Lin2k: A Novel Web‐Based Collaborative Tool‐Application to Engineering Education

In this paper we present the educational process of Lin2k, a Web‐based tool, which supports distant asynchronous, written, peer‐collaboration in a case study. The tool constitutes an open learning environment that endows engineering students with collaborative competencies, necessary for their successful shift to professional practice. Students are engaged in a process of experiential learning of collaboration while, in parallel, we follow up their interactions and collect communication data of interest. Lin2k collaboration evaluating and adaptive feedback mechanisms are aimed at equipping students with the necessary conceptual knowledge that underlies collaborative activity. Lin2k experimental uses in the Civil Engineering Department of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, proved the efficacy of its pedagogy. The Lin2k educational process serves as a prototype that may contribute to the revision of engineering curricula so as to face the challenges that the new technologies impose, along with the necessity of relating academic to professional life.     

Dynamics of Peer Education in Cooperative Learning Workgroups

Many recent studies demonstrate that cooperative learning provides a variety of educational advantages over more traditional instructional models, both in general and specifically in engineering education. Little is known, however, about the interactional dynamics among students in engineering work groups. To explore these dynamics and their implications for engineering education, we analyzed work sessions of student groups in a sophomore‐level chemical engineering course at North Carolina State University. Using conversation analysis as a methodology for understanding how students taught and learned from one another, we found that group members generally engaged in two types of teaching‐learning interactions. In the first type, transfer‐of‐knowledge (TK) sequences, they took on distinct teacher and pupil roles, and in the second, collaborative sequences (CS), they worked together with no clear role differentiation. The interactional problems that occurred during the work sessions were associated primarily with TK sequences, and had to do with students who either habitually assumed the pupil's role (constant pupils) or habitually discouraged others' contributions (blockers). Our findings suggest that professors can facilitate student group interactions by introducing students to the two modes of teaching interaction so group members can effectively manage exchanges of knowledge, and also by helping students distribute tasks in a way that minimizes role imbalances.     

After So Much Effort: Is Faculty Using Cooperative Learning in the Classroom?

Cooperative learning (CL) has been lauded over the years as one of the most successful teaching/learning strategies employed by professors of science, mathematics, engineering and technology (SMET) in institutions of higher education throughout Puerto Rico. The goal of the research project presented here was to examine the effectiveness of CL as perceived by SMET faculty who use it in the classroom at member institutions of the Puerto Rico Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (PR‐LSAMP). As a long‐term goal, PR‐LSAMP researchers desired to use the findings to understand and address the training needs of their SMET faculty. Data was gathered on faculty members' use of CL and their perceptions of the effect of CL strategies on student performance and attitudes. Principal survey results showed that over 60% of faculty felt confident in their knowledge of CL theory and role assignment, although somewhat less confident in conflict resolution, grading activities and individual accountability. Fifty percent (50%) reported using the strategy very often or often (primarily for the exploration and learning of new concepts, in team projects and presentations, and in quizzes). Forty‐one percent (41%) described their experience in implementing CL as excellent or very good. In addition, faculty perceived more positive than negative changes in student performance and attitudes. Based on study results, researchers concluded that the success of cooperative learning in PR‐LSAMP institutions signals the beginning of a paradigm shift in the islands' educational system. In addition, results of the study were subsequently used to develop a cadre of SMET faculty to train their peers in various areas of cooperative learning.     

Civil Engineering Education in a Visualization Environment: Experiences with VizClass

VizClass, a university classroom visualization environment, was developed to bridge the gap between high‐tech engineering practice and low‐tech engineering pedagogy. It contains a suite of digital whiteboards, a three‐dimensional stereoscopic display, and specialized software for engineering visualization. Through observations, interviews, surveys, and examination of student work, we investigated student and teacher attitudes toward VizClass and its effect on teaching and learning processes. Observed benefits of teaching in the new environment include increased ability of faculty to visually explain complex problems, increased ability of students to conceptualize engineering problems, and increased engagement of students in after‐class collaboration.     

