Collaborative Research: Advancing the Dissemination of the Creative Art of Structural/Civil Engineering

合作研究：促进结构/土木工程创意艺术的传播

• 批准号: 1431717
• 负责人: Sanjay Arwade
• 金额: $ 12.72万
• 依托单位: University of Massachusetts Amherst
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-09-01 至 2019-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1431717&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Advancing; Dissemination; Creative

Recent reports from the Office of the President of the United States and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) urge the nation to increase student retention in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and to educate a STEM-literate populace (i.e., STEM education for non-STEM majors). Uninspiring introductory courses, poor teaching, and lack of effective dissemination of best-practices are major obstacles that stand in the way of achieving these goals. Faculty members from Princeton University, Virginia Tech and the University of Massachusetts Amherst are partnering on a project entitled "Advancing the Dissemination of the Creative Art of Structural/Civil Engineering" with the aim of overcoming these obstacles through supporting the dissemination and implementation of an introductory civil engineering course that is to be enhanced with research-based pedagogy. The target populations are both STEM and non-STEM majors.The main objectives of this proposal are to: (1) transform an introductory engineering course with dramatically improved interactivity and accessibility for non-STEM students; (2) ensure that the course takes a form that can be readily adopted into the engineering and general education curricula of many types of institutions of higher education (e.g., undergraduate institutions, research universities, etc.); and (3) facilitate dissemination, adoption, and continuous improvement of the courses beyond the audience already being reached. The objectives will be met by implementing four strategies, which include conducting customer development interviews that identify the challenges and needs for adoption in institutions of various cultures and curricula; creating course modules, comprised of different subjects (e.g. suspension bridges, towers, dams, etc.) and a library of lectures and active-learning activities; developing a website and central repository of information for teaching the course; and hosting annual workshops to mentor faculty who want to adopt the course.An assessment and evaluation plan is proposed to measure the effectiveness of the course enhancements with active learning pedagogies and dissemination into other institutions. The course to be disseminated will emphasize the creativity of the engineer along with the technical content. One thesis to be tested is if disseminating engineering as a creative art changes perceptions and increases the appreciation of engineering's role in society. The outcomes of the project hold potential to advance knowledge regarding the effect that false perceptions of engineers being "technicians" as opposed to creative artists has on STEM attrition and attraction; challenges and successes in teaching introductory engineering courses in institutions of different cultures and curricula; and strategies for supporting the successful adoption of an innovative course across diverse institutions.

美国总裁和国家工程学院（NAE）的最新报告敦促该国提高学生在科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）（STEM）中的保留，并教育茎静态的民众（即非茎专业的STEM教育）。毫不动摇的入门课程，教学差和缺乏有效的最佳实践传播是妨碍实现这些目标的主要障碍。 普林斯顿大学，弗吉尼亚理工大学和马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特大学的教职员工正在与一个题为“促进结构/土木工程创意艺术的传播”的项目合作，以克服这些障碍，通过支持基于研究基于研究的培训的介绍和实施，以支持这些障碍。目标人群既是STEM又是非茎专业的人。该提案的主要目标是：（1）转变一门入门工程课程，并为非STEM学生提供了巨大改善的互动性和可访问性； （2）确保该课程采用的形式可以轻松地用于许多类型的高等教育机构（例如，本科机构，研究大学等）的工程和通识教育课程； （3）促进传播，采用和持续改进已经达到的听众之外的课程。 将通过实施四种策略来实现这些目标，包括进行客户发展访谈，以确定在各种文化和课程的机构中采用的挑战和需求；创建由不同主题（例如悬挂桥，塔楼，大坝等）和讲座和主动学习活动库组成的课程模块；开发一个网站和中央信息库来教授课程；并为希望通过该课程的导师教师举办年度研讨会。提出了评估和评估计划，以衡量通过积极学习教学教学教学和将课程提高的有效性，并将其传播到其他机构中。 被传播的课程将强调工程师的创造力以及技术内容。要测试的论点是，作为创造性艺术改变了工程学的变化，并增加了对工程在社会中的作用的欣赏。该项目的结果有潜力提高有关对工程师为“技术人员”而不是创意艺术家对STEM流失和吸引力的影响的影响的知识；在不同文化和课程的机构中教授入门工程课程方面的挑战和成功；以及支持成功采用不同机构的创新课程的策略。