Being Educated in a New Nuclear Engineering Program: A Graduate Student Perspective

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hector Medina
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Student Perspective ◽  
Nuclear Engineering ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
Virginia Commonwealth University ◽  
First Time ◽  
Phd Program

Due to the advent of a dramatic increase in the demand for nuclear professionals, a number of universities are either strengthening their existing nuclear engineering programs or starting them for the first time. Following this trend, Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, Virginia, in 2009 began to offer a program in Nuclear Engineering within the Department of Mechanical Engineering. As a student within the PhD program, the author presents his perspective — as well as observations from some undergraduate students — of being educated in a new Nuclear Engineering program. From his perspective, the author presents some mechanisms that have made this new program evolve. Additionally, herein are included some ideas applied by the author in order to carry out successful research — while overcoming the limitations of a new program: spontaneous and embedded innovation, networking, and creativity. It is hoped that the present paper will provide positive feedback to faculty members and motivate students, in any new educational program, particularly, in this renaissance of education, in the nuclear engineering field.

scholarly journals Analysis of Engineering Accreditation Process and Outcomes: Lessons Learned for Successful First Time Application

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (9) ◽  
pp. 281-300
Author(s):  
Tahar Ayadat ◽  
Andi Asiz
Keyword(s):  
Computer Aided Design ◽  
The United States ◽  
Accreditation Process ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
Senior Design ◽  
Program Compliance ◽  
Aided Design ◽  
First Time

The aims of the paper are to share and analyze engineering accreditation experience starting from the preparation through the outcome, and to discuss lessons learned particularly for first-time applicants. Securing accreditation from a well-recognized international body, such as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) can indicate quality of an engineering program. To qualify for an accreditation up to six- to seven-year period, an engineering program must meet a set of accreditation standards or criteria. The article is not limited only for new engineering programs outside the United States who are willing to pursue engineering accreditation from ABET, but it is applicable for an existing accredited program who will undergo next accreditation cycle. The authors presented and analyzed detail accreditation experience for a new established Civil Engineering (CE) Program at Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University (PMU) in Saudi Arabia. Although the ABET website provides detail procedure for the accreditation steps, the detail cases experienced by the PMU CE program will enrich knowledge on how to prepare and handle successful international accreditation. The authors also discussed issues raised during the accreditation activities, including program compliance with the nine ABET criteria, and presented key lessons to prepare for a smooth accreditation process. The main significant result of the accreditation exercise about continuous improvement was summarized in term of the curriculum upgrade, including adding another semester for senior design course and offering new sustainability engineering course, and adding computer aided design course at the early semester.

scholarly journals A WORKSHOP ON LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR ENGINEERING FACULTY MEMBERS

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Romkey ◽  
Susan McCahan
Keyword(s):  
Educational Practice ◽  
Initial Step ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Learning Objectives ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Graduate Attributes ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
The University ◽  
First Time

As an initial step in preparing faculty members for the new outcomes-based accreditation process introduced by the CEAB, a pilot workshop on creating learning objectives was developed for engineering professors at the University of Toronto. As the Graduate Attributes will be mapped to individual courses within engineering programs, the need for course-based learning objectives is even more critical; although research already supports the development and use of learning objectives as an effective educational practice. . This paper will describe the process of developing the workshop, facilitating it for the first time, and the lessons learned that were used in developing a second iteration of the workshop.

Mapping the Relationship Between the CDIO Syllabus and the CEAB Graduate Attributes

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Cloutier ◽  
Ronald Hugo ◽  
Rick Sellens
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Graduate Attributes ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Relationship

The recently introduced Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) requirements for Graduate Attributes require demonstrated learning outcomes for the first time. The Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate (CDIO) approach includes a set of outcomes in the form of the CDIO Syllabus. The Syllabus also provides guidance on how to document outcomes in order to meet the requirements of the CEAB Graduate Attributes. This article provides a framework for Canadian engineering programs to satisfy the CEAB requirement to demonstrate learning outcomes through a mapping of the CDIO Syllabus topics to the CEAB Attributes, and verification of the completeness of that list. An engineering program can meet all of the CEAB Graduate Attribute requirements by addressing a subset of the CDIO syllabus; however, a CEAB accredited program may not meet all of the CDIO standards.

