Using Personas to Guide Education Needs Analysis and Program Design

The undergraduate programs within electrical engineering, computer science and engineering and software engineering at Chalmers are currently under revision. Some notable problems for these programs are the long-term trends of diminishing number of applications and a low share of female students. This paper first describes the stakeholder’s needs analysis phases of the project, where current occupational roles for these types of engineers were mapped out in order to find out what knowledge skills and attributes that are necessary to work as an engineer in this field. These occupational roles were then used to guide the program concept design phase of the project. As the number of occupational roles is large, a persona methodology was used to gather all the necessary information into a graspable format. Personas have for a long time been used in e.g. software development for describing users/customers. We adapted this methodology to describe the future professional roles of engineering graduates. The personas were based on information gathered through workshops with Chalmers staff and representatives from the local business sector, alumni surveys and observational journals from working engineers as well as documentation from different organizations on the future demands on engineers. The paper then describes the program concept design phase of the project, where the personas were used as reminders for the design team that the roles for engineers at work are broad and contain many tasks and aspects that are traditionally not covered in engineering education. These many tasks need to be considered in the curriculum. In particular, the personas were helpful in the work of designing new and more diverse profiles at the bachelor level. In addition, the personas work, which was performed rather broadly across the departments involved in these five programs, has served as a basis for making the premises for the succeeding revision well known across the organization

Optimizing 4C Skills through Team Based Projects Using Product Oriented Modules for Electrical Engineering Education Students

In order to prepare a reliable generation in the future, students need 21st century skills which are abbreviated as 4C, namely critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication. The Government through the Minister of Education and Culture responded to all forms of 21st century learning challenges by launching the Merdeka Learning Campus Merdeka (MBKM) activity. The Decree of the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia Number 754/P/2020 concerning Main Performance Indicators (IKU), especially in KPI 7 concerning collaborative and participatory classes, states that in 21st century learning there are two learning methods used in the classroom, namely case method and team based projects. Therefore, the Electrical Engineering Education Study Program responded by implementing team based project learning combined with using product oriented modules to optimize 21st century skills. The research model used in this study was the ADDIE model which consisted of analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation. The instrument used is the 4C skill instrument based on P21. This research is implemented in the 5th semester in Electrical Machinery course in the Electrical Engineering Education Study Program. The results obtained in the research are team based projects using product oriented modules are able to optimize the 4C skills of Electrical Engineering Education students well

Assessing students’ experiences in a virtual learning environment

CONTEXT Technology has played an important role in the provision of educational equity for learners inAustralian communities. Engaging off-campus students through technology resources is vital for avirtual learning environment in engineering education. To ensure a positive experience for thestudents in off-campus (virtual) learning, the use of modern technology is crucial for collaborative andactive learning.PURPOSE Design based education is a combination of project based and problem based approaches. Throughsmall or big projects, students work in teams with combinations of off-campus and on-campusstudents. Integration of technology resources takes place within these groups through collaborativelearning and active learning. Even though the facilities and technology support are provided for offcampusstudents, there is always a gap in fulfilling the off-campus students’ learning expectations in avirtual learning environment. Technology plays an important role in providing student engagement insolving design problems, which is a need for the distance learner community in future. The purpose ofthis study is to evaluate students’ experiences on the use of technology in learning and teaching,which is delivered in off-campus mode.APPROACH The cohorts of students involved in this online survey are from first year undergraduate engineering inTrimester 2, 2016. The online survey analysis of students’ perceptions will help teaching staff to betterunderstand and assess off-campus students’ experiences, challenges and barriers in a virtual learningenvironment.RESULTS The distance learners’ experiences are analysed from an online survey. This online survey analysesthe students’ experiences on use of technology and how it supports and enhances students learning indistance mode. It also analyses the student learning experiences on project/design-based learningapproach in engineering. In this particular unit (Electrical Systems), students work in teams of 2-3 onlab work and other assignments. The analysed results also discuss the students’ perceptions onteamwork, communication, interaction and assessment.CONCLUSIONS The aim of the engineering curriculum is to provide learning and teaching support equally for both oncampusand off-campus students. From the analysed survey results, this study reveals that the use oftechnology plays a vital role in students learning from availability and accessibility of materials toassessment methods, lab tutorials, and online seminars. In a project/design based learningcurriculum, the distance learners have an equal opportunity to enhance the learning skills as the oncampusstudents experience in a study environment

