Kristi J. Shryock

A Project-Based Approach To First-Year Engineering Curriculum Development

First-year engineering curricula are vitally important in improving the quantity and quality of engineering graduates. Many innovative approaches to first-year engineering curriculum development have been created and implemented over the past twenty years. Often, innovative approaches incorporate one or more engineering projects as learning experiences for first-year students. Further, problem-based and project-based pedagogical theories have offered the framework for many innovative learning experiences for engineering students in all four years of engineering curricula. As Texas A&M University improves its first-year engineering curricula, faculty members are re-examining the nature of the project-based learning experiences both to improve the learning experiences and to develop specifications for future project-based learning experiences. This paper presents the rationale behind the five specifications and offers experiences in developing and implementing the design projects for the prototype first-year engineering curricula. The paper also describes the assessment and evaluation plan as well as assessment data that has been analyzed to date

Developing instruments to assess first-year calculus and physics mechanics skills needed for a sophomore statics and dynamics course

Anecdotally, engineering faculty members complain students taking sophomore engineering science courses are not prepared with respect to mathematics and mechanics-based physics. However, evidence has rarely been systematically collected and analyzed to determine the veracity of these assertions. Therefore, the paper intends to address two questions: • With respect to first-year mathematics and first-year physics mechanics knowledge, what do engineering faculty members expect students to know and be able to do when they begin a sophomore statics and dynamics course? • To what extent do students satisfy these expectations? To address these questions, the following steps were taken. First, engineering faculty members who taught a sophomore statics and dynamics course at Texas A&M University were asked for problems involving first-year mathematics and physics mechanics they thought students should be able to solve entering the course. Learning outcomes were abstracted, and two instruments were developed and administered near the beginning of the statics and dynamics course. After administering the instruments and analyzing results, faculty members have a better idea of the background of their students. Furthermore, there is evidence to examine the extent to which students are prepared in first-year mathematics and physics mechanics to begin a core engineering science course.

Engaging students inside the classroom to increase learning

From overhead transparencies to interactive documents, teaching and learning engineering has changed dramatically over the years. A flipped or hybrid course is a pedagogical model that reverses typical lecture and homework elements of a course. Class time is used for discussions and group activities with lecture materials being introduced in an on-line format. As research has shown, this model allows students to typically demonstrate higher levels of learning. This paper will detail the associated learning by students through the authors transition from a typical lecture-based sophomore-level engineering class to a hybrid model. The author will address how learning can be increased through the use of active engagement tools, such as iClickers. To address this question and gauge the overall impact on student learning, a post-course survey was used to measure the perceived value for students. In addition, evidence for improved student engagement was gathered qualitatively to compare with previous experiences. Results show that active engagement tools helped students become active learners, increased interaction with peers and instructor, and helped them evaluate whether material was understood to motivate further learning. Moreover, students benefitted from the instructor being able to pinpoint misconceptions earlier due to instant feedback from students in the class.