The abundance of information available to us every day continues to increase, largely because of society’s reliance on the internet. While the internet provides access to a wealth of information, information may be i...
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The abundance of information available to us every day continues to increase, largely because of society’s reliance on the internet. While the internet provides access to a wealth of information, information may be inaccurate or irrelevant because anyone can publish content on the internet. As a result, it is critical for individuals to develop information literacy, which includes the skills to gather information, assess its quality, and use it effectively. Information literacy is especially important for engineers because of the need to be lifelong learners in order to adapt to the needs of society and technological innovations. Despite the importance of information literacy, it largely remains absent from undergraduate engineering curriculum. In this work, we developed two modules that were implemented and assessed at two time points in two different first-year engineering courses. These modules focus on defining information and providing a framework to assess the information. Each module includes a short video followed by a handout with questions designed to support students in making connections between the videos and their assigned design project. The development of the modules was informed by current research within the area of information literacy as well as the first two authors’ experience teaching first-year engineering students. Assessment data from the two implementations show that students were able to identify a range of resources they used to get information for their design project. While some students were able to assess the quality of information using a structured process, many students’ assessments were superficial and needed more time and instruction to improve. In addition to discussing our assessment outcomes, we provide a reflection on our personal experience implementing the modules to support the implementation of these modules by other instructors. These modules are available for use, testing, and adaptation in other first-year engineering
As engineering educators have struggled with how to increase retention, interest nontraditional students into the profession, and incorporate an expanding knowledge base into the curriculum, the systematic study of ho...
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As engineering educators have struggled with how to increase retention, interest nontraditional students into the profession, and incorporate an expanding knowledge base into the curriculum, the systematic study of how students learn technical material has become increasingly important. It has become accepted that students have different learning styles and that alternate teaching styles and methods can assist the learning process. Many of the innovations in approach to engineering education and the decrease in emphasis on lecturing as the primary method of material delivery have resulted from knowledge and appreciation of student learning style. Of the many diagnostic tools available to measure learning style, The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator1 (MBTI) is probably the most commonly used. In 2002, the authors published a MBTI distribution study for University of Tennessee engineering graduates 2. These students were educated in a traditional curriculum. This study provided us with insights about which personality types were ultimately successful in traditional engineeringprograms. There is now a sufficient number of our graduates that have been exposed to the significantly reformed engage integrated first year curriculum3, fully implemented in 1999, that a meaningful comparison study can be performed. In this study, a comparison of graduation success and MBTI distribution is made between the approximately 1500 students who began engineering study just before the implementation of our new first year curriculum, and the first 1500 students who entered the new curriculum. The most significant effect of this curriculum change was a 6% increase in graduation rate for entering students. The on-time completion of first year requirements for engineering students increased 15% when this curriculum was introduced, this early advantage tapering down to 6% as students progressed through the remainder of the curriculum. Graduation rates increased more significantly for female stud
It is the position of the authors that 'Analysis' and 'Design' should be taught as complementary skills rather than competing ones. Furthermore, the authors believe that the instructors of most (if not...
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It is the position of the authors that 'Analysis' and 'Design' should be taught as complementary skills rather than competing ones. Furthermore, the authors believe that the instructors of most (if not all) engineering courses should teach analysis and design skills and methodologies in a simultaneous and integrated manner. This paper outlines the efforts of the engageprogram to integrate design and analysis in the freshman engineering curriculum at the University of Tennessee. Details of the curriculum structure and the process by which the integration of design and analysis is achieved are presented. Discussions of quantitative and qualitative assessment techniques and results as well as intended future initiatives are also presented.
An innovative new freshman engineering initiative called engage has been fully implemented at the University of Tennessee. This is a comprehensive approach to meeting the educational and developmental needs of our fre...
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An innovative new freshman engineering initiative called engage has been fully implemented at the University of Tennessee. This is a comprehensive approach to meeting the educational and developmental needs of our freshmen. Extensive data on student performance was collected during the two-year phase in of this new program. Results presented include retention rates (engineering college and university), progression through the program, performance on common final exams and performance in sophomore courses. Comparisons are also made between the engageprogram and nationally administered surveys, i.e. Pittsburgh survey on engineering student attitudes. In all these areas students in the new program did as well or better than those in the traditional curriculum.
A strategy has been developed at the University of Tennessee (UT) to ensure that all freshmen engineering students develop and demonstrate competency in a minimum set of engineering computer skills. This strategy is a...
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A strategy has been developed at the University of Tennessee (UT) to ensure that all freshmen engineering students develop and demonstrate competency in a minimum set of engineering computer skills. This strategy is a key component of the integrated engageprogram developed at UT over the past two years. The strategy is twofold. First, the computer skills are directly connected to the material being taught in other parts of the course. The idea is that as the student learns a particular computer skill, they can immediately apply it to solve problems assigned in other parts of the integrated engageprogram. Second, the manner in which the skills are assessed ensure mastery. The student must pass a set of "proficiency exams" that cover all aspects of the computer skills. These exams measure the minimum skills that are deemed necessary for success and a student must pass all proficiency exams by the end of the semester in order to pass the course. This paper provides the details of the engage strategy including a discussion of the integrated material as well as the logistics of the proficiency exams' development and administration. Preliminary results from a pilot program conducted in the 1997-98 academic year, and the current transition program being conducted in the 1998-99 academic year indicate that the strategy is successful.
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