Deborah Follman

A framework for posing open-ended engineering problems: model-eliciting activities

Integrating more engineering contexts, introducing advanced engineering topics, addressing multiple ABET criteria, and serving under-represented student populations in foundation engineering courses are some of the opportunities realized by the use of a new framework for developing real-world client-driven problems. These problems are called model-eliciting activities (MEAs), and they are based on the models and modeling perspective developed in mathematics education. Through a NSF-HRD gender equity project that has funded the development, use, and study of MEAs in undergraduate engineering courses for increasing womens interest in engineering, we have found that the MEA framework fosters significant change in the way engineering faculty think about their teaching and their students. In this paper, we will present the six principles that guide the development of an MEA, detail our motivation for using the MEA framework to construct open-ended problems, and discuss the opportunities and challenges to creating, implementing, and assessing MEAs.

Work in progress: establishing formal academic programs in engineering education

The national need for engineering education reform is widely recognized. Long-term and sustainable engineering education reform requires a pipeline for educating future engineering faculty and professionals interested in pursuing careers in K-12 teaching and administration. Purdue University is evaluating the development of a new framework for promoting engineering education reform. As part of this framework, new undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering education (B.S., M.S., and Ph.D.) are being considered. We present for discussion, a vision to legitimize, institutionalize, and advance the establishment of formal academic programs in engineering education and provide descriptions of the proposed programs, program coursework, admissions criteria, and anticipated job opportunities for graduates of such programs.

Interactive session model-eliciting activities: a framework for posing open-ended engineering problems

This interactive session is for engineering and technology faculty interested in curriculum reform, real-world engineering problem-solving, addressing ABET criteria, and empowering under-represented populations of students. Participants will take part in a model-eliciting activity (MEA) group problem-solving session and learn the fundamental principles for developing a MEA. Participants will gain an understanding of the process involved in making advanced engineering content accessible to undergraduate students through a well-formulated MEA. They will also map the components of a MEA to the ABET criteria and learn how MEAs serve under-represented populations.