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John Estell

Ohio Northern University, Computer Engineering, Faculty Member

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New York University

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Universidad de Extremadura

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Nepal College of Information Technology

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Galgotias University,Greater Noida

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Stockholm University

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Papers by John Estell

Exploring Gender Representation Issues In Computing by Writing Interactive Fiction

An active member of ASEE for over 25 years, Dr. John K. Estell was elected in 2016 as a Fellow of... more An active member of ASEE for over 25 years, Dr. John K. Estell was elected in 2016 as a Fellow of ASEE in recognition of the breadth, richness, and quality of his contributions to the betterment of engineering education. Estell currently serves on the ASEE Board of Directors as the Vice President of Professional Interest Councils and as the Chair of Professional Interest Council III. He has held multiple ASEE leadership positions within the First-Year Programs (FPD) and Computers in Education (CoED) divisions, and

Ac 2007-686: Tower of Straws: Reaching New Heights with Active Learning in Engineering Design for the First-Year Curriculum

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Jun 24, 2007

are members of Northeastern University's Gateway Team, a selected group of faculty expressly devo... more are members of Northeastern University's Gateway Team, a selected group of faculty expressly devoted to the first-year Engineering Program at Northeastern University. The focus of this team is to provide a consistent, comprehensive, and constructive educational experience in engineering that endorses the student-centered and professionally-oriented mission of Northeastern University. While they concentrate on developing first-year engineering courses and teach across all engineering disciplines, they also teach specialty courses in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at NU.

Micon: connection logic circuits using current-based data representation and thresholding methods

CONLOG (for connection logic) is the name given to a set of fast current controlled circuits char... more CONLOG (for connection logic) is the name given to a set of fast current controlled circuits characterized by its methods of data representation and gate interconnections. Because of its properties, only one basic circuit topology is required to implement a particular CONLOG family. Furthermore, to adjust circuit parameters all that is needed is to make minor adjustments in a few component values. A specific implementation of CONLOG circuitry, MICON, is presented with examples of how it can be used as a basis for the development of a complete set of computer circuits. MICON circuits are very flexible in their design as there are no specifically required values for such items as the power supply voltages and the magnitude of current used for data representation. All standard logic functions, as well as some of the more exotic and complex logic functions, can be easily implemented using this circuitry. Improvements to the basic MICON circuit are also presented, demonstrating power dissipation reduction and both temperature and power supply independence. There are drawbacks to go along with the benefits of using a current-based data representation method; two logic designs using MICON circuitry are presented to illustrate each point.

Ac 2009-136: A Common Standard for All: Using a Business-Oriented Approach to Capstone Design

He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of resea... more He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of research include simplifying the outcomes assessment process, first-year engineering instruction, and the pedagogical aspects of writing computer games. Dr. Estell is a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of ACM,

The Origins of the FCAR

Social Science Research Network, 2023

When dealing with student outcomes assessment, having a concise, standardized approach towards th... more When dealing with student outcomes assessment, having a concise, standardized approach towards the reporting of data and the processing of information helps streamline the processes. Over the last 20 years, the Faculty Course Assessment Report (FCAR) Methodology has been used by many programs in developing sustainable assessment processes. This paper explains the origins of this Methodology, including the introduction of two of its key components, performance vectors and evaluation heuristics. While a review of FCAR-based papers is well outside of the scope of this paper, some examples of this Methodology’s impact are provided.

The Interactive Programming Portfolio

The portfolio has long been used as a tool for monitoring student progress. In computer science, ... more The portfolio has long been used as a tool for monitoring student progress. In computer science, the programming portfolio contains a selection of computer programs that a student has produced over a period of time. Usually this has consisted of a notebook containing pages of program listings, perhaps combined with text-based example runs or graphics-based snapshots showing particular moments of program execution. While useful, reviewing such material is about as exciting as watching paint dry and fails to capture the essence of the programs in action. With the advent of the World Wide Web and the Java-based applet, the programming portfolio can be revitalized into an interactive format conducive to both student and reviewer.

