Daniel Knight

Gunder differences in skills development in hands-on learning environments

Womens participation in engineering education is low relative to their presence in the general and college student populations, and it is sometimes assumed that the competitive engineering culture has a detrimental effect on womens confidence in their engineering skills. The described study investigated self-assessed confidence in five engineering skills across three K-16 curricular initiatives conducted by the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder during a two-year period. In this investigation, attention is paid to gender differences in skills self-assessment and the reasons underlying gender disparity in engineering education. The effects of engineering and pre-engineering curricula on gender, with respect to student confidence in a number of skills necessary to succeed in engineering, are investigated. Results are discussed with respect to the structure of gender- friendly curricula and strategies for closing gender gaps. Suggestions for future research are presented.

Team building in lower division projects courses

Teamwork in lower division projects courses is increasingly common. To ensure student effectiveness in these teams, instructors must assume a facilitator role to nurture team process and progress. This paper describes team-building activities in two introductory engineering design/build projects courses at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The discussion is organized around developmental stages that teams typically pass through-forming, storming, norming and performing-with stage-appropriate reference to team needs, assessment and activities designed to build team skills. An evaluation of this team-building program is provided, based on skills self-assessment data gathered from students during one semester. Implications and suggestions for curriculum improvement are discussed.

On the development and implementation of a project-based learning curriculum for air quality in K-12 schools

The availability of low-cost sensors and environmental monitoring technologies is growing rapidly. While researchers are making use of these technologies and validating their results, there is also enormous potential for their use in education and outreach. Through the North Fork Valley (NFV) Project, we are bringing next-generation air quality monitors into the classroom and developing necessary resources to support student-driven research projects. This project is a collaboration between the University of Colorado at Boulder, community partners, and educational partners (Delta County School District 50, and St Vrain Valley School District) and is funded by the NSF-funded AirWaterGas (AWG) Sustainability Research Network Education and Outreach (E&O) efforts. During year two, we are formalizing the curriculum, implementing it in multiple school districts, and conducting assessment activities. This paper will discuss the curriculum, the results of our assessments thus far, and our vision for the project. The work completed during year two will help ensure we are building a sustainable project. Additionally, we intend to make the curriculum public with hopes that other research groups working with low-cost air quality sensors can utilize our materials and possibly our model for their own education and outreach.

Once again around the double triangle: A multi-rater assessment of capstone design skills

The Senior Capstone Design Course serves for many engineering students as an opportunity to develop crucial skills in professionalism and design that are necessary for succeeding in industry post-graduation. This study delves into the effectiveness of a senior Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design Course for the development of professional and technical skills including: project management, design, engineering methods, communication, and teamwork. A triangulated assessment was performed to evaluate the development of student skills using a survey administered during the middle and end of the Senior Capstone Design Course. This survey was administered to the students, team Faculty Advisors and team Industry Mentors. After analysis, it was found that teams made a significant gain pre to post in engineering methods, project management, and design skills. Communication skills remained at an acceptable level while teamwork skills dropped significantly in the second semester due to difficulties resolving interpersonal conflicts.

Work in progress - from First-Year projects to senior capstone design…what skills are really gained?

Innovative curriculum reforms have been instituted at several universities and colleges with the intention of developing the technical competence and professional skills of engineering students. First-Year, or freshman design courses have been integrated into undergraduate engineering curricula across the country. Many of these courses provide students with hands-on engineering opportunities early in the curriculum. Senior capstone courses are ubiquitous in engineering programs, incorporating technical knowledge and real-world problem solving. However, it is unclear what professional and technical engineering skills are gained between freshman and senior year design courses. This research project investigates the longitudinal-technical and professional skill development of mechanical engineering students at the University of Colorado at Boulder. An overview of first-year engineering projects and the Senior CapstoneDesign project coursesis detailed. The assessment tools and schedule are presented, and the initial findings are discussed. Additionally, a summary is addressed discussing how the evaluation results, which may affect skills development, will be integrated into the next course offering of senior capstone design.

