Teaching in the Times of Pandemic

The changes in academia are typically slow but very purposeful, they are carefully reviewed and strategically implemented, that is, until unpredictable massive tectonic shifts occur in society. Historically, academia has not experienced major distress on a global scale that would require a fundamental change and adaptation to new set of circumstances, until the world faced COVID-19 pandemic of proportions which caused academia to rapidly adjust to new realities and make major changes. The time frame in which the changes needed to be done, weeks and months, were so short that academia was placed under the significant stress to which it is unaccustomed, but it did change in numerous innovative ways and delivered exceptional results. This paper presents some of the lessons learned by the authors from this global pandemic which could be added to the toolbox of measures to deal with the future tectonic changes, and yet these same lessons can also serve to improve student learning experiences in the times of normalcy.Teaching approaches discussed in this paper are related to authors’ extensive experiences in delivering courses in synchronous and asynchronous distance modalities. These experiences allowed authors to seamlessly and effortlessly transition to new conditions facing academia. In addition, the students who were exposed to similar learning experiences prior to pandemic had equally seamless and effortless transition.The results indicate that students benefited significantly from the applied approach which included flipped classroom and asynchronous learning amongst other approaches. In addition, the “any-time” and “any-where” access to course material helped students manage numerous obligations outside the coursework during the challenging and uncertain times when they had to deal with personal and professional issues.The pre-Covid and during-Covid analysis has been performed on the student success. The results indicate that students mastered the material at the same or even higher level of comprehension compared to traditional lecture environment. It can be concluded that methods applied to improve student learning using non-traditional methods can help students succeed in mastering material and help universities manage stress of a considerable magnitude

Scientific Literacy Matters: Using Literature to Meet Next Generation Science Standards and 21st Century Skills

Scientific literacy matters. It matters because it is vitally important to the education and development of America’s children, tomorrow\u27s workforce, and the keepers of our future. If the future of American individual decision making, engagement in civic and cultural affairs, and valuable contributions to economic development is to be protected, it is critical that American students become more scientifically literate than they are today. Today, most Americans, including students, are considered scientifically illiterate. Recognizing the need to develop and enhance scientific literacy (also known as science literacy), science educators have worked diligently at developing new science standards, new approaches to science teaching, and new techniques aimed at engaging students in the practice of science. In this article, the use of literature is discussed as one method to augment or supplement the teaching of science. In the context of making a literature selection, a new conceptual approach is proposed that includes attention to meeting the Next Generation Science Standards while being responsive to the importance of 21st Century Skills. Additionally, a Literary Assessment Tool is shared that demonstrates how science educators can evaluate a literary selection in terms of how well it will help them to enhance scientific literacy

Product Lifecycle Management: Measuring What Is Important - Product Lifecycle Implementation Maturity Model

Industry reports that benefits of PLM are difficult to assess because the same benefit can be expressed as a function of time, cost, quality, or any combination. Based on a review of the PLM literature in an earlier study, a PLM Process Model and an initial list of PLM related metrics was generated and later confirmed through interviews with experienced PLM users. In the current study, the original PLM Process Model was refined and the list of metrics was subjected to an exploratory factor analysis in which specific metrics were found to be related to one of four factors: Inputs, Processes, Outputs, and Outcomes. Based on the results of this study, a Product Lifecycle Implementation Maturity Model was developed that serves as a program-level guide in helping to quantify PLM performance in support of meeting organizational strategic goals

Does Baldrige Make a Business Case for Quality?

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) is a widely accepted model promoting quality management as a means to business success. However, because business results are themselves part of the model, the contribution of the approach-deployment elements to results cannot be determined. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) maintains a history of Baldrige applications and the results of their evaluations. Statistical analysis of these data could yield insight into whether the approach-deployment advocated by the Baldrige model actually produces excellent results. Although NIST does not currently allow access to the data, future empirical evaluation of the data could help determine the effectiveness of the Baldrige model and determine the relative degree of importance of each of the approach-deployment elements

Applying Technology to Improve Student Learning Outcomes in Dynamics Course

Motivating and stimulating students to learn material in required core engineering courses is difficult and yet essential in assuring student success. Traditional methods of teaching and learning need to be reconsidered and modified to meet student expectations and their continuously evolving ways of interaction with technology and social networks. Numerous faculty have been experimenting with various approaches which are taking advantages of both technology and student interaction with technology, with various degrees of success. In this paper authors present another comprehensive method applied in teaching/learning of core engineering mechanics course. It has been observed over a long period of time that Dynamics is one of the more difficult courses in the Mechanical Engineering and Technology programs where students are experiencing certain difficulty in mastering the material. Authors integrated technology into learning experiences in order to stimulate and motivate students to master the material, which proved to be very successful. It has been observed that new approach improved the final scores in the course as well as student satisfaction with this approach of presenting material as well as testing their understanding of the required material. The paper presents results from two years of teaching the course with the current approach, along with lessons learned from this experience

A Comparison Among Trained Facilitators, Face-to-Face, and On-Line Students\u27 on the Presence of Particular Behavioral Attributes Associated with Successful Urban Teaching