Effects of Faculty Interaction and Feedback on Gains in Student Skills*

Previous research has identified several variables that affect students' course satisfaction and gains in learning outcomes. The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with insights about the relationships between faculty‐student interaction and students' perceptions of selected skills and attitudes. This study specifically examined the relationships between engineering faculty teaching practices, classroom climate, and students' perceptions of their gains in communication skills, problem‐solving skills, occupational awareness, and engineering competence in a curriculum emphasizing engineering design activities. Data were gathered from more than 1,500 students taking the first‐year design course offered at 19 campuses of the Penn State system over a period of two years. The results suggest that faculty interacting with and providing constructive feedback to students were significantly and positively related to students' self‐reported gains in several design and professional skills. These relationships remained after controlling for student demographic characteristics and campus location. Recommendations regarding specific teaching practices are provided.     

Bringing Adjunct Engineering Faculty into the Learning Community

Adjunct faculty can offer enrichment to an engineering program by bringing practical experience and by introducing relevant industrial applications and problems to the classroom. The industrial perspective of adjunct faculty often manifests itself through an emphasis on communication and presentation skills, and concern for customer needs. Students observing these attributes come away with a better appreciation for the demands of the engineering workplace. Adjunct faculty members can also provide important linkages for developing industrial affiliate programs, co‐op activities, and employment opportunities for graduates. Nevertheless, the position of adjunct faculty is tenuous, subject to shifting enrollments, negative student perception, and limited connectivity with the mainstream issues of the academic department. Adjunct faculty who teach in engineering programs will almost always come with excellent technical credentials, but they will have little or no teacher training or knowledge of learning principles and cognitive psychology. With limited time on campus, adjunct faculty have little opportunity to improve their teaching skills and methods, resulting in a “sink or swim” environment. At the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), we have evolved a regimen of strategies to ensure the quality of the educational program and to support the teaching effectiveness and professional commitment of adjunct faculty. These strategies have improved student and faculty satisfaction with adjunct faculty, and indeed have improved adjunct faculty self‐satisfaction. These strategies are described in the current paper.     

Faculty as a Critical Juncture in Student Retention and Performance in Engineering Programs

Large numbers of students depart from engineering programs before graduation. For example, in fields such as engineering and computer science, students have commented on the inaccessible or unapproachable nature of faculty. To evaluate this problem, this study gathered data across four research universities. Using structural equation modeling, it measured environmental effects, i.e., academic integration or faculty distance on (a) self‐efficacy, (b) academic confidence and (c) self‐regulated learning behaviors effort, critical thinking, help‐seeking and peer learning, and (d) GPA. Results showed that faculty distance lowered self‐efficacy, academic confidence and GPA. Conversely, academic integration had a positive effect on self‐efficacy, which in turn had strong positive effects on effort and critical thinking. Consequently, ongoing educational reform efforts must encourage engineering faculty to understand the significance of their student/professor relationships and seriously undertake measures to become personally available to students.     

Experiences of First‐Year Engineering Students Working on Ill‐Structured Problems in Teams

Background

As engineers solve problems that are ill‐structured and require collaboration, a common goal of engineering programs is to develop students' competencies for solving such problems in teams, often using cornerstone design experiences.

Purpose

With the goal of designing effective learning environments, this study identifies qualitatively different ways that engineering students experienced ill‐structured problems while working in teams.

Design/Method

This phenomenographic study employs interview data from 27 first‐year engineering students. Iterative data analysis resulted in categories of student experiences and their logical relationships.

Results

Seven categories describing collaborative, ill‐structured problem‐solving experiences emerged: completion, transition, iteration, organization, collaboration, reasoning, and growth. These categories are organized in an outcome space along dimensions we call reaction to ambiguity and use of multiple perspectives that can be used to frame students' perspectives from less comprehensive to more comprehensive.

Conclusions

First‐year engineering students experience team‐based, ill‐structured problem solving in a variety of ways. The resulting outcome space is of practical use to educators who teach courses involving collaborative, ill‐structured problem solving.     

