A Systematic Methodology to Improving Literature Review Results

Summary: This presentation makes a case for a systematic and transparent literature review process, which increases the rigor and strength of primary research. Methods for collecting, screening, mapping, appraising, and synthesizing literature are presented. Application examples are included to solidify presentation concepts

Mechatronics and Academic Success: Towards Understanding the Impacts of Age, Major, and Technical Experience

This study built on previous research that found significant differences in the mean level of academic success (i.e., course grades) for students who participated in a mechatronic experience (i.e., integrating mechanical, electronic, and computer systems) vs. those who did not. This paper further examined this variation in course grades by conducting a two-way Analysis of Covariance to understand the impact academic major (i.e., technology major vs. non-technology major) and group assignment (i.e., control vs. treatment) had, while controlling for pre-study covariates of GPA, ACT, age, and technical experience. When adjusting for differences in ACT and GPA scores, we found significant main effects for group assignment (expected), but not for major (unexpected). Furthermore, no interaction effects where found between academic major and group assignment. When analyzing age and previous technical experience level (i.e., mechanical, electrical, and computer systems), we found age to be a significant predictor of course grades, while previous experience (in any area) was not. This would indicate that younger students performed better in the course, while, contrary to education theory, previous technical experience had no impact on course grades. This study used a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent group design with a convenience sample of n = 84 students in a first-year technology course. It looks to expand the empirical foundations supporting the impacts of mechatronic experiences on academic success

Student motivation and academic success: Examining the influences, differences, and economics of mechatronic experiences in fundamental undergraduate courses

In this study, we examined influences, differences, meanings, and economics of mechatronic experiences in a first-year, fundamental technology course. Our first objective examined the primary and secondary influences of mechatronic experiences on student engagement. Using a systematic review methodology, we collected n=402 articles. Screened by title and abstract, we mapped six parent and 22 child codes to the remaining n=137 articles. From these, we appraised n=17 studies, assessing eight as high quality. Our synthesis included these n=8 articles, from which we identified five primary influences (Student Motivation, Self-Efficacy, Course Rigor, Learning Retention, and Gender) and two secondary influences (Accreditation and Ease-of-Implementation). In these influences, we found evidence that mechatronic experiences can increase student motivation, self-efficacy, and course rigor. Also, positive impacts on learning, gender diversity, accreditation efforts, and ease of course content implementation were identified. Our second objective was to quantify differences in students’ motivational orientation and academic success in a mechatronic experience vs. a non-mechatronic experience. To this end, we developed, piloted, and deployed a mechatronic experience in a first-year technology course. Using a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control vs. treatment design (n=84) we found no statistically significant difference in students’ motivational orientation – specifically value choices [F(6,77)=0.13, p=0.7224] and expectancy beliefs [F(6,77)=0.38, p=0.5408] – between mechatronic and non-mechatronic experiences. This is an encouraging outcome, as literature would indicate students’ motivation drops over the course of a semester and wane towards the end of a project. In contrast, statistically significant increases in project scores [F(5,78)=6.51, p=0.0127, d=0.48, d95%CI=0.00 to 0.98] and course grades [F(5,78)=7.76, p=0.0067, d=0.70, d95%CI=0.20 to 1.20] were observed in the mechatronic experience group (three and eight percentage points, respectively). However, when we analyzed the correlation between motivational orientation and academic success, we found no relationship. We concluded that students’ motivational orientation did not moderate differences in academic success, as others have indicated. Our final objective was to quantify the costs and scalability of implementing our mechatronic experience. We found limited literature focusing on costs of such efforts, and therefore developed a novel costing method adapted from medical and early childhood education literature. We implemented this method using marginal (above baseline) time and cost ingredients that were collected during the development, pilot, and steady-state phases of the mechatronic experience. Our evaluation methods included descriptive statistics, Pareto analysis, and cost per capacity estimate analysis. For our 121-student effort, we found that the development, pilot, and steady-state phases cost just over $17.1k (~$12.4k for personnel and ~$4.7k for equipment), based on 2015 US$ and an enrollment capacity of 121 students. Total cost vs. capacity scaled at a factor of -0.64 (y = 3,121x-0.64, R2 = 0.99), which was within the 95% interval for personnel and capital observed in the chemical processing industry. Based on a four-year operational life and a range of 20 – 400 students per year, we estimated per seat total costs to range from $70 –$470, with our mechatronic experience coming in just under $150 per seat. The development phase cost, as well as the robot chassis and microcontroller capital cost were the primary cost terms for our mechatronic experience

Design of a Programmable SAW Correlator Using Binary Phase Shift Key Encryption for Wireless Network Security

A Programmable Surface Acoustic Wave (PSAW) correlator pair using Binary Phase Shift Key (BPSK) modulation and an 11-bit Barker code sequence is proposed to increase the security levels of wirelessly transmitted network data in the 2.45 GHz WiFi frequency band. Due to the unique properties of SAW correlator’s interdigital transducer (IDT) fingers, their orientation, and the alternating polarity between sets of IDT fingers, they are well suited for BPSK encoding applications. This encryption is made possible with the use of well-matched PSAW correlator pairs that encode RF burst signals to produce a high auto-correlation vs. cross-correlation signal. This encrypted signal is then decoded by passing it through a reverse coded PSAW correlator to remove the modulation encryption, leaving the original data signal. The critical parameters of the author’s proposed design are presented, including the piezoelectric substrate material selection, relevant equations for critical parameter, and the final proposed design

A Systematic Review of Mechatronic-based Projects in Introductory Engineering and Technology Courses

