Navigating the Virtual Landscape: Implementing a Pedagogical Framework in a Virtual Summer Engineering Course to Enhance Students\u27 Academic Development

In this evidence-based practice paper, the recently established CIRE educational model was incorporated, and modified, to establish an alternative pedagogical framework for a virtual, fast-paced summer engineering course in a private university in Texas. Transitioning to fully online courses in the wake of COVID-19 required a rapid modification of traditional pedagogical methods to overcome challenges such as the lack of academic resources and established campus practices, while simultaneously ensuring the academic and social development of students. In this regard, a pedagogical framework known as the CIRE model – which is the acronym for Communication, Initiation, Reduction, and Extension – was recently designed and implemented in a Rigid Body Dynamics Fall semester course, which generated favorable results. In this study, the CIRE model was adopted for a virtual Statics-Strength of Materials summer [six-week] course to test its effectiveness in a slightly different timeframe. However, the Initiation and Extension components of the model were modified to adapt to the fast-paced structure and allow the students to enhance their academic preparation despite the virtual setting. As such, rather than initiating homework sets during the lecture, as established in the CIRE model, step-by-step examples were instead performed during lecture sessions to strengthen the intuitive nature of solving homework problems. Similarly, the last component of the model was tailored for exams during the fast-paced summer course rather than for every assignment as stated originally. A survey was conducted with a cohort of twenty-four students to gauge responses and understand their perspectives regarding the pedagogical framework adopted. Results indicate that the implementation of the CIRE model, with its two modified components, allowed engineering students to have a holistic understanding of the course material despite the fast-paced timeframe. Students were able to successfully complete assignments individually and correlate theoretical aspects with engineering applications

Innovations in Engineering Education for Fast-paced Virtual Summer Courses

In this study, the recently developed CIRE (Communication, Initiation, Reduction, and Extension) pedagogical model was modified to generate an effective framework for a virtual, fast-paced summer engineering course in a private university in Texas. Transitioning to fully online courses in the wake of COVID-19 required rectifying traditional instructional methods to overcome challenges such as the lack of academic resources and established campus practices, while simultaneously ensuring the academic development of students. Thus, a pedagogical framework known as the CIRE model was recently designed and implemented in a Rigid Body Dynamics course, which according to the study, generated favorable results. To test its accurateness, the proposed CIRE model was adopted for a Statics-Strength of Materials summer [six-week] course taught in a slightly different timeframe. The implementation of the model was a proactive approach to the fast-paced structure of the summer course and allowed the students to enhance their academic preparation despite the virtual setting attempt. As such, a survey was conducted with a cohort of twenty-four students to gauge responses and understand their perspectives regarding the pedagogical framework. Results indicate that the implementation of the CIRE model, with its two modified components, allowed engineering students to have a holistic understanding of the course material despite the fast-paced timeframe. Students were further able to successfully complete assignments individually and correlate theoretical aspects with engineering applications

Learning in Transition: Developing and Employing Pedagogical Supports to Enhance Student Learning in Engineering Education

Scholarly research indicates that classroom environment and conditions influence the degree of student learning, levels of engagement, and overall success in engineering education. In the wake of COVID-19, educational institutions transitioned to fully online delivery that disrupted traditional and effective channels of communication enacted in classroom contexts. For a substantial number of faculty members, this rapid transition to a fully remote instructional context marked the start a novel style of teaching and learning environment, a grand departure from the traditional, direct face-to-face setting. Such rapid and disruptive change required creative solutions to routinized instructional practices and compelling faculty to adjust and/or adopt various communication strategies to address challenges such as the lack of academic resources, and established campus practices that promote effective learning. Over the last two years, researchers have engaged in numerous studies to learn more about how this transition has impacted both teaching and learning in higher education. In this study, students enrolled two engineering courses in a public, minority-serving institution in Texas, were surveyed to understand their academic experiences during the period of remote instruction and provide valuable insight and assistance to identify pedagogical strengths as well as areas of opportunities for faculty members who are or will be offering online courses. The survey particularly focused on capturing various instructional and pedagogical supports and approaches such as course expectations, lecture format, assignments, office hours, and student accommodations. Results indicate that faculty members were effectively able to encourage students to contact them if they had questions regarding coursework and assignments. Similarly, seventy-six percent of students reported that their instructors were receptive to their learning needs. At a microlevel, however, the data revealed certain areas in which instructors can make efforts to enhance current communication and instructional practices. One was the consistency for faculty to effectively communicate course expectations. Specifically, twenty-two percent of the participants mentioned the instructor did not clearly communicate course expectations during remote instruction

Quality Mentorship Matters: An Innovative Approach to Supporting Student Success in Engineering Undergraduate Research

