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The 2013 ASEE North Midwest Section Conference

 

Abstracts

 

Transforming senior students to Competent Engineers through Project Based Learning

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0002 )

 

Presented at 10:30 am - noon in Mezzanine Suite I & II

This paper focus on transforming the senior level engineering students to competent manufacturing engineers thru project based learning. The final project work for the manufacturing system design and simulation (MFGE-440) course is geared toward challenging the students to develop a detailed manufacturing part-process flow, optimize the process layout and develop simulation model to predict the throughput using Arena Simulation Modeling. Each group was given a typical product drawing to develop system design and simulation analysis. The part arrival times, process times, the forklift speed, part transfer times and load/unload times were given. These products require the operations like, saw cutting, drilling, vertical milling, horizontal milling, and final machining operations. The original simulation model predicted 110 parts output for 2000 minutes simulation time. The team analysed various “What-If” scenarios using the computer simulation model to improve the throughput. The revised simulation model produced 159 parts, an improvement of 43%. This team project study demonstrated student’s critical thinking, product design skills, machining knowledge, layout skills, processing skills, and simulation modeling skills. This group project not only encouraged the students to work as a team but also encouraged their individual talents to shine. This group project gave students the confidence to handle product from “drawing to production”. It was very satisfying to see how these senior students are transforming themselves to competent engineers.

 

 

Impact of a Research Experience Program on North Dakota Tribal College STEM Student Retention

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0004 )

 

Presented at 4:00 - 5:30 pm in Mezzanine Suite I & II

Recent educational research shows that students who engage in research projects are more likely to complete STEM degree programs when compared to other students. This paper discusses the impact of a university-tribal college collaborative research experience program, Tribal College Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program (TCURMP), on the participating tribal colleges STEM student retention. TCURMP is a collaborative effort between two research universities and each of the five tribal colleges in North Dakota. This program is set up such that selected tribal college students will conduct research in their campuses through the academic year with one faculty mentor from their campus and another from the university. Research skills, rather than discovery research, is emphasized in the program. Students get to select projects of relevance to their community, formulate hypotheses, search and review background information, conduct experiments, analyze results, prepare presentations, and present in conferences. Factors of this program that could impact retention are discussed. Students who completed research projects under this program finished their 2-year degrees and moved on to 4-year degree programs or to take responsible jobs. The impact on retention could be discussed only in a descriptive manner rather than in statistical terms because of small number of students involved.

 

 

 

Academic Endowments and Focused Learning: Initial Experiences within a Manufacturing Engineering Program

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0006 )

 

Presented at 8:30 - 10:00 am in Executive Rm

In the spring of 2012, the University of Wisconsin-Stout authorized the Department of Engineering and Technology to establish the second of the two endowed chairs in manufacturing engineering. The creation of the chair was made possible by a generous endowment from the estate of Fulton and Edna Holtby. The goal was to promote professional activities of students, faculty, and staff in areas of research, scholarship, course development and professional development by providing funds for stipend, travel, buyout for release time and purchase of equipment, services and supplies. These funds were to be used to offer undergraduate and graduate students opportunity to explore special topics outside of their formal coursework that inspired their creativity and imagination through additional research and exploration and earn college credit for their work. As structured coursework rarely offers extended, stress-free environment conducive to learning and exploration, ideas were developed for student projects to provide laboratory-based research experiences that offered excitement of learning and innovation in multiple areas of manufacturing. Emphasis was placed on dissemination of student research. The paper highlights examples of completed student projects and articulates a vision for use of endowment funds to facilitate student learning and faculty development in a student-centered environment.

 

 

 

Developing Long Term Student and Faculty Exchanges with a German University: Challenges and Successes

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0007 )

 

Presented at 10:30 am - noon in Executive Rm

Though vast in overall size, the world today seems quite small due to the ease with which people travel from one region to the next. In business and industry it is quite common for companies to have facilities, or at least customers, world-wide. This often requires employees of these companies to travel and communicate with people of diverse cultures on a regular basis. In order to better prepare the future workforce for success in this environment, the faculty and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Stout endeavor to create opportunities that allow their students to study abroad under many different contexts. Specific to this paper a joint venture between the UWStout and the University of Applied Science, Darmstadt, Germany, Plastics Engineering programs, that began in October, 2010, will be discussed. The paper will focus on the desired goals and objectives for both students and faculty involved in the initiative, the many challenges involved in carrying out specific types of exchanges, outcomes from the activities carried out thus far, and a summary of proposed next steps for further development of the exchange program.

 

 

 

On-Campus Faculty Discussions on Best Practices in Engineering Education

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0008 )

 

Presented at 2:00 - 3:30 pm in Executive Rm

South Dakota State University has a multiple-year history of providing opportunities for faculty to engage in discussions on improving their abilities in teaching and learning. Due to interest for engineering-specific topics by members of the SDSU chapter of ASEE, an on-going series of presentations and discussions was started in Spring 2011. The ASEE Best Practices committee based their work on the findings of “Innovation with Impact”, a six-year nation-wide study of top engineering schools. One of the conclusions of that study is that engineering education innovation requires, at the least, engineering and education expertise working in continual cycles of educational practice and research. The committee surveyed the College of Engineering faculty on their topics of interest, and decided on a format of a continuing series of one-hour sessions, led by SDSU engineering faculty. Over the last five semesters there have been twelve discussion sessions, on topics such as teaching on-line, engaging students in the classroom, rubrics, assessment, active learning, and academic quality and rigor. This paper discusses the goals of the series, what has been presented over the last two years, and what we have accomplished so far.