Faculty Perspectives Regarding the Undergraduate Research Experience in Science and Engineering

This study examined the perceptions of 155 science and engineering faculty at a mid‐size university with a very extensive undergraduate research program. The faculty thought the undergraduate research experience provided important educational benefits to the students, in good agreement with results from a recent alumni survey. The faculty who supervised undergraduates for a longer period of time and who modified their research program to accommodate undergraduates perceived a greater enhancement of important cognitive and personal skills. Undergraduate research was also believed to provide important mentoring and teaching experience for graduate students who worked with undergraduate research assistants.     

Improving Learning in First‐Year Engineering Courses through Interdisciplinary Collaborative Assessment

This paper describes a feedback process that assessed first‐year engineering student learning using a mastery exam. The results were used to improve learning and teaching in first‐year courses. To design the initial exam, basic knowledge and concepts were identified by instructors from each of the host departments (Chemistry, Math, Physics and Computer Science). In 2004, the 45‐item exam was administered to 191 second‐year engineering students, and in September 2005, the revised exam was administered to the next class of second‐year engineering students. The exam was analyzed using Item Response Theory (IRT) to determine student abilities in each subject area tested. Between exam administrations, workshops were conducted with the four department instructor groups to present exam results and discuss teaching issues. The exam provided a learning assessment mechanism that can be used to engage faculty in science, mathematics, and engineering in productive linkages for continual improvement to curriculum.     

The National Effective Teaching Institute: Assessment of Impact and Implications for Faculty Development

Background The National Effective Teaching Institute (NETI) is a three‐day teaching workshop that has been given annually since 1991 in conjunction with the Annual ASEE Conference. Its goals are to improve the participants' teaching effectiveness, promote their engagement in scholarly teaching and educational scholarship, and motivate them to engage in instructional development on their campuses. To evaluate the impact of the NETI on its participants, a Web‐based survey was administered to alumni of NETI offerings from 1993 to 2006. Purpose (Hypothesis ) The study was designed to test the hypothesis that the NETI met its stated goals, and to the extent that it did, to identify factors in the workshop's structure and delivery that might have contributed to its success. Design /Method An online survey collected information regarding the participants' awareness and use of selected teaching strategies, their students' and their own ratings of their teaching, and their engagement in scholarly teaching, educational research, and giving their own teaching workshops and seminars. The validity of the survey structure is supported by several published studies that compared self‐assessments of teaching with external evaluations by trained observers. Results The NETI has motivated many of its participants to adopt or increase their use of proven teaching strategies known to correlate with improved student learning; made them more student‐centered, scholarly, and reflective in their teaching practice; and induced many of them to engage in instructional development and educational scholarship. Conclusions The NETI has satisfactorily met its goals. When interpreted in the light of a theory of adult motivation, the results support the effectiveness of discipline‐specific faculty development for engineering educators.     

Collaborative Learning vs. Lecture/Discussion: Students' Reported Learning Gains*

This study examined the extent to which undergraduate engineering courses taught using active and collaborative learning methods differ from traditional lecture and discussion courses in their ability to promote the development of students' engineering design, problem‐solving, communication, and group participation skills. Evidence for the study comes from 480 students enrolled in 17 active or collaborative learning courses/sections and six traditional courses/sections at six engineering schools. Results indicate that active or collaborative methods produce both statistically significant and substantially greater gains in student learning than those associated with more traditional instructional methods. These learning advantages remained even when differences in a variety of student pre‐course characteristics were controlled.     

Introducing Cooperative Learning through a Faculty Instructional Development Program

Cooperative Learning was officially introduced in the College of Engineering at San Jose State University in 1995 with a two‐day workshop. The Faculty Instructional Development Program in the college maintains interest in the subjsect and provides support for instructors who use Cooperative Learning, through workshops and informal discussions (Conversations on Teaching). This paper discusses the effectiveness of the program in introducing, promoting, and implementing Cooperative Learning among the faculty and students in the college of engineering. A variety of performance criteria have been used in this assessment, some faculty‐centered and some student‐centered. The results indicate that although a relatively small percentage of faculty have chosen to adopt Cooperative Learning as a teaching tool in their courses, the impact on student attitudes and learning is significant, making the effort worthwhile.     

