2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Best Practices in an Undergraduate Engineering Course from Analyzing a Decade of Data from In-Class, Hybrid, and Online Environments

Presented at Multidisciplinary Engineering Division (MULTI) Technical Session 9

The rise of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has presented new challenges in engineering education but has also provided a testing ground for alternate teaching techniques. There is currently no standardized approach for in-person, online, or hybrid learning and many new teaching methods have not been properly evaluated. Additionally, students have identified certain practices they would like to continue during the transition from fully online back to hybrid or in-person learning. Herein, we present research that outlines some best teaching practices and strategies for each learning environment. The information analyzed to reach conclusions came from two sources: first, course evaluation database spanning ten years, five instructors, three teaching environments, and over 600 students for an interdisciplinary undergraduate engineering Kinematics and Dynamics course, and second, five in-depth interviews of professors who collectively instructed over 400 hours of the course. In all learning environments, students found example problems most effective for enhancing their learning. Prior to 2020, students valued the instructor’s ability to present material effectively and an efficient use of class time. From 2020-2022, students placed exceptional emphasis on instructor accommodations, deadline flexibility, instructor availability, and clear course structure. Returning to in-person learning, students expressed that they wanted many teaching practices implemented during remote learning to remain in place. Additionally, students were more willing to provide specific suggestions about how to improve course structure. This analysis provides useful tips for teaching multidisciplinary courses, and increasing student success, engagement, and development, specifically related to diversity and inclusion efforts.

Authors

Samantha Hoang Seattle University [biography]

Dr. Samantha Hoang is an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Seattle University. Dr. Hoang earned her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington in 2022 and her BS in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College in 2017. Her dissertation was on the high-fidelity modeling and simulation of large multi-rotor drones. During her first year as assistant professor, she plans to continue her research on multi-rotor drones with the help of undergraduate researchers. Dr. Hoang also plans to explore new research directions specifically in engineering education.
Dr. Elizabeth G. Rasmussen National Institute of Standards and Technology [biography]

Elizabeth G. Rasmussen, Ph.D., is a research scientist in the National Research Council (NRC) Research Associateship Program overseen by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). Dr. Rasmussen is currently conducting research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado, USA, advised by Mark McLinden in the Material Measurement Laboratory. Overall, Dr. Rasmussen’s research interests center around innovating ways to measure and manufacture materials supporting a wide range of technical innovations. Dr. Rasmussen's contributions have been recognized with accolades, including a Clean Energy Institute research fellowship (2020), an NSF data science accelerator award (2018), and the ASME Kenneth Roe Award (2016). She is a co-author of 13 journal articles and a co-inventor of eight patents. She has also given over 30 technical talks at universities, national laboratories, and conferences. Dr. Rasmussen worked in industry as an engineer at Johnson Controls, Kimberly-Clark, and Leviton Network Solutions and has also been a visiting researcher at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Argonne National Laboratory. She received a B.S. from Michigan Technological University and a M.S. and Ph.D. degree from the University of Washington-Seattle, all in mechanical engineering.
Ava Marie Obenaus University of Washington [biography]

Ava is a Mechanical Engineering PhD student at the University of Washington. She completed he BS in Mechanical Engineering and ME in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology in 2018. Ava studies platelet biomechanics in the Cell Biomechanics Lab, led by Prof. Nathan Sniadecki. Her clinically-motivated research focuses on the biomechanics of platelets and how they become activated and aggregated in regions of high shear flow. This phenomenon is essential to forming hemostatic plugs that prevent bleeding when blood vessels are punctured or injured, but it can be a pernicious event when plugs are formed by flow disturbances caused by heart valves, stents, or blood pumps. Specifically, she designs and uses microfluidic devices and bioengineering tools to analyze the process of platelet plug formation with control over the conditions of the fluid flow, platelet mechanobiology, and blood composition. Additionally, Ava loves teaching and is interested in pursuing research in engineering education.

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