Susan K. Donohue

Reliability analysis of hierarchical computer-based systems subject to common-cause failures

The results from reliability modeling and analysis are key contributors to design and tuning activities for computer-based systems. Each architecture style, however, poses different challenges for which analytical approaches must be developed or modified. The challenge we address in this paper is the reliability analysis of hierarchical computer-based systems (HS) with common-cause failures (CCF). The dependencies among components introduced by CCF complicate the reliability analysis of HS, especially when components affected by a common cause exist on different hierarchical levels. We propose an efficient decomposition and aggregation (EDA) approach for incorporating CCF into the reliability evaluation of HS. Our approach is to decompose an original HS reliability analysis problem with CCF into a number of reduced reliability problems freed from the CCF concerns. The approach is represented in a dynamic fault tree by a proposed CCF gate modeled after the functional dependency gate. We present the basics of the EDA approach by working through a hypothetical analysis of a HS subject to CCF and show how it can be extended to an analysis of a hierarchical phased-mission system subject to different CCF depending on mission phases.

Factors affecting student attitudes toward active learning activities in a graduate engineering statistics course

The successful use of active learning practices in a medium-to-large sized (25 – 50 students) graduate engineering statistics course has its challenges as well as opportunities. Students expect that lecture would be the dominant pedagogy, so introducing team-based activities violates their assumptions about the structure of the course. Experience in teaching graduate-level courses in statistics, validated by survey responses and observation, leads us to conclude that the majority of students, regardless of their undergraduate group learning experiences, tend to prefer to work alone or in small groups with acquaintances; the main exception is a preference for working in groups on large-scale projects. Student attitudes seem to be primarily context-dependent, and we find the main factors affecting how a particular activity is received are the scope and grade-importance of the assignment; team size relative to the amount of effort required; and team composition.

Workshop - elementary engineering education: Engineering Teaching Kits for K-5 students

Engineering education interventions are increasingly commonplace at the middle and high school levels; witness the popularity of activities such as FIRST Lego League, FIRST Robotics, and Project Lead the Way. Less common, though, are interventions at the elementary school level, and we offer a promising one in this workshop: Engineering Teaching Kits (ETKs). Currently, ETKs provide age-appropriate engineering activities at the middle school level, and are overwhelmingly popular among middle school math and science instructors for two reasons: the kits are based on relevant Virginia Standards of Learning, and are self-contained units built on the principles of guided inquiry and active learning. In this workshop, participants will be introduced to ETKs; work through activities from two ETKs scaled for elementary grades, Buoyancy (Archimedespsila Law) and Simple Machines; and design their own ETKs for K-5 students.

Workshop – K - 12 engineering education: Design challenges for pre-college students

Engineering education interventions are increasingly commonplace throughout the K-12 experience, but are often limited to popular standbys like robotics or computers. In this workshop, we introduce an alternative approach, Engineering Teaching Kits (ETKs), and show how they can be structured to accommodate students at various educational levels. ETKs are the result of research conducted on effective outreach through the Virginia Middle School Engineering Education Initiative. Currently, ETKs are structured to provide age-appropriate engineering activities at the middle school level, but they have also been used with audiences of various ages. ETKs are popular among middle school math and science instructors for two reasons: they are standards-based, and are self-contained units built on the principles of guided inquiry and active learning. Participants will receive a review of applicable educational and cognitive developmental theories, be introduced to ETKs, work through selected activities from two ETKs, and draft designs for their own ETKs.

Work in progress - encouraging cooperative learning in graduate engineering statistics courses

We are experimenting with using active and cooperative learning activities in our graduate engineering statistics courses. Although the activities seem to be effective for some students, others are resistant to working in groups. Informal teaming exercises work acceptably within a given class, but more formal team projects often elicit negative responses - especially when they have consequences for grading. In this paper, we review our experiences with cooperative learning at the graduate level, and report survey data about student reactions to formal and informal cooperation.

FIE 2015 special session — Movin' along: Investigating motion and mechanisms using engineering design activities

This special session will introduce participants to engineering design activities that use mechanisms, devices that transform one type of motion to another, to support student learning about motion, a topic that recurs throughout K-12 science studies. The activities come from new and revised K-12 Engineering Teaching Kits (ETKs). ETKs are self-contained standards-based and project-based instructional units. Their format and contents reflect an integrated approach to STEAM∫d (STEM + Art + design) education. Participants will learn key concepts guiding ETK development and implementation; discuss methods for integrating ETKs and therefore engineering design concepts, practices, and models seamlessly and transparently into their curriculum; discover how engineering design and inductive learning principles help students learn and own key concepts in STEM; and work through selected engineering design activities. This special session is for those interested in exploring a philosophy of engineering education that stresses an integrative, project-based approach to instruction and practice grounded in design, the fundamental process of engineering.

