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Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Sophomore Engineering Curriculum
Assessment of the sophomore engineering curriculum at Rose-Hulman has focused on the mechanics portion of new sophomore curriculum at RHIT because most mechanical engineering majors were taking a more traditional dynamics course while the electrical and computer engineering majors were taking the sophomore engineering curriculum. Having both sets of students take a similar final exam at the end of the dynamics course (ME majors) and at the end of ES204 (electrical and computer engineering majors) allowed a direct comparison of their performance. During the 1996-97 and 1997-98 academic years (the second and third years that the new curriculum was offered) a similar final was given to students taking ES204 and students taking the traditional dynamics course. There were approximately 125 dynamics students and 90 SEC students. Both finals consisted of 20 multiple-choice problems (40% of the total points) and 3 workout problems (60% of the total points). This format for the final has been used for many years because it is felt that this is the best way to make the final comprehensive. During 1996-97, sixteen of the multiple-choice problems and one of the workout problems were identical for the two finals. It was not possible to give identical finals since some of the faculty members had strong objections. During 1997-98, the two finals were identical.
Figure xx compares the performance on the multiple-choice problems. To reduce the influence of a particular professor the numbers for Tables 1 and 2 were obtained by averaging the results from five dynamics sections (three professors) and from four ES204 sections (three professors). In 1996-97, performance on four multiple-choice questions is not shown because these questions were not common between the two classes. As can be seen from Figure xx, the students in the SEC did better than the students taking the traditional dynamics course on a majority of the multiple-choice problems. It is important to note, however, that the percentage difference is quite minor for a number of problems and that they did significantly worse on some problems. For example, problem number 19 was most easily solved using rotation axis, a topic that was not covered in ES204.
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Figure xx. Results on Common Multiple Choice Final Examination Questions](images/image154.gif)
Table 7 compares the percentage of students with correct answers for the workout problems. Again, to reduce the influence of a particular professor the numbers for Tables 1 and 2 were obtained by averaging the results from five dynamics sections (three professors) and from four ES204 sections (three professors). Differences for the workout problems are more dramatic than the differences for the multiple-choice questions. Workout problems were designed to be longer, more difficult and required multiple steps and concepts. The students in the new curriculum did significantly better than those taking the traditional dynamics course. Based on these assessment data, it is clear that the new curriculum does not hurt the students and in fact it appears to help them in mastering the mechanics material.
Table 7 Percentage of students with correct answers for the work-out problems
Prob. #
|
First Assessment
|
Second Assessment
|
SEC
ES204
|
Dynamics
|
Difference
|
SEC
ES204
|
Dynamics
|
Difference
|
21
|
33.3
|
23.3
|
10
|
36.8
|
17.0
|
19.8
|
22
|
|
|
|
70.1
|
22.0
|
48.1
|
23
|
|
|
|
46.0
|
6.0
|
40.0
|
For this assessment, the majority of students in the SEC were majors in electrical engineering and computer engineering and the students in the traditional dynamics course were mechanical engineering majors. Therefore, questions remained as to whether the students in the new curriculum performed better because the EE/CO students were academically superior to the ME students or because of the new curriculum. Since this curriculum was required for all mechanical engineering students beginning in the 1998-1999 academic year it has been possible to compare the performance of EE/CO and ME students taking identical courses. A summary of the distribution of final grades for ES201 is shown in Table 8.
Table 8 Grade distribution for ES201 by major
Grade
|
Major
|
EE/CO
|
ME
|
A
|
8
|
9
|
B+
|
10
|
10
|
B
|
24
|
25
|
C+
|
21
|
19
|
C
|
22
|
8
|
D+
|
7
|
6
|
D
|
10
|
7
|
F
|
2
|
5
|
Average GPA
|
2.46
|
2.53
|
On average the mechanical engineering students actually performed better although it is not clear if the difference is statistically significant. Therefore, the authors feel confident that the improved performance of students as indicated in Figure xx and Table 7 can be attributed to the new curriculum rather than their major.
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References
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Grinter, L.E. (Chair), Report on Evaluation of Engineering Education, American Society for Engineering Education, Washington, DC, 1955.
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Harris, Eugene M. DeLoatch, William R. Grogan, Irene C. Peden, and John R. Whinnery, "Journal of Engineering Education Round Table: Reflections on the Grinter Report," Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 83, No. 1, pp. 69-94 (1994) (includes as an Appendix the Grinter Report, issued in September, 1955).
