Benchmark Portfolio for SOFT 261: Software Engineering IV

This benchmark portfolio documents the course objectives, teaching strategies, and assessments for the inaugural offering of SOFT 261: Software Engineering IV at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). This is the final course in the core sequence of software engineering courses taken by students in the new undergraduate program in software engineering at UNL. These courses teach fundamental computer science concepts in the broader context of engineering software. As an ACE (Achievement-Centered Education) 2 course, the instructional material in SOFT 261 is focused on teaching visual communications skills in the context of applying software engineering processes to a real-world software project. This portfolio describes the course objectives and how this course fits into the broader context of software engineering education at UNL. It also describes the instructional strategies used to teach visual communications embedded in a software engineering course and the assessments used to evaluate student learning. This portfolio also analyzes student learning to assess the effectiveness of the teaching strategies and course materials. Finally, this portfolio reflects on the intellectual challenges of designing and teaching a visual communications course specifically for software engineering majors that incorporates team-based, hands-on learning working with and communicating with software developers on a large open-source project

The Theoretical Learning Impact of a Summer Engineering Program Curriculum for Underrepresented Middle School Students

This mixed methods, exploratory and confirmatory study was designed to evaluate the theoretical learning impact of a innovative summer engineering program curriculum would have on its audience, middle school minority students. Several theories were used to develop the innovative curriculum including Human Constructivism, cultural learning styles of African Americans, visual spatial learning and graphic design learning. This study was completed in two phases: evaluation of existing middle school summer engineering program curriculum for best practices and development of innovative curriculum and expert evaluation of the innovative curriculum. Three existing programs from across the country participated in this study. Five engineering education experts evaluated the innovative curriculum. The innovative curriculum is composed of three extensive units that include forces and motion, earth and space science and energy topics. A mixed methods design was used in data collection and analysis to provide a complete view of the theoretical impact of the curriculum. The resulting qualitative and quantitative data indicated the innovative program would enhance its target audience by providing a strong foundation in the fundamental understanding of science and engineering topics and spatial visualization. The qualitative narratives proved that many of the existing programs provide very similar learning environments that do not necessarily include cultural learning, meaningful learning and visual spatial learning. The expert evaluators collectively determined that the innovative program would have a positive and enriching academic impact with the chosen theoretical components. They believed that there was overwhelming evidence (3.7 rating average out of a 4.0) that the theoretical components existed in the curriculum and would provide middle school minority students with the proper knowledge to increase their interest which would inherently increase the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics career pipelines. They also strongly agreed (4.875 rating average out of 5) that the program differed from other program, has relevant learning theories for the target audience exceeded expectations and all the participants of the future program to “see themselves as engineers.

The other art of computer programming: A visual alternative to communicate computational thinking

The thesis will explore the implications of teaching computer science through visual communication. This study aims to define a framework for using pictures within learning computer science. Visual communication materials for teaching computer science were created and tested with Year 8 students. Along with a recent commercial and political focus on the introduction of coding to adolescents, it appears that the computer industry has a large shortfall of programmers. Accompanying this shortfall is a rise among adolescents in the preference for visual communication (Brumberger, 2011; Coats, 2006; Oblinger et al., 2005; Prensky, 2001; Tapscott, 1998) while textual communication currently dominates the teaching materials in the computing discipline. This study looks at the learning process and utilises the ideas of Gibson, Dewey and Piaget to consider the role of visual design in teaching programming. According to Piagetian theory Year 8 is the time a child begins to understand abstract thought. This research investigated through co-creation and prototyping how to creatively support cognition within the learning process. Visual communication theories, comprising the fields of graphic and information design, were employed to communicate computer science to approximately 60 junior high school students across eight schools. Literature in a range of visual communication fields is reviewed along with the psychology of perception and cognition to help create a prototype lesson plan for the target audience of Year 8 students. The history of computer science is reviewed to illustrate the mental imagery within the discipline and also to explore computational thinking concepts. These concepts are . . . the metaphors and structures that underlie all areas of science and engineering (Guzdial, 2008). The participants’ attitudes increased toward learning programming through visual communication. Quantitative questionnaires were used to gather data on cognition and measure the effectiveness of the learning process. Thirteen hypotheses were established concerning learning programming through pictures from the quantitative data. Focus groups further triangulated data gathered in the quantitative stage. Approximately seventy percent of the participants understood seventy percent of the information within the instrumentation. Models of intent to learn programming through pictures were established using structural equation modelling (SEM). Outcomes of the exegesis are a framework for using pictures that demonstrates computational thinking and explains the research

A means to foster STEM interest: A mystery room at Banksia Gardens Community Services

