Showing papers on "Engineering education published in 1996"

Probability and statistics for engineers and scientists

Abstract: The new edition of Anthony Hayter's book continues in the same student-oriented vein that has made previous editions successful. Because Tony Hayter teaches and conducts research at a premier engineering school, he is in touch with engineers daily and understands their vocabulary. This leads to a clear and more readable writing style that students understand and appreciate. Additionally, because of his intimacy with the professional community, Hayter includes many high-interest examples and datasets that keep students' attention throughout the term. PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS FOR ENGINEERS AND SCIENTISTS employs a flexible approach with regard to the use of computer tools. Because the book is not tied to a particular software package, instructors may choose the program that best suits their needs. However, the book does provide substantial computer output (using MINITAB and other programs) to give students the necessary practice in interpreting output. "Computer Note" sections offer tips for using various software packages to perform analysis of the datasets, which can be downloaded from the website. Through the use of extensive examples and datasets, the book illustrates the importance of statistical data collection and analysis for students in the fields of aerospace, biochemical, civil, electrical, environmental, industrial, mechanical, and textile engineering, as well as for students in physics, chemistry, computing, biology, management, and mathematics.

Engineering Ethics: What? Why? How? And When?

Abstract: Engineering ethics is professional ethics, as opposed to personal morality. It sets the standards for professional practice, and is only learned in a professional school or in professional practice. It is an essential part of professional education because it helps students deal with issues they will face in professional practice. The best way to teach engineering ethics is by using cases—not just the disaster cases that make the news, but the kinds of cases that an engineer is more likely to encounter. Many cases are available, and there are methods for analyzing them. Engineering ethics can be taught in a free-standing course, but there are strong arguments for introducing ethics in technical courses as well. Engineering is something that engineers do, and what they do has profound effects on others. If the subject of professional ethics is how members of a profession should, or should not, affect others in the course of practicing their profession, then engineering ethics is an essential aspect of engineering itself and education in professional responsibilities should be part of professional education in engineering, just as it is in law and medicine. Probably few engineering educators would disagree with these claims; their implementation in engineering education is another matter. We want to discuss the introduction of engineering ethics into engineering education in terms of four questions: What is engineering ethics? Why should it be emphasized in engineering education? How should it be taught? and When should it appear in the student’s education?

Computing in Civil Engineering

Abstract: This proceedings consist of papers presented at the Third Congress on Computing in Civil Engineering held in Anaheim, California, June 17-19, 1996. The proceedings covers advanced computing theory and technologies, computing applications in civil engineering practice and education, and computing issues, experiences and lessons learned. Within these broad topics, the book contains papers on subjects such as: applications of the Internet, World Wide Web and multimedia in civil engineering practice and education; risk and reliability assessment and management; visualization, modeling and simulation; artificial intelligence and advanced computing; geographic information systems; and interoperability.

Problem-based learning for large classes in chemical engineering

Abstract: Our new program in chemical engineering improved students' marks as well as their response to the learning environment, problem-solving skills, and lifetime learning skills. Alumni and employer response has been very positive.

The Impact of Cultural Norms on Women

Abstract: Women student engineers' and professors' classroom experiences, especially their everyday interactions with men student engineers and professors, can be negative. This ethnographic study of the discourse used by professors and students during a sophomore design class demonstrates that some women's difficulties are the result of cultural features of engineering that are only rarely open to redefinition by women. In spite of many engineering educators' sincere commitments to improving women's experiences in engineering education, these cultural features diminish the successes of reform-minded engineering education. I detail how discourse in whole-class and teamwork settings indicated the cultural norms of engineering talk and how this discourse reinforced traditional practices that were only rarely open to revision. Also, I comment on the use of ordeals in this classroom. My findings suggest that engineering education must change before inclusion of women is realized. In particular, I suggest the changes needed are complex and include 1) more communication about the ways that cultural norms impact women and other marginalized groups, 2) forums where participants can speak openly without fear of retaliation, and 3) attention to changing those policies and practices that send narrow messages about who engineers are and what engineering might be.

