scholarly journals FROM STEM TO STEAM IN ENGINEERING DESIGN

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Rodier ◽  
Mohamed Galaleldin ◽  
Justine Boudreau ◽  
Hanan Anis
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Early Years ◽  
First Year ◽  
Arts And Humanities ◽  
Curricular Design ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Creativity, communication skills, interdisciplinary sensitivity, and cultural and civic responsibility are vital skills and perspectives to inculcate in contemporary engineering students. A number of studies have demonstrated the benefits of exposing engineering students to arts, as studying arts and humanities can open up their minds to creative ideas from great minds outside of science and engineering. In most cases, engineering students are exposed to the arts by taking a few non-technical courses as electives. Many students view these courses as less important and irrelevant to their field of studies. Integrating the arts into the technical engineering curriculum is challenging but critical to engineering design, particularly in early years, and represents a natural opportunity. This paper discusses the approach taken by the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Ottawa of exposing students to the arts through curricular and extra-curricular design activities. These include offering design challenges, a first-year engineering design course and summer internships. This paper also discusses the challenges that arise in delivering such curriculum and the impact of such exposure on the engineering students involved.

scholarly journals FROM STEM TO STEAM IN ENGINEERING DESIGN

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Rodier ◽  
Mohamed Galaleldin ◽  
Justine Boudreau ◽  
Hanan Anis
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Early Years ◽  
First Year ◽  
Arts And Humanities ◽  
Curricular Design ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Creativity, communication skills, interdisciplinary sensitivity, and cultural and civic responsibility are vital skills and perspectives to inculcate in contemporary engineering students. A number of studies have demonstrated the benefits of exposing engineering students to arts, as studying arts and humanities can open up their minds to creative ideas from great minds outside of science and engineering. In most cases, engineering students are exposed to the arts by taking a few non-technical courses as electives. Many students view these courses as less important and irrelevant to their field of studies. Integrating the arts into the technical engineering curriculum is challenging but critical to engineering design, particularly in early years, and represents a natural opportunity. This paper discusses the approach taken by the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Ottawa of exposing students to the arts through curricular and extra-curricular design activities. These include offering design challenges, a first-year engineering design course and summer internships. This paper also discusses the challenges that arise in delivering such curriculum and the impact of such exposure on the engineering students involved.

Can Design Teams Be Empathically Creative? A Simulation-Based Investigation on the Role of Team Empathy on Concept Generation and Selection

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Alsager Alzayed ◽  
Scarlett R. Miller ◽  
Jessica Menold ◽  
Jacquelyn Huff ◽  
Christopher McComb
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Computational Simulation ◽  
Idea Generation ◽  
First Year ◽  
Concept Generation ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Research on empathy has been surging in popularity in the engineering design community since empathy is known to help designers develop a deeper understanding of the users’ needs. Because of this, the design community has been invested in devising and assessing empathic design activities. However, research on empathy has been primarily limited to individuals, meaning we do not know how it impacts team performance, particularly in the concept generation and selection stages of the design process. Specifically, it is unknown how the empathic composition of teams, average (elevation) and standard deviation (diversity) of team members’ empathy, would impact design outcomes in the concept generation and selection stages of the design process. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to investigate the impact of team trait empathy on concept generation and selection in an engineering design student project. This was accomplished through a computational simulation of 13,482 teams of noninteracting brainstorming individuals generated by a statistical bootstrapping technique drawing upon a design repository of 806 ideas generated by first-year engineering students. The main findings from the study indicate that the elevation in team empathy positively impacted simulated teams’ unique idea generation and selection while the diversity in team empathy positively impacted teams’ generation of useful ideas. The results from this study can be used to guide team formation in engineering design.

An Experimental Study on the Influence That Failure Number, Specialization, and Controls Have on Confidence in Predicting System Failures1

2016 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Somaiah Thimmaiah ◽  
Keith Phelan ◽  
Joshua D. Summers
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
P Value ◽  
First Year ◽  
Psychology Class ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
Undergraduate Psychology ◽  
Domain Familiarity ◽  
The Impact

Design reviews are typically used for three types of design activities: (1) identifying errors, (2) assessing the impact of the errors, and (3) suggesting solutions for the errors. This experimental study focuses on understanding the second issue as it relates to the number of errors considered, the existence of controls, and the level of domain familiarity of the assessor. A set of design failures and associated controls developed for a completed industry sponsored project is used as the experimental design problem. Nondomain generalists (students from an undergraduate psychology class), domain generalists (first year engineering students), and domain specialists (graduate mechanical engineering students) are provided a set of failure modes and asked to provide their own opinion or confidence on whether the system would still successfully achieve the stated objectives. The confidence level for all domain populations decreased significantly as the number of design errors increased (largest p-value = 0.0793), and this decrease in confidence is more significant as the number of design errors increases. The impact on confidence is lower when solutions (controls) are provided to prevent the errors (largest p-value = 0.0334) as the confidence decreased faster for domain general engineers as compared to domain specialists (p = < 0.0001). The domain specialists showed higher confidence in making decisions than domain generalists and nondomain generalists as the design errors increase.

