Gateway Experiences to Engineering Technology: Development of an Introductory Course

This paper describes the development of an innovative introductory manufacturing processes course designed to expose students to a broad overview of fundamental concepts, methods, procedures, tools, and equipment used in the manufacturing industry. Based on an educational mobile inverted pendulum robot, students are introduced to product design and prototyping by identifying an existing problem with a component in the robot, redesigning the component using computer aided design software, and then building a prototype using additive manufacturing methods. Subsequently, a set of hypothetical design requirement changes is imposed, and various design methods and manufacturing processes that can be used to make components to satisfy these new requirements are discussed. Topics covered include integrated product design, additive manufacturing prototyping based on different technologies, plastic injection molding, sand casting, and fundamentals of both computer aided manufacturing and computer numerical control machining. Tools, fixtures, and accessories required in these processes, as well as associated challenges, are also discussed. This course adapts the inquiry-based learning active learning pedagogical approach and focuses on the development of students’ ability to conduct analytical analysis and to apply a knowledge of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology to solve practical engineering technology problems. As an introductory course designed to be offered to freshman level students, this course engages students in engineering technology related topics and stimulates their interest in manufacturing related subjects. It helps with improving the engineering student retention rate and serves as a pathway connecting students to more advanced specialized manufacturing courses such as computer numerical control machining technology. This paper presents course materials developed and student feedback as well as their evaluation of the course effectiveness based on a summative questionnaire-style survey from the first cohort of students.

With rapid advancements and popularity of embedded devices in the digital systems market, undergraduate students in various majors, specifically computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering technology, and electrical engineering technology, have shown increased interest in learning more about embedded computing systems. Typically, students accumulate knowledge of computing systems through introductory courses that focus on computer arithmetic, microcontroller-based design and computer organization. This paper presents experiences from teaching and redesigning an advanced embedded systems course that integrates various hardware and software concepts to accommodate the needs of interdisciplinary engineering education.

In this era of dramatically increased astronomy education research efforts, there is a growing need for standardized evaluation protocols and a strategy to assess both student comprehension of fundamental concepts and the success of innovative instructional interventions. Of the many topics that could be taught in an introductory astronomy course, the nature of light and the electromagnetic spectrum is by far the most universally covered topic. Yet, to the surprise and disappointment of instructors, many students struggle to understand underlying fundamental concepts related to light, such as blackbody radiation, Wien’s law, the Stefan-Boltzmann law, and the nature and causes of emission and absorption line spectra. Motivated by predecessor instruments such as the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT), and the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI), we call for, and are working on, the development and validation of a Light and Spectroscopy Concept Inventory. This assessment instrument should measure students’ conceptual understanding of light and spectroscopy and gauge the effectiveness of classroom instruction in promoting student learning in the introductory astronomy survey course.

Undergraduate engineering education is designed to prepare students for their careers. The rise of technology in modern engineering allows for a shift in the way undergraduates are prepared for the modern workplace. Model Eliciting Activities (MEAs) allow students to think critically about their own work and allow instructors to analyze the students’ problem solving methods. To ensure that new MEAs are as effective as possible they are subject to six basic principles: model construction, reality, generalizability, self-assessment, model documentation, and effective prototype. This document focuses on evaluating new MEAs for their adherence to the six principles from an instructor's and student's perspective. Four new MEAs were created and implemented in the school year of 2009-2010. Two of the MEAs were designed to target a sophomore level thermal engineering class. The first was an introduction to data acquisition systems (DAQs) and the second was an introduction to strain gauges. These two MEAs were tested on two separate classes and were evaluated strictly from an instructor’s perspective. The two MEAs met their objectives for introducing DAQs and strain gauges respectively and managed to reinforce existing ideas at the same time. However, the MEA about DAQs appeared to adhere to all of the six principles while the MEA about strain gauges did not. The other two MEAs were designed for an introductory thermodynamics course. The students' solutions to the MEAs were analyzed to determine the MEAs' effectiveness as well as how well they follow the six principles of MEAs. The first MEA was centered around a supermileage vehicle and asks the students to model an engine cycle from a P-V diagram of a real engine cycle. Careful analysis of the solutions that the students turned in found that the MEA did not provide a way for the students to verify their models. It was also found that students were learning about isothermal and adiabatic curves on their own which satisfied the main goal of the MEA which was to familiarize the students with simple processes. The second activity was based upon an industrial process that delivered waste energy into a river and the students were asked to model a power plant that could use the energy and lower the amount of heat dumped into the river. The objective was to get the students to think about entropy and how much energy can be salvaged in the system. A vast majority of students enjoyed