Client interaction tools: supporting student professionalism on client-based capstone design projects

International Journal of Engineering Education, 2019

Truly Interdisciplinary: The Onu Eccs Senior Design Experience

2005 Annual Conference, Jun 12, 2005

All seniors in the College of Engineering at Ohio Northern University are required to complete a ... more All seniors in the College of Engineering at Ohio Northern University are required to complete a capstone project. Following the merger of the former Computer Science and Electrical & Computer Engineering departments in 2001, the Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science (ECCS) Department developed a year-long, three course senior design sequence common to all three majors offered: computer engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering. This approach allows ECCS students to work on truly interdisciplinary comprehensive projects, and also allows for participation on interdepartmental teams. The students are presented with a mixture of faculty-and industry-sponsored projects and are assigned to project teams based upon their specified preferences. The course sequence requires the students to research an open-ended problem statement, develop a proposal, design a prototype, validate the design, produce a physical deliverable, and report the results. As part of the experience, students deal with various management issues and technical aspects of design. Both written and oral communication of the proposal and final project results are required, and all aspects of project documentation are available on the team's website. Faculty evaluate projects at the end of each quarter through sets of rubrics; external feedback is obtained through project group interactions with the ECCS industrial advisory board and with the local IEEE branch. Two competitions, for the best poster and oral presentations, are held to provide performance incentives. Applying this methodology has improved the overall quality of the project designs and better prepared our graduates for their industrial careers. II.

Scoping Design Parameters for Educational software Development with the Entrepreneurial Mindset

2021 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 2021

This Innovative Practice Full Paper presents a successful approach for scoping term project desig... more This Innovative Practice Full Paper presents a successful approach for scoping term project design parameters. Making connections between classroom material and real-world design has always been challenging for educators; while the technical bells and whistles tend to captivate students, there's a lessened interest in the business, customer, and societal aspects of design. However, one must remember that design is made for people. Accordingly, some programs incorporate service-learning into their curricula, usually in the junior or senior year. This paper presents two innovations: (1) using a first-year programming course as the service-learning venue where (2) elements of the entrepreneurial mindset are employed to scope the design of a software application project augmenting a client-specified theme. The entrepreneurial mindset models employed are the NABC, which helps designers develop a proposed solution, and the MVP, where an early prototype is created to avoid the risk of building something no one wants. Using these models helps teams to communicate their ideas with both clients and team members, and determine whether they are converging toward an acceptable and timely solution, creating value for others by designing software meeting identified needs. Multiple assessments have shown the effectiveness of this approach, with students appreciating having open-ended client-based problems. To facilitate adoption, a repository containing all instructional materials associated with this paper is available at the Engineering Unleashed website.

Cheeseburger, Fries, And A Coke: It's About The Presentation

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of resea... more He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of research include simplifying the outcomes assessment process, first-year engineering instruction, and the pedagogical aspects of writing computer games. Dr. Estell is a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of ACM,

Connecting With Alumni: An Experiment In Social Networking Using Facebook Groups

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of resea... more He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of research include simplifying the outcomes assessment process, first-year engineering instruction, and the pedagogical aspects of writing computer games. Dr. Estell is a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of ACM,

Addressing Third World Poverty In First Year Engineering Capstone Projects: Initial Findings

The ABET Criteria for engineering programs require that students attain specific learning outcome... more The ABET Criteria for engineering programs require that students attain specific learning outcomes, including understanding engineering in both a global and social context, and designing within multiple realistic constraints. To address this goal, the College of Engineering at Ohio Northern University has implemented a First-Year Engineering Capstone course featuring a requirement that all projects must involve the design of a poverty alleviation device. Such a device must be geared toward improving lives in a country where at least 40% of the population meet the World Bank's definition of living in either extreme or moderate poverty, earning less than $2 a day. The projects require the student team to follow and document an engineering design process, including regular written reports, oral presentations, and the development of a functional prototype providing proof of concept. Teams were also required to design and present a poster as part of an entrepreneurial “idea pitch” co...

