scholarly journals SELF PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS’ HUMANITIES-BASED SKILLS IN AN ENGINEERING PROGRAM: OVERVIEW OF A LONGITUDINAL STUDY’S FIRST TWO YEARS (2017-2019)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Research University ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Engineering Ethics ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Graduate Attributes ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Perceptions Of Students ◽  
Second Year

This paper is a continuation of research from a previous paper presented to CEEA on a three-year longitudinal study aimed at assessing engineering accreditation non-technical skills at a medium sized engineering school at a large research university.  The goal of this longitudinal study is to improve the assessment of these non-technical graduate attributes and test a metric to do so.  The Likert-style survey focuses on engineering students self-perceptions of teamwork, communication skills, engineering ethics, professionalism, and lifelong learning in order to gather quantitative data that can be analyzed for trends. Self-perceptions are the focus of this study because student self-efficacy has been found to be correlated with student success over the long term. The study has been conducted through pre-and post-surveys testing whether engineering students’ self-assessment of their abilities in those areas increased or decreased from year to year.  Currently, the longitudinal study has only just completed data collection for its final year of the three-year study, so the focus of this paper will be adding the results of the second year to the first, which were presented to CEEA last year. This paper analyzes the data gathered in the second year of the longitudinal study and continue the analysis of those results to explore what they can offer to our understanding of non-technical engineering graduate attributes. These findings are not meant to replace other initiatives, but to offer another metric to examine the effectiveness of engineering programs and meeting non-technical accreditation requirements. 

scholarly journals SELF PERCEPTIONS OF STUDENTS’ HUMANITIES-BASED SKILLS IN AN ENGINEERING PROGRAM: OVERVIEW OF FIRST YEAR RESULTS

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Research University ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Engineering Ethics ◽  
First Year ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Graduate Attributes ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Perceptions Of Students ◽  
Large Research

Demonstrating and improving assessment of humanities-based graduate attributes can be challenging, as there are no easy metrics in order to do so. Engineering programs offer curricular and co-curricular programming in order to improve these attributes in their students and still find it challenging to determine if those initiatives are in fact effective. To those ends, in order to assess engineering accreditation humanities-based skills, a threeyear longitudinal study was implemented at a medium sized engineering school at a large research university. In particular, the survey focuses on engineering students selfperceptions of teamwork, communication skills, engineering ethics, professionalism, and lifelong learning in order to gather quantitative data that can be analysed for trends. This paper overviews the data gathered in the first year of the longitudinal study and offer preliminary explanations of those results and what they can offer to our understanding of humanities-based graduate attributes offered in our engineering programs.  

Implementation of the Second-year course in an Engineering Professional Spine

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umar Iqbal ◽  
Deena Salem ◽  
David Strong
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Research University ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Employability Skills ◽  
First Year ◽  
Computer Engineering ◽  
Core Courses ◽  
Second Year ◽  
First Time ◽  
Academic Year

The objective of this paper is to document the experience of developing and implementing a second-year course in an engineering professional spine that was developed in a first-tier research university and relies on project-based core courses. The main objective of this spine is to develop the students’ cognitive and employability skills that will allow them to stand out from the crowd of other engineering graduates.The spine was developed and delivered for the first time in the academic year 2010-2011 for first-year general engineering students. In the year 2011-2012, those students joined different programs, and accordingly the second-year course was tailored to align with the different programs’ learning outcomes. This paper discusses the development and implementation of the course in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department.

scholarly journals Self Evaluation: Building Student Self-awareness and Competence

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denard Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Student Assessment ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Engineering Ethics ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Student Assessments ◽  
Second Year ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Junior Students

This paper discusses the results of two experiments in self assessment and discusses their value in evaluating student consciousness of their competence, and the opportunity to improve self-awareness and competence in students. The data was gathered from two different engineering courses. The first experiment was conducted in a second-year course on basic electronics and electrical power. As part of the final examination, students were asked to assess their confidence in their answer to each question. The student self-assessment was compared to the actual result in an effort to determine the student’s perception of their competence. Student assessment was coded with respect to consciousness and competence. The second experiment was performed on a midterm examination in engineering ethics and professionalism, a senior course discussing the impact and interaction of the engineering profession on society. Students were given an annotated exemplar and a marking rubric and asked to grade their own midterm submissions. The student assessments were compared to the instructor assessment and again the results were coded with respect to consciousness and competence. The results showed a contrast between the second-year and senior courses. For the second-year course, 50.3% were coded as consciously competent or incompetent. In the senior course, 80% of students were coded as consciously competent. The comparison of the two results suggest that senior students, given suitable instruction, are more aware of their competence than junior students suggesting that current methods do develop an improved awareness of competence, although other factors may be relevant. It is suggested that student awareness be formally monitored, and results used to modify pedagogy to improve and accelerate consciousness in graduates.  

