Service-Learning in Engineering: A Resource Guidebook

University of Nebraska Omaha

DigitalCommons@UNO

Higher Education Service Learning

2004

Service-Learning in Engineering: A Resource

Guidebook

William Oakes

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“Tell me,

and I forget.

Teach me,

and I may remember.

Involve me,

and I learn.

BEN FRANKLIN

WEB: WWW.COMPACT.ORG

PH: 401.867.3950

ENGINEERING

Service-Learning in

A RESOURCE GUIDEBOOK

WILLIAM OAKES, PE

”

Brown University

Box 1975

Providence, RI 02912

PHONE

: 401.867.3950

EMAIL: [email protected]

WEBSITE: www.compact.org

Campus Compact is a national

coalition of more than 900 college

and university presidents who are

committed to fulfilling the civic

purposes of higher education.

To support this mission, Campus

Compact promotes community

service initiatives that develop stu-

dents’ citizenship skills, helps cam-

puses forge effective community

partnerships, and provides resources

and practical guidance for faculty

seeking to integrate civic engage-

ment into their teaching and

research.

Campus Compact comprises a

national office based in Providence,

RI, and 30 state offices in CA, CO,

CT, FL, HI, IA, IL, IN, KS, MA, ME,

MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NH, NY,

OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, TX, UT, VA,

VT, WA, WI, and WV.

The work that provided the basis

for this publication was supported

by funding under a grant with the

U.S. Department of Housing and

Urban Development. The substance

and findings of the work are dedi-

cated to the public. The author and

publisher are solely responsible for

the accuracy of the statements and

interpretations contained in this

publication. Such interpretations do

not necessarily reflect the views of

the Government.

iii

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

What Is Service-Learning? 6

The Changing Face of

Engineering Education 11

Current Use of Service-Learning

in Engineering 19

Implementing Service-Learning 26

References 36

Appendix I:

Guided Questions for

Implementing Service-Learning 39

Appendix II:

Sample Service-Learning

Projects, Syllabi, and Forms 45

Sample Projects from the EPICS Program 46

Purdue University 46

Case Western University 49

Georgia Institute of Technology 49

Iowa State University 50

Penn State University 50

University of Notre Dame 50

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez 51

University of Wisconsin, Madison 52

Syllabi and Course Descriptions 53

Hydrology 53

Civil and Environmental Engineering 55

Mechanical Engineering (Ergonomics) 57

Bioprocessing 61

Traffic Engineering 63

Dynamics 65

Sample Forms and Excercises 69

Reflection Exercise for First-Year

Engineering Students 69

EPICS Milestone Schedule, Fall 2002 71

Hold Harmless Agreement

for Delivered Community Projects 73

Sample Photo Release Form 75

Reporting and Evaluation Tools 76

Student Evaluation Matrix 76

Design Notebook Evaluation 78

Online Weekly Report Form 79

Peer Evaluation Form 80

Student Self-Assessment Form 82

Senior Design Project Description Form 83

Senior Design Student Outcomes Matrix 86

Sample Service-Learning Projects, Syllabi, and Forms Found in the Appendix

“

ntroduction

Several issues have motivated reform in engineering education over

the past decade. Industry’s call for more well-rounded graduates

who are better equipped for today’s fast-moving, global economy

has motivated the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) to redefine its

accreditation criteria in a way that places professional skills such as teamwork, communica-

tion, and awareness of social issues into core engineering curricula. The continued underrep-

resentation of women and minorities in engineering has fueled innovative curricular models

that integrate active learning with relevant engineering applications. At the same time, the

overall decline in interest in engineering among high school students has prompted the

development of K-12 outreach programs and high school engineering courses.

Service-learning has the potential to address many of the issues facing engineering education.

Service-learning integrates community service with academic education; students apply their

classroom content to community problems, thus enhancing learning while providing needed

services to underserved populations. Research has shown that service-learning can enhance

classroom learning (Eyler and Giles, 1999) and is consistent with theories for increasing stu-

dent retention (Tinto, 1993). In addition, the community context and social relevance of

service-learning are consistent with the characteristics advocated to increase participation of

underrepresented populations in engineering (Rosser, 1995). Placing engineering within a

local community context broadens the view of engineering for most students and therefore

has the potential to attract a wider pool of students to the field. Finally, the focus on projects

with real community application meets industry’s need for greater real-world experience

among graduates.

In parallel with engineering education’s reform efforts, many other disciplines have under-

gone reform through service-learning. Although service-learning in engineering is a relative-

ly new area of endeavor, many successful examples exist, including two pioneering models:

• Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) brings multidisciplinary

undergraduate design teams into long-term partnerships with local community

organizations and agencies. EPICS teams design, develop, deploy, and support tech-

nology-based solutions to the issues facing their community partners (Jamieson et

al., 2002; Tsang, 2000). Started at Purdue University but now found on many cam-

puses, EPICS involves more than 20 disciplines in which undergraduates at all levels

engage in long-term projects for the local community. Examples of projects include

ivil engineering is

called the ‘people

serving profession;’

you can’t do that

without getting out

and serving the people.”

JAMES MCKINNEY,

HEAD OF CIVIL

ENGINEERING,

ROSE-HULMAN

INSTITUTE OF

TECHNOLOGY

designing systems and structures for minimizing home construction and energy

costs, designing and building therapeutic devices for children with disabilities, and

designing wetland mitigation projects.

• Engineers without Borders (and partner organization Engineers without Frontiers)

promotes and facilitates the integration of international service projects into local

engineering curricula. Student chapters of these organizations have been started at

campuses across the country. Service-learning projects carried out include improv-

ing rural water supply and sanitation, creating local community resource manage-

ment capabilities, and supporting multi-functional energy platforms in developing

nations.

Despite the numerous benefits of service-learning in engineering education and the existence

of successful models, engineering continues to lag behind other disciplines in embracing this

pedagogy. The hesitancy of engineering faculty to initiate service-learning is one motivation

for the creation of this guidebook.