Project-oriented Study and Project-organized Curricula: A Brief Review of Intentions and Solutions

Abstract: SUMMARY Project orientation and project-organized curricula in higher education are attributed to a wide range of intentions causing different approaches and solutions concerning the structuring of curricula and of teaching/learning situations. The historical review describes briefly pedagogical and profession-oriented motivations as well as science and society-related aspects. In engineering education, the changing demands from industry and the profession—emphasizing skills instead of specialized content orientation—promote a rapid expansion of problem-centred project work and of active and productive learning. A shift from projects, integrated in the traditional subject structure of engineering curricula, towards project-organized curricula can be observed. To overcome obvious problems and constraints of the future implementation of projects in higher education staff and faculties will need to establish a continuous process of organizational development.

Peer Assessment of Group Projects in Civil Engineering

Abstract: This article traces one university's approaches of peer assessment to develop fair and reliable systems of mark distribution resulting from group projects and to adapt one model to the specific requirements of civil engineering. It is the result of a two and a half years' experience with peer assessment in classes of different combinations of size, entry qualifications and experience. Initially, the methods devised by Goldfinch & Raeside (1990) were used; the relevance and drawbacks of this two‐part method of assessment in the field of civil engineering are discussed and new ideas are proposed. That article had suggested that the model is transferable. It has proved to be the case and in this discipline, that project diaries which the tutor uses to allocate individuals a mark, offer a unique alternative to Part 1 of the assessment process.

Outcomes Assessment in Engineering Education

Abstract: Outcomes assessment is a method for determining whether students have learned, have retained, and can apply what they have been taught. Assessment plans have three components: a statement of educational goals, multiple measures of achievement of the goals, and use of the resulting information to improve the education process. The results of outcomes assessment are part of a feedback loop in which faculty are provided with information that they can use to improve both their teaching and student learning. The experience of the Department of Chemical Engineering at West Virginia University is used as an example of how an assessment plan is developed and implemented. Examples of multiple measures of student learning outcomes and how the resulting information is used are presented. The resulting feedback loop allows for corrections to be made in specific classes if deficiencies are found, and indicates when remedial action should be taken to ensure that students do not graduate until a minimum level of competency is achieved.

Industry-University Partnerships for Construction Engineering Education

Abstract: Many construction engineering educators and construction industry leaders realize the value of establishing effective, working industry-university partnerships By viewing the construction industry as its customer and by collaborating with industry leaders on matters influencing the undergraduate program, the university faculty can sustain and improve the quality of the educational program The degree to which construction engineering graduates are prepared to perform well in practice can be enhanced by effective industry-university cooperation on such matters as the construction education mission and objectives, curriculum, course content, faculty qualifications and development, resources, co-ops and internships, and other issues Based on 23 years of experience in Purdue University's Construction Engineering and Management program as well as on experience elsewhere, issues are discussed concerning ways of implementing effective industry-university collaboration in construction engineering education Con

Engineering as Captive Discourse

Abstract: In this paper we examine contemporary engineering in terms of the discourses within which its practices are framed. The term discourse is used in the sense developed within recent social theory, from the work of Michel Foucault, to refer to the ways social institutions name, define, and regulate the practices which occur in the name of those institutions. We describe our concern that the discourse of engineering education has been dominated by the discourse of engineering science, to the virtual exclusion of other discourses which contribute importantly to the practice of engineering. We argue further that engineers have accepted inappropriate constraints placed upon their profession by the discourses of commerce and science, which have been permitted to define and delimit what engineering is and can be. The result has been a serious limitation in engineers' capacity to examine the social meanings and effects of their work and to self-consciously reflect upon their practice and professional identity. We suggest directions in which the discourses of engineering education and practice need to change so that the engineering profession can achieve the goals stated explicitly in its professional codes of ethics. Our analysis seeks to open the way for change in how engineering is structured, practiced, and taught. By exposing the workings of the constitutive discourses, it is argued, the way is opened for unshackling engineering from its present constraints—freeing the discourse and making critical reflection possible.