 

 

 

Implementation of hands-on nanofabrication projects into undergraduate mechanical engineering design courses 

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0010)

 

Presented at 8:30 - 10:00 am in Mezzanine Suite I & II

Substantial progress has been made in nanotechnology in the last two decades, which has noticeably shaped today’s engineering activities and people’s life and will significantly influence the entire society in the near future. Today’s undergraduate engineering education needs to represent such a trend in order to nurture next generation labor force with well-prepared knowledge and skills. This paper is to introduce our recent efforts to implement hands-on design projects on scalable nanofabrication devices into existing mechanical engineering design courses to improve nanoscale science and engineering education for undergraduate students. The background of nanotechnology and specific scale-up nanofabrication methods were introduced. Rational development of the hand-on design projects on mass nanofabrication was given. Two sample design projects were described and discussed in detail, which have been successfully implemented in our mechanical engineering senior design courses in the past three years. Results of the design projects were provided and justified. Suggestions for future development and conclusion on the study were made.

 

 

 

An EXCEL Tool for Teaching Theis Method of Estimating Aquifer Parameters 

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0011 )

 

Presented at 2:00 - 3:30 pm in Board Rm

Hydraulic conductivity and storage coefficient of aquifers are often estimated from nonequilibrium well pumping test data using Theis method. This method requires matching a typecurve with time-drawdown data curve from a pumping well. Typically, this is done by using a type-curve plotted on a graph paper and the data curve plotted on another transparent graph paper, and superimposing and sliding the transparent one over the other to get the best possible match. This is a tedious approach. Though commercial software package programs are available to perform this analysis, they are not transparent enough for instructional purposes. This paper presents an EXCEL tool to solve Theis equation. This method requires only basic EXCEL skills such as data entry and handling plotting features of EXCEL effectively, for example plotting the data in log scales, changing color and transparency of plot area, and moving the plot. Macro programming is not required. Moreover, all operations in this method could be done within EXCEL. Most of the junior and senior students are fairly conversant using EXCEL. This will be an effective educational tool to teach and demonstrate Theis method to students. The proposed EXCEL method can also be used for different aquifer types i.e., confined, unconfined, and leaky with appropriate tabulated type-curve data.

 

 

 

 Addressing Early the Gender Gap in Electrical Engineering via Summer Camps for Girls  

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0012 )

 

Presented at 8:30 - 10:00 am in Executive Rm

We describe the design, implementation, and outcomes of the Women in Electrical Engineering (WEE-GIRLS) camp for middle-school girls organized at North Dakota State University. The camp is motivated by the low representation − approximately 10% − of women in electrical and computer engineering fields. Its goal is to address this gender gap problem by exposing women to electrical engineering at an earlier age, thereby fostering excitement about pursuing careers in electrical engineering and higher confidence in their math, science, and problem-solving skills. Designed for the duration of one week, the camp activities include hands-on microcontroller based projects using Arduino boards, class discussions, meetings with female professors and students, and tours of local high-tech companies. Utilizing entry and exit questionaires, we found that 50% of the participants felt empowered and declared that they wanted to become electrical engineers. We also discuss several suggestions for improving future editions of the camp.

 

 

 

Development and Delivery of a First-Year “Construction Management Experience” Course  

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0013 )

 

Presented at 4:00 - 5:30 pm in Board Rm

All academic programs at NDSU have a first-year (freshman) course. However, many of these courses are not “hands-on” in the sense of providing students with actual work related experiences that can be seamlessly transferred to subsequent coursework or summer internship experiences. The Department of Construction Management and Engineering has a first-year course, CM&E 111 – Introduction to Construction Management and Engineering. This course introduces students to the construction industry primarily through the use of guest speakers. However, there was a need to restructure this course to provide a hands-on “construction management experience” that mimics actual construction management job functions and responsibilities in order to prepare students for subsequent coursework and eventual employment.

 

 

 

Household Energy Aware Real-Time System (HEARTS): A Capstone Project Design

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0014)

 

Presented at 8:30 - 10:00 am in Board Rm

This paper discusses a design framework and student experiences of a capstone project carried by students at the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of North Dakota (UND). The goal of this capstone project was to provide a “Smart Home” that gathers basic information through various sensors and allows control of devices or loads status of different devices from any computer remotely. Sensors are able to collect data and organize it into an efficient manner for the home owner to process and internet monitoring allows for easy accessibility. A LabVIEW based software interface with remote access enables users to monitor and control appliances and status activities of daily living in their homes for greater independence and improved

 

 

 

Data Acquisition and Control of Microgrid Using ZigBee – A senior design project

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0015 )

 

Presented at 2:00 - 3:30 pm in Board Rm

This paper describes a novel switching mechanism to acquire data and control a microgrid. The grid operates in two distinct modes; Islanding and grid-connected modes. In islanding mode, the circuit should be able to isolate sections of the grid when the electrical grid experiences failure. In gridconnected mode, the microgrid has to supply and maintain the power balance to critical loads. Solar panels act as one of the Distributed energy resource (DER). Batteries are also used as an energy source when grid power is and the DER’s are unable to supply the necessary power for critical loads. The switching is all be automatic with LabVIEW controls, and the ZigBee sensors will remain powered even if grid power is lost in order to complete switching. The concept of acquiring data from ZigBee sensors and switching mechanisms using MOSFETs to control the network are described in this paper.

 

 

 

A First-Year Drilling, Tapping and Thread Stripping Exercise  

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0016)

 

Presented at 8:30 - 10:00 am in Board Rm

This paper discusses the development, implementation and assessment of a drilling, tapping and thread stripping exercise used in an introduction to engineering course. The exercise was designed to be a time efficient way to improve hands-on skills that exposed students to various mechanical engineering concepts such as moments, yield strength, safety factor and fastener strength. The thread stripping apparatus involved a lever arm used to pull eyebolts out of the students’ tapped holes in aluminum and ABS while measuring the force applied. Yield strength results from this simple apparatus compared favorably with results from a hydraulic tensile tester. Surveys of first year engineering students revealed that upon coming into the program only 28% of the students had experience with tapping a hole and the average student judged their comfort with hand tools as 7.1/10. End of course surveys revealed that average student comfort with hand tools was raised to 8.6/10 and 94% of students were confident in their ability to drill and tap a hole on their own. The exercise has been iteratively improved over two semesters and the details of the curriculum, lab exercise and physical thread stripping apparatus are provided as well as major lessons learned and suggestions for improvement.