Re-Establishment of the Nuclear Engineering Program at Virginia Tech

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene F. Brown ◽  
Alireza Haghighat ◽  
Mark Pierson
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Energy ◽  
Master's Degree ◽  
Virginia Tech ◽  
Degree Program ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Nuclear Engineering ◽  
Master's Degree Program ◽  
Credit Hours ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
Master’S Degree

One of the first nuclear engineering programs in the United States was established at Virginia Tech in the mid-1950’s and continued until the mid-1980’s when it was abandoned due to a drop both in student interest and government support. In 2006, as a result of interest shown by the nuclear industry in Virginia, discussions were undertaken that led to the approval to offer Master’s and Doctorate Degrees in nuclear engineering in 2013. In parallel with these efforts, we began teaching undergraduate courses in anticipation of offering a minor in nuclear engineering to all Virginia Tech engineering and science students. Currently we have 140 undergraduate students taking nuclear engineering classes, nuclear engineering undergraduate research hours, and participating in nuclear-engineering-related senior design activities. Our program has been conceived and designed with the objective of providing the nuclear engineering workforce required to address the most important nuclear-related issues of our time including: enhancing the safe and productive use of nuclear energy; contributing to the development of advanced technologies for national and international nuclear security and safeguards; developing advanced medical devices for nuclear diagnostics and therapy; and the establishment of effective policies for the utilization of nuclear energy and its regulation. The Master’s degree program involves 7 courses and the equivalent of two semesters of thesis research for a total of 30 credit hours. The PhD program, which builds on the Master’s degree program, requires 5 additional courses, and the equivalent of 4 semesters of dissertation research for a total of 60 credit hours beyond the Master’s degree. The curriculum is supported by a rigorous, benchmarked assessment and evaluation process to assure that the goals of the program are attained. Currently five faculty members support the nuclear engineering program, and typical total enrollment in our graduate programs runs between 35 and 50 students. When we reach full strength, with the addition of two more nuclear engineering faculty members, we expect to be graduating 12 Master’s students and 7 PhD students per year.

Communication Sciences and Disorders PhD Graduates' Perceptions of Their PhD Program

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 463-478
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Crais ◽  
Melody Harrison Savage
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Career Expectations ◽  
Doctoral Preparation ◽  
Creative Solutions ◽  
Phd Education ◽  
Doctor Of Philosophy ◽  
First Time ◽  
Students Success ◽  
Phd Program

Purpose The shortage of doctor of philosophy (PhD)–level applicants to fill academic and research positions in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) programs calls for a detailed examination of current CSD PhD educational practices and the generation of creative solutions. The intended purposes of the article are to encourage CSD faculty to examine their own PhD program practices and consider the perspectives of recent CSD PhD graduates in determining the need for possible modifications. Method The article describes the results of a survey of 240 CSD PhD graduates and their perceptions of the challenges and facilitators to completing a PhD degree; the quality of their preparation in research, teaching, and job readiness; and ways to improve PhD education. Results Two primary themes emerged from the data highlighting the need for “matchmaking.” The first time point of needed matchmaking is prior to entry among students, mentors, and expectations as well as between aspects of the program that can lead to students' success and graduation. The second important matchmaking need is between the actual PhD preparation and the realities of the graduates' career expectations, and those placed on graduates by their employers. Conclusions Within both themes, graduate's perspectives and suggestions to help guide future doctoral preparation are highlighted. The graduates' recommendations could be used by CSD PhD program faculty to enhance the quality of their program and the likelihood of student success and completion. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.11991480

Curriculum Evaluation of the Sports Physiotherapy (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shohre Nourizadeh Dehkordi ◽  
Ali Ghorbani ◽  
Maryam Shahabi ◽  
Seyedeh Zahra Nazardani
Keyword(s):  
Educational Program ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Student Evaluation ◽  
Master's Degree ◽  
Curriculum Evaluation ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Professional Requirements ◽  
Master’S Degree

