Frameworks for a Data Management Curriculum for Science, Health Sciences, and Engineering Students

Objectives: This poster illustrates the Frameworks for a Data Management Curriculum intended for undergraduate and graduate students studying science, health sciences, and engineering disciplines. Methods: An Education Committee composed of librarians, faculty, a curriculum consultant, an evaluation consultant, and an instructional design consultant collaborated in the development of these frameworks. At the two partnering schools, consultants collected data from students regarding their current data management practices and interviewed faculty about their students\u27 data management skills and learning needs. A literature review of current data management courses was conducted. From these resources learning objectives were identified, a simplified data management plan was developed, and a lesson plans for seven course modules were created. The evaluation consultant and an Education Committee librarian interviewed faculty to develop real-life research case scenarios that illustrate data management practices in the lab and clinical settings. Results: The curriculum frameworks are mapped to the data management plan requirements of the National Science Foundation and include lesson plans for seven instructional modules, a simplified data management plan, course readings, research cases in medicine, biomedical lab research, clinical behavioral health, and aerospace engineering. The Education Committee fully developed course content including readings, activities, research case excerpts, and assessment questions and answers for the fifth module, Legal and Ethical Considerations for Research Data, as proof of concept. Conclusions: Faculty and librarians have responded that the curriculum frameworks, when fully developed, will be a useful tool for providing data management instruction to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in diverse science, health science and engineering courses. The modular format of the curriculum and variety of research cases is flexible ; allowing faculty to select modules that are relevant to their course programs. When completed, the curriculum can be delivered in multiple ways: face-to-face, as online interactive modules, or hybrid. Implementation funding for full development of the course modules, additional research cases, and piloting the curriculum modules is proposed

Frameworks for a Data Management Curriculum

Objective: This poster illustrates the Frameworks for a Data Management Curriculum that was developed by the Lamar Soutter Library of UMASS Medical School and the George C. Gordon Library at Worcester Polytechnic Institute through an IMLS National Leadership Planning Grant. These frameworks are intended undergraduate and graduate students studying science, health sciences, and engineering disciplines. Methods: An Education Committee composed of librarians, faculty, a curriculum consultant, an evaluation consultant, and an instructional design consultant collaborated in the development of these frameworks. At both schools, consultants collected data from students regarding their current data management practices and interviewed faculty about their students’ data management skills and learning needs. A literature review of current data management courses was conducted. From these resources learning objectives were identified, a simplified data management plan was developed, and a lesson plans for seven course modules were created. The evaluation consultant and a WPI librarian interviewed faculty to develop real-life research case scenarios that illustrate data management practices in the lab and clinical settings. Results: The curriculum frameworks are mapped to the data management plan requirements of the National Science Foundation and include lesson plans for seven instructional modules, a simplified data management plan, course readings, research cases in medicine, biomedical lab research, clinical behavioral health, and aerospace engineering. The Education Committee fully developed course content including readings, activities, research case excerpts, and assessment questions and answers for the fifth module, “Legal and Ethical Considerations for Research Data” as proof of concept. Conclusion: Faculty and librarians have responded that the curriculum frameworks, when fully developed, will be a useful tool for providing data management instruction to students at the undergraduate and graduate levels who are enrolled in diverse science, health science and engineering courses. The modular format of the curriculum and variety of research cases is flexible ; allowing faculty to select modules that are relevant to their course programs. When completed, the curriculum can be delivered in multiple ways: face-to-face, as online interactive modules, or hybrid. Implementation funding for full development of the course modules, additional research cases, and piloting the curriculum modules is proposed

Leadership in Student Distance Education Teams

Interactive video technology has become a widely used medium for education. A prominent implementation of this technology, interactive distance learning, involves groups of students at local and remote sites connected by audio and video teleconferencing. This approach has made the task of delivering vital undergraduate and graduate engineering courses to distributed audiences much easier. As this approach has permeated more curricula, distance education instructors have increasingly assigned projects that require distance learners to work together as an element of the final course grade. This trend presents an interesting opportunity for researchers to understand the nature of interactions among course participants involved in project teams. This paper presents the results of an investigation of project leadership behaviors in the distance learning environment. Surveys were administered via online protocol to fifty-three students, comprising nineteen project teams. Results indicate that those teams led by individuals who clarified roles and task requirements, and recognized the strengths and individual needs of teams members performed better on their assigned tasks. Implications for instructors utilizing project teams in distance education, as well as traditional teams where communication technology (e.g., email) is highly relied upon, are presented

An information literacy integration model and its application in higher education

