The Future of Safety and Health in Engineering Education

Despite calls for the integration of safety into engineering curricula and the establishment of ABET requirements for safety-related instruction, few engineering colleges have instituted formal course offerings focusing on safety and health. Impediments include the lack of room for additional coursework in the standard curriculum, the perceived unavailability of qualified faculty and instructional materials, and a widespread conviction among faculty and administrators that safety is not critical to an engineering education. Attempts to address this need by developing special instructional safety modules or enrolling students in full-semester safety courses have met with limited success. An alternative approach is to use safety-related examples and case studies to portray conventional engineering principles. Rather than separating safety instruction into a distinct course or modules, this approach would present safety principles as a fully-integrated part of traditional engineering practice. To make this idea a reality, appropriate examples and cases will need to be developed and disseminated. In addition, industry involvement, government backing, and financial support is required.     

“Engineering Graduate Teaching Assistant Instructional Programs: Training Tomorrow's Faculty Members”

Although there has been increased interest in graduate teaching assistant (GTA) training programs recently, few examples of programs specifically for engineering GTA's are found in the technical literature. A survey of engineering schools in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest region of the United States has been conducted to determine the extent of instructional programs. The results of this survey and the literature indicate that there are large differences in the amount of training that GTA's in different engineering schools receive. While some are involved in extensive training programs, many receive little or no instruction in teaching, and/or inadequate feedback to help improve their teaching skills. These findings are discussed, along with details of innovative instructional programs found in the literature, and suggestions for improving the state of engineering GTA instruction.     

Factors Affecting the Permanence of Occupational Health and Safety Topics in Engineering Courses

This paper presents an evaluation of the permanence of changes introduced within the curriculum of the College of Engineering at Tufts University. These changes involved the integration of occupational health and safety engineering resource materials into existing course work. Employing this model, Tufts faculty members developed their own lectures, case studies and laboratory materials for integration into existing courses. The evaluation, that was based on structured interviews of participating faculty and the Dean of the College, suggests that the permanence of changes to curriculum is influenced by a set of intramural parameters within the academic milieu (student interest, available class time, interest on the part of the faculty and administration) as well as by extramural factors such as the increasing prominence of legal liability of practitioners, growing interest on the part of employers and lack of readily usable materials in standard texts concerning occupational health and safety. Recommendations for future activities in these areas are offered and discussed.     

Developing a model curriculum for a university course in health impact assessment in the USA

As health impact assessments (HIAs) become increasingly common in the USA, there is growing demand for instruction beyond short courses and online training. As of October 2013, there are graduate level courses that include instruction on HIA in at least 17 universities in the USA, including four courses that focus explicitly on HIA. Instructors of these four courses collaborated to develop a model curriculum for teaching HIA that draws on a framework for experiential learning and on a theoretical model of curriculum formulation. This article includes an in-depth analysis of these courses and presents a model curriculum for HIA instruction during an academic quarter or semester course in a university. This model curriculum may help faculty develop a graduate level HIA course at their institution, as well as inform public health and community design professionals interested in building capacity to conduct HIAs, and students considering taking an HIA course. International instructors could also learn from the US experience, and apply the model curriculum to their setting and educational structure.     

基于“广义形体分析法”的高职图学课程改革探索与实现

"广义形体分析法"是"工程图学"课程改革的一种探索性创新思维方法,它将课程核心内容整体分解为几何元素、几何结构、功能组合、零件装配、知识与技能等5个块元。介绍了基于"广义形体分析法"的高职"工程图学"课程改革方案及其实现关键,进行了改革的初步探索和实践,取得了较好的成效。实践结果表明,该方法能有效提升图学基础与应用的教学效果,有助于职业快速适应、逻辑思维形成及创新能力提升。     

A Methodology for Determining Engineering Curriculum Contents

As the life span of engineering subjects decreases the importance of valid determination of engineering curriculum contents increases. A methodology for determining and updating contents of an engineering curriculum has been developed and implemented by a curriculum design research team from the Technion—Israel Institute of Technology. According to this methodology, the decision-making process of the Curriculum Committee members is based on data collected systematically from relevant work sites, relating to cognitive, affective and instrumental skills and knowledge items, required at present and for the foreseen future, from graduates of the educational program. The theoretical foundations of the approach are rooted in the Facet Theory which provides a framework for defining a universe of observations and arrive at an empirical structure for reality based decision making processes. The establishment of a definitional system, by means of a mapping sentence, is devised and a corresponding questionnaire for systematic determination of occupational field demands required from engineering graduates, is designed. The sampling issue of the questionnaire-run is discussed and illustrated through experimental data, representing reality-based situations. The purpose is to arrive eventually, through verified data analysis methods, at a hierarchy of skills and knowledge items, to distinctive occupational field demands, to a professional content portrayal and to a structure of professional field requirements.     