A Common Standard For All: Using A Business Oriented Approach To Capstone Design

John K. Estell, Ohio Northern University John K. Estell is Chair of the Electrical & Computer Eng... more John K. Estell, Ohio Northern University John K. Estell is Chair of the Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Department, and Professor of Computer Engineering and Computer Science, at Ohio Northern University. He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of research include simplifying the outcomes assessment process, first-year engineering instruction, and the pedagogical aspects of writing computer games. Dr. Estell is a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of ACM, ASEE, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, and Upsilon Pi Epsilon.

Nifty assignments

One Minute Engineer, Nth Generation: Expansion To A Small Private University

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

The concept of having first-year students conduct ‘One Minute Engineer’ (OME) presentations was p... more The concept of having first-year students conduct ‘One Minute Engineer’ (OME) presentations was presented at the 2006 ASEE National Conference 1 . OME presentations, first developed at Northeastern University (NU), consist of having students individually provide a short (nominally one minute) presentation on an engineering-related topic at the beginning of class each day, with each student participating once during the term. Students select the topics in advance on a firstcome, first-serve basis, with feedback from the instructor on the chosen topic. Instructors could then relate future lectures and concepts to earlier student presentations. The 2006 ASEE paper presented results from two instructors at two different universities. The data showed that students reported an increased awareness of engineering topics as a result of the One-Minute Engineer. Since this method showed similar and promising outcomes at two different institutions, the authors agreed to implement the OME activity across all sections of the first engineering course at Ohio Northern University (ONU). Preand postsurveys similar to those administered in the original OME implementation were used at this institution. These results were compared to the previously published data as well as with the current class at the originating institution. An additional level of assessment was added to this iteration of the OME through the establishment of a rubric for evaluating the students’ presentation skills. Finally, assessment data on students’ engineering awareness was compared across universities. Background The need for today’s engineering students to have improved technical communication skills has been well documented, perhaps most clearly in the ABET criteria 3 . Teaching communication as part of engineering curricula has been tried in many ways, a good overview of which is presented in Ford and Riley 4 . Adding technical communication to the freshman curriculum was one of the central reasons for reforming the courses at ONU. Some of this work has resulted in previous publications 5,6 . The first of these courses, Freshman Engineering 1, includes objectives related to technical communication and exposing students to the engineering profession. As the model of a Scholar/Teacher was being discussed at the 2006 ASEE National Conference Plenary Session 2 , Dr. Sheri Sheppard stated that the scholarship of teaching and learning is distinguished from just good teaching as it involves communicating it to a community that is engaged in debate and publishing and building on each other’s work. In attendance were two of the instructors from the aforementioned Freshman Engineering 1 course who, later during the conference, also attended a paper presentation regarding the OME. After meeting with the other faculty teaching the course following the conference, it was decided to make the OME a part of this freshman course. While the OME itself would not be sufficient to teach technical communication, it provides a forum for students to practice and display technical presentation P ge 12122.2 skills. In addition, students often note that there seems to be a lack of connection between coursework and the ‘real world.’ While laboratory experiences can help students with this 7 , it is also helpful to have examples so that the students can relate course content to their own experiences and interests outside of the classroom. Additionally, the ABET criteria requires that students have a knowledge of current events related to the engineering profession 3 . It is also clear that having an understanding of engineering history can help us learn from prior mistakes 8 . The OME presentations provide the instructors with a wealth of examples that can be referred back to during lectures. They further provide students with a wide variety of examples of engineering and its impact on society. The OME is certainly not the only way in which to achieve the objectives of better technical presentation skills and a greater awareness of engineering in the real world. However, it combines both of these topics in a way that has minimal impact on class time. It also seems particularly helpful for a first-year course, since: “In addition to conveying engineering content, teaching first-year engineering students entails its own specific educational issues, some of which are: (1) attracting and maintaining the students’ interest and attention at a quality level, (2) helping students generate a sense of relevance between class and engineering in the real world, (3) building a foundation to their technical presentation skills, (4) motivating them to be interested and inspired by engineering as a career, (5) making them feel part of the new academic world they are entering, and (6) allowing them to contribute to and participate in their own education 1 .” As part of the implementation process, one of the Freshman Engineering 1 faculty members contacted the instructor who had originally…

Tower Of Straws: Reaching New Heights With Active Learning In Engineering Design For The First Year Curriculum

