Developing and assessing conceptual understanding in materials engineering using written research papers and oral poster presentations

Kitto, Kathleen L.

doi:10.1109/fie.2008.4720264

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Every innovation in engineering education needs to be carefully evaluated and assessed to see if the innovations do indeed lead to the intended outcomes [42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52] . The reasons for creating the iCollaborate MSE modules, quizzes and applications are fundamentally three-fold from the students' perspective: improvement in specific learning outcomes, enhanced interest and motivation, and enriched collaborative learning opportunities [53][54][55][56][57][58][59] . From an engineering education research perspective, this research will help us better understand why students are having difficulties in the course because we will better understand student misperceptions which Page 22.1464.10 also enhances our abilities to provide meaningful concept based experiences within collaborations, improve our ability to focus on troublesome student outcomes and provide additional scaffolding opportunities, and enhance inclusiveness in the classroom.…”

Section: Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The iCollaborate MSE Project

Kitto¹,

Jusak²

2011 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Professor Kitto has served WWU for more than 20 years and has played a number of roles within the university including eight years as Chair of the Engineering Technology Department. She has been actively involved in the creation of an Advanced Materials Science and Engineering Center (AMSEC) and their new minor in Materials Science at Western. She recently became the Director of AMSEC. She is also plays a role in the college's efforts to establish a technology and innovation center (TDC) in Bellingham. She was awarded an NSF ADVANCE Catalyst grant (along with co-PIs Norman and Guenter-Schlesinger) to promote the advancement, retention, recruitment of women in STEM disciplines at Western. In 2010, she received Western Washington University's Diversity Achievement Award, the highest honor for diversity achievements at WWU. Also in 2010, PIs Kitto and Jusak were awarded a CCLI grant to develop applications and modules for materials engineering and science education. She has published more than 50 papers and given presentations at numerous conferences, co-authored three text books, written an invited book chapter and several lab manuals. She is a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Engineering Educators, the Materials Research Society and ASM International. Her primary research interests are in finite element analysis, acoustic properties of materials, and curriculum design for materials education.

show abstract

Section: Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The iCollaborate MSE Project

Kitto¹,

Jusak²

2011 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…During the past six years several best practices in teaching and learning have been implemented in our Introduction to Materials Engineering course to transform the course from a traditional lecture only course to a course that is centered on conceptual and active learning. Several papers have been published covering various aspects of these changes with some of the changes resulting in improved student learning and engagement while other approaches were less successful [1][2][3][4][5][6] . Most of the elements of a student-centered approach are now present in the course: cooperative learning, case-based teaching, active/inquiry learning, concept learning, problembased learning, and constructive alignment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Fundamental Materials Engineering Education Using Biomedical Devices And Case Studies

Kitto¹

2009 Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During the past six years several best practices in teaching and learning have been implemented in our Introduction to Materials Engineering course to transform the course from a traditional lecture only course to a course that is centered on conceptual and active learning. In addition, this academic year the content of the course was also reshaped so that this course also serves as the fundamental materials engineering component of a new three course sequence within a new minor in materials science. The minor is interdisciplinary so the student audience now includes engineering technology, chemistry, physics, geology, and manufacturing and supply chain management majors. Biomedical devices and case studies, nanoengineering, and bioinspired materials have been introduced as focus areas with the intention of improving student learning in fundaments from crystal structure, to materials selection based on mechanical properties/design criteria, and to phase transformations. Also, the course content was changed to build student interest while also finding new and challenging ways to improve the course based upon previously identified course learning objective outcomes that needed improvement. Conceptually, teaching fundamentals in multiple ways, especially in ways which build scaffolds from the students' previous knowledge base, should be effective for a wide range of learners. As it turns out, the materials used in biomedical devices which experience significant loads during service, such as orthopedic replacement devices (knees, shoulders, and hips) and stents, provide another accessible platform to enhance materials engineering education. Students who enter the course have some conceptual idea of what a hip replacement is or why an arterial stent might be needed. But, they have no idea of what materials are used in these devices or why particular materials are selected for components. To illustrate, it is essential that the elastic constant of the femoral stem in a hip replacement match the elastic constant of bone or bone loss will occur from stress shielding. Conceptually this is very easy for the student to grasp. Since ultra high molecular weight polyethylene is used in orthopedic wear components, it is possible to conceptually link the required mechanical properties of components to the effect of the degree of polymerization, examine the difference between semi-crystalline and amorphous plastics, and probe wear properties. Arterial stents are often made from shape memory materials which are excellent venues for hands-on learning about phase transitions. Device recall case studies provide an opportunity to link manufacturing to materials to in-service failures. This paper describes the detailed learning objectives for the course that are addressed with this new strategy and specifics on the biomedical devices, including materials, selection criteria and case studies, so that other faculty may use them in their courses. Initial assessment data that examines the effectiveness of the approach, preliminary data on ...

show abstract

“…There are a several previous studies, including the development of a Materials Concept Inventory, that have identified and described some student difficulties with understanding atomic bonds and/or their relationship with material properties [1][2][3] . In an initial phase of this study, we administered the Materials Concept Inventory, which covers a wide range of topics, and found similar levels of student difficulties with atomic bonding.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Student Understanding Of Atomic Bonds And Their Relation To Mechanical Properties Of Metals In An Introductory Materials Science Engineering Course

Heckler

Rosenblatt

2010 Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

His original area of research was in Cosmology and Astrophysics. In the past eight years, he has focused on Physics Education Research, studying fundamental learning mechanisms involved in learning physics, the effects of representation on learning and problem solving, and the evolution of physics understanding during and after a physics course. As part of the education component of an NSF MRSEC center, he is also leading a project to identify and address student difficulties in learning materials science. Rebecca Rosenblatt, Ohio State University Rebecca Rosenblatt is a graduate research associate in the physics department working towards a PhD in physics education at The Ohio State University. She is currently investigating the evolution of student understanding of force, velocity, and acceleration, and she is working on this project to identify and address student difficulties in learning materials science.

show abstract

Developing and assessing conceptual understanding in materials engineering using written research papers and oral poster presentations

Cited by 10 publications

References 23 publications

The iCollaborate MSE Project

The iCollaborate MSE Project

Enhancing Fundamental Materials Engineering Education Using Biomedical Devices And Case Studies

Student Understanding Of Atomic Bonds And Their Relation To Mechanical Properties Of Metals In An Introductory Materials Science Engineering Course

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About