Software Engineering is important for the students majored in computer science and technology. This curriculum is intended to provide students with an overall view over Software Engineering as an engineering discipline and with insight into the processes of software development. Creating software Engineering curriculum faces several challenges: (1) Software Engineering has wide coverage, but teaching time is limited. So it is difficult to make in-depth education. (2) Some introductory Software Engineering courses present the principles in isolation from practice. Teaching the lectures seems to focus on philosophy and methodology level, which leads to difficulty for students having no practical experience to understand. (3) Due to the lack of software project practice, students can hardly apply appropriate software engineering methods and technologies to solve problems. (4) How can Software Engineering curriculum satisfy the various needs of different levels? This paper focuses on the challenges above, and introduces how to try to solve them by a case study on the construction of Software Engineering curriculum at Peking University. Finally, this paper gives the future direction for the construction of Software Engineering curriculum.

Engineering design graphics courses taught in colleges or universities should provide and equip students preparing for employment with the basic occupational graphics skill competences required by engineering and technology disciplines. Academic institutions should introduce and include topics that cover the newer and more efficient graphics techniques and technologies developed through research by academic institutions and professional organizations as well as information obtained from experienced engineering design graphics practitioners. This paper presents the systematic approach used at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK), Department of Industrial Technology (ITEC), to update and improve its existing multidiscipline engineering design graphics course. Twenty five engineering design graphics course syllabi, all from programs accredited by either the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE) or the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), were reviewed in this study. A review of the course syllabi identified 20 of the most commonly taught engineering design graphics topics. The 20 topics were used to develop a survey instrument subsequently sent to the top 10 employers of ITEC students majoring in Construction Management, Industrial Distribution, and Telecommunications Management. The results obtained from the employer survey were analyzed and used to update the introductory engineering design graphics course at UNK so that engineering design graphics topics taught are consistent with academia and kept current and relevant to the needs of industry.

In a recent issue of the Asia Pacific Journal of Medical Toxicology (APJMT), the importance of empowering medical toxicology in the Asia Pacific Region has been discussed. In the editorial by Dr. Afshari, it has been stated that national societies of medical toxicology are important infrastructure for the development of medical toxicology, and the Asia Pacific Association of Medical Toxicology (APAMT) should support their establishment with a study on current capacities and gaps in each country (1). It would be meaningful to share current status of medical toxicology in South Korea for researchers in the Asia Pacific region to estimate current gaps between countries. The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology has been founded in 2002 and its scientific congress has been held regularly each year. The society is a multidisciplinary group and its members include internists, emergency physicians and psychologists. The official journal of the society is titled ‘Journal of the Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology (JKSCT)’ and has been published twice a year since 2003. As the primary language of the journal is Korean, there are obvious limitations for international collaboration and exchange of knowledge. Introduction of the Asia Pacific Journal of Medical Toxicology has opened a new door to solve these problems and to provide young investigators around the region equal chances to publish their works for international readers. Poison control center has not been established in South Korea, so far. Statistics of medical toxicology are frequently reported by the effort of independent researchers around the country, and the source data are sought from medical records, insurance data and national database of emergency departments. South Korean government has been collaborating with the Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology to build a toxicology database and to provide a professional-level information for health care personnel via the internet (2). Using theexperience of other APAMT countries which had succeeded in establishment of poison control centers (3), would be a great help in developing poison control system in South Korea, and other countries without poison control centers. Focusing on academic education and training, and also development of practical systems and protocols to improve medical service for poisoned patients are other important subjects in the field of medical toxicology (4). In other areas of medicine, introductory and advanced training courses have already been introduced and implemented internationally, , such as Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, Advanced Trauma Life Support, Winfocus, etc. Such training programs and protocols should also be developed for toxicologic emergencies and run by international collaborations. APAMT would be the most appropriate organization for coordinating these programs across the region.

