Musical Instrument Engineering Program at Tufts University

At Tufts University, we have initiated an engineering minor and concentration certificate program in Musical Instrument Engineering (MIE) as an exciting way to introduce and teach principles of mechanical engineering to undergraduate students. The goal of this program is to teach the fundamentals of engineering through the manufacture of musical instruments. As musical instruments are both familiar and complex, they provide non‐threatening and enjoyable focal points for engineering education. This interdisciplinary curriculum combines a variety of learning experiences, including lecturing, experimental analysis, and project development. In this paper we outline the minor and certificate programs, and assess the initial success of the Musical Instrument Engineering program through the response of faculty, administration, and students.     

Developing Engineering Leaders: An Organized Innovation Approach to Engineering Education

In addition to providing technical expertise in their respective fields, engineers are increasingly assuming leadership roles in academia, industry, government, and even non-profit organizations. We draw from lessons learned in our decade-long study of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center program to provide both a theoretical framework, the Organized Innovation Model for Education, and tangible recommendations to educators, engineering managers, and anyone else interested in developing highly skilled engineers who are also excellent leaders. The model addresses a long-lamented need for systematic ways to integrate leadership development into technical curriculum and skill-building programs.     

Using Online Nominal Group Technique to Implement Knowledge Transfer

Presented in this study is an online Nominal Group Technique (NGT) platform for implementing knowledge transfer. A platform was developed to record the experimental experiences of thirteen Information Technology (IT) experts from academia and industry. We found that an online NGT platform could provide formal activities for promoting knowledge transfer in pursuit of consensus at a distance. Internalization of knowledge resulted from the review and rethinking process when applied to solution priorities. The results of this study have implications for users to initiate knowledge transfer at a distance for students conducting a capstone project with industry, for industry/academia research projects, and on industry projects between faculty and industry personnel. The processes of providing knowledge creation, interaction, and internalization were shown to lead to knowledge transfer for consensus building. The implementation efficiency was mainly contributed to by platform recognition, an important outcome when constructing information platforms for transferring knowledge among industry engineers, engineering students, and engineering educators.     

Effectiveness of the Woodruff School Doctoral Teaching Intern Program

This article discusses a unique teaching internship program that has been in place in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology since 1990. The objective of the program is to provide doctoral students who are considering an academic career an opportunity to gain teaching experience under the tutelage of a faculty member. This article summarizes the major findings from student evaluations and from surveys of former student and faculty participants and discusses the apparent need and benefit of such a doctoral teaching intern program. Benefits and drawbacks of participation are discussed from the intern, faculty mentor, and student points of view. Conclusions are drawn about the overall effectiveness of the program and recommendations are made for implementing a successful teaching internship program.     

Constructive Alignment of Interdisciplinary Graduate Curriculum in Engineering and Science: An Analysis of Successful IGERT Proposals

Background Interdisciplinary approaches are critical to solving the most pressing technological challenges. Despite the proliferation of graduate programs to fill this need, there is little archival literature identifying learning outcomes, learning experiences, or benchmarks for evaluating interdisciplinary graduate student learning. Purpose (Hypothesis ) The purpose of this study is to understand how engineering and science academics conceptualize interdisciplinary graduate education in order to identify common practices and recommend improvements. Questions generated by an instructional design framework guided the analysis: what desired outcomes, evidence, and learning experiences are currently associated with interdisciplinary graduate education? To what extent are these components constructively aligned with each other? Design /Method Content analysis was performed on 130 funded proposals from the U.S. National Science Foundation's Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program. Results Four desired student learning outcomes were identified: contributions to the technical area, broad perspective, teamwork, and interdisciplinary communication skills. Student requirements (educational plans) addressed these outcomes to some extent, but assessment/evidence sections generally targeted program level goals—as opposed to student learning. This lack of constructive alignment between components is a major weakness of graduate curriculum. Conclusions Current practices are promising. Further clarification of interdisciplinary learning outcomes, coupled with closer alignment of outcomes, evidence, and learning experiences will continue to improve interdisciplinary graduate education in engineering and science. Specific recommendations for engineering and science faculty members are: define clear learning objectives, enlist assessment/evaluation expertise, and constructively align all aspects of the curriculum.     

An Introduction to the Community of Professors: The Engineering Education Scholars Workshop

It can be difficult for new faculty to get the information they need on issues such as teaching, advising, and setting up a research program. While some have excellent mentors, others have come to rely on trial and error or word of mouth. In 1996, the NSF Engineering Education Scholars Workshop began at Carnegie Mellon University to address the needs of new and future engineering faculty by:

• ? providing professional teaching development;
• ? offering guidance in supervising graduate students and conducting research;
• ? discussing likely engineering education and research challenges in the 21^st century; and
• ? providing intellectual and social support with colleagues.

After three years, a significant amount of knowledge and experience has been gathered by the workshop co‐chairs. This paper details the structure of the workshop and discusses the underlying principles and implementation to provide guidance for those planning similar workshops.     