Desired attributes of an engineering graduate - An industry perspective

Abstract: The problem of how to provide quality engineering education (as contrasted with training) in our universities, has been debated for decades. It has become clear to us in industry that the curricula in most major American universities overemphasize engineering science at the expense of engineering practice (creative synthesis, design and manufacturing, product innovation/value and cooperative learning/teamwork). Cooperative actions are needed to restructure and rationalize the present system. A major stumbling block, however, remains the lack of a strategic commitment to shared objectives by academe and industry. We describe the work of a number of aerospace companies to address this issue and define a 'unified industry message to academe' in a new partnership to enhance engineering education nationally. (Author)

A computer-aided, total quality approach to manufacturing education in engineering

Abstract: This paper describes an ongoing study in improving entry-level engineering education through the deployment of new teaching and learning tools. We introduce a computer-aided interactive multimedia manufacturing courseware. To improve manufacturing education we need to change not only the process of teaching and learning, but also provide new tools and technology that promote efficient learning and make it widely available and continuously improving. To address this manufacturing education challenge, we are presently designing a program based on a new computer-aided education paradigm that embodies total quality management (TQM) and critical thinking (CT) concepts. An interactive multimedia manufacturing courseware lies at the heart of this new computer-aided education paradigm. The manufacturing engineering multimedia courseware (MEMC) includes: on-line lectures, audiovideo education tools, interactive computer software, on-line assignment and exams, information about faculty, and on-line evaluation tools to obtain users' feedback to enhance teaching. It also makes access available to related academia, industry, and government research and education information through the World Wide Web. In this paper, we briefly review the status of engineering education in the United States and describe the appropriateness of unifying the concepts of TQM and CT. Additionally, we provide details of how these concepts can be used in an educational model.

A Model for On-Line Learning Networks in Engineering Education

Abstract: This paper describes a model for implementing on-line learning in engineering education. Relationships between traditional learning strategies and network-enabled engineering education are discussed. The model proposed is based on a World Wide Web implementation that includes presentation materials, on-line conferencing, demonstrations, and interactive capabilities that permit computer-mediated question and answer sessions. An example of a course implemented using these techniques for a first year engineering course is given. Guidance for engineering educators who wish to implement components of the model is provided.

Engineering education for mechatronics

Abstract: This paper defines mechatronics, explains mechatronics philosophy, and describes characteristics of mechatronics products and systems. It reviews aspects of education and training for mechatronics and compares the two different approaches to engineering education: generalist engineering versus specialist engineering. It also examines the Japanese approach to product development strategies and mechatronics education and training. It also gives an overview of mechatronics education in higher education institutions across the world with a specific reference to a typical mechatronics engineering degree program. Finally it concludes that there will be an increasing need in the future for discipline-based mechatronics engineers.

Experiencing CORAL: design and implementation of distant cooperative learning

Abstract: This paper describes application of information technologies to education, outlines the educational foundations and design strategies of the applications, and addresses related research issues. In this paper, the authors introduce the CORAL (COoperative Remotely Accessible Learning) system, currently under development at National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan, as an example of how information technologies are being used in science and engineering education.

A first year engineering student survey to assist recruitment and retention

Abstract: In recent years the recruitment and retention of engineering students, especially underrepresented minorities and women have received increased attention in the United States. Underrepresented minorities and women are the largest untapped resources available to help maintain and/or increase engineering enrollments and to ensure a diverse engineering working force. In order to understand better and to serve their first-year students in the School of Engineering, a survey is administered to these students each semester at Arizona State University (ASU). In addition to basic demographics, the survey asks for information on when and why students chose to study engineering at ASU, what recruitment events they attended and which were most effective, how many contacts the student had with ASU, how many hours per week they work, and predictions of success in graduating from ASU with an engineering degree. The data is analyzed to give direction for more successful recruitment and retention efforts, including advisement about course and work loads. The results are further analyzed to determine if recruitment efforts have differential success when the target population is men, women, underrepresented minorities, students who considered another university, local residents, traditional-age, or community college transfer students. The results of this analysis are being used to guide recruitment and retention efforts of our engineering students, especially women and underrepresented minorities. While not exhaustive, this paper contains a discussion on several of the survey items. The survey, although developed at ASU, can be customized for any individual institution.

