Implementation Grant: Simulation and Visualization Enhanced Engineering Education

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This department level reform project at Old Dominion University will enhance the student learning process by implementing an undergraduate engineering curricula transformation that integrates visualization modules, simulation software, and virtual experiments in 15 engineering science and engineering core courses in three disciplines, namely electrical, civil and mechanical engineering. A multidisciplinary team of twelve faculty members from these three engineering departments, faculty from the College of Education and an assessment professional will participate in the proposed transformation. The intellectual merit of the project includes the pedagogical improvements that can be made in engineering education as a result of thorough integration of interactive simulation and visualization throughout the curriculum. The focus will be on interactivity both inside and outside of classes so that students obtain hands-on experience in local and distributed virtual domains in addition to what they generally learn in laboratory courses. The desired goal is to allow students to achieve a deeper understanding of basic principles, especially for phenomena difficult or impractical to illustrate in physical laboratories. The new curriculum will include: (a) integration of module contents with materials preceding and following the module (interconnectivity), (b) engineering context of governing equations and physical principles underlying modular contents through information, data and video-images, all accessed from web-resources, (c) hierarchical arrangement of modular contents so that students can set their own level of learning goals, and set their own pace to achieve them, and (d) integration of visualization, computation and analysis (VISCOMPANA), three critical methodologies of the engineering profession.The broader impact of the proposed project will be the long-term educational and career benefits to the large number of students and faculty who will be affected by the curricular transformation. Integration of advanced education technology tools such as interactive visualization and simulation modules in the curricula will enhance student learning, improve quality of engineering education, and prepare graduates who possess engineering know-how to practice in a world transformed by computer and Internet technologies. Modules developed during the full-grant period will become building blocks for complete web-based undergraduate engineering programs that the engineering college plans to launch in the not so distant future. Once implemented, these programs will reach a diverse and non-traditional student population that would not have otherwise enrolled due to geographical or other limitations. Enrollments in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines are not rising as fast as needed to support future projections of industrial growth. Female students in particular are expected to benefit from the proposed work. That is, since women in engineering have been found to be generally more averse to hardware related courses than are male students, the visualization and simulation enhanced courses will provide female students an alternative pathway for hands-on experience. Unfettered access to user friendly web-based modules will benefit all engineering students.Sushil K. Chaturvedi, Principal Investigator, Old Dominion University