This guidebook grew out of a faculty development series sponsored by Campus Compact

with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It has

been used with success as a reference in a series of faculty workshops on service-learning in

engineering held across the country. Eight faculty workshops were conducted in the follow-

ing locations: Georgia Tech University, Louisiana State University, Massachusetts Institute of

Te c hnology, North Carolina State University, the University of Colorado, the University of

Michigan, the University of Texas-El Paso, and the University of Washington. (An additional

workshop was held at the 3M Corporation in Minnesota.) These one- to two-day workshops

involved faculty and administrators interested in learning about service-learning and in

implementing service-learning in their engineering curriculum.

The workshops had two purposes: first, to bring the concept of service-learning to these

engineering schools, and second, to test and refine a curriculum that could be used inde-

pendently by interested faculty and administrators. Instructors included William Oakes, co-

director of the EPICS program at Purdue University (and author of this guidebook); Leah

Jamieson, also of Purdue’s EPICS program; Edward Zlotkowski, senior faculty fellow at

Campus Compact; and John Duffy of the University of Massachusetts Lowell. This curricu-

lum guidebook represents a compilation of the materials developed and refined during the

course of the workshops.

Applications to Affordable Housing Construction

Since HUD provided support for the development of this guidebook, an area of special inter-

est is the potential role for engineering service-learning in the area of building technology

and/or affordable housing. This may involve one or more of the following applications:

•

Heating and cooling. Mechanical engineering courses could include a service-learn-

ing component that focuses on designing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning

(HVAC) systems for local affordable housing projects, which would include sizing

heating and cooling plants, conducting heat load analyses, identifying energy-effi-

ciency construction specifications, and other mechanical engineering applications.

• Lighting and electrical systems. Electrical engineering courses could include a serv-

ice-learning component that focuses on designing lighting and electrical systems in

local community projects.

•

Structures. Structural engineers could test the application of building technologies

such as structural insulated panels, insulated concrete forms, and other innovative

building technologies.

•

Technology innovation. Because of the fragmented nature of the building industry,

residential construction is slow to incorporate innovative building technologies

compared with other industries. Students could test or assess a wide range of build-

ing technologies and products as part of a service-learning experience. The

Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) has identified an inven-

tory of innovative products and appliances (see www.pathnet.org) that could be

incorporated into a service-learning program.

•

Green building. There is growing interest in the field of “green building”--construc-

tion that is environmentally friendly and energy-efficient. This involves new tech-

niques for naturally ventilating buildings that are less reliant on mechanical systems

and greater use of recyclable materials, use of energy and water efficient systems, and

more.

A limited number of examples of engineering service-learning courses that are focused on

affordable housing or building technology were identified during the development of this

guidebook. These include a service-learning project at Purdue University that required devel-

oping new-construction energy efficiency improvements for a Habitat for Humanity project

in Lafayette, Indiana; and a course at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, also in partner-

ship with Habitat for Humanity, that required developing specifications for energy-efficient

buildings products and techniques, including energy-efficient windows, passive solar systems,

and added insulation. Students were required to conduct life-cycle costs for a solar-heated

house compared with a standard home and estimate the savings related to solar heat.

How to Use This Guide

This publication and associated PowerPoint slides are designed to assist interested individuals

in conducting faculty workshops on service-learning in engineering. With this text and

accompanying materials, these workshops can be organized on campus or at the state or

regional level. The appendices offer a range of informational tools that can be used in con-

junction with each workshop.

This guidebook contains all of the material needed to conduct a training workshop for engi-

neering faculty and administrators on the subject of service-learning in engineering. It is

intended for use by faculty or administrators who have an interest in educating their col-

leagues about the potential for implementing new engineering-based service-learning courses

or expanding existing activities in this area. The guidebook includes the following materials:

1. A detailed curriculum for faculty workshops, including an introduction to service-

learning, a rationale for incorporating service-learning into engineering curricula,

examples of current practice, and a guide to implementing service-learning in the

classroom.

2. An appendix with a set of guided questions to help identify the needs and issues of

both the department and the institution. These discussion questions were used in

the service-learning workshops as an aid in developing an implementation plan.

3. A second appendix with examples of engineering service-learning projects,

syllabi/course descriptions, and sample forms and evaluation tools.

4. A separate set of slides that can be adapted for use in presentations at campus work-

shops. These slides are available at the Campus Compact website,

www.compact.org/faculty, and at the HUD website, www.huduser.org.

The Faculty Workshop Curriculum

The purpose of a faculty workshop in engineering service-learning is to help interested engi-

neering departments develop strategies to (1) incorporate community-based work in their

engineering teaching and research; (2) include community-based experiences as a standard

expectation for engineering majors; and (3) further faculty interest in incorporating the serv-

ice-learning concept into engineering curricula.

The curriculum is broken down into four chapters that are intended to structure the service-

learning faculty workshop: These are as follows:

1. What Is Service-Learning? introduces the basic concepts of service-learning, includ-

ing definitions and characteristics of service learning; a description of Kolb’s “learn-

ing cycle,” which provides a conceptual framework for the service-learning approach;

and a section on what distinguishes service-learning from the traditional learning

experiences and alternative approaches such as internships.

2. The Changing Face of Engineering Education discusses the relationship of service-

learning to the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology’s (ABET’s) EC

2000 Criterion 3 requirements; the benefits of service-learning for engineering stu-

dents, faculty, and community residents; and how service-learning can prepare engi-

neering students for the work world.

3. Current Use of Service-Learning in Engineering describes the current state of the

art of service-learning in engineering, including schools with service-learning pro-

grams, examples of how service-learning has been incorporated into academic engi-

neering courses, and a look at engineering service-learning at the local, regional,

national, and international levels.

4. Implementing Service Learning provides a step-by-step approach to implementing a

service-learning program, from selecting a course to identifying community part-

ners, selecting suitable projects, recruiting students, assessing the learning experi-

ence, monitoring community involvement, and analysis and reflection.