scholarly journals Teaching Design to First-Year Engineering Students

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael McGuire ◽  
Kin Fun Li ◽  
Fayez Gebali
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Considerable Effort ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Product Engineering ◽  
Teaching Design ◽  
Integrated Communication ◽  
The University

Design is associated with the invention,planning and building a product. Engineering design, inparticular, takes considerable effort, skills, andintegration of knowledge; hence, it is difficult to teachfreshmen this subject since they have not possessed ordeveloped the proper skill set yet. The Faculty ofEngineering at the University of Victoria has beenteaching engineering design (in two successive courses)to all first-year engineering students. In addition toattending plenary lectures, student teams are working oncompetitive projects in the laboratory, while participatingin highly integrated communication modules. In thiswork, we discuss the curricula of these design courses,model of delivery and share our experience for the pastthree years.

User Study: Influence of Number of Design Errors on Ability to Predict Performance With and Without Controls

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Somaiah Thimmaiah ◽  
Keith Phelan ◽  
Joshua D. Summers
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
User Study ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
P Value ◽  
First Year ◽  
Psychology Class ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
Undergraduate Psychology ◽  
Domain Familiarity ◽  
The Impact

Design reviews are typically used for three types of design activities: 1) identifying errors, 2) assessing the impact of the errors, and 3) suggesting solutions for the errors. This experimental study focuses on understanding the second issue as it relates to the number of errors considered, the existence of controls, and the level of domain familiarity of the assessor. A set of design failures and associated controls developed for a completed industry sponsored project is used as the experimental design problem. Non-domain individuals (students from an undergraduate psychology class), domain generalists (first year engineering students), and domain-specialists (graduate mechanical engineering students) are provided a set of failure modes and asked to estimate the likelihood that the system would still successfully achieve the stated objectives. Primary results from the study include the following: the confidence level for all domain population decreased significantly as the number of design errors increased (largest p-value = 0.0793) and this decrease in confidence is more significant as the design errors increase. The impact on confidence is less when solutions (controls) are provided to prevent the errors (largest p-value = 0.0334), the confidence decreased faster for domain general engineers as compared to domain specialists (p = <0.0001). The domain specialists showed higher confidence in making decisions than domain generals and non-domain generalists as the design errors increase.

scholarly journals DESIGN DAYS BOOT CAMP 2.0: IMPROVEMENTS AND CONNECTIONS TO CEAB GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Howcroft ◽  
Igor Ivkovic ◽  
Matthew J. Borland ◽  
Maud Gorbet
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Design ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Systems Design ◽  
Boot Camp ◽  
First Year ◽  
Design Activity ◽  
Graduate Attributes ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
Intended Learning Outcomes

Engineering design is a critical skill that all engineering students are expected to learn and is often the focus of final year capstone projects and first-year cornerstone projects. In the Systems Design Engineering Department at the University of Waterloo, engineering design is introduced to the students during an intense two-day Design Days Boot Camp. Design Days was originally conceived of and run in Fall 2016. The Fall 2018 version, Design Days 2.0, included substantial improvements focused on adding two additional design activities and a writing activity, strengthening the connection with first year content, and providing a greater variety of team experiences. The methods of achieving the nine intended learning outcomes of Design Days 2.0 are discussed and connected to CEAB graduate attributes. This demonstrates that meaningful learning can be achieved during a two-day boot camp that will starts students on the path towards professional engineering. Other departments are encouraged to use the presented intended learning outcomes, graduate attributes connections, and Design Days 2.0 descriptions as a template for their own design boot camp. Finally, Design Days 2.0 inspired ideas for further improvements including the incorporation of a software-focused design activity, adding budgetary constraints, and providing an opportunity for student reflection.

scholarly journals Tackling Kirkpatrick: Creating and Improving a First-Year Electromagnetics Activity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Wright
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Computer Engineering ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Design Activities ◽  
Kirkpatrick Model ◽  
The University ◽  
Increasing Student Learning

–At the University of Waterloo, 1B electrical and computer engineering students participate in a series of hands-on, open-ended design activities. In particular, a wind-your-own motor activity has been trialed on four occasions. The activity is widely recognized as being fun, but are the students designing or kludging? The Kirkpatrick Model of Training Evaluation was used as a framework to assess student perceptions of the activity and to guide focus group discussions. The activity was iteratively improved to maintain a positive reaction while increasing student learning.

scholarly journals Thwarting Plagiarism in the Humanities Classroom: Storyboards, Scaffolding, and a Death Fair