BACKGROUND Evaluating the master’s degree program in Sports Physiotherapy in order to improve the quality of education in this field. The need to pay attention to the effectiveness and efficiency of the education and improving the system of higher education by becoming more aware of the factors involved is necessary. The aim of this study is to evaluate the educational program for master’s degree in Sports Physiotherapy. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to evaluate the educational program for master’s degree in Sports Physiotherapy. METHODS This is a hybrid study in which qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection were used. The research team consisted of faculty members and sports physiotherapy students. In the first part of the study, due to a lack of standard questionnaires, the method of an expert panel was used to build the tools. In the second part, the questionnaire was distributed among 22 professors and students, and the data was collected. RESULTS The findings showed that according to the viewpoints of the faculty members and students, the courses in the program are necessary and facilitates the students to become qualified in meeting their future professional requirements. The findings of other research indicate the desirability of the content, implementation, and educational facilities of the program from the viewpoint of the professors, and unfavourable from the viewpoint of the students. Moreover, from the perspective of the professors and students, the teaching methods is appropriate to the type of course and there is no need to add a new course to the program. The findings of student evaluation methods showed that these methods were considered to be favourable from the viewpoint of the professors, and unfavourable from the viewpoint of the students. CONCLUSIONS As a result, the program of Sports Physiotherapy was evaluated, in terms of its favourability, with the existing courses. Nevertheless, the addition of practical and clinical units helps to improve the quality of the curriculum.

scholarly journals Portraits of Undergraduate Discipline-Specific Thinking: Guiding Students from Novice to Proficient Learner

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Stovey ◽  
Tiffany Trimmer
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Habits Of Mind ◽  
College Level ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Cognitive Behaviors ◽  
Second Nature ◽  
Historical Methods ◽  
First Time

This case study presents our experiences, insights, and the pedagogical techniques used to guide undergraduate students toward discipline-specific thinking. It demonstrates the role of student-centered practices in moving students from what we categorize as novice to proficient, a common goal in rite-of-passage courses across the disciplines. Our study follows two semesters of students in undergraduate college-level Historiography and Historical Methods courses to identify common stumbling blocks encountered when learning contextualization (our discipline-specific thinking skill). We analyze students’ habits of mind, cognitive behaviors, and assumptions when learning to think differently. We present a qualitative portrait demonstrating the range of student cognitive behaviors as they attempt to move towards proficiency. As experts immersed in our fields of study and its practices, we can sometimes forget that what comes second-nature to us is far from natural to our students—regardless of their enthusiasm. We may overestimate the background knowledge that our students have, and underestimate the brain bandwidth required when trying—for the first time—to think differently.

scholarly journals Investigating University Characteristics on Personality Traits

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-64
Author(s):  
Kullanun Sripongpun ◽  
Nattanan Saksamrit ◽  
Watcharapong Intarawong ◽  
Pattama Suriyakul Na Ayudhya
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Exploratory Factor Analysis ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Brand Personality ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Student Perspective ◽  
Personality Factor ◽  
The University ◽  
Study Participants

Objective - This study aims to extend the brand personality concept by applying this concept to the organization, i.e., the university. Methodology/Technique – A questionnaire was designed based on Aaker (1997)’s 5 dimensions of brand personality scale to collect the data. 400 Thai undergraduate students of Kasetsart University Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus participated in this study. Participants were first informed of the study description and instructed to think of a university as if it were a person and to rate on a five-point scale (1 = not at all descriptive, 5 = extremely descriptive). In the data analysis, descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were used. Finding – The results from the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with a varimax rotation showed 5 factors of university personality. Factor 1 represents competence dimension having 10 items (successful, leader, technical, corporate, cool, hardworking, secure, spirited, confident and reliable). Factor 2 represents sophistication dimension which had 4 items (glamorous, good looking, smooth and upper class). Factor 3 represents ruggedness dimension which had 5 items (western, tough, masculine, rugged and outdoorsy). Factor 4 represents sincerity dimension which had 2 items (honest and sincere). The last factor was excitement dimension which had only 1 item, imaginative. Furthermore, according to student perspective, the majority of university personality dimensions of Kasetsart University Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus was ruggedness dimension. Novelty – Research examining the dimensions of organization personality is still scant. To fill the gap, the current study was conducted to demonstrate how the brand personality concept was applicable when the organization was viewed as a brand. Therefore, it is a preliminary step toward such direction to extend and apply the brand personality concept to a new different area. Type of Paper: Empirical. JEL Classification: M10, M19. Keywords: University Personality; University Characteristics; Personality Traits; Brand Personality Concept. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Sripongpun, K; Saksamrit, N; Intarawong, W; Ayudhya, P.S.N. (2021). Investigating University Characteristics on Personality Traits, GATR Global J. Bus. Soc. Sci. Review, 9(1): 58 – 64. https://doi.org/10.35609/gjbssr.2021.9.1(7)