Complementary AAHE-Campus Compact Volume

All of the materials in this guidebook were designed to complement the engineering volume

of the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE)-Campus Compact series on serv-

ice-learning in the disciplines. The engineering volume,

Projects that Matter: Concepts and

Models for Service-Learning in Engineering

(Tsang, 2000), contains more detailed descrip-

tions of engineering service-learning programs and essays on teaching methods for effectively

delivering an engineering curriculum.

It is recommended that this guidebook be used in conjunction with

Projects that Matter to

facilitate a workshop for faculty on revising their engineering courses in such a way that stu-

dent involvement in meaningful and relevant community service can enhance academic

learning objectives.

hat Is Service-Learning?

The concept of service is not new to higher education, or to the engineering profession. The

idea of integrating service with education has its roots in the creation of the land grant uni-

versities and their extension offices through the Morrill Act in the 1860s. John Dewey’s work

in the early decades of the 20th century brought a philosophy of experience into education.

The 1960s saw numerous campus and community-based initiatives arise in connection with

public issues.

As a discipline, engineering has been engaged with the community beyond campus bound-

aries through extension services, technical assistance programs, and the work of individual

faculty serving as pro bono consultants to local community organizations. More recently,

community engagement has also taken the form of economic development activities.

Service-learning is different from other forms of campus-based service in that it explicitly

integrates classroom content with service to the local community. The service performed is

directly related to the academic subject matter under study. In engineering, this integration

complements and enhances the academic content of the course—whether it involves

mechanical engineering, environmental engineering, or any other branch of the discipline—

and provides a setting where students can learn about complex social issues and their roles as

engineers in addressing those issues.

Definitions of Service-Learning

Many variations of the definition of service-learning can be found in the literature. A concise

definition that captures the essential elements of service-learning is provided by Hatcher and

Bringle (1997):

We view service-learning as a credit-bearing educational experience in which students

participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and

reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of the

course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of

civic responsibility.

Among the other definitions of service-learning is one from the United States Congress, writ-

ten as part of the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 (as amended through

December 17, 1999, P.L. 106–170):

The term “service-learning” means a method:

(A) Under which students or participants learn and develop through active participa-

tion in thoughtfully organized service that—

(i) is conducted in and meets the needs of a community;

(ii) is coordinated with an elementary school, secondary school, institution of

higher education, or community service program, and with the community;

and

(iii) helps foster civic responsibility; and

(B) That—

(i) is integrated into and enhances the academic curriculum of the students, or

the educational components of the community service program in which the

participants are enrolled; and

(ii) provides structured time for the students or participants to reflect on the serv-

ice experience.

Key Components of Service-Learning

There are four key components of service-learning: the service component, the academic

component, partnerships with community organizations or members (which provide the

structure for the service component), and analysis and reflection.

SERVICE

Part of the service-learning experience involves service opportunities that assist the under-

served in the local community and/or contribute to projects for the common good.

ACADEMICS

The service students perform must provide reinforcement of and connection with the subject

material of the academic course.

PARTNERSHIPS

Service-learning involves partnerships characterized by reciprocity between those in the com-

munity and those on campus. Students and community members work together as partners

in addressing a community need, and both groups benefit from the activity:

•The community increases its capacity and resources.

•Students are exposed to a richer learning environment.

The learning experience extends to students, faculty, and community members:

•Community members work with faculty to create a learning environment in which

students can both increase their mastery of the academic components of a course

and become familiar with the social issues they are addressing.

•Faculty develop familiarity with local needs, new student learning opportunities, and

in some cases public research opportunities.

•Community members learn about the role in engineering and technology in com-

munity building, and about their implications for the local community (in addition

to deriving tangible services or assistance that can be applied to community prob-

lems).

ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION

Analysis and reflection are an important part of service-learning. Participants are intention-

ally guided through activities to reflect upon the work being performed, the processes by

which the work is accomplished, and the implications of the work. This is important because

metacognitive activities, including reflection, have been shown to improve learning

(Bransford et al., 2000).

Metacognition—the monitiroing of one’s thinking as one is acquiring new information,

including assessing background knowledge, assumptions, and hypotheses—can help students

understand:

•The academic material covered by the course.

•How the course material relates to the service.

•The implications of the social context and issues associated with the need being met.

•The role of the discipline in the context of large social issues.

Activities promoting analysis and reflection can take several forms, including open-ended

questions, written or oral guided discussion topics, periodic written summaries of the work

being undertaken and its implications, and assigned readings.

Service-Learning and the Learning Cycle

One of the most influential recent ideas in learning theory is Kolb’s (1984) learning cycle. In

this cycle, illustrated in Figure 1, metacognitive activity (reflection) becomes a link between

the experience and the conceptualization of topics covered in a course. As Kolb puts it,

“learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experi-

ence.” Learners gain new knowledge by testing and adapting their existing knowledge

through a process that involves abstract conceptualization (e.g., positing a theory or planning

a project), active experimentation, concrete experience (observing and tracking results), and

reflection (thinking about how to improve on the original abstract conceptualization).

With service-learning, the combination of classroom instruction, service activity that relates

to the classroom instruction, and reflection provides an environment in which students can

enhance their knowledge in precisely the way Kolb’s model describes. The different aspects of

the learning environment also allow learners with diverse learning styles to enter the cycle at

different places and still complete the full circuit.

Distinguishing Features

Service-learning differs from other teaching methods and service activities in a number of

important ways. It is useful to identify the differences between service-learning and other

learning environments in order to be able to articulate what service-learning would add to a

curriculum.

Service-learning differs from traditional courses in that it:

• Provides an opportunity to complement traditional coursework with learning envi-

ronments that speak to the diverse learning styles of students.

• Provides a more holistic approach to learning (see the Kolb model).

• Provides a connection with social contexts and real-world community issues.

It differs from internships and cooperative education in that it:

• Is not separate from academic coursework.

• Is not isolated from social and community considerations.

