A Novel Paradigm for Engineering Education: Virtual Internships With Individualized Mentoring and Assessment of Engineering Thinking

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi C. Chesler ◽  
A. R. Ruis ◽  
Wesley Collier ◽  
Zachari Swiecki ◽  
Golnaz Arastoopour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Collaborative Environment ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Engineering Problems ◽  
Complex Engineering ◽  
Potential Impact

Engineering virtual internships are a novel paradigm for providing authentic engineering experiences in the first-year curriculum. They are both individualized and accommodate large numbers of students. As we describe in this report, this approach can (a) enable students to solve complex engineering problems in a mentored, collaborative environment; (b) allow educators to assess engineering thinking; and (c) provide an introductory experience that students enjoy and find valuable. Furthermore, engineering virtual internships have been shown to increase students'—and especially women's—interest in and motivation to pursue engineering degrees. When implemented in first-year engineering curricula more broadly, the potential impact of engineering virtual internships on the size and diversity of the engineering workforce could be dramatic.

scholarly journals Building the Engineering Mindset: Developing Sustainable Leadership and Management Competencies in First Year Engineering

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marnie V. Jamieson ◽  
John R. Donald
Keyword(s):  
First Year ◽  
Sustainable Leadership ◽  
Management Competencies ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Sustainable Engineering ◽  
Management Concepts ◽  
Engineering Problems ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Complex Engineering

The broad inclusion of sustainable engineering leadership and management concepts are increasinglyrecognized as necessary to ensure the relevance of an engineering education in a rapidly shifting world.Engineering leadership and management are integral to the engineering mindset and necessary to addressthe complex engineering problems faced by society. Examples of these complex problems can be seen in theUN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by all UN member states, including Canada, in 2015[1]. The Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) identifies the need for strong non-technicalskills with a majority of the Graduate Attributes focusing on non-technical skills such as communication,teamwork, ethics and lifelong learning [2]. The UN SDGs are well aligned with the CEAB GraduateAttributes [3] and could be very effectively operationalized in engineering programs through the use of asustainable engineering leadership and management model.

Effects of Gender, Parental Role, and Time on Infant- and Adult-Directed Read and Spontaneous Speech

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 4001-4014
Author(s):  
Melanie Weirich ◽  
Adrian Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
First Year ◽  
Space Size ◽  
Vowel Space ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Phonetic Features ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Description Task

Purpose The study sets out to investigate inter- and intraspeaker variation in German infant-directed speech (IDS) and considers the potential impact that the factors gender, parental involvement, and speech material (read vs. spontaneous speech) may have. In addition, we analyze data from 3 time points prior to and after the birth of the child to examine potential changes in the features of IDS and, particularly also, of adult-directed speech (ADS). Here, the gender identity of a speaker is considered as an additional factor. Method IDS and ADS data from 34 participants (15 mothers, 19 fathers) is gathered by means of a reading and a picture description task. For IDS, 2 recordings were made when the baby was approximately 6 and 9 months old, respectively. For ADS, an additional recording was made before the baby was born. Phonetic analyses comprise mean fundamental frequency (f0), variation in f0, the 1st 2 formants measured in /i: ɛ a u:/, and the vowel space size. Moreover, social and behavioral data were gathered regarding parental involvement and gender identity. Results German IDS is characterized by an increase in mean f0, a larger variation in f0, vowel- and formant-specific differences, and a larger acoustic vowel space. No effect of gender or parental involvement was found. Also, the phonetic features of IDS were found in both spontaneous and read speech. Regarding ADS, changes in vowel space size in some of the fathers and in mean f0 in mothers were found. Conclusion Phonetic features of German IDS are robust with respect to the factors gender, parental involvement, speech material (read vs. spontaneous speech), and time. Some phonetic features of ADS changed within the child's first year depending on gender and parental involvement/gender identity. Thus, further research on IDS needs to address also potential changes in ADS.

Teaching Enterprise — Can it Be Done in Large Groups?

2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-44
Author(s):  
Raymond D. Donnelly
Keyword(s):  
Market Research ◽  
Business Plan ◽  
Management Programme ◽  
First Year ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Commercial Sources ◽  
To Come ◽  
The University ◽  
Large Groups

This paper reports on work carried out in the School of Management at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Following a wide-ranging review of the first-year management programme, a module on enterprise was introduced. As part of that module students had to compete in a game, the object of which was to come up with a business idea, conduct market research and present a business plan and proposal to a panel of judges. The number of students was 225 in year one but reached around 500 within five years. The module has generated many good ideas and has attracted sponsorship from commercial sources. As yet the university has been unable to take the ideas further. It is possible that enterprise can be learned by people in large numbers, but perhaps universities are not the places in which to attempt such work.

Model-Eliciting Activities: A Research-Based Method for Inquiry Learning and Professional Development in the Engineering Classroom

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara J. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Complex Systems ◽  
Student Development ◽  
Engineering Problem ◽  
First Year ◽  
Foundation Engineering ◽  
Underrepresented Populations ◽  
Model Eliciting Activities ◽  
Engineering Problems ◽  
The Given ◽  
Mathematics And Science

Attracting students to engineering is a challenge. In addition, ABET requires that engineering graduates be able to work on multi-disciplinary teams and apply mathematics and science when solving engineering problems. One manner of integrating teamwork and engineering contexts in a first-year foundation engineering course is through the use of Model-Eliciting Activities (MEAs) — realistic, client-driven problems based on the models and modeling theoretical framework. A Model-Eliciting Activity (MEA) is a real-world client-driven problem. The solution of an MEA requires the use of one or more mathematical or engineering concepts that are unspecified by the problem — students must make new sense of their existing knowledge and understandings to formulate a generalizable mathematical model that can be used by the client to solve the given and similar problems. An MEA creates an environment in which skills beyond mathematical abilities are valued because the focus is not on the use of prescribed equations and algorithms but on the use of a broader spectrum of skills required for effective engineering problem-solving. Carefully constructed MEAs can begin to prepare students to communicate and work effectively in teams; to adopt and adapt conceptual tools; to construct, describe, and explain complex systems; and to cope with complex systems. MEAs provide a learning environment that is tailored to a more diverse population than typical engineering course experiences as they allow students with different backgrounds and values to emerge as talented, and that adapting these types of activities to engineering courses has the potential to go beyond “filling the gaps” to “opening doors” to women and underrepresented populations in engineering. Further, MEAs provide evidence of student development in regards to ABET standards. Through NSF-funded grants, multiple MEAs have been developed and implemented with a MSE-flavored nanotechnology theme. This paper will focus on the content, implementation, and student results of one of these MEAs.

scholarly journals Ideologies of Depoliticization in Engineering Education: A Mediated Discourse Analysis of Student Presentations in a First-year Projects Course

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin O'Connor ◽  
Frederick Peck ◽  
Julie Cafarella ◽  
Carlye Lauff ◽  
Daria Kotys-Schwartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Mediated Discourse
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