For well over two decades, engineering and technology educators have been deploying hands-on project-based learning activities in freshmen courses, in the hopes of inspiring students,increasing retention, and creating better educated graduates. Some of these educators have also been reporting the results of their efforts through papers published and/or presented in a widevariety of settings. In an attempt to understand the broad results of these efforts, this paper discusses the effects of mechatronic-based projects on the retention of engineering and technology students. To facilitate this discussion, we conducted a systematic review of well over 120 related sources of literature spanning the years from 1990 to 2014. This effort constituted a configurative review and allowed us to construct a methodically mapped landscape of the topicby applying a code or codes to each source. We will present the results of this effort, including abulations of the works that allow identification of the trends and gaps in the literature specific to the categories of Course Level, Content Delivery Method, Retention, Investment Level/Duration, Improvement Process, and Pedagogy. We will discuss our categorization strategies, and present conclusions about the efficacy of these approaches and the areas that appear most fruitful for additional research. In so doing, we hope to lay a strong foundation for future efforts towards improving the education of freshman technology students at a large land-grand, research-based university in the United States

Incremental Cost Analysis of First-Year Course Innovations

Many experiences in engineering education boast positive gains to students’ learning and achievement. However, current literature is less clear on the economic costs associated with these efforts, or methods for performing said analyses. To address this gap, we proposed a structured approach to analyzing the incremental costs associated with an experience in engineering education. This method was modeled after those found in medicine and early childhood education. We illustrated our methodology using marginal (above baseline) time and cost ingredients that were collected during the development, pilot, and steady-state phases of a mechatronic experience in a first-year undergraduate engineering technology course. Specifically, our method included descriptive analysis, Pareto analysis, and cost per capacity estimate analysis, the latter of which has received limited discussion in current cost analysis literature. The purpose of our illustrated explanation was to provide a clear method for incremental cost analyses of experiences in engineering education.We found that the development, pilot, and steady-state phases cost just over $17.1k (approximately$12.4k for personnel and approximately $4.7k for equipment), based on 2015 US$ and an enrollment capacity of 121 students. Cost vs. capacity scaled at a factor of – 0.64 (y = 3,121x–0.64, R2 = 0.99), which was within the 95% interval for personnel and capital commonly observed in the chemical processing industry. Based on a four-year operational life and a range of 20–400 students per year, we estimated per seat total costs to range from roughly $70–$470, with our mechatronic experience averaging just under $150 per seat. Notably, the development phase cost, as well as the robot chassis and microcontroller capital cost were the primary cost terms of this intervention

Failure Rates in Engineering: Does It Have to Do with Class Size?

Not everyone is meant to be an engineer, but more could be. The failure rate for engineering students is unparalleled. A staggering 40% of students in engineering do not make it through the first year and of those who make it, 30% would fail in many of its fundamental courses. Engineering is not, nor should it be, an easy program. Traditionally, many researchers have argued that the primary reason why students fail in these courses is a lack of preparedness for the high level of academic rigors in engineering. They have also argued that beyond the rigors of the material is the time commitment required outside of the classroom. While the average college course requires 2 hours of outside study for every one hour in the classroom, engineering courses require an estimated 4 hours. In addition, engineering instructors more extensively employ extensive lecturing in their classroom and grade on a curve, two practices that create educational disadvantages for engineering students. Although the systems in place that run many engineering colleges around the country work fairly well for the traditional engineering student –the teenager who shows up on campus ready to dedicate the next four years of their lives to school, a chunk of undergraduates in commuter schools do not fit this profile. These students are juggling classes and a job or family or both. Most of our education system is not built to cater to their needs, and its results are extremely wasteful. This paper presents initial results of a research project on failure rates in an engineering commuter school–where 40% of our students work more than 10 hours per week while going to school full time. We focused on 3 fundamental engineering courses: mechanics of materials, dynamics, and introduction to circuit. This pilot research is addressing the question of What do failure rates in these courses really measure?

Influences of Mechatronics on Student Engagement in Fundamental Engineering Courses: A Systematic Review

In our review we examined the primary and secondary influences of mechatronic experiences on student engagement in fundamental engineering courses. Using a systematic review methodology, we collected 402 articles with publication dates ranging from 1990–2014. Screening on title and abstract information reduced our included sources to 137, from which we mapped six parent and 22 child codes. Appraising 17 of these articles we identified eight high quality studies as the focus of our synthesis, which identified five primary influences (Student Motivation, Self-Efficacy, Course Rigor, Learning Retention, and Gender) and two secondary influences (Accreditation and Ease-of-Implementation). In these influences we found evidence that mechatronic experiences can increase student motivation, self-efficacy, and course rigor. Also, positive effects on learning retention, gender diversity, accreditation efforts, and ease of course content implementation were identified. Future research is needed to clarify: (1) if mechatronic experiences truly increase student motivation and self-efficacy more than lecture-based strategies, (2) how the positive short-term impacts of these experiences translate to subjective academic success (i.e., future course and career goals), (3) how implementation logistics are influenced by experience type (i.e., open-ended projects verse contests), class size, institution and industry support, etc., and (4) to what degree the factors of gender, underrepresented student groups, course curricular placement, and activity type influence student engagement

Analysis of Asynchronous Supplemental Course Modules in Statistical Process Control

Many engineering and technology departments at the collegiate level have developed extensive online and hybrid (face-to-face and online) course offerings (Bourne, Harris, & Mayadas, 2005). These courses may meet several goals such as increasing access, reducing university costs, providing schedule flexibility, and increasing curriculum offerings. An additional opportunity for computer-based learning is to increase student success by offering asynchronous learning modules to extend content beyond traditional lectures

Identification and Validation of Competencies Expected of the Graduate Programs in Renewable Energy

Summary: At the conclusion of this study, a clear list of 42 content items was identified and statistically ranked. It was found that seven competency items ranked as very important, 30 as important, and five as somewhat important. These results are presented and discussed as a framework in developing or improving existing renewable energy graduate programs