Pre-college (K-12) engineering education: Getting Them Early … and Keeping Them!

The primary goals of this special session are to assist participants with developing strategies for incorporating an engineering design environment into regular pre-college (K-12 in the US) classroom routines, and to develop an engineering design approach to structuring learning activities. Our core philosophy is that the practice of engineering design reinforces and provides a method for integrating concepts in mathematics and science, thereby introducing, clarifying, and strengthening conceptual knowledge. It also supports a problem-solving orientation in students that encourages creativity and innovation, an approach that is aligned with the strengthening STEAM movement. The inclusion of engineering design activities in the recently adopted Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS US) provides another opportunity to advocate for the adoption of design-focused, project-based curricula that truly integrates learning across STEM, humanities, and social sciences: a curriculum developed through an evidence-based approach firmly grounded in results of K-12 engineering education research. The motivation for this work comes from the need to identify and develop educational environments that encourage persistence in STEM studies from the earliest grades by nurturing key cognitive and non-cognitive factors in addition to the acquisition of subject knowledge. Participants will experience an Engineering Teaching Kit (ETK) from the students perspective and learn how to use them in their classes in this special session. They will also learn how ETKs are developed, tested, and implemented in middle and elementary schools. Participants will help identify potential topics and areas for future ETKs. Finally, we will explore how an integrative engineering design-focused, project-based pedagogy and curriculum can become a regular component of the school day. All participants will gain access to the on-line resources of our program.

Effectiveness of technology education learning activities on the improvement of spatial skills

A skill set important to student success in engineering studies is spatial skills. It is important, therefore, to provide opportunities to improve these skills in the curriculum. Research has demonstrated that spatial skills are trainable, and the subsequent literature on initiatives and interventions is robust. We are interested in validating earlier research on the efficacy of traditional technology education learning activities, such as technical drawing, on the improvement of spatial skills. The results indicate that technical and perspective drawing and projects involving the manipulation of 3D objects contribute to improvements in spatial skill levels. These findings do validate previous work. The re-investigation of “old school” interventions may be of particular interest to P-12 engineering educators working with constrained resources.

FIE 2016 special session - designing the engineer's way

This special session will introduce participants to our method for supporting integrative learning about key science and math concepts via engineering design challenges. Engineering Teaching Kit (ETKs) are self-contained STEM education standards-based units grounded in the constructivist philosophy of education and the principles of guided inquiry and active learning. An ETK introduces P-12 students to real-world constraints engineers must consider in developing their designs such as budget, cost, time, risk, reliability, safety, and customer needs and demands. Finally, due to their inherent interdisciplinary approach, the use of ETKs also encourages the integration of other subjects in the curriculum, such as history and language arts, into lesson plans, leading to an efficient and reinforcing project-based learning environment. The featured design challenge is from our newest ETK, Trash Sliders. Students learn about force and motion while designing a vehicle with a suspension system that will allow the vehicle to navigate rough terrain while retaining its payload. The vehicle is constructed from every day items considered trash, thereby bringing considerations of sustainability and meta-recycling into the conversation. The ETK was purposefully designed to be low-cost and accessible. This special session is for those interested in exploring a philosophy of engineering education that stresses an integrative, project-based approach to instruction and practice grounded in design, the fundamental process of engineering. This material will also be presented at the inaugural FIE K-12 Workshop.

Identifying misconceptions held about the engineering design process

The primary goal of the research presented in this work-in-progress paper is to identify misconceptions held about the engineering design process. Identification is the first step in the development of a concept inventory, an instrument for assessing misconceptions. While there are several methods for assessing misconceptions, concept inventories are an excellent method for assessing a group of students. The distractor questions identify misconceptions and possible causes for them. Misconceptions coded from student responses to incomplete scenarios of the engineering design process include the idea that engineering is solution driven instead of problem/client need driven and that engineering is merely fabrication. Future work will develop, test, and validate a concept inventory for engineering design with questions based on identifying these misconceptions as well as misconceptions identified through follow-up work.