2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

How effective is a “Cheesy” setting for Student Academic Success? Setting the table for a memorable lesson…

Presented at Student Services & Supports

Traditional classroom settings, while familiar, often fail to captivate students, especially when teaching broad engineering concepts to introductory level engineering undergraduates. To address this challenge, the authors developed an innovative learning experience set in a staged pizzeria, complete with red-and-white checkered tablecloths, bistro lighting, swanky background music, and fresh cooked pizza for the students. This immersive environment transforms a standard lesson into an engaging, hands-on exploration of energy and power concepts, tying course material to a relatable and memorable context. Students collaborate to estimate the power demand of pizzeria equipment, calculate the energy required from a generator, and compete to estimate fuel consumption, connecting theoretical engineering principles to practical applications— all while enjoying freshly baked pizza. This unique educational setting builds on the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering’s (CME) reputation for using creative, interactive lessons to maintain student interest, scaffold student learning in memorable events, and improving conceptual understanding. By integrating problem-solving activities into a collaborative and dynamic environment, such as escape rooms and live demonstrations with chainsaws and blowtorches, the program aims to foster active engagement and holistic comprehension of course objectives. The "Boodler's Pizza Shop" lesson represents the latest effort to tie multiple learning objectives together through an experience that appeals to both logic and emotion. This paper details a study that evaluates whether these efforts translate into measurable improvements in student learning outcomes. Key metrics include individual performance on homework, timed assessments, and student surveys. The investigators seek to understand whether enhanced knowledge retention is worth the costs in terms of additional resources (Facilities, supplies, faculty time) and potential curriculum tradeoffs. This research aims to assess the broader impact of active and collaborative learning experiences in unique settings. By exploring the intersection of setting, activity, pedagogy, and student motivation, this work contributes to the development of innovative teaching strategies that enhance both student engagement and performance. The findings will help refine future course and lesson designs, ensuring that such efforts provide meaningful value across diverse learner populations.

Authors

Kevin Taylor Scruggs United States Military Academy [biography]

Major Kevin T. Scruggs is a Senior Instructor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the United State Military Academy, West Point, NY. He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas, Austin. His research interests include transportation engineering, concrete materials engineering, and sustainable engineering practices.
Erin Kennedy Duhon US Military Academy Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering [biography]

Lieutenant Colonel Erin K. Duhon is an Instructor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the United States Military Academy and a Master of Civil Engineering from Purdue University. She teaches Infrastructure Engineering, Construction Management, and Fundamentals of Engineering Mechanics and advises on a water infrastructure capstone affiliated with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Her scholarly interests include water resource engineering, natural disaster planning and mitigation, and water-related social justice concerns. Prior to teaching, LTC Duhon worked as an environmental consultant in the waste management and energy infrastructure sectors in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and as a civil (hydraulic) engineer for the US Army Corps of Engineers in Galveston, Texas. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Maryland and a Project Management Professional. LTC Duhon commissioned an Engineer Officer in the US Army in 2004, with notable tactical assignments supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 84th Engineer Battalion and 36th Engineer Brigade. She has served at the operational and strategic levels, notably in the Multi-National Force-Iraq Commander’s Initiatives Group in Baghdad, Iraq, as a Program Integrator in the Office of the Chief of Engineers, US Army Headquarters, Washington DC, and as the Operations Officer in the 420th Engineer Brigade in Bryan, TX.
Dr. James Ledlie Klosky P.E. United States Military Academy [biography]

Led Klosky is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point and a past winner of ASEE's National Teaching Medal. He is a licensed professional engineer and the Dean's Executive Agent for Design and Construction at We
Matthew Glavin United States Military Academy [biography]

Matthew T. Glavin is an Instructor of Civil Engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point and an active duty Army Engineer Officer. He is a graduate of West Point (B.S. in Civil Engineering), Missouri S&T (M.S. in Engineering Management), and Northeastern University (M.S in Sustainable Building Systems). His research interests include sustainable infrastructure design, energy efficiency, and engineering education.
Col. Aaron T Hill Jr. P.E. http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-2441-4094 United States Military Academy [biography]

Colonel Aaron Hill is the Deputy Department Head and Professor U.S. Military Academy in the Department of Civil & Mechanical Engineering, responsible for teaching, scholarship, and leadership at the Academy and Department levels. He was commissioned as an Engineer Officer from the U.S. Military Academy in 1997, where he majored in Civil Engineering. He has served in a variety of assignments around the world, including Afghanistan, the Sinai Peninsula, Bosnia, and Croatia. COL Hill served in the department from 2006-2009 and from 2016 to the present. Along the way, he earned Master’s degrees in Engineering Management (Missouri S&T) and Civil Engineering (Virginia Tech) and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (The University of Texas at Austin). He has taught several courses in the civil engineering curriculum ranging from structural engineering and steel design to infrastructure systems and construction management. Each spring, he co-teaches Project Management Professional prep classes to the Department of Defense community. His research interests include topics in structural engineering and engineering education. He serves as the Chair of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Committee on Education Chair and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Partners in Education Committee Vice Chair. Additionally, he serves as the Head Officer Representative for Men’s Basketball. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia and a Project Management Professional.

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