Senior/Sophomore Co-Class Instruction: Teaching Interpersonal Management Skills in Engineering

As society becomes increasingly technology-oriented, there is a growing demand for engineers and scientists to take a greater role in decision-making processes. The future success of our engineering graduates will increasingly depend on not only solid training in scientific and engineering principles, but also a more rigorous education in interpersonal management skills (IPMS). Co-class instruction of sophomore and senior engineering students provides an efficient educational structure to incorporate IPMS education into an existing engineering curriculum. Co-class instruction provides opportunities for senior students to experience direct subordinate supervisory technical management, develop project management skills, formally evaluate personnel performance and improve faculty/student contact. Younger students gain opportunities to see how their engineering education is applied and gives them an opportunity to network with graduating students. Co-class instruction did not significantly increase instructor workload, but does require that one instructor teach both sophomore and senior classes concurrently. Given the similarity in engineering curriculum structure, this method should be easily applicable to a wide range of engineering disciplines. Results indicate that students are highly receptive to co-class instruction, with excellent feedback.     

An Engineering Design Curriculum for the Elementary Grades

The United States has historically excelled in the design of products, processes and new technologies. Capitalizing on this historical strength to teach applied mathematics and science has many positive implications on education. First, engineering design can be used as a vehicle for addressing deficiencies in mathematics and science education. Second, as achievement in mathematics and science is enhanced, a greater number of students at an earlier age will be exposed to technical career opportunities. Third, enhancing elementary and secondary curricula with engineering design can attract underrepresented populations, such as minorities and females, to engineering as a profession. This paper describes a new and innovative engineering design curriculum, under development in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) in Austin, TX. The philosophic goals upon which the curriculum is based include: integrating the design problem-solving process into elementary schools, demonstrating the relationship of technical concepts to daily life, availing teachers with instructional strategies for teaching applied (as opposed to purely theoretical) science and mathematics, and teaching teamwork skills that are so greatly needed in industry and everyday life. Based on these goals, kindergarten, first grade, and second grade engineering design lessons have been piloted in AISD, in conjunction with a University of Texas program for teacher enhancement and preparation.     

缓冲包装材料力学课程设置探究

从适应包装专业人才知识结构和能力要求、完善包装人才培养计划和包装工程专业的相关课程体系看,"缓冲包装材料力学"应是包装工程专业一门必修专业课程.从人才培养要求和课程体系完善的角度分析了开设缓冲包装材料力学课程的必要性,确立了该课程的知识体系,详细介绍了该课程相应的知识点、实验大纲及内容,推荐了该课程的教学参考书目.按照该课程设置的要求,本研究组成员经过2a的缓冲包装材料力学课程教学实践,发现该课程教学效果较好;针对在校生和就业生从课程内容新颖性、实用性和用人单位对毕业生能力满意度等方面所进行的问卷调查表明,该课程的开设对于包装工程专业课程体系的完善、学生工程能力的提高、学生就业的便利等方面具有重要意义.     

Applied Ethics in the Engineering,Health, Business,and Law Professions: A Comparison

Background Applied ethics plays a critical role in engineering, health, business, and law. Applied ethics is currently a required component of the pre‐practice education for these professions, yet the literature suggests that challenges remain in how we define, instruct, and assess professions‐based ethics education. Purpose Based on the on going debate associated with the instruction and assessment of applied engineering ethics, an exploratory investigation was performed to determine what could be learned by looking across professions. Scope /Method Ethics, as an educational topic, can be very broad in scope. This study was limited to literature at the intersection of ethics terminology, historical development, instruction, and assessment within engineering, health, business, and law. Many references associated with each profession and the input of profession‐specific content experts informed the literature survey. Conclusions Ethics within the engineering, health, business, and law professions have historically developed in isolation. Even case studies, which the engineering profession seems to have adopted from law, are framed differently within engineering. There are common lines of debate related to instructional methods, curricular methods, and instructor qualifications, but no profession has resolved these debates. A common trend in applied ethics research is a focus on assessment of student learning, rather than evaluation of instructional methods and/or curriculum incorporation methods. Assessment tools have been developed and applied widely for many years in several of the health care sub‐disciplines, business and law. An engineering‐specific applied‐ethics assessment tool has recently been developed, but has yet to see extensive application.     

The Role of Spatial Reasoning in Engineering and the Design of Spatial Instruction

Many believe that spatial reasoning and visualization contribute to success in engineering. To investigate this view, we a) studied how students in engineering and engineers in professional practice solved spatial reasoning problems, b) designed and implemented spatial strategy instruction, and c) characterized the impact of spatial instruction on engineering course performance. In the span of 4 years, over 500 students have used our spatial strategy instruction that includes hands-on activities, innovative computer courseware, and problem-solving assessments. We studied 153 students in an introductory engineering course. Overall, students made significant progress in spatial reasoning. In addition, gender differences in the ability to generate orthographic projections on the pre-test disappeared on the post-test. Spatial reasoning ability was a significant predictor of overall course grade, and strong spatial skills were necessary for success on the course exams. Spatial strategy instruction helps students build a repertoire of approaches for engineering problem solving and contributes to confidence in engineering, especially for women. We recommend starting instruction on spatial strategies used by practicing engineers in introductory engineering courses and building on these skills throughout the curriculum.     

