Women Engineers: A Study of Educational Preparation and Professional Success

In an effort to better understand the educational experiences and professional issues facing women in these fields, a survey of women alumnae was conducted. Respondents seemed fairly pleased with the education they received and were heavily influenced by personal aspects of the campus. Relationships with faculty members were described as their most beneficial and detrimental experiences. They particularly liked opportunities to apply their technical knowledge but did not believe there were enough opportunities for application. The need for more female role models and importance of involvement in student organizations were cited by many of the respondents. Self-confidence and good communication skills were rated as the most important qualities for professional success and advancement. Alumnae have pursued training experiences since graduation, but would like to see more opportunities to enhance communication and personal management skills and apply theoretical knowledge built into the undergraduate experience. The findings are discussed in relationship to previous research studies and recommendations are made to improve the technically oriented college environment.     

Delivery and Assessment of Senior Capstone Design via Distance Education

The University of North Dakota (UND) School of Engineering and Mines (SEM) Departments of Chemical, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering offer a unique capstone design course. The course is offered to distance education students at their industrial work sites using company‐based projects and industry mentors. Each department offers this course as partial fulfillment of an ABET‐accredited Bachelor of Science degree.     

Airplanes for Everyone: A General Education Course for Non‐Engineers

The Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, at the University of Washington, has introduced a new course to non‐engineering students. This course is distinguished by the fact that it is specifically designed for non‐engineering/science students. The course, called AA101: Air and Space Vehicles, fulfills a “natural world” graduation requirement for University undergraduates. This course has proven so popular that after the first offering it has filled the auditorium and all lab sections every quarter. It is now being offered three quarters a year. AA101 includes hands‐on learning, multi‐media presentations, and classroom demonstrations. Lab sections each week demonstrate principles learned in class and are usually centered about a fun activity. Examples include learning to fly with Microsoft Flight Simulator, building a rubber powered balsa airplane, and launching water rockets. In several of these activities, teamwork is stressed. A conscious decision in the creation of the course was to eliminate analysis in order to attract the broadest audience. Graduates of AA101 are thus familiar with the concepts but cannot apply analytical tools to aerospace engineering.     

Use of Subject‐specific FE Exam Results in Outcomes Assessment

Engineering programs seeking accreditation are required by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) to document their continuous program improvement efforts and their outcomes. In this paper, we propose the subject‐specific results of the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination as one of the metrics suitable for assessing the outcomes of such efforts in individual courses. Statistical approaches appropriate for analyzing the FE Exam results and some caveats about their use are discussed. The application of this approach in the hydraulic engineering area of our program is illustrated.     

The Internationalization of an Undergraduate Program Using Reciprocal Distance Education*

The design and construction industries in the United States have become increasingly global and multidisciplinary over the last two decades. This emphasis will continue to expand even more rapidly in the near future. Undergraduate classes must be designed to reflect this tendency and introduce students to the tools and cultural diversity needed to compete in this environment in the future. This paper presents a model containing three distinct components for adding an international dimension to Architectural and Construction Science programs at Texas A&M University. The three components require varying degrees of commitment to an international dimension. The components are: 1) Insertion of an International Dimension at the Syllabus Level, 2) Integration of an International Dimension at the Curricular Level, and 3) Immersion in a Foreign Instructional Environment. The insertion and integrated components rely on the Internet and videoconferencing technology. These two components have come to be known as the “Reciprocal Distance Education Model.” The third component of the model is a blend of traditional study abroad programs with international internships and reciprocal student exchange programs.     

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 Effect of Social Presence on Affective and Cognitive Learning in an International Engineering Course Taught via Distance Learning

Background Distance learning course formats can alter modes of information exchange and interpersonal interaction relative to traditional course formats. Purpose (Hypothesis ) To determine the effect of a distance course format on the knowledge acquisition (cognitive learning) and satisfaction (affective learning) of students, we investigated student learning responses and social presence during a graduate‐level engineering course taught via traditional (i.e., professor present in the classroom) and synchronous distance‐learning formats. Design /Method Direct quantification of participation, academic performance assessment based on homework and exam scores, and survey‐based assessments of student perceptions of the course were collected. Based on these data, cognitive and affective learning responses to different technological and interaction‐based aspects of the course were determined for each course format. Results We show that while affective learning decreased for students in the distance format course relative to the traditional format, cognitive learning was comparable. Our results suggest that loss of satellite connection and audio losses had a stronger negative effect on student perceptions than video disturbances, and that participation was the most important factor influencing affective learning. Conclusions While our findings do not suggest that cognitive learning is strongly affected by social presence, implementing strategies to enhance social presence may improve the overall learning experience and make distance learning more enjoyable for students.     