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of resea... more He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of research include simplifying the outcomes assessment process, user interface design, and the pedagogical aspects of writing computer games. Dr. Estell is a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of ACM, ASEE, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, and Upsilon Pi Epsilon. RICHARD WHALEN, SUSAN FREEMAN, and BEVERLY JAEGER are members of Northeastern University's Gateway Team, a selected group of faculty expressly devoted to the first-year Engineering Program at Northeastern University. The focus of this team is to provide a consistent, comprehensive, and constructive educational experience in engineering that endorses the student-centered and professionally-oriented mission of Northeastern University. While they concentrate on developing first-year engineering courses and teach across all engineering disciplines, they also teach specialty courses in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at NU.

Proofreading Exercises To Improve Technical Writing In A Freshman Engineering Course

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Dame. Research interests include education, controls, robotics, and information processing. Prior... more

A Simulation Project For An Operating Systems Course

1996 Annual Conference Proceedings

On Line Assessment For Web Based Programming Portfolios

2000 Annual Conference Proceedings

A methodology for Web-based programming portfolios that focuses on utilizing the interactive natu... more A methodology for Web-based programming portfolios that focuses on utilizing the interactive nature of the medium is presented. The concept of a portfolio and its value for assessment is reviewed, leading into a discussion on the benefits of electronic portfolios and rubrics for enhancing student learning outcomes. The development of the Interactive Programming Portfolio at our institution is used as a case study to examine how on-line assessment can be implemented.

Measuring the Photodecay of Lightsticks Using the Blocktronic Interface

Journal of Chemical Education, 1991

From time to time one encounters reactions that operate at such slow rates that it is almost impo... more From time to time one encounters reactions that operate at such slow rates that it is almost impossible for one person to monitor the process accurately. An example of this is the photodecay of the chemiluminescent systems referred to as lightsticks. However, by using a computer with an appropriate interface, one can easily observe this reaction and, as an added benefit, have the data in a machine-readable format for later processing. For this research the Apple IIGS microcomputer was used along with the Blocktronic interface. This interface, designed for use as a fixed-wavelength colorimeter, can be easily adapted for lightsticks.

Exploring Gender Representation Issues In Computing by Writing Interactive Fiction

An active member of ASEE for over 25 years, Dr. John K. Estell was elected in 2016 as a Fellow of... more An active member of ASEE for over 25 years, Dr. John K. Estell was elected in 2016 as a Fellow of ASEE in recognition of the breadth, richness, and quality of his contributions to the betterment of engineering education. Estell currently serves on the ASEE Board of Directors as the Vice President of Professional Interest Councils and as the Chair of Professional Interest Council III. He has held multiple ASEE leadership positions within the First-Year Programs (FPD) and Computers in Education (CoED) divisions, and

Ac 2007-686: Tower of Straws: Reaching New Heights with Active Learning in Engineering Design for the First-Year Curriculum

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Jun 24, 2007

are members of Northeastern University's Gateway Team, a selected group of faculty expressly devo... more are members of Northeastern University's Gateway Team, a selected group of faculty expressly devoted to the first-year Engineering Program at Northeastern University. The focus of this team is to provide a consistent, comprehensive, and constructive educational experience in engineering that endorses the student-centered and professionally-oriented mission of Northeastern University. While they concentrate on developing first-year engineering courses and teach across all engineering disciplines, they also teach specialty courses in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at NU.

Micon: connection logic circuits using current-based data representation and thresholding methods

CONLOG (for connection logic) is the name given to a set of fast current controlled circuits char... more CONLOG (for connection logic) is the name given to a set of fast current controlled circuits characterized by its methods of data representation and gate interconnections. Because of its properties, only one basic circuit topology is required to implement a particular CONLOG family. Furthermore, to adjust circuit parameters all that is needed is to make minor adjustments in a few component values. A specific implementation of CONLOG circuitry, MICON, is presented with examples of how it can be used as a basis for the development of a complete set of computer circuits. MICON circuits are very flexible in their design as there are no specifically required values for such items as the power supply voltages and the magnitude of current used for data representation. All standard logic functions, as well as some of the more exotic and complex logic functions, can be easily implemented using this circuitry. Improvements to the basic MICON circuit are also presented, demonstrating power dissipation reduction and both temperature and power supply independence. There are drawbacks to go along with the benefits of using a current-based data representation method; two logic designs using MICON circuitry are presented to illustrate each point.