scholarly journals Self Evaluation for Compliance with the 12 CDIO Standards

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Platanitis ◽  
Remon Pop-Iliev
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Engineering Ethics ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Engineering Program

Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, collaboration began between universities, industry, and government to improve the quality and state of engineering education. Their paramount goal was to provide better ways to help students become successful engineers, possessing the necessary technical skills and expertise, exhibiting creativity, and having awareness of social, lawful, ethical, and environmental impacts as related to their profession. Traditionally, engineering programs emphasized the theoretical aspects required, while placing little emphasis on practical applications. An approach that has been introduced to provide a better learning experience for engineering students and to educate them as well-rounded engineers to be able to develop complex, value-added engineering products and processes is the CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) approach. This approach has been adopted by several universities within their engineering departments. At UOIT, the Mechanical Engineering curriculum has been developed around and continually evolves to line up with the goals of CDIO in terms of course and curriculum offerings for core and complementary engineering design courses, science, math, communications, engineering ethics, and humanities courses. Herein, we present an evaluation of the Mechanical Engineering program at UOIT against the twelve CDIO standards.

scholarly journals SHORT DESIGN PROJECTS FOR AN INTRODUCTORY THERMOFLUIDS ENGINEERING COURSE

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Hastie ◽  
Jan Haelssig
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Team Work ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Design Project ◽  
Introductory Course ◽  
Design Projects ◽  
Second Year

The Faculty of Engineering at Dalhousie University offers a common introductory course that covers the basic principles of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics in a unified manner. This introductory course is a mandatory part of the curriculum for all engineering programs offered at Dalhousie. In this course, students are required to perform six laboratory experiments, and since 2012 students have also completed short, four-week design projects.The short design project helps students to acquire more of the graduate attributes defined by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB), including design, communication, and team work skills. They also provide students with a well-deserved break from purely theoretical work in lectures and tutorials, and a chance to develop some hands-on abilities.This paper describes the lessons learned from the last three design projects, which were focused on modifications to a Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube, design of a pop-pop boat, and design of a double pipe heat exchanger. The primary challenges have been the limited engineering design experience possessed by students in their third semester of studies, the heavy workload that second-year engineering students already have, and the relatively large class size. Even though there are clear challenges related to integrating a design project into a large second-year class, the results seem to indicate that these design projects provide a positive learning experience for the students.

scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT OF “INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING” COURSES FOR FIRST YEAR ENGINEERING STUDENTS: A FOCUS ON STUDENT ATTITUDES

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel B. Frey ◽  
Ryan Banow
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Well Being ◽  
First Year ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
College Of Engineering

Many students entering an engineering program have a strong appreciation of the importance of math- and science-based skills for their future career as an engineer, but often have little grasp of what it means to be entering a professional college.  For this reason, many engineering programs in Canada include some form of an “Introduction to the Engineering Profession” in their first-year program.  The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Engineering has been working toward the launch of a completely redesigned first year program.  This project has afforded the College an opportunity to apply a novel and transferable approach to shaping this “Introduction to the Engineering” experience.  The structure of the proposed new first year program has allowed for short and intensive “Introduction to Engineering” modules, which bookend each of the regular session terms.  This timing makes them an orientation for the program, allowing for timely deep dives into matters of importance to engineering students: study skills, time-management, teamwork, self-assessment, support services, student well-being, ethics, academic integrity, and health and safety.  The timing of the modules also allows for completion of term-long assignments and reflection on both personal and academic growth. This paper describes the process employed to develop the course learning outcomes, schedule of topics and activities, and syllabi.  The process focused on over-arching target attitudes, such as “I am on the path to becoming a professional”, and ensured constructive alignment between these attitudes and the learning outcomes, learning activities, and assessment.  The nature of the process made it easy to clarify what was essential to include in the courses, and to make a compelling case for the importance of the courses in the context of a myriad of foundational technical topics.   