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present a model for curricular integration of information literacy for undergraduate programs in higher education. Design/methodology/approach - Data are drawn from individual interviews at three universities in Australia and curricular integration working experience at a New Zealand university. Sociocultural theories are adopted in the research process and in the development of the model, Findings - Key characteristics of the curriculum integration of information literacy were identified and an information literacy integration model was developed. The S2J2 key behaviours for campus-wide multi-partner collaboration in information literacy integration were also identified. Research limitations/implications - The model was developed without including the employer needs. Through the process of further research, the point of view of the employer on how to provide information literacy education needs to be explored in order to strengthen the model in curricular design. Practical implications - The information literacy integration model was developed based on practical experience in higher education and has been applied in different undergraduate curricular programs. The model could be used or adapted by both librarians and academics when they integrate information literacy into an undergraduate curriculum from a lower level to a higher level. Originality/value - The information literacy integration model was developed based on recent PhD research. The model integrates curriculum, pedagogy and learning theories, information literacy theories, information literacy guidelines, people and collaborative together. The model provides a framework of how information literacy can be integrated into multiple courses across an undergraduate academic degree in higher education

Use of online discussion groups to increase student understanding of global social and technical issues

Most engineering programs at University of Southern Queensland are offered in both on-campus and distance education modes. The Faculty of Engineering and Surveying student cohort has consisted of approximately 25 percent on-campus and 75 percent distance education students for more than a decade. In recent years, the proportion of international students has increased markedly and now approximately 30 percent of students in both modes are from a non-Australian background. This paper describes how the national and cultural diversity of the student cohort has been utilized in an engineering course to increase student awareness and understanding of global social and technical issues. The method employed has been to use a component of the assessment scheme to require students to participate in an on-line discussion group where they share local information about issues relating to transport, a commodity which all students use in one form or another. The information the students are asked to research and share is factual knowledge drawn from their own experience and web research of local sites. The method was introduced after finding that many students in both modes of study had a fairly restricted understanding of many of the social and technical issues outside their own direct experience. The method has been well received by students and could be used in a variety of other courses where the student cohort features a range of social and cultural backgrounds

EU–originated MOOCs, with focus on multi- and single-institution platforms

No abstract available

Developing a Graduate Master's Degree Program in Engineering Technology: Overview of Program Objectives, Structure and Impact

A study was conducted to outline the state of graduate master’s degree programs in engineering technology that are currently offered in the nation and particularly in the state of Texas, and to reflect on their core learning objectives, structure, demand, demographics, and impact. The trends identified were discussed in light of assembling a Master of Science in Engineering Technology (MSET) degree with a concentration in Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MMET) within the department of Engineering Technology & Industrial Distribution (ETID) at Texas A&M University (TAMU). Though Bachelor’s degrees in engineering technology are generally larger in terms of the numbers of programs offered as well as in enrollment, graduate master’s degrees in engineering technology are becoming increasingly popular, especially since they offer a unique hands-on and industry-focused education at a graduate level that many regional employers seek. In this paper, the commonalities among these currently offered programs were outlined and discussed, especially in terms of the makeup of the program structure, courses, and learning objectives; these were then contrasted with aspects of the degree program currently being developed at TAMU. Further, a brief assessment of the potential job market awaiting the graduates from this program, as well as the expected student demand was presented. Future work includes continued refinement of the curriculum and other program details by drawing upon the best attributes of currently offered similar programs.Cockrell School of Engineerin

An assessment strategy for a first year engineering problem solving course

This paper describes an assessment strategy for an Engineering problem-based learning course offered to first year students at the University of Southern Queensland. The assessment involves initial auditing of existing skills and competence of each student to facilitate the effective allocation of students with different levels of expertise in various discipline areas, into well balanced teams. This balance in combination with the formal assessments in the course, have been shown to encourage effective mentoring within and between teams. The formal assessment strategy includes a mix of both summative and formative assessment. The summative assessment of objectives combines team and individual assessment and is tailored to individual students’ existing skill levels. The emphasis is on advancement of skills and competence rather than simply achieving a minimum standard. This strategy provides the flexibility for equitable assessment of students with different initial skill and competence levels. This is particularly relevant to students studying in the distance mode who may have considerable professional experience and advanced skills and competence. By tracking progress towards the achievement of objectives, students develop an individual portfolio of achievements that can be continued throughout the remainder of their programs and professional lives

Digital signal processing: the impact of convergence on education, society and design flow

Design and development of real-time, memory and processor hungry digital signal processing systems has for decades been accomplished on general-purpose microprocessors. Increasing needs for high-performance DSP systems made these microprocessors unattractive for such implementations. Various attempts to improve the performance of these systems resulted in the use of dedicated digital signal processing devices like DSP processors and the former heavyweight champion of electronics design – Application Specific Integrated Circuits. The advent of RAM-based Field Programmable Gate Arrays has changed the DSP design flow. Software algorithmic designers can now take their DSP algorithms right from inception to hardware implementation, thanks to the increasing availability of software/hardware design flow or hardware/software co-design. This has led to a demand in the industry for graduates with good skills in both Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. This paper evaluates the impact of technology on DSP-based designs, hardware design languages, and how graduate/undergraduate courses have changed to suit this transition