It differs from extracurricular activities and opportunities in that it:

• Is not isolated from academic coursework and is never conceived purely as a service

activity.

• Includes guided metacognitive activities that enhance learning and reinforce aca-

demic content.

Tr ue service-learning creates a balance between service-based and academic learning, where

each complements the other. Eyler and Giles (1999) have illustrated variations within this

balance in a succinct table (Figure 2).

FIGURE 1: KOLB’S LEARNING CYCLE

FIGURE 2: THE BALANCE BETWEEN SERVICE AND LEARNING

service-LEARNING Learning goals primary; service outcomes secondary

SERVICE-learning Service outcomes primary; learning goals secondary

service learning Service and learning goals completely separate

SERVICE-LEARNING Service and learning goals of equal weight and each

enhances the other for all participants

he Changing Face of

Engineering Education

To day’s engineers are being asked to do more than just make cal-

culations. They are expected to work on multidisciplinary teams

in a multicultural environment, manage multiple projects, and

compete in a highly diverse global marketplace. The technology

explosion has created a situation where much of the knowledge

students gain in college may be considered obsolete within only a

few years. The Internet and the advancement of computer tools

have radically changed both the way engineers work and the busi-

nesses in which they work.

To meet these challenges, engineering education has been under-

going changes promoted by the Accreditation Board of

Engineering and Technology (ABET, 2000, 2002) and corpora-

tions that hire engineering graduates. Service-learning is well

positioned to help engineering programs meet educational chal-

lenges that are often difficult to address in traditional courses

while helping students master traditional elements of the engi-

neering curriculum.

Service-Learning and ABET’s Criterion 3

Service-learning offers many opportunities to address the Program Outcomes required for

programs accredited under ABET’s EC 2000 Engineering Criteria. EC 2000 Criterion 3

(ABET, 2002) stipulates that engineering programs must demonstrate that their graduates

have:

a. an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering;

b. an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret

data;

c. an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs;

“

tudents are [some-

times] able to marshal

a body of knowledge

to solve problems

presented in class but

fail even to see a

problem, much less

the relevance of what

has been learned, in a

different setting. The

new situation does

not provide the cues

associated with what

has been learned;

the ‘key words’ from

the classroom are not

present in the wider

environment. A serv-

ice-learning student

will have more ways

to access this under-

standing.”

EYLER AND GILES, 1999

d. an ability to function on multidisciplinary teams;

e. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems;

f. an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility;

g. an ability to communicate effectively;

h. the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in

a global and societal context;

i. a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in, life-long learning;

j. a knowledge of contemporary issues; and

k. an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for

engineering practice.

Service-learning can be mapped onto each of the criterion’s stipulations, as detailed below.

ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE OF MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND ENGINEERING

Service-learning provides an opportunity for students to apply concepts and theory learned

in the traditional classroom to new problems situated in contexts different from those to

which they are accustomed. Success here requires that students be able to synthesize the

knowledge they have acquired in their courses and apply that knowledge to community-

based issues.

ABILITY TO DESIGN AND CONDUCT EXPERIMENTS, ANALYZE AND INTERPRET DATA

Service-learning requires students to design, produce, and deliver real products that will be

used by real people. This real-world context provides a compelling need to analyze and pre-

dict issues correctly. Furthermore, students see first hand the “faces” of those who will use

their products, and this adds a compelling reason for them to fully understand the issues

involved in those projects.

ABILITY TO DESIGN A SYSTEM, COMPONENT, OR PROCESS TO MEET DESIRED NEEDS

Since service-learning requires the delivery of real products and real services to solve real

problems, students are able to experience the entire design process from initial problem defi-

nition and specification development to design to manufacture and finally delivery of a com-

pleted product or service.

ABILITY TO FUNCTION ON MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMS

Because service-learning problems are real and often complex, they almost invariably require

a multidisciplinary solution—rare is the problem in the real world that can be solved within

the confines of a single academic discipline. These problems require engineering students to

work with students from other disciplines or, at a minimum, to consult with experts in other

fields to find solutions to community needs.

ABILITY TO IDENTIFY, FORMULATE, AND SOLVE ENGINEERING PROBLEMS

Service-learning provides a compelling context in which students can experience the process

of identifying and formulating problems that require technical solutions. Service-learning

requires students to work with their community partners to identify engineering issues in a

community context and to decide how their expertise and resources can best be utilized to

address those issues.

UNDERSTANDING OF PROFESSIONAL AND ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY

The context in which service-learning projects are situated provides a natural opportunity for

students to examine the professional and ethical responsibilities of their profession. The mul-

tidimensional reflection and analysis embedded in the service-learning process ensures that

students will explore these issues in a guided manner to deepen their overall understanding

of their roles as engineering professionals.

ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY

Service-learning necessitates extensive communication with community partners—individu-

als who most often do not possess a technical background. For this reason, students quickly

learn how vital clear communication is between team members and their clientele. Analytic

and reflective activities also provide opportunities for students to improve their communica-

tion skills. Furthermore, because students are producing real products that will be used in a

context outside of class, they become acutely aware of the need to provide sufficient docu-

mentation to continue and/or service the project.

BROAD EDUCATION NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

IN A GLOBAL/SOCIETAL CONTEXT

Service-learning provides a context in which students can directly explore the impact of engi-

neering solutions on society. The utilization of engineering skills in social settings provides

an opportunity for students to receive a broader education than would otherwise be the case.

Reflection and analysis help ensure that social contexts and issues will be explored in a guid-

ed and intentional manner.

RECOGNITION OF THE NEED FOR, AND ABILITY TO ENGAGE IN, LIFE-LONG LEARNING

Service-learning applications almost always require knowledge and/or skills that are new to

students and beyond what they have learned in class. Thus, they gain a first-hand apprecia-

tion of the ability to acquire new skills and the fact that they need to do so in order to solve

real problems. Reflection exercises can be used to reinforce this awareness.

