Implementing a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) into an IE Curriculum

Leslie Potter; Richard Stone; Audrey Fyock; Devna Fay Popejoy-Sheriff

Download Paper | Permalink

Conference: 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Publication Date: June 23, 2018
Start Date: June 23, 2018
End Date: July 27, 2018
Conference Session: IED Technical Session: Preparing for the Future Through Projects and Research
Tagged Division: Industrial Engineering
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 12
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--30617
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/30617
Download Count: 567

Request a correction

Paper Authors

biography

Leslie Potter Iowa State University

visit author page

Leslie Potter is a Senior Lecturer and Co-Chair of the Undergraduate Research Program in the Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering Department at Iowa State University. She currently teaches courses on information engineering, programming, and process improvements. Her research interests include the impact of undergraduate research, engineering and professional skill integration, and teaching effectiveness.

visit author page

biography

Richard Stone Iowa State University

visit author page

Richard T. Stone PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering at Iowa State University. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2008. He also has an MS in Information Technology, a BS in Management Information Systems as well as university certificates in Robotics and Environmental Management Science. His current research focuses primarily in the area of human performance engineering, particularly applied biomedical, biomechanical and cognitive engineering. Dr. Stone focuses on the human aspect of work across a wide range of domains (from welding to surgical operations and many things in between). Dr. Stone has worked extensively in the domain of welding, specifically in the area of welding technology and training. He has a deep appreciation for the importance of the welding field and plan to continue pursuing research projects that benefit the welding community.

visit author page

biography

Audrey Fyock Iowa State University

visit author page

Audrey Fyock is a senior in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering and first year Master of Business Administration student at Iowa State University. This is her first year doing an undergraduate research assistantship with the IMSE Department, where she is studying the impacts of undergraduate research on retention rates and graduate school.

visit author page

biography

Devna Fay Popejoy-Sheriff Iowa State University

visit author page

Devna Popejoy-Sheriff is the Student Success and Services Program Coordinator and Co-Chair of the Undergraduate Research Program in the Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering Department at Iowa State University. She earned her M. Ed. in Higher Education from Iowa State University and has worked for the IMSE Department for more than 14 years. She has been recognized with multiple advising and learning community awards from the ISU community. Her interested are in student development, retention and success in engineering education.

visit author page

Download Paper | Permalink

Abstract

Since 2013, the Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) Department at Iowa State University (ISU) has provided high-impact education experiences to as many as 35 students/semester (~6% of its student body) through undergraduate research assistantships (URAs). These experiences support ISU’s strategic goal of ensuring that students receive an exceptional education, with sub-goals of improving the ISU Experience for underrepresented students, increasing retention and graduation rates for all students, and growing the impact and scope of graduate programs [1], [2]. The number of students who can benefit from this experience in the IMSE Department has plateaued, however, because of faculty time constraints. To significantly increase the number of students having this kind of experience, we are implementing a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), where students address research problems in the context of a class. CUREs benefit students in numerous ways; we are focusing on increasing retention in STEM fields and interest in graduate study. ASEE data from 2016 show that currently 31.8% of industrial engineering bachelor’s degrees are awarded to women [3]; an increase in this number would be an example of a positive outcome of a CURE. To assess the effectiveness of CUREs as both a retention tool and graduate school pipeline, the IMSE Department has implemented a pilot CURE in the Spring 2018 semester in one 40-student section of a required, 3-credit, second-year applied ergonomic and work design course. At the end of the semester, data will be compared between two sections of this course: the CURE section and the non-CURE (traditional lecture) section. This project will measure increases in the number of students who have undergraduate research experiences, retention rates within the department, and the number of students who enroll in STEM-related graduate school. This work-in-progress paper describes the methods used to develop the CURE pedagogy, including the research activities and assignments that are being incorporated into the course, along with planned assessments. Baseline data and longitudinal data collection plans are described.

Citation
Format

Potter, L., & Stone, R., & Fyock, A., & Popejoy-Sheriff, D. F. (2018, June), Implementing a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) into an IE Curriculum Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--30617

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Since 2013, the Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) Department at Iowa State University (ISU) has provided high-impact education experiences to as many as 35 students/semester (~6% of its student body) through undergraduate research assistantships (URAs). These experiences support ISU’s strategic goal of ensuring that students receive an exceptional education, with sub-goals of improving the ISU Experience for underrepresented students, increasing retention and graduation rates for all students, and growing the impact and scope of graduate programs [1], [2]. The number of students who can benefit from this experience in the IMSE Department has plateaued, however, because of faculty time constraints. To significantly increase the number of students having this kind of experience, we are implementing a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), where students address research problems in the context of a class. CUREs benefit students in numerous ways; we are focusing on increasing retention in STEM fields and interest in graduate study. ASEE data from 2016 show that currently 31.8% of industrial engineering bachelor’s degrees are awarded to women [3]; an increase in this number would be an example of a positive outcome of a CURE. To assess the effectiveness of CUREs as both a retention tool and graduate school pipeline, the IMSE Department has implemented a pilot CURE in the Spring 2018 semester in one 40-student section of a required, 3-credit, second-year applied ergonomic and work design course. At the end of the semester, data will be compared between two sections of this course: the CURE section and the non-CURE (traditional lecture) section. This project will measure increases in the number of students who have undergraduate research experiences, retention rates within the department, and the number of students who enroll in STEM-related graduate school. This work-in-progress paper describes the methods used to develop the CURE pedagogy, including the research activities and assignments that are being incorporated into the course, along with planned assessments. Baseline data and longitudinal data collection plans are described.
AU  - Leslie Potter
AU  - Richard Stone
AU  - Audrey Fyock
AU  - Devna Fay Popejoy-Sheriff
CY  - Salt Lake City, Utah
DA  - 2018/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Implementing a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) into an IE Curriculum
UR  - https://strategy.asee.org/30617
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--30617
ER  -