An Introduction to Engineering Course Classification Scheme
The topics of papers here include: first-year engineering course content, development of the scheme.
The Scheme Itself
A blank version of the most recent version of the introduction to engineering course classification scheme can be found here.
Introduction to Engineering Course Classification Scheme | |
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First Year Engineering Course Content
Application of and Preliminary Results from Implementing the First-Year Introduction to Engineering Course Classification Scheme: Course Foci and Outcome Frequency** (2015)
First-year programs nationwide typically feature an introductory curriculum featuring a semester or yearlong “Introduction to Engineering” course or sequence. Examining a number of these courses shows that the content can vary significantly. For example, one course could focus on
MATLAB programming while another course could emphasize technical communication. Most courses are a combination of these topics to varying degrees; therefore, an NSF-sponsored project to classify these courses was conducted which resulted in the First-Year Introduction to
Engineering Course Classification Scheme.1 This taxonomy allows programs or instructors to quantify the content of their course(s) using the scheme. As a result, the scheme has proven useful in comparing between institutions or between sections of a course within one program.
The taxonomy was tested during a workshop at the First Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference in 2013. Participants of the study included first year instructors who were responsible for using the classification scheme in order to classify the first year course that they had previously taught. This paper will detail results of analyzing courses with a preliminary catalog of course objectives found in these Introduction courses. This analysis is a step toward an eventual goal of determining a method to make meaningful comparisons between courses or sections. Moreover,
descriptors of courses such as “design heavy” that can be determined using the scheme, operationally defined as course foci, are also desirable.
First-year programs nationwide typically feature an introductory curriculum featuring a semester or yearlong “Introduction to Engineering” course or sequence. Examining a number of these courses shows that the content can vary significantly. For example, one course could focus on
MATLAB programming while another course could emphasize technical communication. Most courses are a combination of these topics to varying degrees; therefore, an NSF-sponsored project to classify these courses was conducted which resulted in the First-Year Introduction to
Engineering Course Classification Scheme.1 This taxonomy allows programs or instructors to quantify the content of their course(s) using the scheme. As a result, the scheme has proven useful in comparing between institutions or between sections of a course within one program.
The taxonomy was tested during a workshop at the First Year Engineering Experience (FYEE) Conference in 2013. Participants of the study included first year instructors who were responsible for using the classification scheme in order to classify the first year course that they had previously taught. This paper will detail results of analyzing courses with a preliminary catalog of course objectives found in these Introduction courses. This analysis is a step toward an eventual goal of determining a method to make meaningful comparisons between courses or sections. Moreover,
descriptors of courses such as “design heavy” that can be determined using the scheme, operationally defined as course foci, are also desirable.
Application of and Preliminary Results from Implementing the First-Year Introduction to Engineering Course Classification Scheme | |
File Size: | 842 kb |
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Development of the Scheme
A Taxonomy for Introduction to Engineering Courses (2018)
Many universities offer introductory engineering courses that can vary widely in content between institutions – even among sections within the same institution. The view into the underlying content in such courses is often obscured by the lack of a detailed syllabus and an incomplete description published in the University’s catalog. Thus, assessment of a course sequence can be difficult due to the sheer volume of students and inconsistent content among sections. Moreover, the vagueness can affect transfer students, because awarding transfer credit implies a set of instructional objectives that the student may not have encountered. This project resulted in a classification scheme or taxonomy of topics commonly found in “Introduction to Engineering” courses. The taxonomy allows a mapping of potential course content to be achieved such that users can communicate their courses using a common tool. The investigators utilized a three-stage qualitative research design situated in the “purposes,” “content,” and “sequencing” constructs of Lattuca and Stark’s model of an “Academic Plan.” The first two stages involved a survey of 28 syllabi for “Introduction to Engineering” courses followed by culling topics from transcripts of 6 focus groups of 4 first-year instructors in a conference workshop using content analysis. A culminating three round Delphi study with 24 participants served to finalize the taxonomy. Course content centered around eight primary aspects that frame the taxonomy, each of which was broken down further to include more specific topics that might be found under them. Note that the taxonomy represents a list of topics that may be found in “Introduction to Engineering” (or similar) courses as opposed to a list of all topics that should be covered. Instructors can now use “The Introduction to Engineering Course Classification Scheme” as a tool to aid in communicating their courses by classifying it in terms of common course topics – a universal syllabus of sorts. Schools interested in alternative methods of awarding transfer credits or curriculum development for courses like “Introduction to Engineering” can be empowered to make decisions that are more informed using the taxonomy as a flexible artifact of their processes. (Pre-print from International Journal of Engineering Education)
Citation: Reid, K., Reeping, D., & Spingola, E. (2018). A Taxonomy for Introduction to Engineering Courses. International Journal of Engineering Education. 34(1), 2-19.
Many universities offer introductory engineering courses that can vary widely in content between institutions – even among sections within the same institution. The view into the underlying content in such courses is often obscured by the lack of a detailed syllabus and an incomplete description published in the University’s catalog. Thus, assessment of a course sequence can be difficult due to the sheer volume of students and inconsistent content among sections. Moreover, the vagueness can affect transfer students, because awarding transfer credit implies a set of instructional objectives that the student may not have encountered. This project resulted in a classification scheme or taxonomy of topics commonly found in “Introduction to Engineering” courses. The taxonomy allows a mapping of potential course content to be achieved such that users can communicate their courses using a common tool. The investigators utilized a three-stage qualitative research design situated in the “purposes,” “content,” and “sequencing” constructs of Lattuca and Stark’s model of an “Academic Plan.” The first two stages involved a survey of 28 syllabi for “Introduction to Engineering” courses followed by culling topics from transcripts of 6 focus groups of 4 first-year instructors in a conference workshop using content analysis. A culminating three round Delphi study with 24 participants served to finalize the taxonomy. Course content centered around eight primary aspects that frame the taxonomy, each of which was broken down further to include more specific topics that might be found under them. Note that the taxonomy represents a list of topics that may be found in “Introduction to Engineering” (or similar) courses as opposed to a list of all topics that should be covered. Instructors can now use “The Introduction to Engineering Course Classification Scheme” as a tool to aid in communicating their courses by classifying it in terms of common course topics – a universal syllabus of sorts. Schools interested in alternative methods of awarding transfer credits or curriculum development for courses like “Introduction to Engineering” can be empowered to make decisions that are more informed using the taxonomy as a flexible artifact of their processes. (Pre-print from International Journal of Engineering Education)
Citation: Reid, K., Reeping, D., & Spingola, E. (2018). A Taxonomy for Introduction to Engineering Courses. International Journal of Engineering Education. 34(1), 2-19.
A Taxonomy for Introduction to Engineering Courses | |
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** © (YEAR) 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. - Last updated April 1, 2015
** © (YEAR) 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. - Last updated April 1, 2015