Change in Engineering Education: One Myth, Two Scenarios, and Three Foci

Abstract: Change is coming to engineering education, but many reform efforts have proceeded without explicitly examining the prime movers of change, the forces that resist change, or the facets or foci of the system that are most in need of change. This essay frames the current debate by seeing change as motivated by external competitive and technological forces. Resistance to change is viewed as being reinforced by the fundamental myth of engineering education that asserts the supremacy of basic research over all other engineering academic activities. After providing evidence that the myth resulted largely from an overestimation of the role of science and an underestimation of the role of engineering in World War II, the essay considers needed organizational, integrative, and programmatic changes. Among these are the creation of student-faculty teams responsible for delivering a quality education, bottom-up alliances with industrial clients, and a number of proposals aimed at helping the profession explore its human, philosophical, and historical underpinnings. The essay concludes by warning that times of great change risk making matters worse through the unintended consequences of reform. A principled methodology of reform is suggested that advocates distributed and competitive implementation together with a special appreciation for knowledge that is difficult to articulate.

Honing the Writing Skills of Engineers

Abstract: A great deal can be done to improve student writing without asking engineering professors to teach writing as a separate subject. This paper explains how to hone writing skills by convincing engineering students to be concerned simultaneously with technical content and the quality of writing. Many engineering courses offer opportunities for students to improve their writing, but the most effective motivation arises from design problems. Experience in several courses over a 10 year period indicates that some simple advice coupled with frequent opportunities to practice can improve writing skills rather easily and quickly. This can be done without trying to teach English or doing extensive editing on reports. Encouraging good writing in engineering courses has been well received by students. They see that it will be valuable after graduation and they appreciate the value of practicing writing skills in a realistic engineering problem-solving environment.

Vicher: A virtual reality based educational module for chemical reaction engineering

Abstract: Virtual reality has the potential to be a powerful new tool in engineering education by bringing experience-based learning to all students, addressing the needs of students with alternate learning styles, and providing enhanced impact to educational presentations. As with any new tool, we must first learn how, when, and where to apply it before it becomes useful. This article describes Vicher, the first known application of virtual reality to chemical engineering education, and some of what has been discovered about virtual reality as an educational tool during Vicher's development. Vicher currently consists of two programs-Vicher I and Vicher II-which deal with the topics of catalyst deactivation and nonisothermal effects in chemical reaction engineering, respectively. Between the two programs, Vicher currently simulates five different engineering areas plus support facilities. Future plans include extensive student testing, program expansion and refinement, and the development of additional virtual reality based educational modules. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Problem-based Learning in Architecture: Problems of Integration of Technical Disciplines

Abstract: SUMMARY Recently, problem-based learning (PBL) has gained a lot of interest in engineering education. The Faculties of Architecture in Newcastle (Australia) and Delft (Holland) were among the first to embrace this new educational methodology. The article summarizes the characteristics of PBL and describes the architecture curricula at Newcastle and Delft. Among others, PBL aims at integrating different subjects. An analysis of Newcastle and Delft curricula reveals a common problem in the integration of technical disciplines like structures. The article proposes a solution within a general PBL framework

Developing and implementing interactive multimedia in education

Abstract: This paper presents first hand experience with the development and implementation of interactive multimedia instructional materials for an engineering economy course attended by 1000 engineering students over three years at Virginia Tech. The interactive software was developed from a National Science Foundation grant aimed at enhancing the undergraduate engineering curriculum through increased emphasis on design and economic principles. The purpose of this paper is to describe the type of multimedia instructional materials that were developed, how they were implemented, and, finally, to present an evaluation of the results from a survey in which the benefits of multimedia-based support materials were assessed.

