Christine E. Hailey

Engaging students for success in calculus with online learning forums

It is said that we face an engineering “talent crisis” [1]; the United States is failing to keep pace in educating a highly skilled and diverse engineering workforce. Emphasis is currently placed on recruitment and retention of underrepresented minorities. Newer distance-delivered programs seek participation of non-traditional and geographically underrepresented students. With expansion of educational offerings in engineering, one issue that emerges is student attrition during the first two years. It is suggested [2-4] that success in first year calculus reliably predicts persistence in engineering. To increase retention, new strategies are needed. Effective interventions may have the most impact if employed within the first year calculus sequence. Pedagogies that support traditional classroom learning as well as hybrid instruction and distance education offer the greatest transformative potential. This work-in-progress paper describes research underway to evaluate the use of online learning forums during first year calculus. A freely available, wiki-based online learning forum is employed during a mixed-methods study. The study is conducted within sequential calculus courses distance-delivered across two academic years. Qualitative and quantitative data are used to evaluate the effect of forum use on student achievement, engagement and attitudes. A usage model is developed to disseminate within the STEM education community.

Work in progress - national center for engineering and technology education

The National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) links technology educators with engineering educators in a symbiotic alliance to build capacity for research, nurture a cadre of talented, diverse leaders in engineering and technology education and infuses engineering design and analytical skills into K-12 schools. NCETE recently received funding from National Science Foundation as one of the 17 Centers for Teaching and Learning in the country. NCETE addresses an important niche in the overall portfolio for the NSF-funded Centers for learning and teaching program as the only center addressing technology and engineering education. This powerful combination of research, graduate education, and professional development could be applied to many levels. We have chosen to focus on grades 9 to 12.

Exploring student study behaviours in engineering: how undergraduates prepared textbook problems for online submission

ABSTRACT While textbooks serve as a primary source of content material and problem-solving practice for undergraduates in engineering, studies that investigate how engineering students prepare assignments based on textbook problems are limited. To examine how engineering students complete textbook-based assignments outside of class, this exploratory qualitative study retrospectively investigated the study behaviours of six undergraduates enrolled in a required, second-year undergraduate engineering course at a mid-size, public university in the western United States. Within the course, students solved textbook problems and electronically submitted problem answers for graded credit. Findings from in-depth, semi-structured interviews showed that students identified and used a variety of non-traditional and unsupported resources in personalised approaches to preparing assignments. Resource choice and use was affected by students’ preferences for timely support, convenience, and social connections. The online submission process seemed to influence students’ adoption of study behaviours and resources considered less effective for deep, conceptual learning.

Online engineering course design, Part I: Toward asynchronous, web-based delivery of a first course in thermodynamics

As part one in a series of two, this paper describes the development of a web-based [1] first course in thermodynamics. The course is conceptualized, designed and course materials are introduced to engineering students by a team of practitioner - researchers. The course builds from previous work concerning the development of web-based thermodynamic cycle teaching modules for undergraduate mechanical engineering students [2] and relevant educational literature. The design goals for the online course are that it a) be delivered primarily through asynchronous means and b) fulfill requirements of ABET accredited degree programs in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering as is accomplished by the current face-to-face course. The course design team, consisting of engineering faculty, administrators, and instructional design professionals, used a collaborative approach to move the online course through concept, development to initial introduction. As constructed, example segments (“exemplar modules”) were introduced within the current face-to face Thermodynamics I course to witness student reactions and solicit feedback. Once this feedback is filtered back and addressed in the design, the course will be implemented and evaluated in whole within the civil, electrical and mechanical undergraduate engineering programs. The full implementation, evaluation and results will be the focus of a part two paper.

The interest of mechanical engineering students in the Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century

In 2008, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) announced 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering in the 21st Century, a set of exceptionally complex problems associated with national security, quality of life, and a sustainable future. Understanding the extent to which engineering students are interested in these complex problems and the extent to which they feel confident that they can contribute to the solution of these problems could serve as a starting point to foster engagement with the Grand Challenges. This paper presents results from a survey of mechanical engineering (ME) students’ interest in the NAE Grand Challenges and their confidence in their ability to contribute to resolutions of the Challenges. Seventy-six sophomore mechanical engineering majors completed the survey composed of 36 examples of problems described within the NAE Challenge report. Survey results show a strong relationship between students’ interest and their confidence in meeting a challenge. Six students participated in a semi-structured interview regarding their experience with and knowledge of the Challenges. Interview results indicated the students had few course-related experiences that exposed them to the Challenges. Results of this study can contribute to a broader conversation among ME educators about ways to integrate the NAE Grand Challenges in undergraduate engineering education.Copyright