Ac 2009-136: A Common Standard for All: Using a Business-Oriented Approach to Capstone Design

He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of resea... more He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of research include simplifying the outcomes assessment process, first-year engineering instruction, and the pedagogical aspects of writing computer games. Dr. Estell is a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of ACM,

The Origins of the FCAR

Social Science Research Network, 2023

When dealing with student outcomes assessment, having a concise, standardized approach towards th... more When dealing with student outcomes assessment, having a concise, standardized approach towards the reporting of data and the processing of information helps streamline the processes. Over the last 20 years, the Faculty Course Assessment Report (FCAR) Methodology has been used by many programs in developing sustainable assessment processes. This paper explains the origins of this Methodology, including the introduction of two of its key components, performance vectors and evaluation heuristics. While a review of FCAR-based papers is well outside of the scope of this paper, some examples of this Methodology’s impact are provided.

The Interactive Programming Portfolio

The portfolio has long been used as a tool for monitoring student progress. In computer science, ... more The portfolio has long been used as a tool for monitoring student progress. In computer science, the programming portfolio contains a selection of computer programs that a student has produced over a period of time. Usually this has consisted of a notebook containing pages of program listings, perhaps combined with text-based example runs or graphics-based snapshots showing particular moments of program execution. While useful, reviewing such material is about as exciting as watching paint dry and fails to capture the essence of the programs in action. With the advent of the World Wide Web and the Java-based applet, the programming portfolio can be revitalized into an interactive format conducive to both student and reviewer.

Client interaction tools: supporting student professionalism on client-based capstone design projects

International Journal of Engineering Education, 2019

Truly Interdisciplinary: The Onu Eccs Senior Design Experience

2005 Annual Conference, Jun 12, 2005

All seniors in the College of Engineering at Ohio Northern University are required to complete a ... more All seniors in the College of Engineering at Ohio Northern University are required to complete a capstone project. Following the merger of the former Computer Science and Electrical & Computer Engineering departments in 2001, the Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science (ECCS) Department developed a year-long, three course senior design sequence common to all three majors offered: computer engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering. This approach allows ECCS students to work on truly interdisciplinary comprehensive projects, and also allows for participation on interdepartmental teams. The students are presented with a mixture of faculty-and industry-sponsored projects and are assigned to project teams based upon their specified preferences. The course sequence requires the students to research an open-ended problem statement, develop a proposal, design a prototype, validate the design, produce a physical deliverable, and report the results. As part of the experience, students deal with various management issues and technical aspects of design. Both written and oral communication of the proposal and final project results are required, and all aspects of project documentation are available on the team's website. Faculty evaluate projects at the end of each quarter through sets of rubrics; external feedback is obtained through project group interactions with the ECCS industrial advisory board and with the local IEEE branch. Two competitions, for the best poster and oral presentations, are held to provide performance incentives. Applying this methodology has improved the overall quality of the project designs and better prepared our graduates for their industrial careers. II.

Scoping Design Parameters for Educational software Development with the Entrepreneurial Mindset

2021 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), 2021

This Innovative Practice Full Paper presents a successful approach for scoping term project desig... more This Innovative Practice Full Paper presents a successful approach for scoping term project design parameters. Making connections between classroom material and real-world design has always been challenging for educators; while the technical bells and whistles tend to captivate students, there's a lessened interest in the business, customer, and societal aspects of design. However, one must remember that design is made for people. Accordingly, some programs incorporate service-learning into their curricula, usually in the junior or senior year. This paper presents two innovations: (1) using a first-year programming course as the service-learning venue where (2) elements of the entrepreneurial mindset are employed to scope the design of a software application project augmenting a client-specified theme. The entrepreneurial mindset models employed are the NABC, which helps designers develop a proposed solution, and the MVP, where an early prototype is created to avoid the risk of building something no one wants. Using these models helps teams to communicate their ideas with both clients and team members, and determine whether they are converging toward an acceptable and timely solution, creating value for others by designing software meeting identified needs. Multiple assessments have shown the effectiveness of this approach, with students appreciating having open-ended client-based problems. To facilitate adoption, a repository containing all instructional materials associated with this paper is available at the Engineering Unleashed website.