小型氧气站工程设计

以《氧气站设计规范》和《氧气及相关气体安全技术规程》为主要依据标准,具体介绍了氧气站的选址、总体布置、工程管道设计、危险源以及防火、防雷、环境保护和职业安全卫生等方面的措施。     

The Effects of Personality Type on Engineering Student Performance and Attitudes

The Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) was administered to a group of 116 students taking the introductory chemical engineering course at North Carolina State University. That course and four subsequent chemical engineering courses were taught in a manner that emphasized active and cooperative learning and inductive presentation of course material. Type differences in various academic performance measures and attitudes were noted as the students progressed through the curriculum. The observations were generally consistent with the predictions of type theory, and the experimental instructional approach appeared to improve the performance of MBTI types (extraverts, sensors, and feelers) found in previous studies to be disadvantaged in the engineering curriculum. The conclusion is that the MBTI is a useful tool for helping engineering instructors and advisors to understand their students and to design instruction that can benefit all of them.     

Instructor perceptions of engineering ethics education at Chinese engineering universities: A cross-cultural approach

During the past decade, governmental agencies, universities and programs, policymakers, and educators in China have been striving for reforming and “globalizing” the engineering ethics curriculum. Chinese scholars have proposed strategies for improving the teaching effectiveness of engineering ethics that integrate “global forms” derived from the “American-style engineering ethics” into the Chinese context. Nevertheless, limited empirical research is available that examines the alignment of these strategies and the cultures of engineering education in China (e.g., instructor perceptions of engineering ethics education). We argue that understanding how Chinese instructors perceive engineering ethics instruction is critical for designing instructional strategies sensitive to the Chinese sociocultural context. In this study, we reviewed the literature on teaching engineering ethics (primarily after the 2000s) and teased out a set of most “contested” questions concerning American educators since the emergence of engineering ethics education as an academic discipline. By using these questions as a guideline, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 Chinese engineering ethics instructors trained in three different fields: STS and philosophy of science and technology, engineering, and Marxist studies and ethical theories. This paper also briefly discussed how the ways Chinese instructors perceived engineering ethics education are connected to and distinct from the views held by American educators discussed in the literature review section. This paper is expected to shed light on the cultures of engineering ethics education in China and provide insights into formulating effective policies and teaching strategies sensitive to the Chinese context.     

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.     

K‐12 Outreach: Identifying the Broader Impacts of Four Outreach Projects

Over the last four years, a series of outreach programs have been offered through the Colorado School of Mines to middle school teachers from eleven school districts in the State of Colorado in the United States. Each of these programs is designed to illustrate through hands‐on activities the application of mathematics to science and engineering. Each also has an academic year follow‐up such that a faculty member, an expert teacher, or a graduate student assists the teachers in the classroom. An expected outcome of this effort is the improvement of instruction in mathematics and science in the participating middle schools; an unexpected outcome has been the impact of these projects on the culture of the participating schools, both middle schools and university. Based on our assessment efforts, this article describes the qualitative and quantitative outcomes of this sequence of projects on middle school students, teachers, graduate students, professors, and college curriculum.     

A Message from Recent Engineering Graduates in the Workplace: Results of a Survey on Technical Communication Skills

Survey results reveal the impact of engineers' communication skills in adjusting to jobs and achieving career goals. A direct correlation emerges between the amount of technical communication (TC) instruction and career advancement. Former students then spell out recommendations for providing relevant TC instruction within the engineering curriculum.     

Embedded Computing in the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum: A Course Featuring Structured Laboratory Exercises

An important skill for any design engineer is the ability to embed a computational element into a mechanical product or process. A course in embedded computing suitable for senior undergraduates in a mechanical engineering curriculum is described. The course, which includes both lectures and laboratory exercises, has evolved through our experiences in teaching embedded computing during the past decade and a half. In preparing to modernize this course, we have reexamined the academic ideas on which the course is based and the conflicting issues involved in developing a course in embedded computing with a hands-on laboratory. These issues and our expectations for the future of embedded computing instruction in our department are discussed.     

A Qualitative Study of a Course Trilogy in Biosystems Engineering Design

Engineering design encompasses professional competencies that complement a solid understanding of engineering science fundamentals, theories, and methods. Engineering schools are increasing their efforts to integrate design into the curriculum, and this paper critically analyses one initiative at a research‐intensive Canadian university, where a three‐course sequence (Design Trilogy) forms the design education backbone in the undergraduate Biosystems Engineering program. Data collection consisted of focus groups with students and one‐on‐one interviews with instructors and industry cooperators. The findings yielded authentic understandings of teaching and learning engineering design, many areas of common perceptions between participant groups, congruence with design concepts in the literature, and areas where students' perceptions and experiences did not correspond to instructors' intentions. Teaching implications include the importance of instructors' transparency and integration in teaching and the need to explicitly prepare students for a different kind of learning experience in the Design Trilogy.     

Introducing Electronic Design Automation Tools into the Engineering Curriculum

The incorporation of electronic design automation (EDA) tools in engineering curricula will better prepare graduates to enter the modern engineering marketplace. The engineering courses appropriate for EDA introduction are discussed, as are the tools themselves and their sources. Issues of computing platform, operating system, and tool suites are presented. Internet accessible public domain documents are provided to aid engineering schools in setting up a comprehensive EDA curriculum.