Browsing by Author "Department of Engineering Technology, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Fundamentals for Assessment Success: A Sustainable Data Organization Strategy Within a Construction Management Technology Program
    (American Society for Engineering Education, 2015-06) White, J.; Ray, Veto; Cooney, Elaine; Department of Engineering Technology, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI
    Few events within a successful academic program are as administratively demanding as an onsite accreditation assessment visit. It is a particularly stressful period where a program must fully account for itself by presenting evidence to external evaluators that its students, faculty, alumni, administrators, curriculum, policies, resources, and facilities satisfy a rigorous criteria established by an accrediting body. To accomplish this, the program must retrieve all of the relevant data, compile it into a prodigious report and organize it in a manner that is both profoundly clear and obvious while simultaneously complying with the report format requirements prescribed by the accrediting institution. Anyone who has experienced an on-site accreditation visit is very familiar with these daunting challenges. A number of factors seem to conspire against the successful execution of this documentation process. One of the most fundamental is the complexity associated with the ongoing, sustainable, semester-to-semester compilation of data from a myriad of different sources. Of these various sources, faculty is one of the most critical. It is the faculty after all, that is the origin of the assessment data that forms the bedrock of any program’s assessment regimen. This challenge is compounded if the program is heavily dependent on adjunct faculty. Many educational institutions that offer a technology-based curriculum are particularly reliant on adjunct faculty. Clearly adjunct faculty is highly valued in technology programs for its course – specific expertise and industry correlation. However this faculty is typically teaching as a supplement to a separate full time career and therefore does not have the resources available to devote to a protracted or confusing assessment routine. In order to compile a successful assessment report, a sustainable assessment program must be established that distills the complex requirements into components that can be easily and efficiently executed by its faculty. The reporting system must be sufficiently clear and unambiguous such that it becomes a part of the semester close-out routine. Additionally, a reporting system must be developed that efficiently captures crucial assessment data, making it available for systematic review at the conclusion of every semester and ultimately for inclusion in the accreditation report. This paper documents the process of a construction management technology program as it developed its own ultimately successful assessment structure by focusing on the methods and the tools. The tools described include: Simplified, unambiguous forms that capture assessment data A reporting system to facilitate data dissemination A formalized process that ensures collaboration through the utilization of the captured data on a regular, end-of-semester routine Implementation of an assessment routine that clearly links course data to outcomes to program.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Identifying Factors Impacting First-year Persistence in Computer Graphics Technology
    (American Society for Engineering Education, 2015-06) McCrae, Eric; Fernandez, Eugenia; Department of Engineering Technology, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI
    The retention of students is a goal that all universities strive to achieve. With more and more emphasis placed on degree completion, retaining students becomes even more important. University faculty and staff continually try to identify what possible factors affect a student’s decision to remain in their chosen field of study. Faculty in the Computer Graphics Technology (CGT) program are concerned with what factors, if any, affect the persistence of students in the CGT program. The goal of this study was to determine if personal factors such as gender and being a first-generation student and/or academic factors such as admission status, semester course load, and academic grades are related to the first-year persistence of CGT students. Results indicate that first semester performance is a significant indicator of persistence. Gender, first generation student, and admission status were not found to be significant indicators. This points out the importance of efforts focused on students in their first semester of college.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Perceived Impact of Information Technology Experiential Learning on Career Success: A Pilot Study
    (American Society for Engineering Education, 2015-06) Bishop, Dalton; Justice, Connie; Fernandez, Eugenia; Department of Engineering Technology, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI
    Employers in the Information Technology field place significant value on the amount of real-­world experience prospective employees possess. Recent IT graduates face a competitive job market against seasoned professionals with years of experience. Students must build a solid experience base from which they can advance professionally. This cannot be done without first holding an IT position. The key to solving the experience paradox is experiential learning – the process of learning by doing. The Living Lab at is a non-­traditional undergraduate course based on the concept of experiential learning in the field of Information Technology. The Living Lab is structured similarly to a corporate IT department, with students playing the role of IT personnel. Students learn to apply their previous course material and gain resume-­worthy experience, while working in teams to complete IT projects for their university and local businesses. Projects are fully documented and reported on throughout the course with a final presentation at semester end. This study investigates what, if any, benefit graduates gain from the Living Lab experience. Graduates who were involved in the Living Lab were electronically surveyed about their professional careers after college. Questions focused on how the student felt their time in Living Lab helped them gain employment and enhance their ability to perform as an employee. Results will be used to gauge the validity of the Living Lab program and experiential learning as an effective tool in terms of IT education. Data from this study can be used to improve the program, and help prospective students to make an informed decision when considering the Living Lab. Ultimately, other institutions may be encouraged to consider implementing a Living Lab or similar IT experiential learning environment of their own.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Solar Panel Efficacy vs. Altitude in an Urban City Environment
    (American Society for Engineering Education, 2015-06) Elkhatib, Wiaam; Schubert, Peter J.; Zusack, Steven; Rosales, Emily; Stanforth, Austin; Department of Engineering Technology, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI
    In light of current issues of global warming, pollution, and fossil fuel depletion, alternative and renewable energy sources are increasing in desirability. Among these, solar energy is a popular option. However, it is hypothesized that particulate pollution in urban atmospheres limits photovoltaic (PV) efficacy both in accumulated grime and also in altitude via sunlight attenuation. The objective of this study is to measure photovoltaic power output near solar noon at multiple heights within a city environment to determine the influence of altitude on power output. Building rooftops between 200 and 800 feet were sampled simultaneously with a ground level control within a broad university courtyard. Days having no cloud cover were preferentially chosen. Other factors to consider include the “urban heat island” effect and water vapor in the air, so meteorological parameters were measured simultaneously to reduce confounding errors. Multiple repeated tests were conducted to increase confidence, especially since the effect was anticipated to be small in magnitude. Additionally, students affiliated with the project completed surveys to assess how their involvement impacted their learning of experimental design and procedures. Students who chose not to participate were also surveyed to provide a control group. Comparisons in the data are drawn on a power to ambient light ratio to minimize bias between the PV panels used for testing. Preliminary analysis indicates the effect of altitude is minimal within the parameters of this study. Analysis of our data did not significantly demonstrate an improvement in solar productivity at increased altitudes. However, the rigorous test methodology developed provides a means for quantitative analysis in cities with greater levels of pollution relative to the city tested. The survey of students indicated a positive correlation between participation in the project and the amount students felt they learned during the process.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Summer Industrial Projects Program (SiPP) Drives Engineering Technology Student Retention
    (American Society for Engineering Education, 2015-06) Durkin, Robert; Department of Engineering Technology, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI
    Engineering Technology education is experiential learning. It serves the hands-on engineering profession that combines knowledge of mathematics and science with the practical application of technology. Typical Engineering Technology (ET) programs prepare graduates to implement technology; evidenced by the nearly 60% of classes that include laboratory content. These laboratory exercises are constructed to simulate manufacturing process and product design problems. While labs are critical to gaining technology experience, they are not engineering projects. The first comprehensive engineering project a student attempts is the program’s capstone course; the Senior Design. The under-served component of Engineering Technology education is engineering projects. This paper describes a three-year NSF-funded summer program designed to improve student retention in Engineering Technology by exposing students to an industrial setting to gain practical engineering experience. Sophomore and Junior-level students were organized into teams and assigned to small or medium-sized manufacturing firms close to the university. Each team conceived and/or implemented a two-month manufacturing project that solved a design or process problem.