 

 

 

Effectively Teaching Majors And Non-Majors In Hands-On Electrical Engineering Technology Courses 

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0017 )

 

Presented at 8:30 - 10:00 am in Board Rm

Modern technologies are remarkably interdisciplinary and often require knowledge of several fields. In particular, the accelerated technology development in electrical engineering with most of the industrial systems integrated with electronic solutions results in an increasing correlation among different disciplines. The goal of higher education institutions is to prepare highlyqualified graduates who will contribute to the industry with the latest technologies in their fields. Most of the instructors, however, face the challenge of teaching both non-majors and majors, sometimes even in the same classroom. The aim of this article is to discuss the main challenges and to share teaching methods that the author has used to encourage active learning and engagement among major and non-major students in an Electrical Engineering Technology program. The author addresses the use of technology for teaching, the use of lecture time effectively, the importance of well-designed laboratory experiments, and use of simulation tools. Assessment tools have indicated that the teaching methods used have been successful in meeting the teaching goals.

 

 

 

Exploring Real-Time Applications in Hands-On Automation Courses  

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0019 )

 

Presented at 10:30am - noon in Board Rm

Industry and legislative leaders press for improving the quantity and quality of the work force. For example, the need for capable, dedicated, and experienced automation engineers continues to increase. The training involves expensive laboratory equipment, small class size, and motivated faculty, but University budgets are decreasing and the emphasis on research and journal publications for tenure and promotion is increasing. At MSU Mankato state and industry support has come together with faculty interest for the past several years in the areas of automation engineering and manufacturing. Courses in industrial automation involving PLC’s, sensors, and actuators have been taught since 2006 using hands-on active learning techniques. An effort is underway to increase the technical depth and broaden the training by exploring deterministic timing and modeling in complex real-time automation systems using traditional PLC and PCbased PLC equipment and future, large multicore computer designs.

 

 

 

Design and Development of a Hybrid Instructional Model for a Computer Engineering Course

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0020)

 

Presented at 10:30am - noon in Board Rm

This paper describes our experiences in applying a hybrid instructional model to a newly developed computer engineering course at UW–Stout, which includes the delivery of online lectures through streaming videos combined with bi-weekly in-class lectures as well as hands-on laboratory exercises related to the course material. The design of this curriculum follows a framework that was developed to fulfill the course requirements. In addition to traditional class settings, the course also implements a team project which has several reporting components to monitor students’ learning progress. Multiple in-class surveys were conducted throughout the semester to obtain course feedback from the students. The instructor also constantly solicited and collected student comments about the course during the semester. This study reports the survey data collected from the class and discusses how the data help design and develop the course. It makes recommendations to improve future courses when applying a similar hybrid instructional model.

 

 

 

Engineering Students Learn ABET Professional Skills: A Comparative Study of Project-Based-Learning (PBL) versus Traditional Students

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0021)

 

Presented at 10:30 - noon am in Mezzanine Suite I & II

This paper presents preliminary findings of a study that investigated the learning experiences of students who enrolled in two programs: a project-based learning (PBL) and a traditional engineering curriculum. The PBL students do not take classes; 100 percent of their learning is done in the context of industry projects to develop graduates with integrated technical and professional knowledge and competencies. The traditional curriculum involves classroom instruction, homework, and assessments. Using a qualitative research approach, the current study focused on students that completed two years of a new PBL program in a Midwest university, and compared their learning experiences to students that are graduating from a traditional program at a different university.

 

Initial results suggest positive outcomes are more pronounced for students associated with PBL as compared with students in traditional engineering curriculum, with regard to both Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) professional skills, outcomes, and future employment. For example, one immediate highlight of the PBL program is that a majority of PBL students ranked their program (i.e. instructors and project format) positively, and were more “encouraged” to work in teams to complete tasks for real clients in industry. The results of this study will provide insights into PBL as a model of learning engineering in the context of design and practice to support engineering programs aiming to establish project-based learning as well as academia in general.

 

 

 

The Anatomy of North Dakota State University Civil Engineering Capstone Design Course

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0022)

 

Presented at 8:30 - 10:00 am in Mezzanine Suite I & II

The capstone design course offered by the Civil Engineering Department at North Dakota State University takes our graduating seniors outside of their normal comfort zone in a structured and supportive class environment. The course has steadily evolved to keep pace with the everchanging science and technology and the evolving expectations of the profession and the society we serve. In this model, carefully chosen real world projects are assigned. Faculty and guest speakers make presentations on engineering design process; engineering project management; leadership in an engineering environment; relationship of engineering projects, business, and public policy; global perspective in engineering; and professional career and licensure. Students work together in teams while a select number of faculties act as technical consultants. Other faculty members act as mentors for each student team to provide non-technical guidance and direction. Students are challenged through a project discovery phase to locate much information required to complete the design. The course requires students to demonstrate mastery of the curriculum and to work with others in a team environment. Course assessment include evaluation of two oral presentations, development of a project design schedule, a project design journal, 2-3 page reaction papers on five presentation topics, and three written technical reports.

 

 

 

Gas Turbine Dynamic Dynamometry: A New Energy Engineering Laboratory Module

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0023)

 

 

Presented at 10:30am - noon in Board Rm

To integrate energy topics into STEM curricula, an archive of “Energy Engineering Laboratory Modules” (EELMs) is being developed by collaborating faculty and students at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). EELMs facilitate spiral insertion of energy engineering experiments into college and high school STEM courses. By making innovative use of inexpensive equipment, EELMs facilitate near-ubiquitous accessibility to energy curricula, even for instructors with limited resources.

 

Gas turbines are paramount to modern energy production and transportation, and this critical technology will continue its prominence as we pursue a renewable energy future. Exposure to gas turbines through hands-on experiments could provide meaningful content for a range of STEM courses. However, prohibitively expensive commercially available educational test stands preclude gas turbine experiments from all but specialized engineering programs. Moreover, even if gas turbine hardware is available, specialized dynamometer and data acquisition equipment are needed to evaluate performance. Alternatively, virtual laboratories can offer rich simulated experiences to promote learning, but they lack the stimulating tactile and tangible learning experiences applied experiments provide.