KNOWLEDGE OF CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

The community context of service-learning projects guarantees, by its very nature, that stu-

dents will become directly involved in contemporary social issues. Such direct involvement

also helps students learn to appreciate the complexity of societal issues.

ABILITY TO USE THE TECHNIQUES, SKILLS, AND MODERN TOOLS NECESSARY

FOR ENGINEERING PRACTICE

Service-learning provides a compelling context in which students can apply the knowledge

acquired in their engineering courses to real problems with real constraints. Students are

asked to apply knowledge in a context different from that of their normal classroom environ-

ment. Thus, they are constantly challenged both to evaluate and to synthesize the knowledge

and tools they have acquired in the classroom and to ask how these can best be utilized to

solve the problems at hand.

Classroom Context of Engineering Service-Learning

Service-learning helps engineering faculty provide a classroom context that meets students’

needs for gaining real-world experience, community partners’ need for important work, and

the college or university’s need to accommodate diverse learning styles and to attract and

retain a diverse and highly motivated student body.

REAL-WORLD CONTEXT FOR TEACHING DESIGN

The design process is a full cycle, but traditional courses address only a piece of that cycle;

simulating all phases, from initial planning through field testing and redesign, is difficult in a

classroom environment. Service-learning allows students to:

•Define a real problem working with community partner

•Maintain the project once it is fielded

•Redesign after failures in the field

•See results used in the local communities

MOTIVATED CUSTOMERS, RECIPROCAL BENEFIT

Local agencies are motivated customers who are willing to work as a partner in the educa-

tional process. The benefits are reciprocal:

•Partners often lack the ability and/or budget to have work done elsewhere.

•Partnership brings value to the community agency.

•Community partners will demand excellence in projects because they rely on the

results.

•Partners are attentive customers for the student team.

• Once community partnerships are established, they can last for several years.

•Local organizations reduce communication and transportation barriers.

COMMUNITY APPLICATIONS FOR CLASSROOM MATERIAL

By providing community applications for engineering science courses, service-learning

brings to bear the benefits of experiential learning:

• Offers active exercises to engage students

•Accommodates diverse learning styles

•Answers

“When would I ever have to use this?”

CONTEXT FOR RECRUITING/RETAINING UNDER-REPRESENTED GROUPS

Service-learning provides a different image of engineering and engineering products that can

be highly effective in attracting and retaining a diverse group of students. For example, stud-

ies show a dramatic gender difference in interest in the fields of computer science and engi-

neering—men are five times more likely to pursue a career in these disciplines than women

(Higher Education Research Institute, 2001). Providing a social context for engineering helps

engineering departments appeal to students with a desire to help others directly

(Rosser, 1995):

•Service-learning provides a link between issues related to helping people and the

technical disciplines, which often appeals to women and other under-represented

groups.

•Women at Purdue University participate in the Engineering Projects in Community

Service (EPICS) program at twice the rate of the overall population.

•Minorities and women at the University of Wisconsin-Madison also participate in

engineering (which has a strong service-learning component) at twice the rate of the

overall population.

Preparation for Practice

In addition to being an effective pedagogy for teaching engineering, service-learning address-

es many of the concerns of engineering companies seeking to hire new graduates. Many com-

panies have raised such concerns—for example, the Boeing Co., one of the industrial leaders

in engineering, which has established the Boeing Outstanding Educator Program. Boeing cre-

ated a list of desired attributes of engineering graduates to assist engineering educators as

they revise their curricula. As with the ABET criteria, service-learning can be mapped into

these desired attributes.

Service-learning provides a context that allows engineering students to experience an authen-

tic design environment that by definition requires a multidisciplinary approach and an

understanding of concrete processes. The real community customers provide an environment

that requires communication, critical thinking, and the ability to adapt to change—all

desired attributes.

A good understanding of engineering science

fundamentals.

• Mathematics (including statistics)

• Physical and life sciences

• Information technology (far more

than "computer literacy")

A good understanding of design and manufac-

turing processes.

• (i.e., understands engineering)

A multi-disciplinary, systems perspective.

A basic understanding of the context in which

engineering is practiced.

• Economics

(including business practices)

•History

• The environment

• Customer and societal needs

Good communication skills.

•Written, oral, graphic, and listening

High ethical standards.

An ability to think both critically and creative-

ly—independently and cooperatively.

Flexibility—the ability and self-confidence to

adapt to rapid or major change.

Curiosity and a desire to learn for life.

A profound understanding of the importance of

teamwork.

From the Boeing Co.,

www.boeing.com/companyoffices/pwu/

attributes/attributes.html

Desired Attributes of an Engineer

Benefits of Service-Learning in Engineering

A useful exercise when advocating for service-learning is to

articulate the benefits for the different constituencies that will be

affected or that will need to support the effort. Below are sum-

mary lists of benefits for students, faculty, the institution, the

community, and other stakeholders. These lists are meant to

serve as a starting point that can be adapted to each college or uni-

versity’s institutional culture.

FOR STUDENTS

•Real applications with hands-on opportunity

•Multidisciplinary team experience

•Project planning and management experience

•Development of communication skills

•Professional responsibility

•Realistic, long-term, start-to-finish design experience

•Leadership opportunities

•Mentoring opportunities—student to student, faculty to student, community mem-

ber to student

•Expanded view of engineering in terms of community engagement

•Alternative learning environment for those with learning styles not well matched to

traditional lectures

•Personal engagement with the local community

•Compelling context in which to explore local, global, and ethical issues

• Empowerment of students as learners, teachers, achievers, and leaders

• Emphasis on the relevance of education to students living in a real world

•Ability to learn job skills and prepare for careers after college

FOR FACULTY

•Opportunities to broaden the pool of engineering students

•Context to perform multidisciplinary work

• Encouragement to be innovative and creative in teaching approach

•Ability to enhance coursework with real applications and hands-on experience

•Mentoring environment

•Motivated customers for student projects

•Compelling context to motivate students

•Venue for teaching positive values, leadership, citizenship, and personal

responsibility

•Innovative educational model with publication and funding opportunities

•Opportunities for building community and industrial partners

The project I work on

today at Intel Corp.

spans several years

with hundreds of

engineers working

together. [Service-

learning] gave me a

forum to develop the

skills to succeed in a

project-based

environment.”