Cheeseburger, Fries, And A Coke: It's About The Presentation

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of resea... more He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of research include simplifying the outcomes assessment process, first-year engineering instruction, and the pedagogical aspects of writing computer games. Dr. Estell is a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of ACM,

Connecting With Alumni: An Experiment In Social Networking Using Facebook Groups

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of resea... more He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of research include simplifying the outcomes assessment process, first-year engineering instruction, and the pedagogical aspects of writing computer games. Dr. Estell is a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of ACM,

Addressing Third World Poverty In First Year Engineering Capstone Projects: Initial Findings

The ABET Criteria for engineering programs require that students attain specific learning outcome... more The ABET Criteria for engineering programs require that students attain specific learning outcomes, including understanding engineering in both a global and social context, and designing within multiple realistic constraints. To address this goal, the College of Engineering at Ohio Northern University has implemented a First-Year Engineering Capstone course featuring a requirement that all projects must involve the design of a poverty alleviation device. Such a device must be geared toward improving lives in a country where at least 40% of the population meet the World Bank's definition of living in either extreme or moderate poverty, earning less than $2 a day. The projects require the student team to follow and document an engineering design process, including regular written reports, oral presentations, and the development of a functional prototype providing proof of concept. Teams were also required to design and present a poster as part of an entrepreneurial “idea pitch” co...

A Common Standard For All: Using A Business Oriented Approach To Capstone Design

John K. Estell, Ohio Northern University John K. Estell is Chair of the Electrical & Computer Eng... more John K. Estell, Ohio Northern University John K. Estell is Chair of the Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Department, and Professor of Computer Engineering and Computer Science, at Ohio Northern University. He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of research include simplifying the outcomes assessment process, first-year engineering instruction, and the pedagogical aspects of writing computer games. Dr. Estell is a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of ACM, ASEE, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, and Upsilon Pi Epsilon.