 

We describe a method to accurately measure and predict the mechanical power output of a gas turbine using the rational inertia of the turbine’s spinning components and friction in its bearings as the load. The turbine’s time response to Dirac load inputs and its no-load responses to compressed air input over a range of pressures are measured. This technique, called dynamic dynamometry, requires only an inexpensive optical tachometer, a digital video recorder, and free image capture software for data acquisition. Turbine power-versus-angular-velocity curves are produced, which can be used for design, additional analysis, and teaching. An additional benefit of this technique is that turbine rotational inertia is determined independently of knowing the rotor’s geometry. So, the experiment can be completed without dismantling the turbine; or, if desired, the measured rotational inertia can be independently verified by disassembling the turbine to measure internal component geometry and mass.

 

In addition to obvious applications for anchoring classroom discussions in physics, mechanical dynamics, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics; this exercise offers unexpected teaching opportunities for courses including Numerical Methods, Experimental Methods, and Statistics. Coarse data acquisition frequency necessitates conditioning the raw power-versus-angularvelocity data to distinguish meaningful, accurate performance curves. Moreover, outliers can be identified and eliminated via statistical techniques.

 

 

Converting a Microcontroller Lab From The Freescale S12 to the Atmel ATmega32 Processor

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0025 )

 

Presented at 2:30 - 3:30 pm in Mezzanine Suite I & II

During the summer of 2013, the laboratory supporting the microcontroller course at the University of Minnesota Duluth was completely re-implemented. For the last several years, the processor that has been used was the Freescale S12, a popular 16-bit microcontroller with a long ancestral history1. The recent popularity of the Atmel AVR series of microcontrollers, as used in the Arduino microcomputers, for example, has prompted a change in the lab to use Atmel’s ATmega32 microcontroller, an 8-bit member of the AVR family of microcontrollers2,3. The new processor has a fundamentally different architecture than that used in the past, but the input/output resources available are much the same. This paper addresses issues that will be faced in the conversion when the course is taught with the new lab hardware for the first time in the Fall.

 

At the very fundamental level, the S12 and ATmega32 differ in architecture. The S12 is a Princeton architecture computer (single memory for both program and data), while the ATmega32 is a Harvard architecture computer (separate program and data memories). The S12 is clearly a CISC machine (Complex Instruction Set Computer) while the ATmega32 is clearly a RISC machine (Reduced Instruction Set Computer). These differences will affect how the microcontroller course is taught when it is offered in the Fall using this new lab. Fortunately, however, the collection of input/output devices in the AVR microcontrollers mimics closely what is found in the S12, so that many of the existing lab exercises will be used again with only minor tweaking.

 

This paper will discuss what has been done and what is planned for the updated microcontroller course. The course will be offered in the Fall, 2013, semester, using this new lab hardware for the first time.

 

 

 

Formation and Development of Effective Student Teams to Facilitate Team-Based Learning

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0026)

 

Presented at 10:30am – noon in Mezzanine Suite I & II

The ability to work in an effective team has been identified by employers as a key skill for students entering the work force. Furthermore, a desire for active learning by both students and faculty has also increased the use of team-based learning. However, team-based learning also has its drawbacks – notably, managing conflict among team members, reconciling differing levels of effort by students, and the construction of a fair and effective method of assessment for teambased work. Highly developed and cohesive teams allow the focus of the classroom to be on engaged and transformative learning, yet previous research has focused mostly on the learning outcomes of such teams rather than on the formation and development processes. The application of team-based learning in a third year, large enrollment course for engineering technology and engineering students will be discussed. Specifically, strategies used to select and develop teams and methods used to optimize the team-based learning processes will be highlighted. Student performance on key team-based learning activities and student evaluation of team-based learning will be shared. Suggestions for using team-based learning with engineering and engineering technology students will conclude the paper

 

 

 

Senior Design: The Swiss Army Knife of the Curriculum

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0027 )

 

Presented at 8:30 - 10:00 am in Mezzanine Suite I & II

Over the years, senior design courses in engineering curricula have been subject to numerous internal and external driving forces. Widespread adoption of senior design capstone experiences was dictated by the then Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in the mid-1980’s. At that time, ABET began to specify a “culminating design experience” for all accredited engineering curricula.

 

For many schools, the shift of accreditation criteria to assessment and evaluation processes has impacted senior design courses. Student outcomes are often assessed in the senior design course(s). Integration of student outcome assessment in design course(s) has met with varying degrees of success.

 

Senior design has presented an opportunity to increase interaction with external constituents that have an interest in projects and in hiring graduates. While these interactions often strengthen overall student experience, in some cases they present unanticipated challenges within a structured design course.

 

Shifting budget priorities within engineering departments has meant that a wide range of instructors teach senior design. Often, fewer full-time, tenure-track faculty members are teaching design. The gap is filled in a number of different ways: graduate student-teachers, adjunct faculty (particularly from industry), and professors of practice.

 

With these drivers, it can be challenging to create and deliver a coherent design experience that meets all of these objectives. This paper will present the configuration, tools, and methodologies of a senior design course sequence that addresses its large menu of objectives in a rational, structured fashion.

 

 

 

Rethinking Engineering Education Through a Leadership Perspective

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0028)

 

Presented at 4:00 - 5:30 pm in Executive Rm

Many traditional engineering education environments operate according to an authority model where teachers (the authority) seek to educate students (the subordinates). Although the presence of an authority does not necessarily imply that an education system is authoritarian, teachers operating under an authority model often apply fear- and incentive-based control mechanisms to achieve desired educational goals and outcomes. These control mechanisms can achieve results but may also undermine classroom cohesion, encourage an adversarial atmosphere, and be less effective than alternate approaches such as those based on leadership training and research. This paper reconsiders engineering education through a leadership perspective where teachers voluntarily relinquish control, seek influence over authority, nurture cooperation over compliance, pursue projects and activities in partnership rather than in isolation, and work to establish an environment of mutual trust. These characteristics of leadership-based education are highly compatible with many current trends in university engineering programs, including the flipped classroom, problem-based learning, and on-line education, including massively open online courses (MOOCs).

