The Integration of Sustainability, Systems, and Engineering Design in the Engineering Curriculum at James Madison University

Nagel, Robert L.; Pierrakos, Olga; Pappas, Eric; Ogundipe, Adebayo T.

doi:10.1115/detc2011-47847

Cited by 13 publications

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“…It was created with the intention of producing versatile engineers, possessing qualities of the Engineer of 2020 1,2 . In addition to the technical training, the program emphasizes engineering design, systems thinking, and sustainability 3,4,5 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Mixed Instructional Methods Approach to Teaching a Circuits and Instrumentation Course

Holland¹

2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings

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The circuits and instrumentation course at James Madison University provides students with foundational knowledge in DC, transient, and AC circuit design and analysis. The 4-credit course is comprised of three weekly lectures and one weekly laboratory session. Given the breadth of content and desired level of technical analysis required of this junior level course offering, numerous methods for extending learning beyond the classroom and encouraging student engagement with the material have been explored. Over the past five years, active learning instructional techniques inspired by the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) approach and project based laboratory learning have been intermixed with traditional lectures and the flipped classroom method in an attempt to improve student learning. This paper reports on the variety of methods used, how each instructional method is integrated into the classroom environment, the rationale behind implementing the various techniques, and the observations and impacts on student outcomes. Quantitative assessments, based on embedded measures throughout the past five years as well as and concept inventory performance, are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the methods and changes implemented. Qualitative assessment of the instructional methods from post-course student evaluation comments are used to understand students' response to the instructional methods described.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Mixed Instructional Methods Approach to Teaching a Circuits and Instrumentation Course

Holland¹

2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings

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“…To train the engineering versatilist, the curriculum, shown graphically in Figure 1, combines a campus-wide, liberal arts general educational core with courses in math, science, engineering design, engineering science, business, systems analysis, and sustainability 6 . Individual skills taught developmentally through the curriculum, beginning with the freshman year, are blended with engineering design theory and utilized in projects in the design sequence.…”

Section: Curriculum Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blending Sustainable Design, Systems Thinking, and Engineering Science Concepts in an Introductory Engineering Course

Nagel

Gipson

Spindel

et al.

2013 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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and Technology), both in mechanical engineering. Dr. Nagel has performed research with the United States Army Chemical Corps, General Motors Research and Development Center, and the United States Air Force Academy. His research interests are in the area of conceptual design and engineering design education. Specifically, Dr. Nagel's research activities include understanding customer needs, the use functional and process modeling to understand design problems, design for sustainability, and design for accessibility.

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“…Similarly, the engineering science courses provide an opportunity to apply the theory and problem solving processes learned in the engineering design courses. [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The curriculum of our non-discipline specific engineering program, shown graphically in Figure 1, combines a campus-wide, liberal arts general educational core with courses in math, science, engineering design, engineering science, business, systems analysis, and sustainability [4,5]. Individual skills taught developmentally through the curriculum, beginning with the freshman year, are blended with engineering design theory and utilized in projects in the design sequence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of an Innovative Multidisciplinary Course in Systems Analysis

Nagel

2015 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings

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is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering at James Madison University. She has eight years of diversified engineering design experience, both in academia and industry, and has experienced engineering design in a range of contexts, including product design, bio-inspired design, electrical and control system design, manufacturing system design, and design for the factory floor. Dr. Nagel earned her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Oregon State University and her M.S. and B.S. in manufacturing engineering and electrical engineering, respectively, from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Dr. Nagel's long-term goal is to drive engineering innovation by applying her multidisciplinary engineering expertise to instrumentation and manufacturing challenges.c American Society for Engineering Education, 2015 Page 26.531.1 Development of an Innovative Multidisciplinary Course in Systems Analysis AbstractThe Systems Analysis course is innovative in three aspects: 1) analysis applied to systems of multiple domains and multidisciplinary systems ; 2) use of pedagogies of engagement; and 3) instruction in qualitative and quantitative analysis. The theories of System Dynamics, Dynamic Systems, and Optimization are woven together with concepts from engineering design, engineering science, and sustainability taught in other courses in the curriculum. A five stage analysis process is utilized to provide structure for the course content, as well as model the complete analysis thought process with feedback loops scaffolding the students in their application and synthesis of the course material. A variety of pedagogical approaches, including deep, collaborative, and problem-based learning, have been utilized to develop the course learning activities and materials. The aim is to teach skills, and not content. To ensure that skills are developed, in-class challenges are given for each of the analysis stages, deep learning assignments are given at major milestones in the course, and students complete a course project. Many assignments require justification of answers to break the student mentality of "what is the right answer" and lead them toward developing solutions that address system requirements and balance tradeoffs. The reflection that comes along with justification solidifies concepts and enables mastery of the systems analysis process.

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The Integration of Sustainability, Systems, and Engineering Design in the Engineering Curriculum at James Madison University

Cited by 13 publications

References 0 publications

A Mixed Instructional Methods Approach to Teaching a Circuits and Instrumentation Course

A Mixed Instructional Methods Approach to Teaching a Circuits and Instrumentation Course

Blending Sustainable Design, Systems Thinking, and Engineering Science Concepts in an Introductory Engineering Course

Development of an Innovative Multidisciplinary Course in Systems Analysis

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