preferences as assessed by the Myers-Briggs Inventory. This paper presents longitudinal follow-up data for the above sample of 144 students entering Polytechnic in fall, 1993, and an additional 196 students entering in fall, 1994. Data includes course performance and grades in the new core and in more "traditional" engineering and science courses, course evaluations and learning style preferences as assessed by the Myers-Briggs.

Establishing engineering design competencies for freshman/sophomore students

Abstract: Transferable Integrated Design Engineering Education (TIDEE) is the name of a project at Washington State University in cooperation with faculty at the University of Washington and Tacoma Community College that involves curriculum development and faculty enhancement. Its objectives are to: (a) establish a curricular structure for transferable introductory design education in an environment of diverse institutions, curricula and students; (b) produce transportable curricular materials and instructional methods that support effective integrated engineering design education in transfer environments; (c) enable faculty at the institutions to adopt, implement and evaluate exemplary materials and methods suitable for their programs and their students; and (d) achieve increased enrolment and retention of students in early design courses. Key design competencies to be addressed will be identified so that students who enter an engineering program will be able to build on those competencies as they participate in design activities through the remainder of their program. Curriculum materials will be developed to meet learning objectives for introductory design in order to fit a variety of institutions, and to serve students with diverse backgrounds and interests. Faculty workshops across the state will transfer these learning objectives and strategies for achieving them in a variety of settings, and they will prepare faculty to adopt materials and methods to use in classes with diverse student populations. This paper discusses the details of how this project will be carried out and the outcomes expected.

Educating the renaissance engineer

Abstract: Curricula focused on breadth and flexibility, streamlined master's programs, and stronger emphasis on computing and communication skills are some of the approaches universities are taking to educate engineers for success. The author discusses the needs of industry relative to engineering education. The author then discusses the new style courses being introduced in American universities to meet the requirements of industry. The European view on engineering education is briefly discussed. >

SHOT, the History of Technology, and Engineering Education

Abstract: According to the accepted "creation story," the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) took form after Melvin Kranzberg, John B. Rae, and Carl Condit met in Ithaca, New York, in June 1957 with Henry Guerlac, president of the History of Science Society (HSS). The trio hoped to persuade Guerlac that HSS and its journal Isis should pay more attention to the work of historians of technology. They were disappointed, however, for, according to Kranzberg, the history of science was focused on "'intellectual giants.' What was important were thinkers. Technologists, so-called tinkerers, were simply

Supporting Case-Study Use in Design Education: A Computational Case-Based Design Aid for Architecture

Abstract: Cases play a central role in architectural design education. Many architectural journals, books and magazines are based on case studies of buildings, and instructors commonly use cases in lectures and studio teaching. These cases, which are often descriptions of the form, materials and design strategies of significant buildings, are used by students for a variety of purposes. They help elaborate and refine stated problems, suggest and refine design solutions, help evaluate a completed design and suggest possible alternative solutions. However, appropriate cases are scattered across the print literature and may be difficult to find. Perhaps more important, the ways in which most current cases are written and made accessible to students does not exploit their full potential as pedagogical tools. In this paper we describe \"Archie\" a \"case-based design aid\" (CBDA) that provides architecture students rapid and flexible access to evaluated multi-media design cases. A CBDA is a computational aid that provides novice and experienced designers access to cases that they can then adapt to solve their current design problem. Based on the theory and technology of case-based reasoning, a CBDA uses the computer to store and access cases and allows human designers to do their own adaptation. Archie is aimed at aiding teaching of conceptual design. It is intended to help students: 1) understand the intentions of the range of stakeholders who have an impact on a building project, such as designers, users, clients, and builders; 2) develop more explicit statements of goals and criteria for success of their designs; 3) make links between general goals and specific design solutions; 4) link written statements of goals and needs to graphic representations; 5) keep design problems open long enough to allow students to explore an appropriately wide range of possible solutions. Archie: Content and Browsing Archie is a computer tool aimed at supporting teaching of conceptual design and at aiding design. It 1995 A/E/C '95, American Society of Civil Engineers. pp. 308-313 is written in Common Lisp on Macintosh, and is based on a theory and technology called \"casebased reasoning\" that suggests that much effective problem-solving is based on retrieving and adapting appropriate specific past experiences (Kolodner, 1991, 1993). Archie provides students access to evaluated cases based on post-occupancy evaluations of occupied buildings (Friedmann, Zimring & Zube, 1978). Cases in Archie are structured as descriptions, problems, design responses and stories. • Descriptions are the most common architectural presentation formats in architectural books and magazines. In Archie, these are available as building plans, sections, elevations, sketches and texts. • Problems in Archie are dilemmas to be solved. We believe that it is important for students to understand that most design decisions attempt to resolve conflicting requirements. Problems in Archie are usually represented as two or more relatively general intentions, with an implementation that fails to solve both intentions. The program then allows students to explore responses that will resolve both intentions. • Design responses are general strategies a designer might consider for reconciling the intentions. • Stories are brief descriptions of how the problem or solution has played out in a specific building. Graphic material (illustrated/annotated plans, photographs, and drawings, and even quick time animation sequences when applicable) are associated with each text item. Each problem and story is indexed using a set of features (

The science of water : the foundation of modern hydraulics

Abstract: \IThe Science of Water\N, in a single volume, comprises 2,300 years worth of information on the evolution of hydraulic science. The book details the birth and develoment of concepts and theories as well as controversial issues related to the study of hydraulic science. Written for both engineering students and practicing engineers, \IThe Science of Water\N presents material that will both offer explanations of topics not covered in traditional hydraulics courses and that will assist the engineer in the appraisal of the science of hydraulics. The lay reader will also find the book of interest as it reveals the importance of water in our society and will serve to foster an appreciation of the effort involved in understanding the science of water.

Interactive multimedia lessons for education

Abstract: Development of multimedia modules and courses for engineering education present a significant opportunity to modernize curricula and improve effectiveness of teaching and learning. We review the various hardware and software components required to develop multimedia lessons and discuss the role of each component in the structure of a multimedia module. Examples of multimedia lessons developed for CD-ROM distribution by the Center for Multimedia Education and Technology (CAEME) at the University of Utah are described. These include the multimedia lessons in electromagnetics, the Calculus Castle, and the Physics Museum. It is shown that although extensive resources and expertise are often needed to develop these modules, development software and associated technologies are readily available and educators are encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities to reform, restructure, and improve engineering education.

Engineering Courses Taught in English: An Experience from Denmark

Abstract: Summary The article gives a brief review of the internationalization of Danish higher education and engineering education in particular. It addresses the questions of why it is important to develop courses in English with regard to the process of internationalization, impact on the curricula and impact on students. Finally, it shows the necessity for higher education institutes in minor language areas to develop courses in English, and new keywords in the internationalization process are discussed.