Undergraduate Learning Portfolios for Institutional Assessment

Our objectives were to develop a model of student portfolios that simultaneously promotes student learning, provides useful outcomes assessment data, and is logistically feasible. From our pilot test of three portfolio models, we conclude that requiring students in selected courses to complete portfolio entries solves most of the logistics problems associated with a large‐scale portfolio plan. Such entries can promote learning by providing a focus for career and educational planning discussions between students and faculty academic advisors. Course faculty are probably in the best position to use the outcomes assessment data obtained from the entries.     

Student Perceptions of Internet-Based Learning Tools in Environmental Engineering Education

The Internet provides an excellent framework for learning, communication, information exchange, and collaboration in engineering education. This existing electronic infrastructure was integrated into an undergraduate environmental engineering course in atmospheric physics and chemistry to foster discussion of course topics, peer evaluation, and collaborative learning. Four major Internet-based learning tools were utilized to accomplish these objectives: 1) electronic copies of partial notes allowed students to remain engaged during class, 2) an electronic bulletin board enabled interactive discussion and peer evaluation of work, 3) multimedia assignments required students to retrieve information and direct their learning, 4) publicly accessible and peer-reviewed Internet-based term project reports provided motivation for quality and creative work. Student response to these new approaches was overwhelmingly positive, although preferences vary with learning style. While students assess many Internet-based learning approaches as useful, conventional educational approaches are still viewed as important components to successful learning.     

The Effects of Engineering Modules on Student Learning in Middle School Science Classrooms

The Teachers Integrating Engineering into Science (TIES) Program is a collaborative project among faculty from the College of Education and the College of Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno. The TIES project paired university faculty with middle school science teachers to create three units that included engineering design using a variety of interactive learning activities in order to engage a wide range of students. The units included a Web‐based simulation activity, lesson plans, a design project, and three types of assessments that were standardized across schools. Results of assessments were disaggregated by gender, ethnicity, special education, and socio‐economic level. Mean scores for these student population groups were compared to mean scores for the same groups on the 2004 Nevada eighth grade science criterion referenced test. These results indicate that engaging students in engineering curriculum activities may diminish achievement gaps in science for some student populations.     

Integrating Undergraduate Research into Engineering: A Communications Approach to Holistic Education

This paper describes the Research Communications Studio (RCS), a structured approach for teaching undergraduate researchers to do authentic written, oral, and graphical communications tasks while they are learning to do research. In the RCS, small groups of undergraduate researchers meet weekly with a communications faculty member, an engineering graduate student mentor, and a communications graduate research assistant. The project is built upon social constructivist theory that recognizes the interdependence between communication, cognitive development, and metacognition. It investigates knowledge construction within a small‐group context of distributed cognition, the concept that each group member's expertise is available to other group members. Data from surveys indicate that engineering faculty members, graduate student mentors, and undergraduate participants were very positive about the progress participants made in cognitive development and communications abilities. Analysis of participants' reflective writings shows the development of metacognitive abilities necessary for self‐directed, life‐long learning.     

Utilizing Instructional Consultations to Enhance the Teaching Performance of Engineering Faculty

Although many kinds of data can be used to guide instructional consultations, research comparing the efficacy of such data is scant, especially in engineering. In this study, multiple modes of assessment were used to evaluate the impact of consultations informed by different kinds of data. This study illuminates two key aspects of instructional consultations: (1) their efficacy varies depending on the kind of data used to guide them, with student feedback from a Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (SGID) having the largest positive impact, and (2) the instructional consultant plays a key role in helping both interpret the available data and identify strategies for improvement. These findings suggest three implications for practice: (1) whenever possible, SGID‐based consultations should be offered systematically and proactively for engineering faculty, (2) data for other kinds of consultations should be tailored to the needs of the individual instructor, and (3) instructional consultants should be available to collaborate with faculty to enhance their teaching, thereby building an engineering culture that actively supports teaching and learning.