Our project aimed to increase student engagement in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by creating a mystery room for Banksia Gardens Community Services. We developed an iterative design-feedback process after researching professional escape room design methodology. Our room incorporated activities for multiple learning types with auditory, visual, and kinesthetic puzzles. From our observations, we found the mystery room engages all learning types and therefore has potential to be used as an educational tool in the future

smART::ART Integrated Formal and Informal STEAM Education

IMPACT. 1: Attending to the STEM learning needs of underrepresented populations and diversifying participation in the future engineering workforce. -- 2. Teaching design and engineering skills across the curriculum to meet the related demands of the Common Core State Standards in math, Ohio's New Science Learning Standards, and college/career expectations. -- 3. Integrating the creative arts into science to expand students' spatial thinking skills as well as their imagination and innovation capacities in authentic interdisciplinary ways.OSU PARTNERS: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering - Engineering Education Innovation Center, Minority Engineering Program; College of Education and Human EcologyCOMMUNITY PARTNERS: COSI; Diversity, Inclusion & Partnerships Teen Programming; Beta by Design 501(c)(3) education organization; Hilltonia Middle School; Columbus City Schools; Metro Early College Middle SchoolPRIMARY CONTACT: Deborah Grzybowski ([email protected])Engineering is an inherently creative process. The smART project seeks to engage underrepresented populations in those creative processes and in so doing, generate a better understanding of the interrelated domains of engineering, science, technology and visual art. Research has shown that some individuals avoid STEM engagement due to fear and/or lack of exposure to STEM concepts in their early years. Often these same individuals self-select into the arts. Moreover, the engineering workforce lacks gender and racial/ethnic diversity, which limits its creative potential. To explore this issue, this project uses an arts-oriented approach within a multi-cultural after-school setting to create a more diverse pool of students and teachers who are STEM literate and STEM comfortable. The project has produced a comprehensive arts-integrated STEM curriculum for middle-school informal learning environments

A Teaching Unit Plan for Introducing Engineering in 1st-2nd Grade Classrooms

The field of engineering, and specifically chemical engineering, is projected to increase significantly over the next 10 years. Engineering programs require students to have a strong foundation of math and science. Students in the United States are often underprepared to enter these programs, and the majority of high school students are not interested in pursuing a career in the STEM field at all. For this project, a unit teaching plan was created to introduce students to the field of engineering, providing a foundation for their upper-level STEM classes, and encouraging them to consider engineering as a career in the future. The unit plan is intended to be a single 30-minute to 1 hour presentation with an optional visual activity, that includes 3 learning objectives. The unit was presented at 4 elementary schools in Northwest Arkansas. Results from a teacher survey administered during the presentations indicated that the presentation was successful in implementing the learning objectives

A Teaching Unit Plan for Introducing Engineering in 1st-2nd Grade Classrooms

The field of engineering, and specifically chemical engineering, is projected to increase significantly over the next 10 years. Engineering programs require students to have a strong foundation of math and science. Students in the United States are often underprepared to enter these programs, and the majority of high school students are not interested in pursuing a career in the STEM field at all. For this project, a unit teaching plan was created to introduce students to the field of engineering, providing a foundation for their upper-level STEM classes, and encouraging them to consider engineering as a career in the future. The unit plan is intended to be a single 30-minute to 1 hour presentation with an optional visual activity, that includes 3 learning objectives. The unit was presented at 4 elementary schools in Northwest Arkansas. Results from a teacher survey administered during the presentations indicated that the presentation was successful in implementing the learning objectives

Comparison of Written and Spoken Instruction to Foster Coordination between Diagram and Equation in Undergraduate Physics Education

Visual–graphical representations are used to visualise information and are therefore key components of learning materials. An important type of convention-based representation in everyday contexts as well as in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines are vector field plots. Based on the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, we aim to optimize an instruction with symbolical-mathematical and visual-graphical representations in undergraduate physics education through spoken instruction combined with dynamic visual cues. For this purpose, we conduct a pre-post study with 38 natural science students who are divided into two groups and instructed via different modalities and with visual cues on the graphical interpretation of vector field plots. Afterward, the students rate their cognitive load. During the computer-based experiment, we record the participants’ eye movements. Our results indicate that students with spoken instruction perform better than students with written instruction. This suggests that the modality effect is also applicable to mathematical-symbolical and convention-based visual-graphical representations. The differences in visual strategies imply that spoken instruction might lead to increased effort in organising and integrating information. The finding of the modality effect with higher performance during spoken instruction could be explained by deeper cognitive processing of the material

(How) Are Interdisciplinary Studies Relevant to Academia and Industry?

This event was a moderated panel discussion featuring: Curtiss Takada Rooks, Associate Dean of Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, and Faculty Member, Department of American Cultures Eric Strauss, Presidential Professor, Department of Biology and Center for Urban Resilience (CURes) Michele Hammers, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies, and Collaborator, Virtual Engineering Sciences Learning Lab Aliza Sorotzkin, Global Training and Education Manager, Side Effects Software, Inc, maker of 3D animation and visual effects tools Stephanie E. August, Moderator, Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Successful development of an innovative, integrative and interdisciplinary academic curriculum requires understanding the need for change from both intellectual or academic and career perspectives. In this panel discussion, a group of professors who have developed interdisciplinary programs or collaborated on interdisciplinary projects will join with a manager from industry to share their views on the future, experiences working across traditional boundaries, and models for bridging the gap between disciplines. Organized by Stephanie E. August, Ph.D., Electrical Engineering and Computer Science