In this research study, the authors developed a new model of mentorship for faculty members to engage and support their group of students conducting undergraduate engineering research. Research efforts attest that mentoring undergraduate students is a critical role that can dramatically enhance student academic and personal outcomes. This finding is magnified in the context of STEM related disciplines, such as engineering, where efforts to pro-actively diversify the workforce are taking shape. Yet, not every form of faculty-student mentorship is proven to be effective, particularly when faculty conceal forms of knowledge and information regarding internship/employment resources, departmental and research opportunities, curriculum alternatives, exposure to graduate school, and professional experiences that may result favorable in future career aspirations. A fundamental component to facilitating successful student career paths is correlated to an authentic form of mentorship, which exposes students to a plethora of career opportunities and prepares them to navigate postgraduate experiences. The proposed model, which was implemented over a span of four years with a total of sixteen engineering students conducting undergraduate research, identifies four key elements in the transformative process: 1) develop student-faculty relationship; 2) faculty commitment; 3) genuine desire for the mentee to succeed, and 4) willingness from faculty members to disseminate appropriate technical and personal wisdom. This emerging model, termed RCDD (e.g., acronym for Relationship, Commitment, Desire, Disseminate), gives faculty members a template to advance undergraduate engineering student success through a genuine mentorship role. Results indicate that graduating students are better prepared when applying for employment or graduate school. It was also noted that the confidence level increased going into internship opportunities or full-time employment due to their undergraduate involvement in research and the guidance from the faculty advisor

A Probabilistic Analysis in Vibration-assisted Drilling to Measure Dynamic Behavior During Drilling and Understand Risk Factors

In this paper, a mathematical representation is proposed to further understand the dynamic behavior and risk factors associated with vibration-assisted drilling (VAD) technology. The proposed Timoshenko beam model, which characterizes VAD technology, consists of two passive, counter-rotating coaxial rotors operating simultaneously, subjected to a stochastic excitation. In this regard, a finite element technique was incorporated to determine the physical parameters of the governing equation of motion, where the shear and rotary effects, as well as the gyroscopic couples generated perpendicular to the axis of rotation, were accounted for. Further, the relative velocity between the coaxial rotors was accounted in the equation of motion, which induced a modification on the stiffness and damping parameters. A fourth-order Runge-Kutta method was utilized to estimate the response and power spectra for soft and compact formations. Results indicated that resonance conditions due to gyroscopic effects manifest at soft and compact formations during drilling, however, at soft formations, the natural frequencies separated at lower RPMs, while at compact formations, higher RPMs were required to induce instabilities

Teaching Engineering Virtually: A Rapid Response to Address the Academic Challenges Generated by COVID-19

In this study, an alternative pedagogical model was established to address the academic challenges posed when undergraduate engineering students in a private university in Texas were mandated to seek off-campus housing due to the outbreak of COVI-19. As a result of the rapid transition to remote instruction, traditional and effective pedagogical methods implemented for in-person instruction had to be modified to overcome challenges such as the lack of academic resources, established campus practices that promote effective learning (e.g., study groups), and time-zone differences. Additionally, the instructional format had to be adjusted to ensure that the academic development of the students was sustained until the end of the semester. In this study, a survey was conducted with a cohort of 42 students enrolled in the Rigid Body Dynamics engineering course to gauge responses and understand their perspectives regarding the implementation of the emerging CIRE model, which is the acronym for Communication, Initiation, Reduction, and Extension. Results indicate that the new model eased the challenges posed by remote instruction. The constant communication of the instructor with the cohort of students allowed an easy transition to remote instruction, answered homework and lecture questions in a timely manner, and allowed students to remain engaged despite the challenges of being remote. Further, initiating homework sets during class eliminated confusion on various problems and allowed for students to complete the assignments without the access to study groups whose time zones were in conflict. Results also indicate that reducing the number of problems on homework sets and extending submission deadlines allowed students to continue learning despite the challenges

Scaffolding Student Success: Developing a Culturally Responsive Approach to Support Underrepresented Minorities in Engineering Undergraduate Research

In this research study, a scaffolding technique is implemented in undergraduate research to cultivate and enhance engineering related aptitudes and stimulate additional experience that will allow underrepresented minority students to fully engage in communication and leadership roles post-graduation. Developing and supporting the growth of underrepresented minorities as leaders who make significant innovative contributions to the global and interconnected scientific society requires awareness of contextual issues that shape their educational experiences and a commitment to enact on a framework that blends technical, communication, and leadership skills in undergraduate engineering education. In the context of this four year study, a total of sixteen engineering students conducting undergraduate research participated. The faculty advisor served as the ‘more knowledgeable other’ who strategically implemented five technical aspects or ‘scaffolds’ to enhance technical knowledge, leadership, cognitive and communication skills: literature review, design, implementation, testing, and research. In this regard, student enhance their technical knowledge by applying engineering principles and developing new methods to solve research problems, whereas leadership, cognitive, and communication skills are instilled through character adaptability between team members, decision-making, team management, and collaboration. Results indicate that students developed in the following areas: establishing commitments, constant communication, managing tasks simultaneously, working with a range of ideas, and sharing responsibilities

