Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

6-24-2007

Subject: LCSH

Engineering--Study and teaching

Disciplines

Chemical Engineering | Engineering Education | Mechanical Engineering | Operations Research, Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering

Abstract

In September of 2004 our university adopted the Multidisciplinary Engineering Foundation Spiral Curriculum as the basis for disciplinary engineering programs in Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Mechanical and General Engineering. The curriculum includes a sequence of first and second year engineering courses, matched closely with the development of students’ mathematical sophistication and analytical capabilities and integrated with course work in the sciences. Students develop a conceptual understanding of engineering basics in this series of courses which stress practical applications of these principles. The new curriculum was designed to provide students with a multidisciplinary perspective while developing basic engineering skills and fostering an understanding of basic engineering concepts. Each of the ten courses in the program were developed and are taught by faculty from several disciplines. Course materials are intended to make students keenly aware of the highly integrated nature of the current practice of engineering. It was also expected that the novel program would prove to be attractive to a broader range of students than those drawn to traditional disciplinary programs. Finally, student retention was expected to be enhanced by the new courses. Students who entered as freshmen in 2004 are currently juniors, taking courses in their disciplinary major. This study attempts to provide early data on the success of the program through the following measures:

• Impact of the new curriculum on student recruiting through a survey of newly matriculated students

• Impact on student retention from first to second and second to third years

• Comparison of student performance in early disciplinary courses with that of students in previous years

• Impact of program implementation on faculty attitudes

Comments

© 2007 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference.

Publisher Citation

Collura, M., & Daniels, S., & Nocito-Gobel, J., & Harding, W. D. (2007, June). The Current Generation Of Integrated Engineering Curriculum. Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Download

Share

COinS