Flipping the Classroom to Engage Students in a Graphical Communications Course

The flipped classroom, which requires students to study concepts before the class, apply what they learn in the classroom, work with other students and get immediate feedback from the instructor, is not a new concept. However, the effectiveness of the online study and student’s perception of the flipped classroom were not widely studied in the area of engineering graphics. This paper presents a pilot study of the flipped classroom in a Graphical Communications course. Students are required to study course material online and take online quiz before the face-to-face classroom experience. The online course study includes multimedia materials and online quiz. The results of anonymous student surveys and exam scores verify that flipped classroom is effective when used for teaching graphics and was well accepted by students

Students\u27 Perception of the Flipped Classroom in Graphical Communications

The flipped classroom requires students to study concepts before the class, apply what they learn in the classroom, and work with other students, which then makes it possible to get immediate feedback from the instructor. However, the student’s perception of the flipped classroom is not widely investigated in the area of engineering graphics. This paper presents a study of the flipped classroom in a Graphical Communications course. Students are required to study course material online before the face-to-face classroom experience. The online course study includes multimedia materials and an online quiz that they are required to take. The results of anonymous student surveys show that flipped classroom is effective only when it is designed in an appropriate way

The Use of a Real Time Online Class Response System to Enhance Classroom Learning

A real time online class response system was used in class to quickly query student population’s grasp of concepts, engage class participation, check their attendance, and clarify any misconceptions. The biggest challenges for the instructor are time needed to learn the new system, creating effective concept questions, adequate coverage of course material, and ability to respond to instantaneous student feedback. Student challenges include increased confusion if inappropriate wording for the questions, and a negative reaction to the approach in general. Overall this is a highly flexible use of interactive technology for engaging students in any discipline during the class time

Incorporating Active Learning into the Graphical Communications Course

Active learning, is a student-centered learning strategy which has recently gained considerable attention in higher education. The literature has shown that active learning has led to better student attitudes and improvements in their thinking, communication, leadership, and writing skills. The core elements of active learning are student activities and engagement in the learning process. As more faculty look for alternatives to traditional teaching methods they have strongly advocated active learning. However, the potential challenges for faculty with such an approach cannot be ignored such as increased class preparation time, the risks of student dissatisfaction, the use of instructional technology, and increased lecture time

Regulation of Epithelial Turnover by Host-Virome Interactions

The host immune system must constantly function to maintain chronic commensal and pathogenic organisms in check. These organisms include the virome, which is the viral component of the microbiome. The consequences of immune responses to the virome on host physiology are as yet unexplored, and may have long-term implications in health and disease. Here, I used both genetic and infectious mouse models to investigate how the innate antiviral cytokines Type I interferons (IFNs) modulate epithelial turnover. I first found that mice deficient in Irgm1, a p47 GTPase, had persistently elevated Type I IFNs even in the absence of exogenous viral infection. The Irgm1-/- mouse enabled us to study the effects of Type I IFNs on host physiology without the compounding variables imposed by a complex viral infection. I found that Type I IFNs increased epithelial turnover in multiple organs. Chronic viral infection, which induces Type I IFN production, also augmented epithelial turnover, demonstrating the physiological relevance of this process. I discovered that Type I IFNs acted through non-epithelial cells, including macrophages, to promote increased epithelial turnover and wound repair. Downstream of Type I IFN signaling, the highly related IFN-stimulated genes Apolipoprotein L9a and b stimulated epithelial proliferation through ERK activation. These findings demonstrate that the host immune response to chronic viral infection has systemic effects on epithelial turnover through a myeloid-epithelial circuit. This work advances our understanding of the mechanisms that modulate proliferation and cell death of epithelial barriers that provide the first line of protection against the environment

Mathematics in the Woods: Exploring Low-Income Parents’ Perceptions of and Involvement in Their Children’s Mathematical Learning

This article features data from a three-day mathematics camping trip that offered parents and their children time and space to enjoy non-digital activities and mathematics-building tasks. Drawing upon data from a larger qualitative study of children and their parents, this article specifically focuses on 10 parents’ perceptions of their children’s mathematics learning, problem-solving, and wellbeing. Findings suggest that, although parents are interested in their children’s mathematics learning, they are most concerned with their children’s development of problem-solving abilities and social skills. Moreover, students’ own learning experience is important for their mathematics learning

Sustainable Design: Integrate the Creative Thinking and Innovation into Graphical Communications

Engineering programs need to prepare the next generation of engineering professionals for tackling sustainability challenges that impact the social, environmental, and economic progress of the nation. This paper describes how the sustainable design concept was integrated into a freshman-level engineering gateway course that emphasizes creative thinking and innovation through an open-ended team project. The goal of the study is to improve students’ study skills to prepare them to be the next generation of engineering professionals. The expected outcomes are increased and improved innovative thinking, communication, and teamwork skills. A questionnaire-based methodology was used to assess the success of the study and data was collect for three years. The assessment results indicate that students liked the sustainable design project and their innovative thinking, communication, and teamwork skills were improved in the sustainable design project over the time period analyzed. A summary of lessons learned during the study is included and a future plan is discussed

Applying Second Language Acquisition to Facilitate a Blended Learning of Programming Languages

This paper describes a recent NSF funded project under the Research Initiation Grant in Engineering Education (RIGEE) program. It correlates the programming language study to second language acquisition theory. The work begun in Fall 2014, and project materials are under development. This paper outlines the proposed work and the materials developed to support the implementation of the project in Fall 2015

Teaching Higher on Bloom\u27s Taxonomy: Experience in Introduction to Graphical Communications Course

Introduction to Graphical Communications is designed to familiarize the student with the basic principles of engineering drawing, to improve three dimensional visualization skills, and to teach the fundamentals of a computer aided design program. Much of the instruction is focused on knowledge and comprehension, low levels of Bloom\u27s taxonomy. However, the students\u27 ability to use this knowledge and comprehension to explore real engineering design is unknown. This paper includes the implementation of Bloom\u27s taxonomy in the Introduction to Graphical Communications course, and shows how students are moved up Bloom\u27s taxonomy by including a group final project into the course. Students are required to form the team, research the product they want to design, design their power point and present their work as a team. The team project enables and challenges students to work on highest level of Bloom\u27s taxonomy by emphasizing teamwork, exploring real engineering design problem, and enhancing their oral and written skills