scholarly journals OSPE (Objective structured practical examination): Perception of the faculty and students at A Public Sector Medical College in Pakistan.

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 1519-1524
Author(s):  
Zahid Kamal ◽  
Nauman Aziz ◽  
Hafiza Swaiba Afzal ◽  
Ahmad Zeeshan Jamil ◽  
Muhammad Waseem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Medical College ◽  
Practical Examination ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Basic Medical

Objective: Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) is a growing way of assessing the students of medical universities particularly. This study is targeted to compare and assess different perceptions of the faculty and the students towards OSPE at a public sector medical college. Study Design: Cross Sectional Survey. Setting: Sahiwal Medical College Sahiwal. Period: 1st July 2020 to 15th July 2020. Material & Methods: The questionnaire was sent to all the participants by Whatsapp because of COVID-19 pandemic. All the undergrad students of MBBS (500) and all the faculty members (65) of clinical and basic medical sciences were included in the study. Results: The response rate of faculty members was 78.46% and that of undergraduate students was 70.80%. Out of 51 members who responded, 23 (45.10%) were males while 28 (54.90%) were female. Female students were having majority of participation (71.20%). Most of the faculty and students agreed with the fact that ‘The questions asked in the OSPE stations were appropriate and related to the curriculum’ (60.10% and 45.10% respectively). Response to a question ‘OSPE is more transparent, fair and objective as compared to traditional practical examination’ got a nod from faculty members (49%). Almost 76% of the students (strongly agreed and agreed) thought that OSPE was tiring and stressful for them but their respected faculty members thought the opposite. Conclusion: Our study concludes that there is satisfaction of both students and the faculty regarding their perceptions of OSPE at public sector medical college. In our study while comparing, the majority of both the groups were having almost same opinions.

The Role of Faculty Advising, Mentoring, and Gatekeeping as Social Support for Undergraduate Communication Sciences and Disorders Students

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Brianne H. Roos ◽  
Janet S. Schreck
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Mentoring Programs ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Faculty Advising ◽  
Appreciative Advising ◽  
Faculty Advisors ◽  
And Training

Purpose Social support may be provided by undergraduate students' family and friends and by other members of the campus community, including faculty. The purpose of this review article was to review the existing literature about the roles of faculty members as advisors, mentors, and gatekeepers who provide social support for undergraduate students. Social support is a buffer for stress, and current undergraduate students are more stressed than their predecessors. Method The study is a narrative review of the literature about faculty as advisors, mentors, and gatekeepers. The concept of social support and its relationship to students' stress is explored, followed by a discussion of faculty advisors' roles, knowledge, and skills and a synthesis of literature about prescriptive, developmental, praxis, and appreciative advising. A discussion of faculty as mentors who focus on students' experiences before, during, and after college and as gatekeepers who look for signs of students in distress concludes the review. Conclusions Faculty may provide social support to students inside and outside the classroom as advisors, mentors, and gatekeepers. Assuming these roles means faculty must consider students as whole people who have needs and experiences beyond academics. Students' stress was clear in the literature before COVID-19, and their concerns and needs are exacerbated during the pandemic. Additional research is needed to identify effective advising and mentoring programs for communication sciences and disorders undergraduate students. Increased institutional support for and recognition of the time, resources, and training faculty need to serve in this expanded role is also critical as faculty members attempt to manage their own stress.

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