“

MOYOLOSLA AJAJA,

SOFTWARE ENGINEER,

INTEL CORP.

•Ability to make an impact on the community

•For some schools, ability to meet community service

focus/requirements

•Part of retention package for tenure-track faculty

•Expanded opportunities for research proposals

(e.g., incorporating service-learning as the education

and/or outreach component in NSF grants)

•Opportunity to integrate personal and professional values

•Increased job satisfaction

FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

•Access to technical resources

•New capabilities, products, and services

•Creation of informed future advocates

•Affordable, high-quality technical services

•Solutions to specific community problems/challenges

•Long-term partnerships with the college/university

•Positive publicity

•Town-gown bridge: closer ties, investment of students in

the town

• Linkages with local corporate partners

•Potential for outside funds and resources

•Retention of students in local labor force

•Increased awareness of the local community among the student population

•Ability to energize the community by getting young

people involved

FOR THE INSTITUTION

•Improved relations with the local community

•Advantages in recruiting and retaining under-represented populations of students

and faculty

•Improved overall student retention (Tinto, 1993)

•Recruiting advantages for students looking for engagement opportunities

•Context for multidisciplinary curricular infrastructure

•Increased corporate interest in partnering with community-based programs that are

well matched with corporate criteria (e.g., Boeing list of desired attributes)

•Increased engagement in the local community, the state, and beyond

•Opportunities for positive visibility locally and statewide (e.g., legislature)

•Ability to support the institution’s mission

•Self-preservation for public institutions (demonstrates public utility)

s an industry-based practi-

tioner, I can attest to the

similarities between [service-

learning] and private-sector

projects in the business

world. Students gain experi-

ence in teamwork, leadership,

and communication. They see

the benefits of good engi-

neering practices, including

designing for ease-of-use,

testability, and maintenance,

while delivering real value to

the community.”

“

JON REID, CHIEF

TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

FOR MICRO DATA

BASE SYSTEMS AND

ADJUNCT ADVISOR FOR

PURDUE UNIVERSITY’S

EPICS PROGRAM

•Opening of new donor bases

•Increased educational vitality

•Broadening of faculty

FOR THE DEPARTMENT OR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

•Ability to meet ABET criteria

•Increased retention and cultural/gender diversity

•Broadening of faculty perspectives

•Real cases and applications for the curriculum

•Ability to address different learning styles

• Enhanced educational quality

•Positive public relations and perception

•Cross-disciplinary connections and efforts across colleges

•Unified faculty effort makes it easier to partner with employers or seek grant

funding

•Potential for untapped funding

•Expanded opportunities to include education and outreach components in grant

proposals

•Greater job satisfaction and unity among faculty

FOR THE ENGINEERING PROFESSION

•Real applications for the profession’s code of ethics

• Enhancement of the public’s positive view of the profession

•Ability to draw a more diverse group of people

•Students who are better prepared for jobs

•Retention of graduates in the profession

•Ability to prepare professionals for tough engineering jobs that have a social context

•Ethic of volunteering professionally

FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR

•Graduates who are better prepared to enter the private sector

• Employee base with an ethical foundation and community awareness

•Opportunities for community and university partnerships

•Ability to leverage corporate resources to maximize impact

•Opportunities for positive publicity

•Ties to cutting-edge research

•Mentoring role for engineers and businesspeople in the private sector

•Ability to apply the values/mission of the corporation

•Stronger local community

urrent Use of Service-Learning

in Engineering

While the adoption of service-learning within engineering has lagged

behind that of other disciplines, significant numbers of faculty are

using this pedagogy for engineering education.

Who Is Doing Service-Learning?

Te n of the top 16 undergraduate engineering programs (as ranked by U.S. News and World

Report,

2002) currently have service-learning programs within engineering. Among the

many institutions that incorporate service-learning into the engineering curriculum are

the following:

earners of all ages

are more motivated

when they can see

the usefulness of

what they are learning

and when they can

use that information to

do something that has

an impact on others—

especially in their

local community.”

BRANSFORD

ET AL., 2000

“

Butler University

Calvin College

Case Western Reserve University

Clemson University

Colorado State University

Georgia Institute of Technology

Harrisburg Area Community College

Humbolt State University

Illinois Institute of Technology

Iowa State University

Kansas State University

Louisiana State University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Messiah College

Northwestern University

Pennsylvania State University

Purdue University

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Stanford University

University of Arizona

University of California, Berkeley

University of Colorado at Boulder

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Massachusetts Lowell

University of Michigan

University of Notre Dame

University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez

University of San Diego

University of South Alabama

University of Texas-Austin

University of Texas at El Paso

University of Utah

University of Wisconsin-Madison

What Community Issues Can Engineering Service-Learning Address?

Nonprofit organizations such as community service agencies, schools, museums, and local

government offices face a future in which they must rely to a great extent upon technology

for the delivery, coordination, accounting, and improvement of the services they provide to

the community. Yet they often possess neither the expertise nor the budget to acquire or

design a technological solution that is suited to their mission. Thus, they need the help of

people with strong technical backgrounds. Engineering students, even those in the early part

of their education, often possess the required technical skills.

The opportunities for service are numerous and cover a wide variety of needs in the commu-

nity. These include:

•

Building technologies and affordable housing. Wor king with organizations such as

Habitat for Humanity, students can apply mechanical, electrical, and structural engi-

neering analyses to issues such as the energy efficiency of home designs, heating/

cooling/lighting systems, construction processes, and building materials, resulting in

reduced costs to the organizations, homeowners, or renters.

•

Organizational efficiency. Industrial engineering principles can also be applied to

the operation of community organizations themselves to improve their efficiency

and effectiveness.

