ABSTRACT
Science kits have been a staple of learning for some time, but in the era of COVID-19 at-home science kits took specific prominence in educational initiatives. In this paper, we delineate how kit-based education can be paired with virtual connection technology to enhance postsecondary and career exploration. The “Content, Connection and Careers” kit-based program has been developed to enable youth to explore electrical engineering principles while connecting virtually with university students to discuss engineering courses and careers. When assembled and wired up, the kit components become linear motors that use a magnetic force to pull a bolt into a pipe when youth press a button. This follows the same working principles as a doorbell or solenoid. These kits are supported by virtual learning sessions where youth connect with university students and faculty to fully understand the educational content, connect to peers and caring adults to share their learning, and explore careers that use electrical engineering skills. To investigate the effectiveness of the program, surveys were distributed to participants to understand whether the kits were simple enough for independent learning but robust enough to encourage additional self-exploration of more difficult topics with the aid of expert scientists and other adult role models. Additionally, youth were asked if the connections made with university faculty and students was beneficial in their thinking of postsecondary options and college engagement. Over 60 elementary and middle-school aged youth participated in the project. Over 80 percent of survey respondents self-reported improved knowledge of how an electromagnetic field works and how to build a simple electromagnet. Other results showed an increased understanding of engineering careers and courses required to study electric engineering in college. Before their experience in the project, very few of the young people had ever talked to university faculty or university students about their areas of research or their journey into the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This connection was described in the surveys as what the youth liked best about the project. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022.
ABSTRACT
With the outbreak of the pandemic, our School of Engineering spent summer 2020 reworking our classes so that our students could have comparable class experiences whether attending class in person or on-line. This presented a challenge on how to deliver a team centered hands-on design project in our sophomore level material and energy balance course. As part of this project, teams are required not only to research, design, construct, evaluate, test and report on their product, but also to develop a mathematical model to predict their product's performance. It is important that the students have a fun yet inexpensive project to design and build, but they must also develop a mathematical understanding of the fundamental engineering principles that make their design work. Through this mathematical modeling the student cultivates the connection between mathematics and science, as well as understanding the fundamental engineering principles that make their products work. This paper will describe the details of the design project, which includes the design criteria and constraints, how the students are introduced to the project through a professionally produced introductory video, and an introduction to the engineering design and decision-making process, while also teaching basic engineering concepts. Activities will be provided which helped to scaffold the underlying math and science concepts to support the design decisions. CATME was utilized in forming design teams - while balancing the teams by schedule, gender, race/ethnicity, GPA, and in-person/online. This allowed team members to participate equitably by developing the mathematical model (which was not restricted to the online students) and building and testing the product (in-person students with input from the online students) (while remaining socially distanced and testing outdoors) and all team members worked on the final design project report. Design testing videos and pictures will be included to illustrate the variety of successful design solutions - in addition, the list of design materials which were provided for the teams to select from for the construction of their design. The results of this project (fall 2020) will be compared to (fall 2021 - under a less restrictive COVID protocol) and pre-COVID (2002, 2008 and 2011) semesters - when this project was used in a first-year introduction to engineering design course. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022
ABSTRACT
The experience of delivering a STEM focused summer program to pre-college students is not novel, however, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the choice to offer such a program virtually to a diverse underrepresented population of 9-12th graders in rural Louisiana posed a great opportunity to reach an otherwise underserved segment of the population. This however is not without unique challenges. The ten-day summer program included applications of engineering principles across disciplines in a virtual setting. The program consisted of 8 different modules as daily themed mini-camps covering the areas of mechatronics, CAD & 3D printing, cyber security, biological sciences, physical science, architectural design, environmental engineering, and chemical engineering. Through several hands-on activities and interactive simulations, students practiced many engineering concepts including the engineering design process, drafting and 3D modeling, energy conversions, sustainability and clean energy, microcontroller coding, and internet security. This program was one segment of a comprehensive on-going initiative to serve students and educators from underrepresented communities which also includes a professional development program for in-service STEM educators. The program for educators is ongoing and is designed to provide them with the tools and experiences that are necessary to offer continued support and specific instruction to their students at their local schools. This paper will serve as an investigation of such a program and detail both the delivery and specific challenges encountered as well as discuss the solutions that were implemented and lessons learned. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
ABSTRACT
As engineering and technology continue to evolve, so should the use of such innovations in engineering pedagogy. Standard course learning modules have not often utilized technology to assist in learning of engineering principles and concepts;that is, until the COVID-19 pandemic required teachers and students to use technology more frequently in a virtual teaching/learning environment. Therefore, it is even more critical now that engineering pedagogy be adapted to incorporate technology in the classroom to enhance student learning of complex engineering concepts. In this study, a team of Civil Engineering professors has set out to incorporate technology into their classrooms to help students gain a stronger understanding of the fundamental building blocks of Civil Engineering. A series of comprehensive educational video and simulation-based learning modules were created for the Civil Engineering subdisciplines of environmental, geotechnical, transportation, and structural engineering. The development and implementation of such technology-based learning modules offer new opportunities to teach students the complex concepts of Civil Engineering through visual means. The efficacy of the learning modules were evaluated through student assessment surveys for: (1) the appropriateness of the module in aiding the introduction of course content, (2) the effectiveness of the module in enhancing student understanding of course content, and (3) the overall perception of students of the module. Implementation of the modules into the classroom has shown that students responded positively to the modules, referencing the modules as both engaging and comprehensive in aiding their understanding of course content. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021