Support for Interdisciplinary Engineering Education through Application of Industry-Focused Case Studies

Trevor D. McLaughlin

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Conference: 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Publication Date: June 15, 2014
Start Date: June 15, 2014
End Date: June 18, 2014
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Nuclear and Radiological Division Technical Session 1
Tagged Division: Nuclear and Radiological
Page Count: 7
Page Numbers: 24.1143.1 - 24.1143.7
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--23076
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/23076
Download Count: 375

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Trevor D. McLaughlin U.S. Military Academy

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Abstract

Support for Interdisciplinary Engineering Education Through Application of an Industry-Focused Case Study Abstract This paper will report on the effectiveness of one application of an interdisciplinary,industry-focused case study to aiding in the attainment of EAC ABET student outcome [h]:“students attain the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineeringsolutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.” The case study will beexecuted in a course titled Nuclear Weapons Effects composed of 60 college seniorsrepresenting a wide array of academic disciplines. This population is predisposed to cross-disciplinary experimentation with 25 percent enrollment by nuclear engineering majors, 15percent from the basic sciences (e.g. mathematics and chemistry majors), and 60 percent fromthe humanities (e.g. history and philosophy majors). The industry of focus for this study is theCenter for the Study of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) from the National DefenseUniversity who will host a three-hour nuclear weapons and strategic policy table top exercise atthe end of the semester. The event requires participants to make decisions considering social,economical, political, environmental, and technical factors. A literature review through the Journal of Engineering Education (JEE) revealsengineering classrooms can benefit significantly by the application of case studies in thecurriculum. A report from Auburn University in 1999 by P.K. Raju argues that the traditionalmethod of “teaching domain-specific knowledge” meets a primary objective in undergraduateeducation but falls short in providing the “breadth of knowledge and skills that are fundamentalto the practice of their profession” [*Raju, 1999]. Case studies can, therefore, be an ideal toolfor teaching real-world application inside the classroom and attaining a better understanding ofhow engineering solutions impact a multi-dimensional and complex professional world. The method will be to survey students prior to and after the exercise. There will be afaculty assessment on the attainment of student outcome h and a peer review of classroomperformance and effectiveness to learning. Future studies will incorporate an analysis on adifferent group of 45 students of a similarly diverse make up. This future-study group willexecute their table top exercise in the spring term and provide data to the author to beincluded in the presentation to the ASEE summer conference in Indianapolis.*Raju, P.K. and Sankar, C. S. (1999), Teaching Real-World Issues through Case Studies. Journal ofEngineering Education, 88: 501–508. doi: 10.1002/j.2168-9830.1999.tb00479.x

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McLaughlin, T. D. (2014, June), Support for Interdisciplinary Engineering Education through Application of Industry-Focused Case Studies Paper presented at 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Indianapolis, Indiana. 10.18260/1-2--23076

TY - CPAPER
AB - Support for Interdisciplinary Engineering Education Through Application of an Industry-Focused Case Study Abstract This paper will report on the effectiveness of one application of an interdisciplinary,industry-focused case study to aiding in the attainment of EAC ABET student outcome [h]:“students attain the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineeringsolutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.” The case study will beexecuted in a course titled Nuclear Weapons Effects composed of 60 college seniorsrepresenting a wide array of academic disciplines. This population is predisposed to cross-disciplinary experimentation with 25 percent enrollment by nuclear engineering majors, 15percent from the basic sciences (e.g. mathematics and chemistry majors), and 60 percent fromthe humanities (e.g. history and philosophy majors). The industry of focus for this study is theCenter for the Study of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) from the National DefenseUniversity who will host a three-hour nuclear weapons and strategic policy table top exercise atthe end of the semester. The event requires participants to make decisions considering social,economical, political, environmental, and technical factors. A literature review through the Journal of Engineering Education (JEE) revealsengineering classrooms can benefit significantly by the application of case studies in thecurriculum. A report from Auburn University in 1999 by P.K. Raju argues that the traditionalmethod of “teaching domain-specific knowledge” meets a primary objective in undergraduateeducation but falls short in providing the “breadth of knowledge and skills that are fundamentalto the practice of their profession” [*Raju, 1999]. Case studies can, therefore, be an ideal toolfor teaching real-world application inside the classroom and attaining a better understanding ofhow engineering solutions impact a multi-dimensional and complex professional world. The method will be to survey students prior to and after the exercise. There will be afaculty assessment on the attainment of student outcome h and a peer review of classroomperformance and effectiveness to learning. Future studies will incorporate an analysis on adifferent group of 45 students of a similarly diverse make up. This future-study group willexecute their table top exercise in the spring term and provide data to the author to beincluded in the presentation to the ASEE summer conference in Indianapolis.*Raju, P.K. and Sankar, C. S. (1999), Teaching Real-World Issues through Case Studies. Journal ofEngineering Education, 88: 501–508. doi: 10.1002/j.2168-9830.1999.tb00479.x
AU - Trevor D. McLaughlin
CY - Indianapolis, Indiana
DA - 2014/06/15
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Support for Interdisciplinary Engineering Education through Application of Industry-Focused Case Studies
UR - https://strategy.asee.org/23076
DO - 10.18260/1-2--23076
ER -