Presented at the 2013 ASEE North Midwest Section Conference in Fargo, ND on 18 October 2013.

– Inconsistent transfer policies, lack of articulated syllabi, and subsequent differences on the delivery of comparable courses are a few examples of the obstacles that Ontario students face when trying to change programs. This study sought to develop a framework to support transfer between engineering and engineering technology programs in Ontario using explicit and implicit course outcomes to help develop and define new pathways. Primarily focusing on program expectations in introductory design courses this study compared the content and context of design projects in different institutions and programs across the province. The contextual framework, namely the “Outcome Comparison Framework for Engineering and Technology”, synthesized relevant elements from existing frameworks which can collectively identify the differences in the context of learning in engineering and technology disciplines. This framework looks into disciplinarity, use of tools and design thinking required to successfully finish a design project. We collected design projects from 5 technology programs and 4 engineering programs across the province and coded them based on the content targeted by the project description and the three dimensions of the framework. Content analysis for design courses showed an overall low percentage of alignment between the learning outcomes and the project descriptions across the board. It was found that engineering design courses were more focused on principles of engineering design (problem definition, stakeholder needs, idea generation, decision making) and development of professional characteristics (workplace communication skills, ethics, etc.); but technology design courses, focused on the use of more “hands-on”' skills (building/implementation, troubleshooting, etc.)

Generation Z, also known as iGen, (individuals born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s), characterized as tech-savvy, independent, and visual, is beginning to graduate college and enter the workforce. While significant research effort has focused on understanding the learning preferences of the preceding Millennial generation (individuals born between the early 1980s and mid-1990s), less is known about the way technology has influenced the educational expectations and learning preferences of Generation Z. A deeper and broader understanding of the way this generation learns would allow universities to modify and enhance course structures and teaching methodologies to suit this incoming generation of students better. In this thesis, we used secondary survey and performance data collected in all undergraduate statistics courses at the University of Rhode Island in Spring 2017 to distinguish the learning preferences of this new generation. Data collected contained student demographics, study habits, learning preferences, pre- and post-course attitudes, stress levels, and the names of student collaborators. The goals of this study were to understand the main drivers of collaboration among Generation Z students taking introductory statistics courses and to identify differences in demographics, study habits, learning preferences, performance, and attitudes towards statistics between collaborators and independent learners. We used Network and Classical methods to characterize the network of students who collaborate and to distinguish collaborators from independent learners. Of the two courses explored as part of this study, the focus was on data collected in course, Introductory Biostatistics (STA 307), given the high response rate and collaborative structure of the network. Descriptive statistics suggest that students enrolled in the same major are more likely to connect than students in disparate majors, perhaps because they have had opportunities to connect in other courses. Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGMs) were used to gain insight into and make inferences about the effects of endogenous and exogenous factors on the determinants of ties within a network. ERGMs fitted to the network of student collaborators indicate that students are more likely to collaborate with classmates in their recitation section and with students who share similar characteristics, namely other athletes, students living in the same type of housing, in-state students, and out-of-state students. Male students are also more likely to collaborate with other male students than females are to collaborate with one another. The significance of the geometrically weighted edge-wise shared partnerships (GWESP) statistic in the model suggests the presence of transitivity, meaning that there

Introductory level courses in many Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines require students to acquire an enormous new discipline-specific vocabulary in preparation for future courses. Students are often not prepared for the amount of self-directed studying they must do to be successful in these types of courses, particularly in their first year of college. To assist students in more accurately gauging their readiness for an exam, online low-stakes quizzes were implemented in a freshman level course, giving students an opportunity to practice their new language with minimal grade-related consequences. This quizzing strategy provides students an opportunity to self-assess their current level of knowledge. The quizzes also provide feedback, helping students determine how to adjust their behavior to ensure that acquisition of the missing knowledge is successful. This paper presents preliminary results of the research effort and illustrates the effects of this low-stakes quizzing. Specifically, this paper evaluates (1) whether the quizzing helps students to better prepare for medium and high stakes exams; (2) whether the quizzing increases the mean exam scores compared to previous semesters with no quizzing; and (3) whether the quizzing must be required (low-stakes) to be effective, or whether it can be optional (no-stakes) and still benefit students.

The increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have been correlated with global warming. Carbonic anhydrases (CA) are the fastest among the known enzymes to improve carbon capture. The capture of carbon dioxide needs high temperature and alkaline condition, which is necessary for CaCO₃ precipitation in the mineralization process. In order to use CAs for biomimetic carbon sequestration, thermo-alkali-stable CAs are, therefore, essential, and polyextremophilic microbes are one of the important sources of these enzymes. The current review focuses on both those isolated by thermophilic organisms from the extreme environments and those obtained by protein engineering techniques, and the industrial application of the immobilized CAs is also briefly addressed. To reduce the greenhouse effect and delay global warming, we think further research efforts should be devoted to broadening the scope of searching for carbonic anhydrase, modifying the technology of protein engineering and developing highly efficient immobilization strategies.

Cylinder wall heat insulation using thermal barrier coatings is both an old and new thermal efficiency improvement technology for internal combustion engines. This review first outlines the history of thermal barrier coating (TBC) technologies applied to reciprocating engines from the 1970s up to the present day, by referring to several distinctive reference papers. These research efforts, however, present a number of conflicting conclusions. In order to understand why the results did not always coincide, certain key features of TBC’s studied in the reference papers were then investigated in more detail, such as thermal properties, porosity, surface roughness, and translucence/emissivity. The studies of not only the effect of TBC’s on diesel exhaust emissions, but TBC effects on gasoline and HCCI performance and exhaust emissions, are also reviewed for the investigation of manifold TBC characteristics. Finally, state of the art techniques and constraints were reviewed for experimental and numerical analysis of the heat transfer mechanism, which should be applied to TBC research.

The author summarizes research results of a research effort in decision support system (DSS) technology for ULCE (Unified Life Cycle Engineering). Among the topics addressed were ULCE architectural issues, design measurement and methods research, ULCE-related design technique survey papers, and investigations into group support system technology. The technical papers produced influenced concurrent engineering efforts. The end result of this summary effort is to encapsulate the four-year research effort into a set of generalized findings and recommendations. Since the ULCE research program was a precursor to the current initiative in concurrent engineering (CE), or integrated product development (IPD), this set of findings and recommendations are discussed particularly with respect to an effort called the Requirements Analysis Process In Design (RAPID) program. >

This report summarizes the science and technology research and development efforts in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's Engineering Directorate for FY2002, and exemplifies Engineering's 50-year history of developing the technologies needed to support the Laboratory's missions. Engineering has been a partner in every major program and project at the Laboratory throughout its existence and has prepared for this role with a skilled workforce and the technical resources developed through venues like the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program (LDRD). This accomplishment is well summarized by Engineering's mission: ''To make programs succeed today and to ensure the vitality of the Laboratory tomorrow.'' Engineering's investment in new technologies is carried out through two programs, the ''Tech Base'' program (Volume I) and the LDRD program (Volume II). This report summarizes the LDRD portion of Engineering's Technology Program. LDRD is the vehicle for researching and developing those technologies and competencies that are cutting edge, or that require a significant level of research, or contain some unknown that needs to be fully understood. Tech Base is used to apply those technologies, or adapt them to a Laboratory need. The term commonly used for Tech Base projects is ''reduction to practice.'' Therefore, the LDRD report covered here has a strong research emphasis. Areas that are presented all fall into those needed to accomplish our mission. For FY2002, Engineering's LDRD projects were focused on mesoscale target fabrication and characterization, development of engineering computational capability, material studies and modeling, remote sensing and communications, and microtechnology for national security applications.