 

 

 

MATLAB, Mathematics, and Engineering (MAT-ME) Summer Camp for Preparing Students for Engineering Subjects

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0030)

 

Presented at 10:30am - noon in Board Rm

Professors in the engineering programs see many freshmen engineering students struggle with the intensive math contents of the courses. This is mainly because the materials are more difficult and different than the math they learned in high school. While engineering courses all need strong background in mathematics, the application of mathematics in engineering problems is much more important than the theory. It is impossible to fully master almost any topic in engineering without adequate skills in mathematics and programming. Therefore, having a summer camp that introduces the mathematics through programming and hand-on experience provides good introduction to engineering and provides a tool for recruiting students to engineering programs. It also helps student to expand their understanding of math to applications. This paper describes the series of lessons that we developed using MATLAB1 (developed by Mathworks®) with the focus on signal and image processing at the University of North Dakota College of Engineering and Mines in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The summer camp was named MAT-ME (MATLAB, Mathematics, and Engineering) and was aimed to promote Math and Engineering among high school students in the state of North Dakota. We ran the oneweek long MAT-ME camp three times in summer of years 2010, 2011, and 2012. In this paper, we will describe the teaching materials that we developed, the results of students and parents’ evaluations, and the lessons learned during the three years that the camp was held.

 

 

 

Understanding Wireless Propagation Through Ray-Tracing Simulation 

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0031)

 

 

Presented at 8:30 -10:00am in Board Rm

The field of wireless communication has become an important part of electrical engineering undergraduate program. Due to developments in this field there is an increasing need for graduates with good understanding of wireless channels. However, the electromagnetic fields and radio propagation has been regarded as a dry and abstract field, due to difficulty of integrating tangible and realistic experiments into electrical engineering curriculum. Sometimes setting up a laboratory for these experiments could be very expensive. Therefore, a lot of time using simulation tools is a good alternative to examine and visualize the realistic problems. However, the available simulation software may require vast technical proficiency, which sometime impedes the inclination of students towards this area of study.

 

In this paper we introduce a ray-tracing simulation tool that can be beneficial in teaching wave propagation and wireless communication. Wireless InSite®, from Remcom®, is a site-specific wireless channel simulation tool based on ray-tracing method. This paper introduces various feature of Wireless InSite such as how to import site-specific information from Google Maps, create three dimensional object files and manipulate them for creating a realistic environment, how to select different types of antennas and waveforms. Then an example is given and the stepby- step problem setting, execution and analysis of results are explained. This example or similar ones may be utilized as a laboratory assignment in the related curriculum.

 

 

 

MATLAB® Simulation Tool for Antenna Array Pattern Development

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0032)

 

 

Presented at 2:00 - 3:30 pm in Board Rm

Adaptive antenna arrays are widely used in wireless communication and radar. The understanding of array design and optimization often needs sophisticated signal processing methods to estimate the Degree of Arrival (DoA). DoA estimation algorithms often require numerical analysis. We propose an educational tool that can be utilized for adaptive antenna array simulation and DoA estimation.

 

There were two major factors behind the motivation of this work. First, development of antenna arrays relies heavily on software packages focused on the individual antenna element design. Each software package that is used requires a license and may not match software in other institutions. Executing simulations and viewing their data within a common environment is needed. Second, executing DoA estimation algorithms is too cumbersome to be implemented within these simulation tools.

 

We propose a new program that treats array elements as single points and only utilizes their relative locations and orientations to ease calculation by algorithms. This program is written in MATLAB® as it is used by most institutions. The program utilizes a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to visualize the array developed. Then the program may also be utilized to call antenna simulation software, such as free simulation software, Numerical Electromagnetics Code (NEC) to obtain each antenna element radiation patterns.

 

We provide a modeling and simulation suite that users can develop new functions for its library under three categories: geometry-development functions, signal-generating functions, and DoA algorithm functions. Users may develop a shareable library of functions that can be run in a common environment.

 

 

 

Teaching Mechatronics Effectively in a Mechanical Engineering Program Under Limited Time  

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0033)

 

 

Presented at 4:00 - 5:30 pm in Board Rm

Mechatronics is a well defined multidisciplinary engineering design philosophy that draws knowledge from mechanical engineering, electronics, computer science, and control systems. Undergraduate mechanical engineering programs in many institutions often find it difficult to comprehensively cover all principles of mechatronics because of its wide spectrum and limitations in the available instruction time. The mechanical engineering program at North Dakota State University offers mechatronics education in one semester as a three-credit undergraduate course. Due to the spectrum of its contents, the allocated three credit time is inadequate for this course, as such it was necessary to carefully develop the teaching materials so that it effectively meets its educational objectives, yet without overloading the students. This paper discusses experiences gained in preparing and teaching this course over a time span of three years.

 

 

 

Engineering Education in Context: 2nd- and 3rd-Year Required Systems Engineering Courses 

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0034)

 

Presented at 2:00 - 3:30 am in Executive Rm

In modern multidisciplinary engineering practice, the necessary skill set includes modeling and analysis of multidisciplinary dynamic engineering systems, control system design and implementation, and sensors and actuators with the necessary electronics. Theory and best industry practice must be in balance when mastering these skills. Presently, we devote separate courses to each skill and somehow think that learning each skill very well will somehow magically enable the student to critically think and integrate all to solve a real-world problem. This approach is ineffective. As a result, the ABET-required senior capstone multidisciplinary design course too often becomes a design-build-test exercise with the emphasis on just getting something done. Students rarely break out of their disciplinary comfort zone and thus fail to experience true multidisciplinary, model-based system design. Two courses were created to address this. Electromechanical Engineering Systems (2nd-year) and Multidisciplinary Engineering Systems (3rd-year) are required courses in the mechanical engineering curriculum and were developed and taught over the past two years. They each consist of two hours of class time and two hours of small-group (12 students per session) hands-on, hardware and software, studio sessions each week. They are each taught in the context of modern engineering practice and real-world problem solving.

