Using Interactive and Online Tools in a Freshman-Level Engineering Course

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Using Interactive and Online Tools in a
Freshman-Level Engineering Course

• Amy de Jongh Curry
• Technology Fellowship Program Project
• umdrive.memphis.edu/g-tfp/www

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Goal Statement

• Incorporate technology into a freshman-level
  introductory course in engineering to
• engage and enable our students with different
  types of learning backgrounds
• provide online resources for students that need
  further instruction

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Project Context and Rationale

• The course
• freshman-level, introductory course for
  electrical and computer engineering (EECE)
• required for all EECE majors
• The students
• variety of educational backgrounds
• College Algebra to Calculus III
• various levels of experience in using spreadsheet
  and graphing tools, such as Excel
• How can I engage and enable the students?
• Use interactive tools during classroom lectures
• Use web resources for learning outside the
  classroom

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Action Plan

• Personal Response System (PRS)
• Uses infrared wireless transmitters assigned to
  each student
• Records answers of each student to questions
  posed during class
• Encourages active learning during classroom
  lectures
• WebCT
• Post practice problems, PowerPoint lectures,
  assignments
• Generate message board discussions for
  student-initiated solutions
• Voluntary exercise
• Element K
• Online tutorials for Excel
• Voluntary exercise
• cbt.memphis.edu
• Assessment
• Administered online survey through WebCT
• Tracked usage of WebCT message board

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PRS Example
Calculate the resistance of a light bulb rated at
100 W when connected to a 110 V source.
1 1.21 W
2 121 W
3 11 W
4 1.1 W
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Course SurveyPRS WebCT
Strongly Agree---------------------------Strongly
Disagree
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Course SurveyWebCT ElementK
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Assessment Summary

• PRS system
• good use of class time (81)
• students pay closer attention in class (85)
• WebCT
• not a substitute for attending class (85)
• practice problems used occasionally (44) or
  always (22)
• power point lectures used occasionally (41) or
  often (30)
• few students used the message board (4 out of 41)
• ElementK
• 63 never logged on
• 22 used it once or twice

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Discussion

• PRS is effective tool to stimulate active
  learning
• WebCT practice problems useful
• WebCT message boards rarely used
• ElementK rarely used to learn Excel
• not required exercises, so students may not have
  perceived them to be useful

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Next Steps

• Continue with PRS
• WebCT
• Use/develop interactive online tools to provide
  immediate feedback during problem solving
• WebCT quizz tool
• ElementK
• Require tutorial usage
• Use Excel tutorial as assessment of student skills

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Benefits of the TFP Program

• Networking resource
• Learned about experiences of other TFP faculty
  using technology in the classroom
• Training resources and structured program
• Accelerated my use of instructional technologies

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Thanks

• Janna Robertson
• Joanne Gikas
• Sandy Schaeffer
• ALC staff
• TFP faculty