火花试验机校准方法

火花试验机广泛应用于电线电缆制造企业,是测试电线电缆产品质量的主要设备之一,其计量性能的准确直接影响着产品质量。现国家没有"火花试验机"的计量检定规程,为进一步做好计量服务,满足对"火花试验机"仪器的校准/测试工作,本文详细描述检测火花试验机所需配备的检测设备和技术要求,以及详细描述检测火花试验机校准项目的校准操作程序等。     

火花试验机电压示值误差测量结果的不确定度评定

本文应用JJF1059-1999<测量结果不确定度评定与表示>方法,论述测量火花试验机误差来源,分析方法及结果.     

Results of an Industry Survey on Manufacturing Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering Education

A survey of 47 manufacturing companies in the Pacific Northwest was taken during the development of a new manufacturing engineering curriculum at Seattle University. The survey asked companies to comment on current and future manufacturing practices and on curriculum recommendations for a new manufacturing engineering program. The survey results indicate that manufacturing engineers need training in a broad range of topics including manufacturing processes, economics, resource management and computer networking.     

Use of the Kolb Learning Cycle and the 4MAT System in Engineering Education

The purpose of this paper is to examine a method for the application of learning style theory to engineering education. Research has shown that students learn in a variety of different ways, and that each student has a preferred style of learning. Teaching effectiveness may be enhanced by teaching to each of the preferred styles at least a portion of the time. The application of learning style theory in this paper is based on the work of Kolb who identified four principal learning styles or types. The process of teaching to each of the four learning styles is referred to as “teaching through the cycle.” The learning cycle consists of four quadrants, each of which is associated with a particular learning style or preference. This paper defines specific objectives for each of the four learning quadrants. In addition, activities which can be used to accomplish these objectives are presented and discussed. Sample lesson plans have also been included in order to illustrate application of the learning cycle to the teaching of specific engineering topics.     

Using the Curriculum Vita to Study the Career Paths of Scientists and Engineers: An Exploratory Assessment

In this paper we assess the utility of the curriculum vita (CV) as a data source for examining the career paths of scientists and engineers. CVs were obtained in response to an email message sent to researchers working in the areas of biotechnology and microelectronics. In addition, a number of CVs were obtained "passively" from a search of the Internet. We discuss the methodological issues and problems of this data collection strategy and the results from an exploratory analysis using OLS regression and event history analysis. In sum, despite difficulties with coding and variation in CV formats, this collection strategy seems to us to hold much promise.     

The Programme for International Student Assessment: an overview

This paper provides an overview of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), an on-going international comparative survey study of educational outcomes at age 15. PISA is sponsored by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and for the period 1998-2010 has been designed and implemented by a consortium led by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).     

Effectiveness of a Multimedia Televised Distance Education Program for Engineering Majors

The University of Missouri-Rolla, the state's, “technological university,” has proposed a televised distance education program that would originate on the UMR campus and be delivered to community colleges and four-year institutions within the state not now offering engineering. The program would include the use of computer-integrated multimedia classrooms at both the home site and remote sites and would permit two-way transmission of video, audio, and data. Student response units would also be used at both sites to permit immediate feedback from the students to the instructor. Due to the cost of this proposal, it was determined a pilot study would be necessary to determine the effectiveness of the suggested program. This paper presents the research findings of the pilot study. The research suggests a televised interactive multimedia distance education program for engineering majors would be feasible.     

The Use of Focus Groups for Minority Engineering Program Assessment

To increase the attraction and retention of minority engineering students, many higher-education institutions have implemented programs to help address academic and social pressures these students face. A key question for administrators of such programs is their actual impact on the targeted students. Since these programs seek to improve retention rates by positively improving students' experience with their institutional environment, it becomes crucial to assess students' perceptions of their college experience. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how focus groups can be used for educational program assessment, in particular minority engineering programs. An evaluative study of minority engineering programs at a state university is used to illustrate this methodology. In this paper, we describe how the study was designed and conducted, the resources required, the types of results obtained from the study, and the follow-up strategies.     

老年远程教育网站信息架构标签系统设计

目的 提高老年远程教育网站标签系统的用户体验。方法 运用三阶段卡片分类法,邀请老年人参与远程教育网站的信息架构标签系统设计,包括卡片分类、类别命名和类别标记3个实验阶段。这些实验的结果构成了老年远程教育网站信息架构的重要组件。结论 研究证明,三阶段卡片分类法的应用,可以得到与老年人认知模型匹配的老年远程教育网站信息架构标签名称和分类方式,为老年远程教育网站设计提供依据。