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Comparing the Effects of COVID-19 on ETAC and EAC Programs at a Regional Comprehensive University

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Conference

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Location

Virtual Conference

Publication Date

July 26, 2021

Start Date

July 26, 2021

End Date

July 19, 2022

Conference Session

Focus on ETAC Accreditation

Tagged Division

Engineering Technology

Page Count

15

DOI

10.18260/1-2--36818

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/36818

Download Count

412

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Paper Authors

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Andrew Ritenour Western Carolina University

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Andrew Ritenour is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering + Technology at Western Carolina University (WCU). Prior to joining WCU in 2018, he spent a decade in industry managing and developing innovative technologies across a broad spectrum of applications: high voltage transistors for energy-efficient power conversion, radio frequency (RF) surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters for mobile phones, and flexible paper-like displays for e-readers. He holds 30 patents related to semiconductor devices and microfabrication and has published in IEEE and AIP journals and conferences. His current research interests include instrumentation for combustion science, novel methods for environmental remediation, and microelectronics including surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices. In addition to teaching in the field of electrical engineering, he coordinates the senior engineering capstone program which is a multidisciplinary, two-semester course sequence with projects sponsored by industrial partners. Within this role, he focuses on industrial outreach and the teaching and assessment of professional skills. He received his Ph.D. and S.M. degrees from MIT in 2007 and 1999, respectively, and a B.S.E.E. degree from the University of Virginia in 1997.

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Wesley L. Stone Western Carolina University

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Dr. Wes Stone is professor in the School of Engineering + Technology at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC. He earned his bachelors degree from the University of Texas at Austin, masters degree from Penn State, and PhD from Georgia Tech, all in Mechanical Engineering. His research interests include manufacturing processes, quality techniques, and outdoor gear design/testing. He also serves as the program director for Engineering Technology and is Faculty Liaison to the Outdoor Industry.

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Chip W. Ferguson Western Carolina University

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Chip Ferguson is the Associate Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology and Professor of Engineering and Technology at Western Carolina University.

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Hayri Sezer Western Carolina University

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Dr. Sezer is an assistant professor of thermal and fluid sciences at Western Carolina University in department of engineering and technology. Dr. Sezer received his B.Sc. degree in physics engineering (2005) and M. Sc. in defence technologies (Material Science) from Istanbul Technical University (2009), and he got his Ph.D. degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from West Virginia University (2014). His research interest is in the field of computational fluid dynamics and its application in combustion, heat and mass transfer, fluid flow, wild land fires, renewable energy technologies, fire dynamics and electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices (Fuel cells and Batteries). He has developed and refined 1D and 3D dynamic solvers for species transport, heat transfer, electrochemical reactions (adsorption and desorption), impedance, polarization and electrical potential for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and sodium sulphur batteries (Na-S). He also has developed a novel model to predict the nickel coarsening in high temperature SOFCs based on electro-migration. His current research is related to computational modeling of liquid atomization, drag coefficient of complex geometries, combustion, fire dynamics and heat transfer mechanisms of 3D direct laser metal sintering.

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Yang Zhang Western Carolina University

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Dr. Yang Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering + Technology at Western Carolina University. Dr. Zhang received his B.S. in Safety Engineering at Dalian Jiaotong University in China. Then Dr. Zhang got his M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering at Texas Tech University. Dr. Zhang’s educational focus is concentrating on Engineering Technology instruction with innovative methods.

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AMM Nazmul Ahsan Western Carolina University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-7940-1274

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Dr. Ahsan is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering and Technology at Western Carolina University. Dr. Ahsan achieved his Ph.D. degree in Industrial and manufacturing Engineering from North Dakota State University in 2019. Before that he completed his Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from the same university. His teaching and research interest includes digital design and 3D modeling, advanced manufacturing, CAD/CAM, automated systems, additive Manufacturing/3D printing, heterogeneous light weight porous structure design and manufacturing, and bio-printing.

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Abstract

Western Carolina University (WCU) is a regional comprehensive university in a rural part of western North Carolina. The School of Engineering and Technology at WCU houses four undergraduate, residential programs – Electrical Engineering (EE), Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology (ECET), Engineering with Mechanical and Electrical Power Concentrations (BSE), and Engineering Technology (ET). Two of the programs are primarily electrical in nature – EE and ECET, while the other two are primarily mechanical – BSE and ET. The EE and BSE programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET; the ECET and ET programs are accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC). The school has built curricula that integrate all four programs into five common courses, designated the project-based learning (PBL) sequence. Thus it is common for a faculty member to teach a PBL course with students from all four programs, integrated into interdisciplinary teams. The balance of theory and application varies amongst the programs: the two engineering programs (EE and BSE) have a stronger emphasis on theory and design, while the two engineering technology programs (ECET and ET) place more weight on application. Given this difference in emphasis, the impact of disruptions such as COVID-19 to engineering and engineering technology programs might be different. In the Spring semester of 2020, academic institutions across the United States significantly adjusted content delivery as a result of COVID-19. Adjustments to course delivery have continued into the Fall semester of 2020 and Spring semester of 2021. These adjustments have affected many people on every campus. This paper presents the impact of changes due to COVID-19 on teaching and learning for students and faculty in the School of Engineering and Technology. Data were collected from students in the form of a survey that explored the impact of COVID-19 in the classroom. Perceptions of learning in three course formats (face-to-face, hybrid, online) and two online delivery methods (asynchronous, synchronous) offered in 2020 were surveyed. Student perception of instructor behavior and student expectations of their instructor during the pandemic were also assessed. This paper evaluates the differences in those impacts for engineering (EAC) and engineering technology (ETAC) programs.

Ritenour, A., & Stone, W. L., & Ferguson, C. W., & Sezer, H., & Zhang, Y., & Ahsan, A. N. (2021, July), Comparing the Effects of COVID-19 on ETAC and EAC Programs at a Regional Comprehensive University Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual Conference. 10.18260/1-2--36818

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