•

Environmentally friendly alternatives. Students can identify opportunities to imple-

ment environmentally friendly technologies such as solar power, alternative building

materials, or constructed wetlands.

•

Application of technology. Engineering students can apply technologies using equip-

ment at the college, such as thermal imaging cameras, to identify areas needing

attention while refurbishing homes or buildings.

•

Information management. Many agencies and organizations could benefit from cus-

tomized information management systems to organize and manage information on

their volunteers, staff, clients, and/or donors.

•

Assistive technologies. Students can design and build assistive devices for adults and

children with disabilities or can adapt commercially available products, such as

speech recognition software, to specific individuals.

•

Customized educational environments. Students can design and build customized

educational products, displays, and devices for local schools, museums, and chil-

dren’s clinics.

How Is Service-Learning Recognized in Engineering Education?

At least two national engineering organizations have recognized engineering faculty for their

innovations in incorporating service-learning into engineering curricula. Such formal recog-

nition is an indication of increasing acceptance of the value of service-learning.

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR ENGINEERING EDUCATION (ASEE)

• 1997—The Chester F. Carlson Award for Innovation in Engineering Education

awarded to Leah Jamieson and Edward Coyle, Purdue University, for their creation

of Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS).

• 2000—ASEE Annual Conference, Best Paper Overall awarded to Francois Michaud,

André Clavet, Gérard Lachiver, and Mario Lucas, Université de Sherbrooke, for

“Designing Toy Robots to Help Autistic Children—An Open Design Project for

Electrical and Computer Engineering Education,”

Proceedings of the 2000 Annual

Conference of the ASEE.

• 2000—ASEE Best Paper PIC II awarded to Nathaniel W. Stott, William W. Schultz,

Diann Brei, Deanna M. Winton Hoffman, and Greg Markus, University of Michigan,

for “ProCEED: A Program for Civic Engagement in Engineering Design,”

Proceedings of the 2000 Annual Conference of the ASEE.

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (NSF)

• 2001—NSF Distinguished Teaching Scholar Award presented to Leah Jamieson of

Purdue University for her work with EPICS, specifically on the multidisciplinary

nature of the service-learning program.

• 2003—Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) Program:

National Dissemination Grant awarded to the national EPICS program for national

dissemination of the EPICS model of engineering service-learning.

• 2003—NSF’s Engineering Education and Centers Division creates a separate service-

learning track in its Department Level Reform program. Microsoft and Hewlett-

Packard partner with NSF to support the service-learning track.

How Is Service-Learning Integrated into the Engineering Curriculum?

There are four basic ways in which engineering educators have integrated service-learning

into an engineering curriculum: starting with existing courses, working with co-curricular

programs, developing new courses, and creating service-learning programs that span courses.

Detailed descriptions of engineering service-learning programs can be found in the engineer-

ing volume of the AAHE series on service-learning in the disciplines (Tsang, 2000).

INTEGRATION INTO EXISTING COURSES

A common approach is to incorporate a service-learning component into existing engineer-

ing courses. These courses often contain a project component that can be placed into a com-

munity context. Examples include:

Mechanical Engineering

•University of Massachusetts Lowell—Class: Solar Systems Engineering. Students

analyze the effects of design alternatives on homes built by Habitat for Humanity

and propose their own design alternatives to improve energy efficiency. Professor:

John Duffy.

Civil Engineering

•University of Utah—Class: Hydrology. In Hydrology (a senior-level course), students

conduct a hydrologic analysis of a local lake. Professor: Rand Decker.

Freshman Projects

•University of Colorado—Class: GEEN 1400. Sections of an optional freshman design

course are integrated with a service-learning approach to design and develop assis-

tive technologies. Students team with adults and/or children with disabilities to iden-

tify, design, and build assistive devices. Professor: Melinda Piket-May.

• Louisiana State University—Class: Biology in Engineering. As part of an introducto-

ry course on biological engineering , first-year students design and build play-

grounds for local area schools. Students learn about safety codes and standards as

they analyze current playgrounds and design new playgrounds that are both fun and

safe. Professor: Mary Beth Lima.

• Purdue University—Class: Engineering Problem Solving. Service-learning is inte-

grated into this first-year course in a project to work with the local affiliate of

Habitat for Humanity to assess the magnitude of the substandard housing issue in

the local county. Professor: William Oakes.

INTEGRATION WITH CO-CURRICULAR COMPONENTS

In this approach, programs incorporate co-curricular activities with engineering-based proj-

ects in the community. The courses taken by students in this model may or may not be serv-

ice-learning courses. A supplemental experience, in parallel or following the actual course,

provides the integration with the community and reflection activities. Examples include:

• University of Michigan—Program: ProCEED. This program uses the ProCEED stu-

dent organization (originally the Mechanical Engineering Honorary Society) to inte-

grate service-learning into existing design courses such as senior design courses.

Professors: William W. Schultz, Diann Brei.

• Universite’ de Sherbrooke—Program: Designing Toy Robots for Autistic Children.

This program integrates a first-year Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)

design course with an optional follow-on experience. In the first semester, students

design toys for autistic children. In the second semester, students then have the

opportunity to follow up by building and deploying their designs for children. In

this follow-on semester, the engineering students personally deliver their products to

a group of autistic children and interact them. Follow-on reflection helps the stu-

dents process their service-learning experience. Professor: Francois Michaud.

• University of Massachusetts Lowell—Program: International Projects. Students

design and build projects in design courses, including the Mechanical Engineering

capstone design course. These projects include solar power applications, small

hydroelectric turbines, and water purification systems. At the conclusion of the

semester, students deliver their designs to remote villages in the Andes Mountains of

Peru.Professor: John Duffy.

NEW SERVICE-LEARNING COURSES

Some institutions have created separate courses for service-learning. These courses are usual-

ly design, technical, or lab elective courses that can be substituted for traditional courses.

First-year courses that have been created to increase interest and retention in engineering are

common. Examples of these and other courses follow.