Incorporating Public Policy Creation and Analysis Activities Into a Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Reisel
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Extracurricular Activities ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Engineering Ethics ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Current Events ◽  
Elective Course

While it is easy to recognize that mechanical engineers can lend their expertise to public policy makers as they create public policy related to science and technology, it is not as clear as to how to introduce mechanical engineering students to public policy activities. The undergraduate curricula in most mechanical engineering programs are considered full, and there are always additional topics that people wish to add. Educators are likely to hesitate before removing material from their programs in order to add material on public policy. Yet, there are techniques that can be used to incorporate aspects of public policy into a standard mechanical engineering curriculum without the removal of much, if any, current content. In this paper, several techniques for introducing mechanical engineering students to the process of public policy creation will be discussed. While these methods will not make the students experts in policy, they can introduce students to the tools that they need to influence the public policy creation process. These techniques include a comprehensive semester-long project in a technical elective course, a short policy analysis paper for development in a required or elective course, incorporation of public policy considerations in a capstone design project, policy discussions or debates in relevant courses, and a focus on public policy development in extracurricular activities. In their education, students should not only become technically proficient, but also learn how to track current events and trends, communicate their knowledge effectively, gain knowledge on applying proper engineering ethics, and be aware of the environmental and social context of their work. Through these knowledge areas and skills, students will gain the fundamental working knowledge that they need to influence public policy creation. It may be noted that these are also desirable outcomes for a student’s educational program as defined by ABET. Therefore, finding opportunities in a mechanical engineering program’s curriculum to address public policy creation activities also benefits the program by helping it more completely fulfill ABET accreditation requirements.

Building Inclusive Undergraduate Teams

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Barr ◽  
Claire Pfeiffer ◽  
Heather Dillon ◽  
Timothy Doughty
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Engineering Ethics ◽  
Study Groups ◽  
Project Teams ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Engineering Student ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Second Year

This paper describes a research project to encourage and enhance formation of undergraduate project teams with a focus on inclusivity. The project was developed by a team of undergraduate students working with a pair of engineering faculty. A survey including questions about team study groups was prepared and used to gather data about how engineering student teams are formed and how students perceive teams at different points as they progress through the curriculum. Interviews with junior/senior level students were filmed and the footage was used to build a composite video to serve as motivation to first and second year students. The video was presented in a second year dynamics class and the students were surveyed to understand the effectiveness of the intervention. The survey results indicate that nearly half of all junior/senior engineering students feel ethically charged to include other students in a study group, while only 32% of second year students feel ethically charged. This research is part of a larger effort to develop methods for merging engineering ethics and professionalism in the mechanical engineering curriculum.

scholarly journals A Team Health Self-Assessment Tool and Workshop for Engineering Student Teams

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ada Hurst ◽  
Maria Barichello ◽  
Erin Jobidonc ◽  
Rania Al-Hammoud
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Engineering Student ◽  
Ability To Work ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Team Processes ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Students First

The ability to work in teams is an important learning outcome for graduating engineering students. There are, however, limited intentional and structured teaching opportunities through which engineering faculty can instruct students on effective team behaviours.In this paper, we describe a workshop in which student teams self-assess and create a plan to improve their team processes. Students first complete individual surveys, reflecting on their perceptions of the effectiveness of their teams. Individual responses are then aggregated at the team level, with each team receiving summary team scores. A structured in-class activity provides teams with an opportunity to reflect on effective and ineffective team processes, share strategies and best practices with other teams, and develop plans for improvement.Multiple deliveries of the module in various engineering programs, including in a capstone design course, have shown that the module is an effective tool for teams to self-assess and self-correct.

First-Year Engineering Computing Courses in Canadian Engineering Programs

1969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Maw ◽  
Janice Miller Young ◽  
Alexis Morris
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Expected Value ◽  
Knowledge Development ◽  
First Year ◽  
Recent Past ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Digital Computation ◽  
Pedagogical Philosophies ◽  
Introductory Computing

Most Canadian engineering students take a computing course in their first year that introduces them to digital computation. The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board does not specify the language(s) that can or should be used for instruction. As a result, a variety of languages are used across Canada. This study examines which languages are used in degree-granting institutions, currently and in the recent past. It also examines why institutions have chosen the languages that they currently use. In addition to the language used in instruction, the types and hours of instruction are also analyzed. Methods of instruction and evaluation are compared, as well as the pedagogical philosophies of the different programs with respect to introductory computing. Finally, a comparison of the expected value of this course to graduates is also presented. We found a more diverse landscape for introductory computing courses than anticipated, in most respects. The guiding ethos at most institutions is skill and knowledge development, especially around problem solving in an engineering context. The methods to achieve this are quite varied, and so are the languages employed in such courses. Most programs currently use C/C++, Matlab, VB and/or Python.

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