A Combinational Digital Logic Design Tool for Practice and Assessment in Engineering Education

As technology advances, computers are being used almost everywhere. In a 2013 US Census report (File and Ryan, 2014), 83.8% (up from 78.9% in 2012) of U.S. households reported owning a computer with 74.4% reporting internet use (73.4% high speed internet). In recent years, the shift in educational technologies has been moving towards gaming, more specifically serious gaming. Although this is an important trend, there is still much to be said about e-learning through a step-by-step interactive process using an online practice tool. This paper presents a detailed description of the Combinational Logic Design Tool (CLDT) (Morsi and Russell (2007). CLDT was designed and developed under the CCLI project, #0737242, funded by the National Science Foundation, which aimed to develop and disseminate a novel online practice tool for on demand review and assessment in Electrical and Computer Engineering education. The paper also reports on a formal assessment conducted in a Digital Logic Design Classroom and presents the results of this assessment

Project Planning & Development for Engineering Freshmen

The nature and background of students seeking an engineering education has changed drastically in the last decade, as has the expectations of industrial employers. Many students lack the organizational skills needed for academic success. Similar organizational skills, although more advanced, are required for managing engineering projects. A new course was developed by the faculty at the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of New Haven. Through this course, a key component of the Multidisciplinary Engineering Foundation Spiral, seeks to promote higher retention rates, increase student motivation and begin a confidence-building transition to professional practice. Project management concepts are integrated for application by students to project activities. Thus students develop the project and self-management skills required to successfully plan and implement selected projects within budgetary and time constraints using Microsoft Project. Projects use LabVIEW programming1 for data acquisition and control and CAD tools for technical communication of design information. Students gain proficiency in each of these areas as they are applied to a series of projects spanning the course. A novel feature of this course is the subdivision of a large highly complex project into multiple interdependent components with each team responsible for a specific component. Traditional project-based classes typically subdivide a project to minimize interaction among the teams or to limit each team to a single disciplinary perspective. This course uses the project subdivision to force a broader multidisciplinary attitude among the students. Each team must resolve the interface issues, so when assembled all components will operate together according to the specifications. Developed and taught by a multi-disciplinary team of faculty from the University of New Haven, this course provides a foundation for subsequent engineering courses with exposure to content in areas such as mechanics, electrical phenomena and programming logic. In addition the course contributes significantly to the development of time management, teamwork, and oral and written communication skills

Ke Ao: A Low-Cost 1U CubeSat for Aerospace Education and Research in Hawaii

The Ke Ao satellite is a low-cost 1U CubeSat designed and developed by an undergraduate team of engineering students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) in collaboration with the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL). The primary goal of the mission is to take one or more pictures from space and automatically identify the Hawaiian Islands using Machine Learning Algorithms - this will demonstrate improved onboard operational autonomy in space. A secondary goal of this project is to promote Aerospace Education and Workforce training in Hawaii. The Ke Ao project was inspired by the Hiapo CubeSat initiative of the Hawaii Science and Technology Museum as a unique platform used to provide engaging meaningful hands-on STEM curriculum for Hawaii students K-12. The realization that low-cost flight hardware, in the order of ～$10k, is practically non-existent, and therefore the barrier to launch a flight-capable CubeSat is still high for small organizations and schools with low budgets. The Ke Ao project started in the Fall of 2019 with the Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) Aerospace Technologies with Electrical, Mechanical, and Computer Science Engineering Students at UH and continued to be facilitated under the Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Course within the College of Engineering throughout the year of 2020. The project was impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic but this enabled the student team to improve on the design and simulations. Hiapo and Ke Ao also inspired the NASA Artemis CubeSat Kit project being developed at the HSFL. The Artemis CubeSat Kit will be used as an educational tool for teaching aerospace and distribution in the public domain. The development of these three CubeSats allowed for synergistic development and multipurpose designs and gave the students a wide breadth of design experiences. This paper will expand on the design and development for the main objectives for Ke Ao (1) take one or more pictures of the Hawaiian Islands from space; (2) cost shall be no more than$10,000 with built parts; and (3) launch-ready via the NASA CSLI application and requirements. To address these objectives Ke Ao uses spaceflight capable but low-cost hardware flown in previous CubeSat missions and consists of seven primary subsystems: Attitude Determination and Control System, Communications, Electrical Power Systems, On-Board Computer and Flight Software, Payload, Structure and Mechanisms, and Thermal Control Systems. Ke Ao will use onboard magnetic torquers to control the attitude of the payload and take pictures of the Hawaiian Islands. The data will be transmitted to the HSFL ground stations in Hawaii and through the SatNOGS ground station network across the World. Ke Ao’s mission and primary goals are in line with the 2018 NASA Strategic Plan’s Strategic Objective 3.3 to Inspire and Engage the Public in Aeronautics, Space, and Science and contribute to the Nation’s science literacy