 

 

 

Experiences with Inquiry-Based Learning in an Introductory Mechanics Course 

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0037 )

 

Presented at 10:30 am – noon in Mezzanine Suite I & II

Inquiry-based learning is an educational approach that allows the student to take ownership over the education process by self-identifying a problem and formulating their own solution. The application of this method of teaching was explored in an introductory mechanics course taken by both engineering and engineering technology students. Students were tasked with applying the principles of fundamental static equilibrium analysis to objects found in their normal surroundings. The deliverable for this assignment consisted of a photograph of an object they found to be in static equilibrium and a short description of how the state of the object could be described mathematically. Student submissions for this task exhibited a wide range of quality and imagination. Examples of student work are presented along with discussion of lessons learned and recommendations for the use of this method in the future. The overall student response to this task was positive and thus these efforts will be expanded.

 

 

 

Implementing a Freshman Experience in Electrical Engineering  

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0038)

 

Presented at 8:30 - 10:00 am in Executive Rm

This paper discusses the authors’ experiences with a newly implemented freshman experience sequence in the EECS department at SDSU. Implementation of this experience was motivated by low retention rates for electrical engineering students. Students who failed to remain in EECS for their sophomore year apparently were handicapped by a lack of an intuitive feel for electrical engineering and a lack of understanding of how and why the various required courses would fit together to form a well-rounded curriculum.

 

To address these issues, EECS at SDSU is implementing a new FOCUSED (Focused Ongoing Concentrated Undergraduate Sequence in Engineering Design) in the Electrical Engineering program. Three years of our department-wide (both EE and CS) freshman robotics experience and two years of our EE specific EE 102 class have now been completed. Retention going into the sophomore year has dramatically improved and students appear to be better motivated. This paper discusses the motivation for the freshman experience, the design and implementation of the freshman experience, the increased retention numbers, the results of student surveys (after the freshman year and at the conclusion of the sophomore year), as well as future plans for this sequence.

 

 

Teaching the ARM Microcontroller to Keep Up with the Embedded Industry Technology Change 

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0039)

 

Presented at 2:00  – 3:30pm in Mezzanine Suite I & II

The widespread use of mobile devices in the last decade has changed the embedded system industry. Mobile devices require the embedded microcontroller to have high performance and low power. The winner is the ARM-based processor. In 2011, 7.9 billion ARM processors were shipped. More than 95% of mobile phones, 90% of hard drive controllers, 40% digital TVs and set-top boxes, 15% microcontrollers, and 20% mobile computers are using the ARM processors.

 

To keep up with the embedded industry change, we have updated the contents of our microcontroller courses with the goal to keep up with the technology change and make our graduates more marketable. We have taught the ARM Cortext-M4 MCU in our second microcontroller course and plan to also teach the simpler version of the ARM Cortex-M MCU in our first microcontroller course.

 

Three major issues must be addressed in order to teach a new microcontroller. First, we need to choose an appropriate Cortex-M4 demo board for students to perform laboratory experiments and design projects. Second, we need to find an easy-to-use and affordable IDE software for students to develop and debug their program. Third, we need to find an appropriate textbook or prepare lecture notes. This paper presents our experience of teaching the ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller in our second microprocessor course of our computer engineering program.

 

 

 

Experience of Teaching Embedded System Design using FPGAs  

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0040)

 

Presented at 4:30 - 5:30 am in Executive Rm

An embedded system is a product using one or more computers as its controller. Traditionally, the controller of an embedded system is an off-the-shelf microcontroller from microcontroller vendors. However, an off-the-shelf microcontroller may not provide the required peripheral functions or cannot achieve the desired performance required by the application. In this situation, the embedded system designers may either design their own special microcontroller chip or configure the FPGA chips to meet the functional and performance requirement. Designing a dedicated microcontroller chip is only justified when the embedded system is going to be duplicated many million copies. When the volume is not high enough or time-to-market is very tight to justify the design of a dedicated microcontroller, configuring an off-of-the shelf FPGA chip becomes the only viable approach.

 

An FPGA-based embedded system design approach starts with selecting the processor core, amount of on-chip memory, and peripheral modules from the FPGA vendor library using the design software and then generates the HDL file that describes this controller module. The second step is to write an upper-level module to instantiate the controller module generated in the previous step and also instantiate certain special peripheral functions provided by third parties or from the designer’s own library to meet the performance requirement. The third step is to write the application software in C or C++ language to implement the embedded functions. This paper describes our experience of teaching a combined senior/graduate course on embedded system design using this approach in our electrical and computer engineering program.

 

 

 

Retention in Engineering Programs: Integrating Real World Problems in Calculus Courses To Increase Student Learning and Interest in Engineering

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0041)

 

Presented at 4:00  – 5:30pm in Mezzanine Suite I & II

Attrition in U.S. engineering programs has been a major concern for more than two decades. Several studies have shown that the most significant factors include quantitative skills, students’ study habits, commitment to the program, involvement in extracurricular activity, and connections to peers. In addition, math/calculus has been cited by students who switch away from engineering as the most influential factor in their decisions. This paper describes an approach to improve engineering student persistence when learning calculus without having to make any changes in the current calculus curriculum. This approach is one the methods used in an NSF-funded initiative (Project DUE-0942270) at the University of North Dakota. The project combines several techniques, including the integration of stand-alone engineering modules to be solved by students outside class time and the use of engineering mentors to help these students learn calculus and see the relationship between math and engineering. This paper focuses only on student experiences with the engineering modules. The evaluation of the project shows that the engineering problems were helpful to students in learning calculus concepts.

 

 

 

Impact of Peer Mentoring on Student Learning and Connection To Engineering 

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0042)

 

Presented at 8:30 - 10:00 am in Executive Rm

Many students who enter engineering as an academic discipline in their first year of study switch to a different major after the first or second year. The attrition rates range from 30% to 50% depending on the institution. The dropout rate is even higher for underrepresented groups. Research studies show that the significant factors of attrition in engineering programs are quantitative skill level, student study habits, commitment to the program, and connections to peers. This paper describes an approach to address some of these factors. In this approach, we positioned the use of peer mentors as an improved institutional effort to retain students in engineering. Results show that the engineering peer mentoring program was considered helpful in learning calculus by the majority of Calculus I and Calculus II student participants.