Incorporating a Mid-semester Project to Evaluate Communication, and Leadership Skills for Undergraduate Engineering Students in the Statics/Strength of Materials Course: A Comparative Assessment Before and During COVID-19

In this research study, a Popsicle-bridge project was assigned to a cohort of undergraduate engineering students enrolled in a Statics and Strength of Materials Course to enhance technical, communication, and leadership skills when working in a group setting. In most undergraduate engineering courses, the technical content is primarily emphasized for the academic development of the student. However, a practicing engineer must be able to possess and apply communication and leadership skills, which are often excluded from the existing curriculum. The first assessment of this project was completed with a cohort of 85 students in the Fall of 2019 before the outbreak of COVID-19, when all the students were attending in-person instruction. In this case, students were allowed to work in groups of four. The second assessment was conducted with a cohort of 95 students enrolled in the Fall 2020 semester, in which 49% of the student population was fully remote and 51% attended in-person instruction. For safety purposes, students in this cohort conducted the project individually but were provided opportunities to communicate with their peers. Results, before the pandemic, indicate that leadership roles and communicating effectively with group members were critical aspects in completing the project on time and having a functional, well-designed project. The students highlighted several factors such as delegating tasks to each member, meeting frequently to ensure each assignment is being executed properly, and managing different ideas as fundamental components in communication. Results for the second cohort of students indicate that completing individual projects represents a challenge despite being allowed to communicate with their peers, particularly, since working with team members can alleviate the burden of having to construct every single component on the project. However, being able to communicate with their peers allowed for ideas to be exchanged and for specific questions to be addressed

Structuring Student Success: Incorporating a Genre-based Pedagogical Method to Improve a Strength of Materials Laboratory Manual

In this research study the authors incorporated a pedagogical technique to improve a strength of materials lab manual. The conceptualization and subsequent development of a student friendly lab manual resource emerged from students’ difficulty in understanding the following areas: introduction to experiment, procedures, calculations, and relevancy to class content. Based on a survey conducted before lab manual improvements and modifications, mechanical engineering students expressed high dissatisfaction with the written structure of the manual and felt they spent too much time understanding lab procedures, deciphering what equations to utilize to complete their analyzes, and completing the report. As such, the authors structured the new manual into three, step-by-step segments to improve the efficacy of the lab and decrease the amount of time spent in a one-hour credited lab: (1) Objective, (2) What to Include in Lab Report, and (3) Procedures and Calculation. The improved manual also included incorporating technical analyses that were related to the strength of materials course. As such, a survey was conducted with a cohort of 43 students to gauge responses and further understand their perspectives regarding the modified lab manual. Results indicate that the sections of the improved manual were clear and easy to follow, made an excellent job correlating the course and lab material, and reduced the time to complete the reports

Nurturing Brilliance in Engineering: Creating Research Venues for Undergraduate Underrepresented Minorites in Engineering as an Initiative from Faculty Members that Foster Academic Inclusion, Development, and Postgraduation Instruction

In this study, a new model for attracting, advancing, and advocating for the participation of underrepresented minorities in research venues is proposed with the intention of fostering academic inclusion, development, and post-graduation mentorship. It involves developing and nurturing a disposition from faculty by proactively identifying students via classroom interaction, performance, and academic aptitude and extending a personal invitation to collaborate on the research team. Current research opportunities for engineering undergraduates at tier-one institutions are obtained by students\u27 incentive to communicate with faculty members via email or office hours. Despite the available opportunities, only a limited number of students are selected to participate due to the finite space and a degree of competency within a group. As for underrepresented minorities, such as Latino and African American students, these types of venues may seem inaccessible since a large number are first-generation college students who encounter supplementary challenges due to their cultural background, lack of proper academic guidance, and other institutional-based factors. These challenges oftentimes hinder their exposure, access, and participation to such academic resources that are necessary components for securing employment post-graduation or establishing fundamental research knowledge for graduate school. In the process of performing research, the faculty member serves as a mentor by providing extensive technical guidance and offer emotional support to strengthen academic development while simultaneously advocating post-graduation career venues. Primary results of the proposed model indicate increased levels of underrepresented minority student interest and motivation to engage in research as evidenced by the testimonies of current members. These emerging findings attest to the importance of faculty members’ desire to outreach directly with the students and establishing culturally responsive pathways for engaging minority students in research opportunities. Thus, students attract employers associated in the realm of research interest or attend graduate school post-graduation