Jim Morgan

Development of a concept inventory for strength of materials

With the success of David Hesteness force concept inventory, many educators are now working on developing concept inventories for other subjects such as math, biology and engineering science. Development of a useful concept inventory is not easy, however. This paper describes development of two concept inventories for strength of materials, the first of which was a failure. Psychometric testing of this concept inventory indicated serious deficiencies. A new and larger project team was assembled (including the second author) to develop a better inventory. The results of the psychometric analysis of the first inventory, which showed its shortcomings, are first presented, followed by the improved development procedure for the second inventory. Finally, the lessons learned developing first a failed inventory and then a promising inventory are discussed.

First-year integrated curricula across engineering education coalitions

The National Science Foundation has supported creation of eight engineering education coalitions: Ecsel, Synthesis, Gateway, SUCCEED, Foundation, Greenfield, Academy and Scceme. One common area of work among these coalitions has been restructuring first-year engineering curricula. Within some of the Coalitions, schools have designed and implemented integrated first-year curricula. The purpose of this paper is to survey the different pilots that have been developed, abstract some design alternatives which can be explored by schools interested in developing an integrated first-year curriculum, indicated some logistical challenges, and present brief descriptions of various curricula along with highlights of the assessment results which have been obtained.

Faculty Learning Communities

Professional development for teaching frequently focuses on methodology and strategy. Information and opportunities to practice techniques are often offered in onetime, interactive workshops. However, one-shot faculty development opportunities are not designed to address a critical element of the faculty role in the learning/teaching dynamic-individual beliefs, experiences, and research regarding learning. Faculty Learning Communities (FLC) is a collaborative initiative at Texas A&M University in which interdisciplinary groups of participants examine learning. The format includes ninety-minute weekly meetings over an academic year, recommended readings on learning, reflective journaling, and individual and collaborative tasks. FLC provides an opportunity to explore learning from multiple perspectives. This process validates what participants know, while supporting the development of a common language and theoretical foundation from which to dialogue. The sustained nature of the interaction provides an increased sense of connectedness and community. Through participation in FLC, faculty members draw ideas, energy and perspective from their exchange that they incorporate into their thinking about, and practice of learning and teaching.

Tools for assessing conceptual understanding in the engineering sciences

One of the hindrances to reform in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education is the absence of good assessment instruments that can measure the value added to student learning by new ways of teaching important material. The well-known Force Concept Inventory (FCI) assessment instrument is a good model of an instrument that can be used to check on students understanding of basic concepts in a discipline. This panel session paper discusses work in progress by the panel members and their co-developers to construct FCI-like Concept Inventories in each of the disciplines of thermodynamics, systems and signals, strength of materials, electromagnetics, circuits, materials, fluid mechanics, and transport processes.

Impact of sustained professional development in STEM on outcome measures in a diverse urban district

ABSTRACT Sustained professional development can support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) reform. The authors describe a 3-year study of sustained professional development for 3 diverse urban schools across the salient factors of fidelity of implementation of project-based learning, development of professional learning communities, and student achievement. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected. The students who experienced the greatest fidelity of implementation exhibited the greatest gains (d = 1.41–2.03) on standardized test scores, while those with the lowest fidelity of implementation exhibited negative gains (d = –0.16 to –0.08). Qualitative data indicated teachers perceived there were multiple benefits from the implementation of project-based learning.

Development of an engineering strength of material concept inventory assessment instrument

This paper discusses development of an instrument for assessing undergraduate student understanding of fundamental strength of materials concepts. The instrument was modeled after the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) by David Hestenes and others. Like the FCI, the strength of materials concept inventory is brief requires no computation and should be repeatable across broad student populations. The initial version of the instrument was tested on strength of materials students at the University of Alabama, Texas A&M University and other institutions.

Clustering courses to build student community

The Dwight Look College of Engineering typically enrolls 1400 to 1700 starting freshmen each year. The majority of these freshmen take their first-year math, science, and engineering courses as a cluster. A cluster is a collection of approximately 100 students who have the same schedule for a group of three or four courses. Even though the freshman class as a whole is quite large, common course scheduling and the use of teams within individual courses promote the development of a small community atmosphere. There is much evidence of this community effect. First, clustered students generally progress more quickly through key freshman-level courses. Second, students develop strong friendships within their clusters and are likely to congregate in large groups for study and to continue clustering by coordinating their course schedules for following semesters. Finally, first and second year retention of students in clustered courses is frequently greater than for nonclustered students.

Active demonstrations for enhancing learning

Demonstrations can be very effective at engaging students, generating interest in a topic, and enhancing student learning. A key component to an effective demonstration is active student engagement throughout the entire process. This means students are involved in discussing the purpose of the demo; predicting what will happen during the demo; discussing who developed theories to help us understand what happens during the demo; and comparing observations to predictions, as opposed to simply passively watching a demonstration. Demonstrations can occur at three different stages of a course topic: as an introduction, as a wrap-up and an aid used throughout the class discussion of a topic. Depending on when they occur, different types of learning outcomes are achieved. This paper presents a model for infusing demonstrations into an engineering science class and the use of this model during a semester. Assessment includes components from both faculty and students, as well as from a faculty development professional who is an instructor in a different discipline.

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education: A longitudinal examination of secondary school intervention

Learning experiences in informal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) educational settings, such as camps, provide significant benefits for secondary students such as awareness of STEM subjects and careers along with increasing enthusiasm, self-efficacy, and content knowledge. To expand the number of students majoring in STEM subjects and entering careers in STEM fields, a two-week summer STEM camp for secondary students (N=31) was held at a Research I University. This qualitative case study followed students through matriculation into a postsecondary STEM major. Camp participants were interviewed to address the following research questions: 1) How did the camp fulfill its purpose and intended student outcomes? 2) Were the purpose and intended outcomes reflected in student perceptions? 3) Did the camp experience influence a students decision to attend the hosting university as well as choice of major? This camp fulfilled its purpose and encouraged students to attend the host university and major in a STEM field. The anticipated cognitive and social outcomes were reflected in the students experiences at camp. Informal learning environments, such as the one described in this study, can result in increased achievement, self-efficacy, and interest in STEM along with encouraging students to pursue STEM careers.

Pathways to engineering: Mathematics as a mediator of engineering success

The path to success in engineering is through mathematics. In particular, students need to successfully complete an engineering calculus sequence of at least four courses to fulfill their requirements for an engineering degree. With the goal of increasing success in Engineering Calculus I, and consequently retaining engineering majors, the Department of Mathematics at Texas A&M University, through a grant from the National Science Foundation, established a summer program to bridge high school mathematics knowledge to requisite mathematics knowledge for Engineering Calculus I. Of the students who participated in the summer program, 81% raised their scores on the Mathematics Placement Exam (MPE) sufficiently to be cleared to register for Engineering Calculus in the fall. Students who did not raise their score above 21 out of 33, whether or not they participated in the summer program, had to take Precalculus before enrolling in Engineering Calculus L Because Precalculus is primarily taken as remedial preparation for Engineering Calculus I, the purpose of the course is to strengthen mathematics skills needed for the calculus course. As a result of participating in the summer bridge program, students were able to begin the engineering curriculum sooner, saving both time and money for their college education. The program continues to be expanded to provide support for more students throughout the engineering calculus sequence.