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Spicing Up the Engineering Classroom

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Conference

2023 ASEE North Central Section Conference

Location

Morgantown, West Virginia

Publication Date

March 24, 2023

Start Date

March 24, 2023

End Date

March 25, 2023

Page Count

8

DOI

10.18260/1-2--44908

Permanent URL

https://strategy.asee.org/44908

Download Count

111

Paper Authors

biography

Craig J. Gunn Michigan State University

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Craig Gunn is the Director of the Communication Program in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University. He integrates communication skill activity into all courses within the mechanical Engineering program. He has co-authored a number of writing textbooks and poetry books.

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Abstract

Trying to influence engineers to investigate something different, especially outside the confines of statics and controls, vibrations and electrical circuits, and chemicals and asphalt, may be challenging. However, what our students come to campus with is outside those technical pursuits. They arrive with backgrounds in music and art, writing and voice, and a whole lot of things that sit on the other side of the table from our engineering courses. I believe that we need to help our students at least investigate areas that may not be prescribed by our accreditation boards and colleagues. Not only can these unique foci provide relaxation for our student, but they also can give them a wider view of the world around them. If they already have dabbled with ideas of music, art, and composition; why shouldn’t we use those interests to support our own technical endeavors? There are many avenues that we can follow in trying to broaden the view of our engineers. I will briefly touch a few of the many that have been used in a variety of engineering courses at XXX. They include poetry and novel writing, the creation of art, our own talents in the skills outside of engineering, and the ever-interesting scavenger hunts. The foundation of all of this is the premise that we are all creative in some form and that creativity forms a basis upon which an engineer can grow to unbelievable heights. Looking at ways that our students can become involved in the cross pollinizing of the arts and engineering makes the engineering classroom all the more inviting and exciting for the technical mind. Simply suggesting the insertion of these activities is not enough; one must give rational reasons to include them that benefit the engineering student. An effort will be made to explain why the activities chosen will help the student in a variety of ways, not only their engineering pursuits. Since most of the efforts made by the students involve assessments beyond simply a grade range, one must look at the efforts in creativity and anecdotal responses to the assignments. This will be detailed in the paper.

Gunn, C. J. (2023, March), Spicing Up the Engineering Classroom Paper presented at 2023 ASEE North Central Section Conference, Morgantown, West Virginia. 10.18260/1-2--44908

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