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Glover, Charles, J., and Carl A. Erdman, "Overview of the Texas A&M/NSF Engineering Core Curriculum Development," Proceedings, 1992 Frontiers in Education Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, 11-14 November 1992, pp. 363-367
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Glover, Charles J., K. M. Lunsford, and John A. Fleming, TAMU/NSF Engineering Core Curriculum Course 1: Conservation Principles in Engineering, Proceedings, 1992 Frontiers in Education Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, 11-14 November 1992, pp. 603-608
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Glover, Charles J., K. M. Lunsford, and John A. Fleming, Conservation Principles and the Structure of Engineering, 3rd edition, New York: McGraw-Hill College Custom Series, 1992
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Pollock, Thomas C., TAMU/NSF Engineering Core Curriculum Course 2: Properties of Matter, Proceedings, 1992 Frontiers in Education Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, 11-14 November 1992, pp. 609-613
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Pollock, Thomas C., Properties of Matter, 3rd edition, New York: McGraw-Hill College Custom Series, 1992
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Everett, Louis J., TAMU/NSF Engineering Core Curriculum Course 3: Understanding Engineering via Conservation, Proceedings, 1992 Frontiers in Education Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, 11-14 November 1992, pp. 614-619
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Everett, Louis J., Understanding Engineering Systems via Conservation, 2nd edition, New York: McGraw-Hill College Custom Series, 1992
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Glover, Charles J. and H. L. Jones, TAMU/NSF Engineering Core Curriculum Course 4: Conservation Principles for Continuous Media, Proceedings, 1992 Frontiers in Education Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, 11-14 November 1992 Conference, pp. 620-624
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Glover, C. J. and H. L. Jones, Conservation Principles for Continuous Media, 2nd edition, New York: McGraw-Hill College Custom Series, 1992
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Erdman, Carl A., Charles J. Glover, and V. L. Willson, Curriculum Change: Acceptance and Dissemination, Proceedings, 1992 Frontiers in Education Conference, Nashville, Tennessee, 11-14 November 1992, pp. 368-372
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B. A. Black, From Conservation to Kirchoff: Getting Started in Circuits with Conservation and Accounting, Proceedings of the 1996 Frontiers in Education Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, 6-9 November 1996
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Griffin, Richard B., Louis J. Everett, P. Keating, Dimitris C. Lagoudas, E. Tebeaux, D. Parker, William Bassichis, and David Barrow, "Planning the Texas A&M University College of Engineering Sophomore Year Integrated Curriculum," Fourth World Conference on Engineering Education, St. Paul, Minnesota, October 1995, vol. 1, pp. 228-232.
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Everett, Louis J., "Experiences in the Integrated Sophomore Year of the Foundation Coalition at Texas A&M," Proceedings, 1996 ASEE National Conference, Washington, DC, June 1996
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Richards, Donald E., Gloria J. Rogers, "A New Sophomore Engineering Curriculum -- The First Year Experience," Proceedings, 1996 Frontiers in Education Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, 6-9 November 1996
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Heenan, William and Robert McLaughlan, "Development of an Integrated Sophomore Year Curriculum, Proceedings of the 1996 Frontiers in Education Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, 6-9 November 1996
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Mashburn, Brent, Barry Monk, Robert Smith, Tan-Yu Lee, and Jon Bredeson, "Experiences with a New Engineering Sophomore Year, Proceedings of the 1996 Frontiers in Education Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, 6-9 November 1996
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Everett, Louis J., "Dynamics as a Process, Helping Undergraduates Understand Design and Analysis of Dynamics Systems," Proceedings, 1997 ASEE National Conference,
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Doering, E., Electronics Lab Bench in a Laptop: Using Electronics Workbench to Enhance Learning in an Introductory Circuits Course, Proceedings of the 1997 Frontiers in Education Conference, November 1997
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Cornwell, P., and J. Fine, Mechanics in the Rose-Hulman Foundation Coalition Sophomore Curriculum, Proceedings of the Workshop on Reform of Undergraduate Mechanics Education, Penn State, 16-18 August 1998
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Cornwell, P., and J. Fine, Mechanics in the Rose-Hulman Foundation Coalition Sophomore Curriculum, to appear in the International Journal of Engineering Education
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Cornwell, P. and J. Fine, Integrating Dynamics throughout the Sophomore Year, Proceeedings, 1999 ASEE Annual Conference, Charlotte, North Carolina, 20-23 June 1999
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Burkhardt, H. "System physics: A uniform approach to the branches of classical physics." Am. J. Phys. 55 (4), April 1987, pp. 344350.
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Fuchs, Hans U. Dynamics of Heat. Springer-Verlag, New York, 1996.
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