scholarly journals Integrating The Development Of Teamwork, Diversity, Leadership, And Communication Skills Into A Capstone Design Course

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Hanus ◽  
Jeffrey Russell
Author(s):  
Patricia D. Brackin ◽  
J. Darrell Gibson

The benefits of company sponsored capstone design projects, both to academia and to industry, have been well established. At Rose-Hulman the benefits to students include the broadening of their engineering skills, the required interaction with practicing engineers, the strengthening of teaming skills by working in design groups, the development of communication skills with required oral and written reports, and the experiences of project management. These projects are "owned and managed" by the student teams with company contacts providing appropriate data and information and with faculty serving as advisors only. The authors have developed and improved these student/industry interactions over the last few years with over 120 students working with about 30 different companies each year. ABET 2000 requires that graduates demonstrate the ability to design a system, component or process to meet a given need. The capstone design course is the natural place to assess whether or not the outcome is met. It is the purpose of this paper to identify the necessary steps for soliciting, screening, and selecting the types of company projects that will enhance educational objectives and further industrial partnerships. A further purpose is to demonstrate how the course is used to assess the ABET design outcome. Finally the paper discusses how the authors have recently improved this client based design experience and the quality of the final design by utilizing project managers from Rose-Hulman Ventures (the innovation and incubation technology arm of Rose-Hulman) as "design review teams" to meet with and to serve as additional resources to the student teams.


Author(s):  
Sophoria Westmoreland ◽  
Ashley Grenier ◽  
Linda C. Schmidt

Engineers require effective written communication skills, including the appropriate presentation of mechanical design information in visual format. A study of 48 Capstone Design Reports submitted over a period 5 semesters gives insight into the choices students make when selecting visual representations for describing designs. Student choices reflect assignment requirements, student preference, student skill level, and perceived appropriateness of representation type. This study presents observations on the use of visuals in a set of Capstone Design Reports with particular emphasis on sketches.


2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophoria Westmoreland ◽  
Ashley Ruocco ◽  
Linda Schmidt

Mechanical engineers and those in related fields require effective written communication skills. These include the appropriate presentation of mechanical design information in visual format. A study of 48 Capstone Design Reports submitted over a period of five semesters gives insight into the visual representations used to describe designs. This study presents observations on the use of visuals in a set of Capstone Design Reports with particular emphasis on sketches. The findings are that students will include hand drawn sketches of design alternatives during the conceptual design process when specifically required to do so. The sketches tend not to be of high quality artistically but they do include details relevant to engineering analysis as determined by a coding scheme focused on the content level of sketches. The authors believe that the positive benefits of sketching should be encouraged by requiring students to produce hand drawn sketches and accepting sketches as visuals in concept generation design sections of design reports.


1992 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Chisler Borsch ◽  
Ruth Oaks

This article discusses a collaborative effort between a speech-language pathologist and a regular third grade teacher. The overall goal of the collaboration was to improve communication skills of students throughout the school. The factors that contributed to making the collaboration a success are discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 74-85
Author(s):  
Sandra M. Grether

Individuals with Rett syndrome (RS) present with a complex profile. They benefit from a multidisciplinary approach for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. In our clinic, the Communication Matrix © (Rowland, 1990/1996/2004) is used to collect data about the communication skills and modalities used by those with RS across the lifespan. Preliminary analysis of this data supports the expected changes in communication behaviors as the individual with RS ages and motor deficits have a greater impact.


Author(s):  
Lynda Katz Wilner ◽  
Marjorie Feinstein-Whittaker

Hospital reimbursements are linked to patient satisfaction surveys, which are directly related to interpersonal communication between provider and patient. In today’s health care environment, interactions are challenged by diversity — Limited English proficient (LEP) patients, medical interpreters, International Medical Graduate (IMG) physicians, nurses, and support staff. Accent modification training for health care professionals can improve patient satisfaction and reduce adverse events. Surveys were conducted with medical interpreters and trainers of medical interpreting programs to determine the existence and support for communication skills training, particularly accent modification, for interpreters and non-native English speaking medical professionals. Results of preliminary surveys suggest the need for these comprehensive services. 60.8% believed a heavy accent, poor diction, or a different dialect contributed to medical errors or miscommunication by a moderate to significant degree. Communication programs should also include cultural competency training to optimize patient care outcomes. Examples of strategies for training are included.


2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 82-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carole Zangari

Abstract To be successful, students who use AAC and attend general education classes require extensive supports and frequent practice with their communication systems. In this article, I explore the challenges faced by educational teams and discuss strategies for helping general education teachers, paraprofessionals, and others provide the AAC learning and practice opportunities these students need to maximize their communication skills and academic achievement.


2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 74-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Witkowski ◽  
Bruce Baker

Abstract In the early elementary grades, the primary emphasis is on developing skills crucial to future academic and personal success—specifically oral and written communication skills. These skills are vital to student success as well as to meaningful participation in the classroom and interaction with peers. Children with complex communication needs (CCN) may require the use of high-performance speech generating devices (SGDs). The challenges for these students are further complicated by the task of learning language at a time when they are expected to apply their linguistic skills to academic tasks. However, by focusing on core vocabulary as a primary vehicle for instruction, educators can equip students who use SGDs to develop language skills and be competitive in the classroom. In this article, we will define core vocabulary and provide theoretical and practical insights into integrating it into the classroom routine for developing oral and written communication skills.


2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 109-113
Author(s):  
Karen Copple ◽  
Rajinder Koul ◽  
Devender Banda ◽  
Ellen Frye

Abstract One of the instructional techniques reported in the literature to teach communication skills to persons with autism is video modeling (VM). VM is a form of observational learning that involves watching and imitating the desired target behavior(s) exhibited by the person on the videotape. VM has been used to teach a variety of social and communicative behaviors to persons with developmental disabilities such as autism. In this paper, we describe the VM technique and summarize the results of two single-subject experimental design studies that investigated the acquisition of spontaneous requesting skills using a speech generating device (SGD) by persons with autism following a VM intervention. The results of these two studies indicate that a VM treatment package that includes a SGD as one of its components can be effective in facilitating communication in individuals with autism who have little or no functional speech.


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