2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Impact of a Multidisciplinary Service-Learning Project on Engineering Knowledge and Professional Skills in Engineering and Education Students

Presented at Mechanical Engineering Division (MECH) Technical Session 11: Project and Research-Based Learning Environments

A multidisciplinary service-learning project that involved teaching engineering to fourth and fifth graders was implemented in three sets of engineering and education classes to determine if there was an impact on engineering knowledge and teamwork skills in both the engineering and education students as well as persistence in the engineering students. Collaboration 1 paired a 100-level engineering Information Literacy class in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with a 300-level Educational Foundation class. Collaboration 2 combined a 300-level Electromechanical Systems class in Mechanical Engineering with a 400-level Educational Technology class. Collaboration 3 paired a 300-level Fluid Mechanics class in Mechanical Engineering Technology with a 400-level Elementary Science Methods class. Collaborations 1 and 3 interacted with fourth or fifth graders by developing and delivering lessons to the elementary students. Students in collaboration 2 worked with fifth graders in an after-school technology club. While each collaboration had its unique elements, all collaborations included the engineering design process both in classroom instruction and during the service learning project. Quantitative data were collected from both engineering and education students in a pretest/posttest design. Teamwork skills were measured in engineering students using a validated teamwork skills assessment based on peer evaluation. Each class had a comparison class taught by the same instructor that included a team project, and the same quantitative measures. Engineering students who participated in collaboration 1 were evaluated for retention, which was defined as students who were still enrolled in the college of engineering and technology two semesters after completion of the course. Engineering students also completed an evaluation of academic and professional persistence. For the engineering students, none of the assessments involving technical skills had significant differences, although the design process knowledge tests trended upward in the treatment classes. The preservice teachers in the treatment group scored significantly higher in the design process knowledge test, and preservice teachers in collaborations 1 and 3 had higher scores in the engineering knowledge test than the comparison group. Teamwork skills in the treatment group were significantly higher than in the comparison group for both engineering and education students. Thus, engineering and education students in the treatment groups saw gains in teamwork skills, while education students saw more gains in engineering knowledge. Finally, all engineering students had significantly higher professional persistence.

Authors

Dr. Stacie I. Ringleb Old Dominion University [biography]

Stacie Ringleb is a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Old Dominion University and a fellow of the American Society of Biomechanics. Dr. Ringleb received a B.S. in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University, a M.S.E. from Temple University, a Ph.D. from Drexel University, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Pilar Pazos http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4348-7798 Old Dominion University [biography]

Pilar Pazos is an Associate Professor at Old Dominion University’s Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering. Her areas of research expertise are team-based work structures, performance management, quality management, research methodology, and engineering education.
Mr. Francisco Cima Old Dominion University [biography]

Francisco Cima is a PhD student of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at Old Dominion University. He obtained his Masters in Business Planning and Regional Development from the Technological Institute of Merida. His areas of interest are innov
Isaac Koduah Kumi Old Dominion University [biography]

Isaac K. Kumi is a Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. student at Old Dominion University. He has a B.Sc in Biomedical Engineering and an M.E. in Mechanical Engineering. His research interests are in biomechanics and biomechanical modeling and simulation.
Dr. Orlando M. Ayala http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0604-8606 Old Dominion University [biography]

Dr. Ayala received his BS in Mechanical Engineering with honors (Cum Laude) from Universidad de Oriente (Venezuela) in 1995, MS in 2001, and Ph.D. in 2005, both from the University of Delaware (USA). Dr. Ayala is currently serving as Associate Professor in the Engineering Technology Department at Old Dominion University. Prior to joining ODU in 2013, Dr. Ayala spent 3 years as a Postdoc at the University of Delaware where he expanded his knowledge on simulation
of multiphase flows while acquiring skills in high-performance parallel computing and scientific computation. Before that, Dr. Ayala held a faculty position at Universidad de Oriente where he taught and developed courses for a number of subjects such as Fluid Mechanics, Heat Transfer, Thermodynamics, Multiphase Flows, Hydraulic Machinery, as well as different Laboratory courses. Additionally, Dr. Ayala has had the opportunity to work for a number of engineering consulting companies, which have given him an important perspective and exposure to the industry. He has been directly involved in at least 20 different engineering projects related to a wide range of industries. Dr. Ayala has provided service to professional organizations such as ASME, since 2008 he has been a member of the Committee of Spanish Translation of ASME Codes. Dr. Ayala has published over one hundred journal and peer-reviewed conference papers. His work has been presented in several international forums in Austria, the USA, Venezuela, Japan, France, Mexico, and Argentina. Dr. Ayala has a 42.80 average of citations per year of all his published work.
Dr. Krishnanand Kaipa http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-8095-938X Old Dominion University [biography]

Dr. Krishnanand Kaipa is an Assistant Professor and director of the Collaborative Robotics and Adaptive Machines (CRAM) Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Old Dominion University. Dr. Kaipa received his BE (Hons.)
Dr. Jennifer Jill Kidd http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9800-1690 Old Dominion University [biography]

Dr. Jennifer Kidd is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Old Dominion University. Her research interests include engineering education, computational thinking, student-authored digital content, classroom assessment, especially
Dr. Kristie Gutierrez http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9339-7574 Old Dominion University [biography]

Dr. Gutierrez received her B.S. in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2001, M.Ed. in Secondary Science Education in 2005 from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and Ph.D. in Science Education in 2016 from North Ca
Min Jung Lee University of North Dakota

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