At a small, private school in the southern US, an elective first-year design (FYD) course is offered in addition to the required capstone design course; both courses challenge student teams to tackle real-world problems. In FYD, positive team member effectiveness is cultivated through teaming instruction, demonstrations, and practice. In this…

Ethical engineering practice is a global issue. However, cultural norms and social realities may result in differences in ethical behavior. A basic instructional challenge is developing the ability of students to understand ethical practice and to facilitate discussion of ethical issues across regional and cultural boundaries. The present project…

For many years, educators have been developing tools and techniques to improve the learning process in higher education; however, the vast majority of these do not focus directly on deep learning. In this work, an innovative teaching/learning tool is presented which focuses on deep learning of some engineering skills and principles. The tool is…

Entrepreneurial skills are being sought by companies as they consider college graduates, particularly engineers, for future employment. Technical skills have become the baseline while the ability to apply these skills in a business environment has become a key differentiator in the value of employees in corporate environments. To address this need…

To make the transfer student pathway viable to meet workforce needs, it is essential to think beyond simply linking two institutions and getting students in the door--students need to be supported throughout the adjustment period. In this article, we address the "support" aspect of the problem by reporting findings from 306 engineering…

This paper discusses an initiative called Product Innovation and Development (PID) that was launched at Texas A&M University. The goal of PID is to create a high impact learning environment that focuses on innovative product development. Undergraduate students are hired to develop innovative new products. The student teams generate ideas for…

Laboratory-based instruction is a powerful educational tool that engages students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines beyond textbook theory. This is true in mechanical engineering education and is often used to provide collegiate-level students a hands-on alternative to course theory. Module-based laboratory…

This paper develops a systems engineering-based framework to assist in the design of an online engineering course. Specifically, the purpose of the framework is to provide a structured methodology for the design, development and delivery of a fully online course, either brand new or modified from an existing face-to-face course. The main strength…

The increasingly interdisciplinary nature of today's scientific research is leading to the transformation of undergraduate education. In addressing these needs, the University of Houston's College of Technology has developed a new interdisciplinary research-based biotechnology laboratory curriculum. Using the pesticide degrading bacterium,…

This paper describes the creation and evolution of an undergraduate dynamics and vibrations course for civil engineering students. Incorporating vibrations into the course allows students to see and study "real" civil engineering applications of the course content. This connection of academic principles to real life situations is in…

Engineering notebooks are a pervasive practice across high school, college, and professional contexts. Within this consistency, there are two basic forms: process-based notebooks serve as a complete record of the engineer's work and are used by the authors to support their endeavors, while product-based notebooks represent a record of final form…

Engineering education directly supports the nation's capacity for economic growth, infrastructure renewal, and security, as well as environmental and human health. Numerous reports have recommended federal support to advance our understanding of how students learn, how faculty teach, and how teaching and learning are assessed. The U.S. National…

We analyze and study the beginning of a new Electrical Engineering Department, supported by an NSF Departmental Level Reform award, within a new College of Engineering in the 21st Century and also describe the academic approach and influences of an innovative cognitive-based approach to curriculum development. In addition, the approach taken…

In this paper we identify some of the issues and problems that we confronted while developing a new, one-semester, interdepartmental, multidisciplinary capstone design course. We implemented the following changes to the pre-existing capstone design course: (1) Utilized a website to enhance information transfer, (2) Modularized the course and…

Demonstrations can be very effective at enhancing student learning and represent a mechanism for embedding laboratory experiences within a classroom setting. A key component to an effective demonstration is active student engagement throughout the entire process, leading to a guided laboratory experience in a lecture setting. Students are involved…