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Hale
Keyword(s):  
Classroom Environment ◽  
High Expectation ◽  
Mind Mapping ◽  
Arts And Humanities ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Cultural Boundaries ◽  
Class Environment ◽  
Poster Presentations ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Best practices research on plagiarism in the University classroom shows that modifying assignments and classroom environment can have a positive effect on lowering a student’s desire to cheat.  James Lang suggests four features of a learning environment that can be fostered to ameliorate a student’s desire to cheat: mastery of the material for its own sake, low-stakes assignments, intrinsic motivations for learning and, a high expectation of success.  Scaffolding has been shown to be a useful pedagogical technique for empowering students (fostering a high expectation of success) My past experience using a variety of visual classroom exercises (cartooning, mind-mapping, advertising campaigns, etc.) gave anecdotal evidence that artistic and visual assignments encouraged a level of engagement and collaboration across language and cultural boundaries not experienced in other types of assignments.  I hypothesized that this level of engagement and collaboration could be used with scaffolding to motivate Lang’s four features and experimented with the use of poster presentations and other visual and spatial assignments in a second year undergraduate Religious Studies course on Death.  Very preliminary qualitative data support the hypothesis that, by addressing Lang’s four features and incorporating scaffolding and visual assignments into the course, students are cheating less and learning more. This research strengthens the extant literature on the impact class environment and expectations have on plagiarism while also adding to the growing body of literature supporting the use of visual assignments, such as poster presentations, mind mapping, and storyboards in the Arts and Humanities.

scholarly journals Monitoring Student Engagement in First Year Engineering

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldine Van Gyn ◽  
Peter Wild
Keyword(s):  
Student Engagement ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
First Year ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
The Impact

In a 2006 study to assess student engagement in the first year, engineering students were the least likely to express positive views about that experience and reported low levels of academic engagement. Initiatives to address this situation in engineering were in progress, including the development of two first year courses integrated engineering design with required writing courses. To monitor engagement and satisfaction, and assess the impact of the course interventions, the same research methodology as the 2006 study was used in 2010, 2011, and 2012 following the implementation of these courses. Participants in focus groups discussed questions related to engagement and identified factors that had led to their satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Themes identified for the three different time periods were compared to each other and to those that emerged in the original 2006 study. Significant among the themes was the experience in the design/communications courses. Themes of dissatisfaction and alienation were highly consistent with the 2006 study but became moderated. This process reinforced the need for authentic engineering course experiences in the first year and is consistent with previous research.

scholarly journals alumnado universitario ante la comisión de plagio por parte de sus compañeros/as

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 391-409
Author(s):  
María Josefa Mosteiro García ◽  
Eva María Espiñeira Bellón ◽  
Ana María Porto Castro ◽  
Jesús Miguel Muñoz Cantero
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Theoretical Level ◽  
Arts And Humanities ◽  
General Terms ◽  
The Arts ◽  
High Valuation ◽  
The University

Esta investigación se centra en analizar la percepción del alumnado universitario con respecto a sus compañeros/as sobre la comisión de plagio a través de diferentes prácticas establecidas a nivel teórico, así como comprobar la posible existencia de diferencias en función del curso y la rama de conocimiento. Para dar respuesta a las cuestiones planteadas, se diseñó una investigación de carácter exploratorio a través de un cuestionario dirigido a la población objeto de estudio, el alumnado universitario de la Comunidad Autónoma de Galicia. La muestra, de carácter no probabilístico, estuvo compuesta por un total de 8.526 estudiantes. De los resultados de la investigación, se puede destacar la alta valoración de la comisión de plagio por parte del grupo de iguales; los valores más bajos se producen en el primer curso y van creciendo conforme avanzan los cursos, hasta volver a remitir en cuarto y quinto curso. En cuanto a las ramas de conocimiento, en términos generales, el alumnado de la rama de Artes y Humanidades presenta valores más bajos que el resto. Como discusión y conclusiones de este trabajo se intenta dar respuestas a esta situación a través del análisis de estudios precedentes en esta temática. This research focuses on analyzing the perception of university students with respect to their peers about the commission of plagiarism through different practices established at the theoretical level, as well as checking the possible existence of differences depending on the course and branch of knowledge. To answer the questions raised, an exploratory research was designed through a questionnaire addressed to the population under study, the university students of the Autonomous Community of Galicia. The non-probability sample was made up of a total of 8.526 students. From the results of the investigation, it is possible to emphasize the high valuation of the commission of plagiarism by the peer group; the lowest values occur in the first year and grow as the courses progress, until they remit again in the fourth and fifth year. Regarding the branches of knowledge, in general terms, the students of the Arts and Humanities branch present lower values than the rest. As a discussion and conclusions of this work, we try to provide answers to this situation through the analysis of previous studies on this topic.

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