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Ac 2007-411: Interdisciplinary Engineering Design Projects to Enhance the Research Experience for Undergraduates
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Shahnasser, Hamid |
| Copyright Year | 2007 |
| Abstract | With the fast paced evolution of technology and globalization, undergraduate engineering education is facing many new challenges in 21st Century. The need to revise the engineering curriculum to ensure that students are resourceful and competitive in this changing global, cultural and economic environment cannot be overstated. Integrating hands-on research experience into teaching and learning objectives is one of the most effective mechanisms by which the quality of engineering education can be improved. In particular, one urgent task that must be completed to meet the needs of these new challenges is the development of year-long interdisciplinary projects for senior undergraduate students, which will prepare them to face an increasingly diverse society and workforce. This paper will first address what challenges the engineering education community is facing today. It will then discuss how faculty, students, institutions, technology, and the engineering community, can contribute to the improvement of academic curricula. The paper will present some examples of the mechanisms that are used to develop engineering design projects to enhance research experience for undergraduate students. It will stress the importance of facilitating senior students to develop engineering design projects in order to bring research experience to a diverse group of participants and how this culminating experience can encompass and integrate the students’ knowledge gained during the previous years of their engineering schooling and infuse in it ethics and professionalism. Finally, student and faculty surveys will be conducted to evaluate the criteria used in the development of successful projects. School of Engineering at San Francisco State University Located in one of the most diverse, creative, and globally connected regions of our nation, San Francisco State University has grown over the past 40 years to become a nationally and internationally renowned, comprehensive public institution. Of SFSU’s total enrollment of around 29,200 students in 2004, about 60% are female and 40% are male. Reflecting the ethnically diverse composition of the urban area in which it is located, SFSU serves a significant number of minority students. Of those who declared their ethnicity in 2002-03, students of color comprise 63% of the undergraduate student body. By ethnicity, the student body is 37% White; 24% Asian; 14% Latino; 12% Filipino and Pacific Islander; 7% African American; 6% other and 0.8% Native American. Consequently, SFSU has been designated as a minority-serving institution by the US Department of Education. The School of Engineering offers undergraduate degrees in four disciplines – Civil, Computer, Electrical and Mechanical – all of which are approved by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). As articulated in its mission statement, the School’s purpose is: “to educate students from a diverse and multicultural population to become productive members of the engineering profession and society at large.” The School of Engineering combines excellence in teaching theoretical principles and engineering design concepts with practical hands-on experience within a curriculum designed to foster both technical proficiency and communications skills. Average enrollment in the School is about 800 undergraduate students each semester. The student body is ethnically, culturally, academically and economically diverse. About 20% of the School’s students are women and 55% are ethnic minorities. Many are the first in their families to attend college. Most are classified as economically or educationally disadvantaged and find it necessary to work at least part-time to support themselves while in college. The vast majority of these students persist in their studies, complete their engineering degrees, and ultimately reap the benefits of significantly enhanced employment opportunities. The School offers a graduate degree, the Master of Science in Engineering, with two areas of concentration: Structural/Earthquake Engineering and Electrical/Computer Engineering. Currently, 85 graduate students are enrolled in these two concentrations, which feature curricula and schedules designed with the convenience of working engineers in mind. The faculty of the School of Engineering is highly regarded for its strong practical engineering experience and excellent academic qualifications. The orientation and specializations of the faculty are eclectic and wide-ranging, offering expertise both in design and in basic and applied research. All faculty are committed to excellence in teaching, as evidenced by the careers they have chosen on the faculty of a comprehensive urban public university. In addition, the School is active in research and has been awarded nearly $3.5 million over the last five years in grants and contracts from sources including the US Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, Air Force Research Laboratory, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Pacific Gas & Electric, Agilent Technologies, AT&T, NEC and Sun Microsystems. The School also maintains strong ties with local industry, and the region’s many innovative engineering and technology companies provide an abundant pool of desirable internship and employment opportunities for our students. FACTORS FOR ENCHANCED QUALITY OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION Some of the important ingredients that form and contribute to the enhancement of engineering education are briefly discussed below. Later on we discuss, lifelong learning, technological development in education, mentoring, advising and finally assessment that are all part of this enhanced engineering education and are part of the challenges that we are all facing. 1. Research Experience for Undergraduates: Bring research opportunities to the classroom and laboratory is one of the most effective ways to promote the integration of research and teaching. Through the support of research projects conducted by faculty members, student participation can greatly enhance the learning environments and help maintain faculty intellectual vibrancy, both in the classroom and in the research and professional community. 2. Leadership and Team Building Skills: The engineering profession appreciates team building skills and leadership. Engineering projects are always multi-disciplinary tasks. Engineering educators should seek creative venues to foster student leadership and teamwork skills. For example, engineering schools can team up with professional organizations to provide leadership-training workshops. Schools can offer interdisciplinary design projects as student graduation requirements. Through these efforts, students will become aware of the importance of teamwork and its impact on the successful completion of the project. Fostering students’ leadership and teamwork skills must be viewed as an important component of educational and professional goals in order for U.S. engineers to remain competitive globally. 3. Managerial and Communication Skills The engineering curriculum should always include engineering management components. While the engineering profession emphasizes the need to have a solid science, mathematics, and engineering foundation, it is also expected that engineers, moving through their career advancement will take responsibilities at the management level. The engineering management component of the curriculum should address topics such as the legal, financial and business environment, decision-making, project planning, project management, team building, quality control, safety, and effective communications [1]. Consideration of these topic and a full appreciation of their importance in the domestic and global marketplace, will meet the engineering professional’s needs that come with career advancement. An article written by Ford and Riley indicated various ways in which engineering and communication disciplines can work together coherently to ensure that the ABET criterion that encompasses effective communication is represented in engineering curricula [2]. In their article, they offered various examples of useful portraits of writing across a given curriculum, interdisciplinary courses, integrated programs, and a variety of support systems including writing and communication centers and online resources at universities. LIFELONG LEARNING OF CONTEMPORARY ISSUES Due to the short-life cycle of engineering evolution, engineering educators should help students recognize the need and importance of life-long learning of contemporary issues. Engineering curricula should promote coherent approaches to form partnerships with professional communities, to provide engineers with comprehensive learning opportunities as their careers advance. TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATION With the rapid evolution of education delivery technology, engineering educators should embrace technological developments to provide more alternative means of education. Conventional face-to-face classroom lectures and hands-on experimentation continue to be the most effective methods of educating engineering students. However, there is an urgent need to develop and adopt innovative pedagogical tools using the most current technology. For example, many on-line Internet courses are an effective means of making life-long learning possible. In addition, some simulation experiments can be taught through virtual lab exercise or through Web-based curriculum. While the cost for high education continues to rise, the effectiveness of offering Web-base courses may provide a cost-effective alternative for learning. A study done by Cohen and Ellis indicated that there was strong agreement on the relative importance of various potential indicators of quality in certain courses delivered via an on-line medium [3]. Many of the articles referenced in that paper gave details of transitioning to an on-line learning environment. An article by |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.icee.usm.edu/ICEE/conferences/asee2007/papers/411_INTERDISCIPLINARY_ENGINEERING_DESIGN_PRO.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