 

 

 

3D Printed Internal Structure: Influence on Tensile Strength  

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0043)

 

Presented at 10:30am - noon in Executive Rm

This paper discusses the research project and associated laboratory measurements that were assigned to a visiting international undergraduate student of materials engineering for the purpose of providing a research experience. This was the student’s first visit to the in the United States of America. Buğra contributed significantly to the literature review and writing of this paper as a team, especially regarding the chemistry of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). He is now in his third semester of graduate studies at Middle East Technical University in Ankara Turkey conducting research with light emitting diode chips. 3D printed plastic parts are composite structures, having specified porosity and density in different layers within each part. If a 3D printed part has an internal channel it produces a different internal build pattern than the same shaped part without the internal channel. In this research, build orientation and the existence of an internal channel were evaluated for their influence on tensile strength. The presence of an internal channel was found to have no influence on modulus of elasticity but significantly reduced ultimate tensile strength.

 

 

 

Expanding the Learning Experience: The Integration of Technology into Architectural Education

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0044)

 

 

Presented at 2:00 - 3:30 pm in Board Rm

With the recent academic emphasis on STEM fields, the integration of digital technologies into the educational process has become a national and institutional priority. As with many fields, this development has the potential of impacting the teaching models and content of architectural courses and related research endeavors. This paper offers a case study of how a variety of environmental-analysis technologies have been integrated within specific technical coursework, student research, and how the resulting feedback has been made visible to the student body and general public.

 

 

 

A Verbal Communication Game for Architecture, Engineering and Construction Students

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0045)

 

 

Presented at 4:00 - 5:30 pm in Board Rm

The ability to communicate effectively is of utmost importance in all professional fields. Effective communication skills are particularly important in architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) fields, where professionals need to communicate complex details and spatial relationships using written, graphical and verbal communication. While traditional curricula in AEC fields provide significant coverage of written and graphical communication skills, verbal communication skills are often limited to a dedicated course lacking discipline-specific content. In addition, there is a shortage of activities and tools to emphasize and develop verbal communication skills of AEC students. This paper presents a verbal communication game for students in the AEC fields. The game emphasizes the importance of clear, succinct verbal communication. The game is highly robust and can be adapted and carried out in a number of ways depending on situation and context.

 

 

 

WateRediscover: Promoting Scientific Research among Middle and High School Students across the Globe

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0047)

 

Presented at 10:30am - noon in Executive Rm

WateRediscover is a program coordinated by Nanoenvirology Research Group of Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at North Dakota State University to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research among middle and high school students from across the world. It is aimed at training the younger generation with the skill set necessary to carry out scientific research. The participating students conduct 3-6 month long research related to water. The broad objective of the program is to involve the youth in scientific research. WateRediscover encourages students to use the engineering design process (EDP) to address real world problems. In the last two years the program has attracted participants from Bangladesh, India, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, and the United States including four groups of only female members. WateRediscover International Teleconference is the culmination function of the program where the teams present their research and interact with each other via like audio and video. The experience from the last two years has helped the author to address certain the needs to improve the program and cover more countries in the future.

 

 

 

Incorporating On-going Verification & Validation Research to a Reliable Real-Time Embedded Systems Course

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0049)

 

Presented at 2:00  – 3:30pm in Mezzanine Suite I & II

This paper presents the enhancements to a senior-level and graduate-level course, Reliable Realtime Embedded Systems, in terms of introducing advanced verification and validation (V&V) approaches. Traditionally, this course covers the topics of fundamental principles in real-time operation systems like scheduling with little emphasis on the design V&V. In order to equip students with the advanced knowledge of developing reliable embedded systems, this course is enhanced from two aspects. First, an on-going research project results on model-based testing and formal methods are incorporated into this course. Model-based testing is an important feature of Model-based Design (MBD) methodology, which can be used to check whether the design model satisfies the functional or nonfunctional requirements like timing. An automated formal method Model Checking, which is one of the most commonly used formal verification techniques, is exposed to students. It has been applied to deriving test cases from real-time design models. Second, students are introduced existing model checking tools like Uppaal and CBMC. Such new enhancements could greatly help students grasp the comprehensive knowledge of designing reliable embedded systems.

 

 

 

Integrating Modern Model-based Development Concepts and Tools in a Programming Tools course

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0050)

 

Presented at 4:00 - 5:30 pm in Board Rm

Software programming is often considered to be difficult for many engineering students. Nowadays, many control and automation systems are facing the increasingly sophisticated functional and non-functional demands. In such systems, software portion is always expected to have the greater impact. Therefore, educators continue to face great challenges in getting students to be capable of conducting efficient software development. In the last decade, modelbased design (MBD) is an emerging development methodology for modern software. Its efficiency has been demonstrated in large scale software engineering projects. This paper presents our experience of integrating modern MBD concepts and tools into a Programming Tools (PT) course. First, the basic components in the MBD process are exposed to students, especially its two unique components - automated code generation and model-based verification and validation (V&V). Second, three modeling languages: Matlab/Simulink, LabVIEW and SCADE are exposed to students. They all have been widely applied in embedded control and automation domains. Third, input programming languages of these selected tools are introduced to students to help them apply the tools in the laboratory assignments and class project.

 

 

 

Promoting Nanotechnology among Middle School Students: Development and Implementation of Lesson Plans

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0051)

 

Presented at 2:00 - 3:30 am in Executive Rm

Hands-on experience on nanotechnology was offered to the seventh grade students at West Fargo STEM Middle School using grade appropriate teaching modules developed in collaboration with subject teachers from West Fargo Public Schools. The content of the modules complemented course contents in science and mathematics in the seventh grade class. Eighty six students from the school participated in this year long program. Pre- and post-surveys were conducted and additional information on students’ perspective on various issues were collected to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. The results indicate that hands-on activities help in stimulating students’ interest in technologies. The authors believe that these programs can be emulated by others in promoting engineering education and research. The pre- and post-survey data also indicate that the students do not have enough information to decide their career paths and there is a need for additional outreach activities on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and careers among the students.