Introduction: The Role of Projects in Engineering Education

Abstract: (1996). Introduction: The Role of Projects in Engineering Education. European Journal of Engineering Education: Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 115-120.

The changing nature of engineering [technology history]

Abstract: Engineering artefacts play major roles in the evolution of mankind and culture. Engineering artefacts have evolved. Their natures have changed as Man has changed. Today, the engineering profession and the education of engineers are challenged by the rapidly changing nature of those engineering systems which determine what is meant by 'modern technology' and which make possible new industries of global importance. Analysis of the latest generation of strategic innovations requires an analytical history of technology, and a practically useful philosophy to interpret the changing nature of engineering. The advent of 'technoscience' will probably make engineering the exemplary science in the next century.

Individual-centered education: an any one, any time, any where approach to engineering education

Abstract: Engineering education is beset by many of the same challenges that have affected American industry. Much has been recommended and implemented to improve engineering education. However, the traditional structure of engineering education remains, even though current exigencies require a fundamental restructuring. In an earlier paper, the author proposed a para/professional model as an alternative to the traditional engineering degree structure (J.M. Tien, 1999). At a more detailed level, the paper proposes to restructure the very nature of how higher education is delivered: from a group-centered activity to an individual-centered approach that would allow any one to access educational material or multimedia courseware at any time and from any where. Fortunately, the enabling technologies for such an individual-centered approach are, for the most, available. Nevertheless, several challenges must be addressed before individual-centered education can become a reality.

Science and Engineering Degrees: 1966-2000. Detailed Statistical Tables.

Abstract: DOCUMENT RESUME

Thoughts on freshman engineering design experiences

Abstract: The paper looks at how engineering programs around the United States are revising freshman year curricula to include engineering design. New and revised courses give students exposure to the creative nature of engineering through design projects, hands-on laboratories and/or open ended problem solving. We begin by defining engineering design, engineering design education, and the qualities expected of design engineers. Then we develop a framework for viewing, interpreting, and categorizing the various approaches to exposing freshman level students to the key design qualities. Specific examples of courses that span the framework of approaches are cited. The ideas presented are a result of reviewing numerous "educational experiments" that are going on around the US, many of which were funding by the National Science Foundation (NSF). A spectrum of approaches to integrating engineering design ideas, skills, and knowledge into this first year of an undergraduate degree has been considered.

Changes in freshman engineers' attitudes-a cross institutional comparison: what makes a difference?

Abstract: The Freshman Engineering Attitude Instrument, developed at the University of Pittsburgh, was administered to the 1995-96 freshman engineering classes at two campuses at the beginning of the year (the pre-survey). The survey was then repeated later in the first year (the post-survey). This paper discusses the results and demonstrates the potential effectiveness of the survey instrument for evaluating freshman engineering programs. This study serves as a pilot for a larger, more comprehensive national survey.

Revising a Mechanical Engineering Curriculum: The Implementation Process

Abstract: In early 1990, motivated largely by concern for the highly structured nature of engineering education, the faculty of Purdue's School of Mechanical Engineering initiated a two-year assessment of its curriculum. A principal conclusion of this assessment was that students should have more exposure to open-ended, cross-functional problems and that design, interpreted broadly, provided the best platform for launching appropriate curriculum changes. Specific plans for curriculum revision included a) early exposure to design and the product realization process, including issues such as marketing, manufacturing and economics, as well as concept generation, evaluation and documentation; b) integration of design and open-ended problem solving experiences across the curriculum, including the core engineering sciences courses; c) development of the softer skills associated with communication and teamwork; and d) greater emphasis on engineering practice through increased linkages with industry. To varying degrees, progress has been made on each of the foregoing objectives, and the purpose of this paper is to describe the nature of the curriculum revisions, as well as the process by which an implementation plan was developed. A retrospective assessment of the revisions and the implementation process is also provided.