The Harvey Mudd Engineering Clinic Past,Present, Future

“Am I describing an impossible dream? Can one structure an engineering education about practice-oriented team experiences without depriving students of needed analytical skills and knowledge of the engineering sciences?” Nearly thirty-five years ago, Harvey Mudd College began to practice this “impossible dream.” That was when the Engineering Clinic was first launched. This paper describes how the Clinic program came into existence, including how faculty and administration were convinced to accept it. In addition, the response of the industrial community, both initially and over the years, is related. The current Clinic operation is described. Assessment of the Clinic program includes a discussion of both its impact on student preparation for engineering practice and the value of the program to industry.     

Hands‐On,Minds‐On Electric Power Education*

ABET Engineering Criteria 2000 has encouraged changes in engineering education. The deregulation of the electric power industry is also causing changes in the types of jobs power engineers take upon graduation. This paper describes efforts by power faculty at Kansas State University to provide students more hands‐on active learning experience with power systems and machinery. A summary of the power curriculum is provided. The courses affected include an energy conversion course required of all electrical engineering students, and a new power laboratory course required of students taking the electric power option. Examples of student assignments are provided. Observations and discussion of the in‐class experiences are provided. The paper describes work done and in progress to convert the traditional power courses into studio‐type courses in which instruction can flow from lecture to laboratory to computer demonstration formats with ease. Future plans for the project are also discussed.     

Transforming the Engineering Curriculum: Lessons Learned from a Summer at Boeing

The Boeing Corporation conducts an A.D. Welliver summer fellowship program for engineering educators. This article describes the lessons learned by the 1998 summer Fellows. These include increasing emphasis on cost, communications and continuous learning, modifying faculty promotion guidelines to honor collaboration in teaching and research, and collaborating with industry on exit criteria. Eventually, industry has to become a partner in the educational process. The Fellows unanimously agreed that the Welliver Program was a valuable experience.     

Environmentally Smart Engineering Education: A Brief on a Paradigm in Progress

Sustainable development has become the dominant economic, environmental, and social issue of the 21^st century, yet its broad infusion within engineering education programs remains a challenge. This paper discusses the importance of environment and sustainable development considerations, the need for their widespread inclusion in engineering education, and the impediments to change. The roles of ABET and others in the evolution of these considerations in engineering education are presented; however, it is through the ABET engineering criteria that broad adoption of environment related considerations in engineering education will most likely occur. An effort to achieve this aim is described.     

The Role of Collaborative Reflection on Shaping Engineering Faculty Teaching Approaches

Over the last several years, engineering faculty and learning scientists from four universities worked in collaboration to develop educational materials to improve the quality of faculty teaching and student learning. Guided by the How People Learn (HPL) framework, engineering faculty worked in collaboration with learning scientists to develop learner‐centered, student‐focused instructional methods. In consultation with learning scientists, engineering faculty carried out educational inquiry in their classrooms aimed at investigating student learning and enhancing instruction. In this paper we discuss the extent to which faculty engaged in these collaborative endeavors and how their teaching approaches differed as a result of their level of engagement. Study findings reveal the role that collaborative reflection plays in shaping teaching approaches. Results from this study provide insights for researchers and other practitioners in engineering and higher education interested in implementing engineering faculty development programs to optimize the impact on teaching.     

EC2000 and Measurement: How Much Precision is Enough?

As engineering faculty engage in the process of developing assessment plans to implement continuous quality improvement and satisfy the requirement of Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC2000), there is a concern about what measures are adequate to provide evidence that an engineering program is meeting its stated objectives. Some engineering programs are looking at using course grades as evidence that students are meeting the learning outcomes mandated by Criterion 3 of EC2000. After all, if there is a course in engineering design, why shouldn't grades be used to demonstrate that students are acquiring the skills necessary to meet the required outcome? The question remains as to whether or not course grades are adequate and/or efficient as a means to evaluate program effectiveness. This paper will define what is meant by educational inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes in order to clarify the focus of the new “outcomes assessment” model of engineering education accreditation. A framework will be presented to clarify the meaning and scope of assessment activities needed to meet the information needs of academic programs and institutions. Models for course assessment and program assessment will be presented and the similarities and differences discussed.     

Advancement of the Engineering Management Body of Knowledge

Trade around the world has become globally interconnected. Engineers play an integral role in designing products, managing supply chains, providing services, and increasing the quality of life for people and promoting sustainable development around the globe. Engineering managers make decisions every day that will have profound impacts on international suppliers, customers, partners, consumers, and the environment. Traditional education for engineering students focuses on the technical aspects and scientific principles. Education in some countries may focus exclusively on mathematics, science, and engineering topics. The North American model incorporates a general education component into the undergraduate program of study to give students a broad appreciation of ideas ranging from art to literature to the social sciences. This paper will investigate how undergraduate engineering management programs educate their students to be able to work in international settings or in the global workplace. This initial study will concentrate on the engineering management programs that are accredited by ABET, an international organization that accredits technical programs in higher education. ABET has accredited over 3,400 programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology in 28 countries. This study will access publicly available information to determine the breadth and depth of education related to helping prepare engineering management students to work in a global marketplace. These data will be collected from the programs accredited by ABET using the “Engineering Management” program criteria, due to the public availability of this information. Initial findings will be presented, and may serve to identify opportunities for cooperation and further work.     

