Donald Heer

Using an integrated platform for learning/spl trade/ to reinvent engineering education

The most pressing and critical needs for engineering graduates in 2013 and beyond are to be natural innovators who are able to integrate their knowledge to solve complex engineering problems. This paper introduces an integrated platform for learning/spl trade/ as a solution to meet these needs. The platform for learning provides an environment for innovation, while integrating a curriculum into a coherent whole.

Educational design, evaluation, & development of platforms for learning

Systemic reform in undergraduate engineering education is critical to improving student ability and understanding. Electrical engineering and computer science at Oregon State University has worked in collaboration with university science and math education researchers to implement large-scale curriculum reform based on a platform for learning/spl trade/. To successfully approach such a large systemic problem and introduce major education reform, an approach called design research has been used. Design research involves a team of education designers that manage a series of iterative cycles of design, implementation, and evaluation. Each cycle provides the empirical evidence needed to improve instruction, and refine the education theory related to platforms for learning. The design research process has brought a much richer and expansive understanding of the platforms for learning concept and engineering education in general. In part concepts like cross-cutting competencies (which include enhancing community building, student innovation and design skills, depth, breadth and professionalism), educational hardware design, and horizontal and vertical inter-class connections have been better understood through the research. This paper summarizes the design research process as it is used at OSU to reform engineering education. Findings specific to a platform for learning and generally applicable to engineering education are discussed. Finally, implementation changes that resulted from the design research process are presented.

A manipulative rich approach to first year electrical engineering education

Instruction of innovative engineering design skills has been identified as an important goal for engineering educators. Some universities choose to delay the design content of their curriculum until the senior year, when the designers can utilize the engineering concepts learned in lectures. This delay is unnecessary as the skills needed for innovative designs can be learned independently from the engineering theories being implemented. The first year curriculum at OSU introduces three design courses, each with a manipulative rich laboratory provided by the TekBots program and staffed by freshman mentors. The three initial TekBots courses explore core topics to our incoming students, which include computer architecture, analog circuits, and digital circuits. Further enhancements to the first year electrical engineering course include curriculum development, increased collaboration with other departments, and development of a high school outreach program.

Holistic mechanical engineering education with a mechatronic platform for learning/sup /spl trade//

A new platform for learning has been developed for mechanical engineering programs at Oregon State University with great success. This new platform provides hands-on experience, encourages innovation, and presents the means for a more holistic education of mechanical engineering graduates. By combining experiences in electronics, programming and a heavy dose of mechanical theory and practice students can use the platform to build exciting projects and test benches.

Work in progress - improving self-efficacy with a freshman mentor program

Transitioning from high school to a university setting is difficult, and when combined with the academic stresses of an engineering program, low undergraduate retention rates are a common problem. A solution is to produce a curriculum that can instruct students about engineering basics while improving self-efficacy. Most current methods to increase self efficacy are mentorship programs, addressing different learning pedagogies, and creating separate learning communities. Execution of these methods is prohibitive when educating large numbers of students. Preliminary self efficacy survey results show an improvement in our students as a response to both our Freshman Mentor program and Platform for Learning, TekBots.

Work in progress - implementing a freshman mentor program

Creating positive learning communities that engage incoming engineering students with varying degrees of engineering experience poses a challenge to universities with high numbers of enrolled students. Many schools have a general university-wide orientation program for every student. Other universities address only a distinct subset of students in their mentorship programs. Neither solution provides individual technical mentorship to the entire incoming class. In September 2006 a solution was started at OSU which was to implement a mentor program for the entire freshman class. Evaluation tools for the freshman mentor program consist of student retention rate records, a freshman mentor database, and a survey to track growth in our mentoring effectiveness within the student body. Future goals of the program will include: increasing student involvement with academic clubs, implementing novel structures to increase retention.

Portable real-time PCR system using tablet-based fluorescence imaging

The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is a key medical tool for diagnosing and monitoring viral infections. Due to the high cost and large size of existing qPCR machines, it is rarely viable for remote and resource-limited areas. A portable and affordable instrument for qPCR could make a significant difference in the accessibility of this important diagnostic technique across the world. In this work, a solution is proposed that uses widely available technology found in mobile phones and tablet computers, integrated with an affordable battery-powered thermal cycler, to cheaply and effectively run real-time PCR reactions. The demonstrated prototype performs 2-step and 3-step PCR reactions, and fluorescence is measured in real time using a tablet-integrated camera. These results serve as a proof-of-concept for the use of smartphones and tablets as quantitative image processing devices to enable portable, battery-powered qPCR instrumentation.

Work in progress — Leadership training for new EECS graduate teaching assistants

The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University has newly designed a graduate leadership course for all new graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). The subject of leadership is approached by looking at the specific application of teaching as a form of leadership. This interactive training course is collaboratively designed and delivered by a graduate student who has sufficient leadership experience working as a teaching assistant for various levels of undergraduate courses. Having a graduate student with experience in leadership, as a role model, to train incoming GTAs creates natural learning communities within the classroom. During the duration of the course, GTAs are constantly interacting with the graduate instructor and their peers both inside and outside of the classroom. GTAs are also encouraged to practice their learning within their study group, research group, and working environment. Self-efficacy surveys are given to students in the new GTA Leadership course, and the results are used on evaluating the successfulness of this course. Lessons learned and future work are also discussed.