New Approach to Teach Product Design that Breaks the Disciplinary Boundaries

This paper presents an initiative and a strategy to teach product design to students in different engineering technology fields through cross departmental collaboration and cooperation between faculty members in the Mechanical Engineering Technology and the Computer Engineering Technology Departments. The work is funded by the National Science Foundation Advanced Technology Education Division (Award No. DUE-1003712) recently awarded to New York City College of Technology. Traditional approach to teach product design in a college setting was mostly confined by disciplinary boundaries. There were very little or no collaborations among various engineering departments. Advances in computer technology and semiconductor electronics have created a new product design field called mechatronics. Mechatronics treats product design as system design that requires the tight integration of mechanical components, electrical/electronic systems, industrial design ideas, computer-control systems, embedded systems, and intelligent software into the product design and development processes. Most of the products now being developed are mechatronics in nature. To help students to understand the multidisciplinary nature of the product design, various hands-on product design projects have been developed by the faculty members in the two engineering departments. Students from four different fields of the two departments (mechanical engineering technology, industrial design technology, electromechanical engineering technology and computer engineering technology) have been involved in these projects. Students are divided into design teams. Each design team consists of students from different fields. Joint class sessions are being held and taught by faculties from the two departments at different stages of the design project. Students started to gain important experience in team work, time management, and collaboration and cooperation through various design activities. This concurrent engineering and mechatronic design approach, which emphasizes team collaboration, has become the new industry standard in product design and development. Students were given specific mechatronic/robotic design projects that required them to use actual mechanical, electrical/electronic hardware and software that are being currently used by the industry. This enable the instructor to simulate actual product design activities occurred in the industry. Not only were students exposed to the latest mechatronic technology, they also learn the concurrent engineering design approach in the process. Students were provided with a framework of fundamental design knowledge with hands-on cross-disciplinary activities that allow them to develop an interdisciplinary understanding and integrated approach to product design. Through these hands-on activities, students will also learn the concept of product lifecycle management and sharpen their teamwork skills

International Student Projects and Sustainable Development Goals: A Perfect Match

Engineering Education is currently going through a transformation, driven by the need for educating better engineers and more engineers, and largely build on elements such as problem orientation, interdisciplinarity, internationalization, digitalization and sustainability. In 2020, the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership EPIC (Improving Employability Through Internationalization and Collaboration) has combined all these elements, and demonstrated how international and interdisciplinary student projects, focusing on solving real-world problems related to sustainability, can be carried out in a setting where students mainly work together online. A total of 56 students from 7 EU and 2 international universities, with backgrounds ranging from Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering to Textile Technologies and Business Informatics were working on 9 different projects throughout the spring of 2020. The paper presents the experiences from the setup and discusses some general recommendations for setting up this type of projects. The paper goes through the stages of defining and carrying out the projects: Defining the overall framework, identifying problems/project proposals in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, identifying the students and assigning students to projects, preparing students and supervisors, organising the physical kick-off seminar, and supporting the online collaboration. We also discuss evaluation and hand-over of the solutions, to ensure the projects have a lasting impact. We conclude that the sustainable development goals provide a highly motivating framework for interdisciplinary, international student projects based on problem-based learning. We also note that a careful design and execution of the all the preparatory stages are crucial in order for the projects to succeed, and discuss specific recommendations for these.</p

Enhancing the Engineering Curriculum: Defining Discovery Learning at Marquette University

This paper summarizes the results of our investigation into the feasibility of increasing the level of discovery learning in the College of Engineering (COE) at Marquette University. We review the education literature, document examples of discovery learning currently practiced in the COE and other schools, and propose a Marquette COE-specific definition of discovery learn-ing. Based on our assessment of the benefits, costs, and tradeoffs associated with increasing the level of discovery learning, we pre-sent several recommendations and identify resources required for implementation. These recommendations may be helpful in enhancing engineering education at other schools