Macroethics instruction in co-curricular settings: The development and results of a national survey

Ethical awareness and decision-making are important skills for graduating engineers transitioning into professional practice and for engineering education accreditation. Ethics instruction can target microethics which focuses on individual projects and topics such as safety, and macroethics which covers larger ethical topics in the field of engineering such as sustainability. While much research has addressed microethical concerns, fewer studies have addressed macroethicial issues. Ethics instruction takes place in a wide variety of settings, both curricular in for-credit classes and co-curricular settings such as clubs and societies. The present work-in-progress paper presents a National Science Foundation supported investigation into macroethics education in co-curricular settings that gathered information via a survey of instructors and mentors of these activities. Preliminary results from the on-going survey are presented, including the settings for co-curricular macroethics instruction and the ethics topics that are discussed. Also, assessment methods used to determine outcomes will be discussed.

Increasing the Use of Earth Science Data and Models in Air Quality Management

ABSTRACT In 2010, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) initiated the Air Quality Applied Science Team (AQAST) as a 5-year,

Engineers without borders: An empirical investigation of member's defining characteristics

17.5-million award with 19 principal investigators. AQAST aims to increase the use of Earth science products in air quality-related research and to help meet air quality managers’ information needs. We conducted a Web-based survey and a limited number of follow-up interviews to investigate federal, state, tribal, and local air quality managers’ perspectives on usefulness of Earth science data and models, and on the impact AQAST has had. The air quality managers we surveyed identified meeting the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone and particulate matter, emissions from mobile sources, and interstate air pollution transport as top challenges in need of improved information. Most survey respondents viewed inadequate coverage or frequency of satellite observations, data uncertainty, and lack of staff time or resources as barriers to increased use of satellite data by their organizations. Managers who have been involved with AQAST indicated that the program has helped build awareness of NASA Earth science products, and assisted their organizations with retrieval and interpretation of satellite data and with application of global chemistry and climate models. AQAST has also helped build a network between researchers and air quality managers with potential for further collaborations. Implications: NASA’s Air Quality Applied Science Team (AQAST) aims to increase the use of satellite data and global chemistry and climate models for air quality management purposes, by supporting research and tool development projects of interest to both groups. Our survey and interviews of air quality managers indicate they found value in many AQAST projects and particularly appreciated the connections to the research community that the program facilitated. Managers expressed interest in receiving continued support for their organizations’ use of satellite data, including assistance in retrieving and interpreting data from future geostationary platforms meant to provide more frequent coverage for air quality and other applications.

Work in progress: First year engineering women: A qualitative investigation of retention factors

The present study is an empirical investigation of characteristics associated with membership in Engineers Without Borders (EWB). EWB is an international organization that has grown rapidly over the past decade. Despite this growth, few studies have investigated the characteristics of EWB members. The present study investigates these characteristics via survey research targeting the student body at a large state university in the American West.

First Year Engineering Projects to Senior Capstone Design: Are Students Gaining Technical and Professional Skills?

Many universities face disturbing trends in the retention, underrepresentation and socialization of women students in engineering. The focus of this present study is the retention of first-year women students currently enrolled in a large state college of engineering in the Rocky Mountain region. Eight hour-long focus groups were conducted consisting of four to ten first-year women in a first-year engineering design projects course. Participants were asked a structured set of questions to investigate several topics. These focus groups were video-taped and later transcribed for analysis. Six research questions were posed for the current study: Do women express a loss of interest during the first year of the program?; Is there a chilly climate for first-year women in the college?; Do womens self-efficacy levels change during the first year of the program?; Do academic performance levels play a role in womens retention in engineering during the first year?; Do women have adequate support structures in the college during the first year?; Does the structure of the academic program instill career awareness in the first year? Implications for strategies to boost retention and an explication of the themes from the qualitative analysis will be discussed in the paper.