Developing a Comprehensive Assessment Program for Engineering Education*

This paper provides an overview of one institution's efforts to establish a comprehensive assessment program for continuous improvement of engineering education. A five step systematic process to develop an integrated assessment program from identifying educational objectives to applying measurement methods is explained in detail. Activities to encourage faculty participation and commitment are outlined. Four integrated assessment processes used by both faculty and students to assess and provide performance feedback are described. The focus of these assessment methods is on the measurement, development, and improvement of student learning outcomes aligned with ABET Engineering Criteria 2000. Preliminary results and lessons learned from the overall experience are highlighted.     

The Development of an Undergraduate Distance Learning Engineering Degree for Industry - A University/Industry Collaboration

This paper documents the pioneering effort associated with the development of a Corporate Engineering Degree Program (CEDP) made available to industry personnel who desire to receive a traditional bachelor's degree via distance learning. This program, a model of a close university/industry collaboration, provides a broad vision for industry needs and makes a quality education available to adult learners. The paper explains the motivation in implementing the program, profiles students, faculty, and industry personnel, examines the challenges in implementing the program, and details accomplishments and continuing developments that have resulted since the program's inception in 1988. The paper also describes the dynamic processes of faculty enrichment and curricular development that resulted during the planning, implementation, and evolvement of the program, all of which have also had an impact on the traditional, on-campus program and students at the University of North Dakota.     

The Quest for Relevance: Roles for Academia and Industry in Japan and the U.S.

While U.S. industry is making headway in worldwide markets, much remains to be done. Some have proposed that improving the relevance of engineering education can have a marked influence on the future success of U.S. manufacturing. Some in academia have heard industries' cries for help to improve relevancy in engineering education and have responded with various solutions. Is this the situation in Japan? What is the state of engineering education in Japan? Where is it headed and how does the U.S. compare? We found that industry-academia relationships like those being strengthened in the U.S. are minimal in Japan. Surprisingly, Japanese industry and academia appear not to be headed in a collaborative direction and are even more detached from one another than in the United States. This paper presents some differences in the way Japan and the U.S. view their roles for academia and industry and their interrelationships. Our objective is to further motivate U.S. educators to collaborate with industry and continue to integrate greater relevancy into engineering education.     

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.     

Manufacturing: A Strategic Opportunity for Engineering Education

This paper examines the importance of the manufacturing enterprise and the need for manufacturing education. The objective is to present a case for the expansion of manufacturing‐related education as a strategic opportunity for engineering education. A brief history of engineering education is presented, as well as an exploration of the current ABET criteria for various engineering disciplines. Approaches for achieving manufacturing‐related education are presented noting that Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering are often most closely associated with manufacturing. Surveys of industry reveal the need for manufacturing education and identify preferred approaches. If manufacturing is to be included as part of a mechanical engineering program, there are a number of possible approaches. Of all the new technologies that will impact engineering education, none is larger than the Internet. The number of manufacturing educational programs in the United States is growing substantially. New manufacturing programs are encouraged along with review of educational content in traditional engineering disciplines‐especially the related discipline of mechanical engineering. Analysis leads us to believe that manufacturing represents a strategic direction and opportunity for engineering education to pursue.     

Personal and Professional Enrichment: Humanities in the Engineering Curriculum

The Drexel E⁴ approach to engineering education has evolved from emphases on teamwork and course integration to include an emphasis on faculty development through the Personal and Professional Enrichment component. One of the four components of the curriculum which are described elsewhere, the Personal and Professional Enrichment Program, encompasses a short orientation course and the year long Humanities sequence. The orientation course, taught by all the team members, provides a forum for faculty as well as students to discuss personal and educational goals. It also provides faculty with a social arena which has become important in developing and maintaining the strong sense of community the team shares. The faculty have profited from talking about themselves as individuals, as much as the students who have discovered professionals as role models—concerned citizens and parents, and lifelong learners. Students are introduced to engineering as a profession that requires not only technological skills but also an awareness of ethics, of the need for lifelong learning, and of the importance of Humanities. It is important to note that the technical faculty teach the introductory course and thus themselves attest to the value of humanistic concerns throughout the entire program. Continuing the integration of goals as well as subjects, the Humanities curriculum includes the traditional sequence in reading, writing, and research skills with an emphasis on technical writing, visuals and oral presentation skills. Meritorious texts are chosen to highlight humanistic concerns about the impact of technology so that students recognize the engineers' obligation to the world we all share. By enhancing communication skills, developing an awareness of audience and expanding their imagination, students gain confidence in expressing creative and responsible attempts at solving engineering problems.