This study examined the degree of agreement between three trained facilitators’ interviews and preservice teachers’ self-evaluation on the presence of behavioral attributes associated with successful urban teaching. Using a quasi-experimental design research methodology, data for this investigation was collected from 29 preservice teacher candidates in both traditional and on-line environments who are enrolled in an urban, metropolitan, co-educational research university. The Star Teacher Selection Interview and the Urban Teacher Behavioral Self-Evaluation Assessment served as the measures for this investigation. Scores were compared using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that the trained interviewers rated participants much lower on the seven behavioral attributes associated with successful urban teaching than did the participating subjects; and that, whether the assessments were conducted face-to-face or online, made no difference

Integrative Experiences Through Modeling and Simulation of Mechatronic Systems

Learning is integrative lifelong process which requires continuous refreshing of old material and learning new material. This principle holds also for student experiences during their undergraduate studies. Students learn new material throughout their studies, and they may or may not have opportunity to use the material in different context and at different levels. As a result some of the acquired knowledge may be forgotten by the time student graduates or it may not be placed in the context of the overall program outcomes, thus material presented may not seem to have relevance to student\u27s career. An effective method to address this issue is a required capstone course that combines a number of different disciplines into a single comprehensive experience. In addition to required capstone experience, authors have collaborated in development of an elective course on modeling and simulation of mechatronic systems. The course introduces modern computer tools and techniques which integrates number of different areas including statics, strength of materials, dynamics, electrical systems, fluid systems, hydraulic systems, pneumatic systems, thermal systems, and control systems. The course provides several benefits including review of material covered at different stages of the undergraduate program, connecting different fields by analyzing mechatronic systems, and introduction to the tools that enable students to solve real world problems that cannot be solved analytically. Although some courses introduce the basics of modern computer tools, most do not have sufficient time to devote to modern computer tools. Hence, the introduction of a modeling and simulation course of mechatronic systems in the engineering technology program provides an opportunity to further improve the quality of the program and satisfy a number of ABET related learning outcomes

Increasing STEM Competence in Urban, High Poverty Elementary School Populations

Enhancing STEM competence (e.g., interests, knowledge, skills, and dispositions) among urban, high poverty, elementary school populations in the United States (U.S.) is and remains a growing national concern, especially since Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competence is and will continue to be a necessary requisite for gainful employment in the future, according to workforce development experts. In an attempt to address this gap, many urban elementary schools have begun to offer STEM-related programs to increase STEM learning at an early age. STEM competence (interest, knowledge, skills, and dispositions), however, remains low. This paper results in a matrix used to analyze children\u27s fictional literary selections and a model that argues that elementary teachers, as the first point of contact with young students, can affect STEM competence. By adopting a more culturally responsive pedagogy that attends to the 21st Century Learning Skills and the Next Generation Science Standards, teachers can choose literature that serves to excite and reinforce STEM learning

Blast-Building Leaders for Advancing Science and Technology: A Partnership Between the Virginia Space Grant Consortium and the University of Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and Old Dominion University

This paper presents the development and delivery of educational summer intensive programs for high school students that are designed to encourage students’ interests in the STEM-related fields and the motivation to pursue a STEM-related degrees in college. BLAST (Building Leaders to Advance Science and Technology) is designed as a summer-intensive, residential, on-campus STEM-learning experience for rising ninth and tenth graders. With the intention of improving the STEM-related workforce pipeline in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) offers multiple BLAST programs across the Commonwealth. BLAST programs are designed as intensive three-day, STEM-related three-hour lecture-lab experiences that are reinforced by evening STEM-related events. Funded by a grant by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), VSGC targets approximately three hundred students annually who have a C+ or better average, and who have had no previous STEM-related experience. It is surmised that if more students are exposed to STEM-related fields, they may become more interested in and motivated to one-day pursue a STEM-related discipline which would help to alleviate the STEM-related workforce shortages in Virginia. BLAST is offered at three public universities in Virginia including the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Old Dominion University. Faculty and graduate students at each of the respective universities design and implement programs that draw upon their respective faculty interests and strengths. In this paper, a content analysis of the various BLAST programs and interviews with the directors and faculty involved were conducted to identify common and unique strengths across the different BLAST programs. Impacts of COVID on the development and delivery of the BLAST programs are addressed, as are suggestions for program improvements. The purpose of this paper is to share the results of perceived impacts of the BLAST programs on increasing high school students\u27 interest in STEM-related fields and to increase their motivation in the pursuit of STEM-related college degrees. If the U.S. is to be successful at improving its STEM-ready workforce, one solution is to increase the number of high school students pursuing a STEM-related degree and career

Can Effective Urban Teachers Be Developed in an Online Environment?

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if an online Teacher Education Program course could assist in the development of effective urban teacher characteristics of preservice teachers. The Urban Teacher Selection Interview was used to assess seven midrange functions that determine the dimensions of effective urban teaching. Results communicated that although the preservice teachers gained essential knowledge and skills in regards to urban teaching, a link could not be established between specific urban online course activities and the development of effective urban teacher characteristics