Engineering Education PhD

Research Briefly: Instructors’ Perspectives on Enhancing Sustainability’s Diffusion into Mechanical Engineering Courses

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 20:13:43 +0000

Research Briefly: Instructors’ Perspectives on Enhancing Sustainability’s Diffusion into Mechanical Engineering Courses Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 01/29/2024 - 13:13

Teaching Assistant Professor Joan Tisdale and Angela Bielefeldt recently published a paper in Sustainability on increasing the integration of sustainability topics in mechanical engineering courses.

Study Abstract

The process through which higher education instructors choose to integrate sustainability topics into their courses was conceptualized using diffusion of innovation theory. The research explored two questions:

What factors were influential to front runners (innovators or early adopters) for sustainability integration in undergraduate courses taken by ME students?
What factors could spur non-adopters to integrate sustainability into their courses?

The study included a survey (with 53 respondents who taught sustainability and 14 respondents who did not teach sustainability), 10 interviews with innovators and early adopters, and a focus group of 5 participants.

The results were explored primarily from the perspective of meeting the needs of instructors (the target users).

Peer-to-peer interactions were found to be important across all user groups. Practices that would help motivate later adopters include prepared curriculum- and university- or department-based support in the form of mission statements, training, mandatory sustainability inclusion, and a sustainability office to provide support.

Diffusion of innovation theory provides insights into which strategies are likely to be most effective in expanding the number of faculty members who integrate sustainability topics into their courses.

Cover image by Qingbao Meng on Unsplash.

Teaching assistant professor Joan Tisdale and Professor Angela Bielefeldt recently published a paper in Sustainability on increasing the integration of sustainability topics in mechanical engineering courses.

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Science-education experts recognized for ground-breaking work

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 20:34:33 +0000

Science-education experts recognized for ground-breaking work Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 10/26/2023 - 14:34

Engineering Education faculty affiliate Noah Finkelstein of physics, along with Valerie Otero of education, have won the 2023 Svend Pedersen Award and Lecture from Stockholm University.

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Study offers roadmap for integrating sustainability into mechanical engineering curricula

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 20:54:32 +0000

Study offers roadmap for integrating sustainability into mechanical engineering curricula Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/13/2023 - 14:54

Grace Wilson

"Sustainability in Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Courses at 100 Universities," published in The American Society of Mechanical Engineers Open Engineering Journal, offers inspiration for educators working to integrate sustainable engineering principles in their courses.

Study author Joany Tisdale, a teaching assistant professor in the Integrated Design Engineering program, said, "To me, this work is exciting and impactful because it can serve as a beginning roadmap for mechanical engineering programs and professors seeking to include sustainability."

The research, sourced from data involving 100 universities—90 in the United States and 10 international—aimed to characterize the current state of sustainability within undergraduate ME courses. It found that a commendable number of mechanical engineering programs have started incorporating sustainability into their curriculum.

A noteworthy finding was that only 43 out of the 100 benchmarked institutions included sustainability topics in at least one required undergraduate ME course. This number increased to 83 institutions when elective undergraduate ME courses were included, such as renewable energy and global engineering courses. Seven universities stood out by weaving sustainability themes into five or more required courses.

Sustainability was most commonly integrated into required courses in thermodynamics, engineering design, introduction to engineering and heat transfer. The authors identified an area of growth in including all three sustainability pillars—environmental, social and economic—as evidence of this inclusion was somewhat lacking.

While the findings draw attention to the move toward a sustainable future in the mechanical engineering sector, it also underscores the potential for wider integration. The hope, Tisdale said, is that this study will not only provide a clearer picture of the current landscape but also serve as a catalyst for a more pronounced sustainability focus in ME programs globally.

A comprehensive study highlights the promising integration of sustainability within mechanical engineering (ME) programs across universities, offering a roadmap for educators aspiring to emphasize its principles in their curricula.

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Researchers at CU �鶹ӰԺ land NSF Award for air and soil quality education

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 16:56:52 +0000

Researchers at CU �鶹ӰԺ land NSF Award for air and soil quality education Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/19/2023 - 10:56

Michael Lock Swingen

Researchers at CU �鶹ӰԺ have received a prestigious NSF Award to teach students in rural K-12 schools around Colorado about air and soil quality monitoring.

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ASEE conference highlights engineering education leadership at CU �鶹ӰԺ

Anonymous — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 20:00:53 +0000

ASEE conference highlights engineering education leadership at CU �鶹ӰԺ Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 06/30/2023 - 14:00

Grace Wilson

The Rocky Mountain Section Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education saw notable achievements by CU �鶹ӰԺ educators.

Among the 47 presentations and posters delivered by engineering education leaders over the two-day conference, three out of the five best-in-conference awards were presented to members of CU �鶹ӰԺ's College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Ben Weihrauch, senior director of student professional development, received the best presentation award in the professional category for his presentation on findings from his PhD thesis, "No Choice but to Succeed: Persistence and Graduation Determinants of First-Generation STEM Students."

Additionally, college members secured the best presentation award in the graduate student category.

Jessica Rush Leeker, the Engineering Management Program’s faculty director of undergraduate education, collaborated with Lyndsay Ruane (PhDAeroEngr '24), Hanna Sanders (EnvEngr '24) and community member Robertha Richardson on "Where do we start? Lessons learned from the PI, graduate research assistant, undergraduate researcher, and a community member starting their inter-institutional STEM-focused community-engaged project using participatory action learning and action research."

Janet Yowell, the college's director of strategic community college STEM initiatives, and Nick Stites, director of the Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, also secured the Best Poster award in the professional category for their project titled "Pathways to Develop 'College Capital' for Underrepresented Community College Students: the Denver-Metro Engineering Consortium."

The project focuses on their efforts supported by a grant of over $10 million from the Department of Defense, aimed at significantly increasing the representation of students from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM fields.

Read the papers

Out of numerous presentations and posters, three best-in-conference awards were claimed by College of Engineering and Applied Science educators.

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CU �鶹ӰԺ to offer PhD in engineering education starting in ’24-25 school year

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 19:25:56 +0000

CU �鶹ӰԺ to offer PhD in engineering education starting in ’24-25 school year Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/22/2023 - 13:25

Olivia Doak

A new PhD program in engineering education will be offered at the �鶹ӰԺ beginning in the 2024-2025 academic school year, allowing students to pursue research and learning opportunities while strengthening the undergraduate engineering program. [External link]

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New seed grants from the Engineering Education and AI-Augmented Learning research theme will support range of topics

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 19:19:33 +0000

New seed grants from the Engineering Education and AI-Augmented Learning research theme will support range of topics Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/22/2023 - 13:19

Josh Rhoten

The Engineering Education and AI-Augmented Learning Interdisciplinary Research Theme, co-directed by Angela Bielefeldt awarded multiple seed grants this spring to help spur research teaming in the college and boost early projects with the high potential for societal impact.

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