Nifty assignments

One Minute Engineer, Nth Generation: Expansion To A Small Private University

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

The concept of having first-year students conduct ‘One Minute Engineer’ (OME) presentations was p... more The concept of having first-year students conduct ‘One Minute Engineer’ (OME) presentations was presented at the 2006 ASEE National Conference 1 . OME presentations, first developed at Northeastern University (NU), consist of having students individually provide a short (nominally one minute) presentation on an engineering-related topic at the beginning of class each day, with each student participating once during the term. Students select the topics in advance on a firstcome, first-serve basis, with feedback from the instructor on the chosen topic. Instructors could then relate future lectures and concepts to earlier student presentations. The 2006 ASEE paper presented results from two instructors at two different universities. The data showed that students reported an increased awareness of engineering topics as a result of the One-Minute Engineer. Since this method showed similar and promising outcomes at two different institutions, the authors agreed to implement the OME activity across all sections of the first engineering course at Ohio Northern University (ONU). Preand postsurveys similar to those administered in the original OME implementation were used at this institution. These results were compared to the previously published data as well as with the current class at the originating institution. An additional level of assessment was added to this iteration of the OME through the establishment of a rubric for evaluating the students’ presentation skills. Finally, assessment data on students’ engineering awareness was compared across universities. Background The need for today’s engineering students to have improved technical communication skills has been well documented, perhaps most clearly in the ABET criteria 3 . Teaching communication as part of engineering curricula has been tried in many ways, a good overview of which is presented in Ford and Riley 4 . Adding technical communication to the freshman curriculum was one of the central reasons for reforming the courses at ONU. Some of this work has resulted in previous publications 5,6 . The first of these courses, Freshman Engineering 1, includes objectives related to technical communication and exposing students to the engineering profession. As the model of a Scholar/Teacher was being discussed at the 2006 ASEE National Conference Plenary Session 2 , Dr. Sheri Sheppard stated that the scholarship of teaching and learning is distinguished from just good teaching as it involves communicating it to a community that is engaged in debate and publishing and building on each other’s work. In attendance were two of the instructors from the aforementioned Freshman Engineering 1 course who, later during the conference, also attended a paper presentation regarding the OME. After meeting with the other faculty teaching the course following the conference, it was decided to make the OME a part of this freshman course. While the OME itself would not be sufficient to teach technical communication, it provides a forum for students to practice and display technical presentation P ge 12122.2 skills. In addition, students often note that there seems to be a lack of connection between coursework and the ‘real world.’ While laboratory experiences can help students with this 7 , it is also helpful to have examples so that the students can relate course content to their own experiences and interests outside of the classroom. Additionally, the ABET criteria requires that students have a knowledge of current events related to the engineering profession 3 . It is also clear that having an understanding of engineering history can help us learn from prior mistakes 8 . The OME presentations provide the instructors with a wealth of examples that can be referred back to during lectures. They further provide students with a wide variety of examples of engineering and its impact on society. The OME is certainly not the only way in which to achieve the objectives of better technical presentation skills and a greater awareness of engineering in the real world. However, it combines both of these topics in a way that has minimal impact on class time. It also seems particularly helpful for a first-year course, since: “In addition to conveying engineering content, teaching first-year engineering students entails its own specific educational issues, some of which are: (1) attracting and maintaining the students’ interest and attention at a quality level, (2) helping students generate a sense of relevance between class and engineering in the real world, (3) building a foundation to their technical presentation skills, (4) motivating them to be interested and inspired by engineering as a career, (5) making them feel part of the new academic world they are entering, and (6) allowing them to contribute to and participate in their own education 1 .” As part of the implementation process, one of the Freshman Engineering 1 faculty members contacted the instructor who had originally…

Tower Of Straws: Reaching New Heights With Active Learning In Engineering Design For The First Year Curriculum

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of resea... more He received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of research include simplifying the outcomes assessment process, user interface design, and the pedagogical aspects of writing computer games. Dr. Estell is a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of ACM, ASEE, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Kappa Nu, and Upsilon Pi Epsilon. RICHARD WHALEN, SUSAN FREEMAN, and BEVERLY JAEGER are members of Northeastern University's Gateway Team, a selected group of faculty expressly devoted to the first-year Engineering Program at Northeastern University. The focus of this team is to provide a consistent, comprehensive, and constructive educational experience in engineering that endorses the student-centered and professionally-oriented mission of Northeastern University. While they concentrate on developing first-year engineering courses and teach across all engineering disciplines, they also teach specialty courses in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at NU.

Proofreading Exercises To Improve Technical Writing In A Freshman Engineering Course

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Dame. Research interests include education, controls, robotics, and information processing. Prior... more

A Simulation Project For An Operating Systems Course

1996 Annual Conference Proceedings

On Line Assessment For Web Based Programming Portfolios

2000 Annual Conference Proceedings

A methodology for Web-based programming portfolios that focuses on utilizing the interactive natu... more A methodology for Web-based programming portfolios that focuses on utilizing the interactive nature of the medium is presented. The concept of a portfolio and its value for assessment is reviewed, leading into a discussion on the benefits of electronic portfolios and rubrics for enhancing student learning outcomes. The development of the Interactive Programming Portfolio at our institution is used as a case study to examine how on-line assessment can be implemented.

Measuring the Photodecay of Lightsticks Using the Blocktronic Interface

Journal of Chemical Education, 1991

From time to time one encounters reactions that operate at such slow rates that it is almost impo... more From time to time one encounters reactions that operate at such slow rates that it is almost impossible for one person to monitor the process accurately. An example of this is the photodecay of the chemiluminescent systems referred to as lightsticks. However, by using a computer with an appropriate interface, one can easily observe this reaction and, as an added benefit, have the data in a machine-readable format for later processing. For this research the Apple IIGS microcomputer was used along with the Blocktronic interface. This interface, designed for use as a fixed-wavelength colorimeter, can be easily adapted for lightsticks.