Implementation Grant: Simulation and Visualization Enhanced Engineering Education

Old Dominion University的这个系级改革项目将通过对电气、土木和机械工程三个学科的15门工程科学和工程核心课程进行整合可视化模块、仿真软件和虚拟实验的本科工程课程改革，提高学生的学习过程。一个由来自这三个工程系的12名教师、教育学院的教师和一名评估专业人员组成的多学科团队将参与拟议的转型。该项目的智力价值包括工程教育的教学改进，这是整个课程中交互式模拟和可视化的彻底整合的结果。重点将放在课堂内外的互动性上，以便学生除了在实验室课程中学到的知识外，还能获得本地和分布式虚拟领域的实践经验。期望的目标是让学生对基本原理有更深的理解，特别是对物理实验室中难以或不切实际的现象。新课程将包括：(a)将模块内容与模块前后的材料整合（互联性）；(b)通过信息、数据和视频图像，将控制方程和模块内容背后的物理原理的工程背景通过信息、数据和视频图像进行整合，所有这些都可以从网络资源中获取；(c)对模块内容进行分层安排，以便学生可以设定自己的学习目标水平，并设定自己的进度来实现这些目标；计算和分析（VISCOMPANA），工程专业的三个关键方法。拟议项目的更广泛影响将是受课程改革影响的大量学生和教师的长期教育和职业利益。在课程中整合先进的教育技术工具，如交互式可视化和模拟模块，将加强学生的学习，提高工程教育的质量，并为拥有工程知识的毕业生在计算机和互联网技术变革的世界中实践做好准备。在全额资助期间开发的模块将成为工程学院计划在不久的将来推出的完整的基于网络的本科工程课程的基石。一旦实施，这些项目将覆盖到由于地理或其他限制而无法入学的多样化和非传统学生群体。STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）学科的入学人数增长速度不足以支持未来工业增长的预测。特别是女学生有望从拟议的工作中受益。也就是说，由于工程专业的女性通常比男性学生更不喜欢硬件相关的课程，因此可视化和模拟增强课程将为女性学生提供另一种实践经验的途径。不受限制地访问用户友好的基于网络的模块将使所有工程专业的学生受益。Sushil K. Chaturvedi， Old Dominion大学首席研究员

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