 

 

 

The First Lecture on Microcontrollers for Students with Limited Background in Electrical and Computer Engineering Foundations

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0052)

 

Presented at 2:00  – 3:30pm in Mezzanine Suite I & II

In the modern world, microcontrollers are found in almost every device with mechanical, chemical, and electrical applications. In general these are single chip computers integrated with various input-output interface ports. There are thousands of microcontrollers in the market, and each has its own way of manipulating its input-output interfaces. Teaching the topic of microcontrollers has never been uniform across the board since various instructors tailor their lectures on the particular type of microcontrollers used in their classes. Although many students with a good background in electrical, electronic and computer engineering can easily assimilate the material and extend the knowledge to other types of microcontrollers, it tends to be very difficult for students of non-electrical backgrounds such as mechanical and chemical engineering to respond in a similar fashion. This paper discusses one of the effective ways of approaching the topic teaching students of non-electrical backgrounds using different types of microcontrollers in the same environment. Typically, the topic is simplified by combining the common characteristics of all microcontrollers and presenting them generically in a way that enables students to translate those characteristics to various types of microcontrollers when needed to.

 

 

 

Developing Inclusive Excellence in Engineering Education: Lessons from the Wisconsin Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (WiscAMP) Excel Program

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0053)

 

Presented at 4:00  – 5:30pm in Mezzanine Suite I & II

Efforts to broaden participation in science and engineering (STEM) are of national importance. This paper describes the development and implementation of teaching strategies for the Wisconsin Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (WiscAMP) Excel program. The program involves: 1) selecting underrepresented minority (URM) students majoring in science and engineering whose first year academic performance indicates they are at risk for leaving STEM; and 2) providing an intensive 8-week immersion experience in STEM scholarship, research, academic and career exploration and advising. Collectively program faculty members have identified a shared programmatic strategy with respect to supporting students’ cultivation of a growth mindset [1], which has been shown to increase student persistence and performance while decreasing their vulnerability to stereotype threat. The program has been piloted 5 times, enrolled a total of 92 participants, 99% of whom are URM students majoring in STEM. Upon completion of the program, participants report increased confidence in their abilities to succeed in their STEM coursework and slightly stronger commitment to their career. Follow-up data indicate 66% of program participants are persisting in their majors or have graduated with a STEM degree. Strategies for cultivating a growth mindset in the classroom are presented and discussed.

 

 

 

Professional Skill Development for Engineering Management Students

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0055)

 

Presented at 2:00 - 3:30 pm in Executive Rm

The employers in the construction engineering and management fields have very high demands regarding students’ professional skills. However, the majority of the courses in the construction engineering and management programs have been focusing more on textbook theories than on industry professional skills. This paper studies the different approaches in developing students’ professional skills in the classroom by working together with engineering firms. It is believed that such a study can provide a vision for engineering management education that can better provide for students in the industry. These approaches can be applied to many similar engineering management programs.

 

 

 

A Collaborative, Cross-Disciplinary Project between Engineering Courses and Programs Centered on Design for Manufacturability

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0056)

 

Presented at 10:30am - noon in Executive Rm

This manuscript describes a collaborative, cross-disciplinary effort between the B.S. in Manufacturing Engineering program and the B.S. in Plastics Engineering program at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. In one course, plastics engineering students are tasked with incorporating design for manufacturability (DFM) in the design of a plastic component and injection mold that will later be machined by a separate course that contains manufacturing engineering and plastics engineering students. After completion of the injection mold, it is utilized by the part designers (plastics engineers) to mold the components they designed. Eight groups in each class work together on separate projects in and out of class. Checklists are utilized to ensure design criteria are met while staying within the scope of the project and the capabilities of the university laboratories. The end result is a real-world experience of the working relationship between a customer and a supplier, complete with design meetings, compromise, and a finished injection mold to mass-produce the designed component.

 

 

 

Adaptive Mobile Web Pages Using HTML5 and CSS for Engineering Faculty

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0057)

 

Presented at 4:00 - 5:30 am in Executive Rm

Many engineering faculty members have their class materials like lecture slides and assignments posted on the Internet, so students can easily access them anytime. Nowadays students also like to access the online class materials anywhere via their mobile devices such as smartphones or tablet computers. However, traditional Web pages are distorted or become awkward to use when they are displayed on devices. Additionally, mobile features of handheld devices such as geolocation information, which could be useful for engineering education, are usually ignored. The introduction of HTML5 and the newest CSS have greatly solved this problem. This paper introduces the mobile features of HTML5 and CSS to engineering faculty for building adaptive mobile class Web pages.

 

 

 

Industry and Students Perception of Capstone Projects

(Paper Number ASEE-NMWSC2013-0058)

 

Presented at 8:30  – 10:00am in Mezzanine Suite I & II

Capstone projects are designed to help students learn technical, communication and interpersonal skills that will ultimately provide them with a broad knowledge base required at the start of their professional careers. Engineering capstone experience prepares students to work in a productive manner in teams. It is expected that the students will learn problems solving, critical thinking, team work and business acumen which will benefit them in finding internships, cooperative experiences and jobs. In today’s competitive environment managing expectations of employing companies as well as graduating engineering students is a challenging task. To bridge the gap between industry needs and student training, it is essential to periodically survey the student’s understanding of capstone projects and compare it with expectations of employers. This task will ensure that our engineering graduates are well rounded and can become contributing engineers at their respective companies.

 

The manuscript describes the opinions, perceptions and expectations of capstone project (ME 461 and ME 462) by graduating Mechanical Engineering students and compares it with the views and expectation of recruiting firms and hiring managers. The survey also identifies important components of capstone projects that can be modified and improved to strengthen the current format of capstone project. This work will help to better prepare students for industry careers and create an effective environment between academia and industry requirements.

 

 

 

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