First-Year Courses. First-year courses are designed to introduce students to real-world prob-

lems in engineering at the start of their education. Service-learning, with its integration of

experiential learning and a local community context, is well-aligned with the retention litera-

ture and has shown to have positive results. Examples of such programs include:

•University of South Alabama—This service-learning course in mechanical engineer-

ing pairs first-year students with a local school to develop mechanical educational

aids for teachers to use in their curricula. Professor: Edmund Tsang.

•Case Western Reserve University—This optional first-year course is open to all stu-

dents entering engineering. Teams of students under the direction of a faculty advi-

sor are paired with local community organizations through the university’s office for

community service. Projects include feasibility studies for repairing historic struc-

tures, construction of accessibility ramps and greenhouses, and installation of com-

puter resource rooms. Professors: Arthur Huckelbridge, Glenn Odenbrett.

Senior Design Courses. Other courses that have been created include alternative senior design

options. Often, these options are created to allow students to participate in projects with spe-

cific community partners, to allow for multidisciplinary participation, or to provide continu-

ity with a local community partner. Examples include:

•Iowa State—Course type: ECE. This senior design course was created to partner with

local organizations that worked with children with disabilities. Seniors participate in

a two-semester sequence to design, build, and deploy toys and therapeutic devices

for children with disabilities. This alternative course allows cross-listing with

mechanical engineering to provide a multidisciplinary approach. Professor: Dan

Berleant.

• Purdue University—Course type: agricultural and biological engineering (ABE).

This course was created to pair teams of students with local farmers with disabilities

to design, build, and deploy assistive devices to allow the farmers to continue to

farm. Professor: William Field.

SERVICE-LEARNING PROGRAMS

A few institutions have created programs that span multiple courses, cut across disciplines,

and last several semesters to meet the needs of local communities over a long period of time.

A key example is the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) program. Started

at Purdue University by Leah Jamieson and Edward Coyle (ECE), EPICS includes more than

20 disciplines in which undergraduates at all levels engage in long-term projects for the local

community.

Examples of multidisciplinary projects include:

• Homelessness prevention: Computer engineers work with sociology students to

design data management systems for local agencies that work with homeless and at-

risk populations.

• Construction, computer, and mechanical engineers work with management and

marketing students to design a system of volunteer tutorials for Habitat for

Humanity’s construction workers.

• Mechanical and electrical engineers work with child development students to design

and build therapeutic devices for children with disabilities.

• Civil, environmental, and electrical engineers work with forestry and natural

resources students to design and build a constructed wetland to mitigate agricultural

runoff.

• Chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineers work with visual design and educa-

tion students to design and build hands-on exhibits that illustrate fundamental con-

cepts of fluids flow and density for a local children’s museum.

EPICS programs are now also in place at Butler University, Case Western Reserve University,

Georgia Institute of Technology, Iowa State University, Penn State University, the University

of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Puerto

Rico, Mayaguez, and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. (For more information, see

http://epicsnational.ecn.purdue.edu.)

Where Do Service-Learning Programs Take Place?

Service-learning in engineering has been implemented effectively not only in local communi-

ties but also on regional, national, and international projects.

LOCAL COMMUNITIES

The most common place to implement service-learning projects has been in the local com-

munity. Working with the local community offers a number of advantages:

• Project locations and community partners are easily accessible.

• Long-term partnerships are easier to maintain.

• Transportation and logistics are easier.

• Students feel connected to the larger community where they are studying. As noted

earlier, this connection has been linked to retention (Tinto, 1993).

• Seeing the social issues in their local community helps students understand that the

problems are “here” where they live (and may live in the future), and not only in far-

away places they see on the news.

Examples of local partnerships include:

• Louisiana State University—In this partnership, students work with the Baton Rouge

area schools to redesign their playgrounds to integrate current safety standards and

practices. Professor: Mary Beth Lima.

• University of Michigan—Through the ProCEED student organization, the university

partners with local Ann Arbor organizations to identify opportunities for the engi-

neering students to address community needs. Professors: William W. Schultz, Diann

Brei.

• Purdue University—Through the EPICS program, the university engages in multiple

long-term partnerships with the local community. Professors: Leah Jamieson,

Edward Coyle.

REGIONAL PROJECTS

Some service-learning projects are done outside of the local community; these may involve

state or regional organizations and/or scope. These partnerships can produce a broader

impact and allow students to experience needs beyond their local community. To arrange

such projects, faculty have leveraged personal contacts in other areas, worked through

regional and state organizations, and used extension offices at land grant universities.

Examples of regional projects include:

• Notre Dame University—The Civil Engineering Department is working with munic-

ipal organizations in nearby towns to identify projects that can be addressed through

service-learning projects. Professor: Lloyd Ketchum.

• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology—The Civil Engineering Department has part-

nered with the Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP) to address regional

issues involving water systems in rural communities.

• Purdue University—The EPICS program has established a partnership with the

Indiana Habitat for Humanity organization to work on building projects for the

state organization.

NATIONAL PROJECTS

As with regional projects, national partnerships provide the opportunity to increase the

scope and impact of the service-learning projects. One example of an active national partner-

ship is between EPICS and the nonprofit group Habitat for Humanity. The Purdue

University and University of Wisconsin EPICS programs have partnered with Habitat for

Humanity’s national headquarters to design and deliver information management projects

that will be disseminated to local Habitat affiliates across the country.

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS

The broadest scope for projects comes from international projects. With such projects, facul-

ty members typically integrate projects that meet the needs of developing countries into their

courses. They then often take a group of students abroad to deploy and/or implement the

projects. Engaging students in this type of work provides cross-cultural experiences and a

more global view, both of which are beneficial in the work world. In addition, the potential

impact in developing countries is enormous. The logistics and resource issues are more com-

plicated at this level, but there are many successful models, including:

• University of Massachusetts Lowell—Students design projects that are delivered to

remote villages in Peru. Projects include water purification as well as solar and sim-

ple hydro-electrical power systems.

• University of Colorado at Boulder—In 2001, the university started the charter stu-

dent chapter of Engineers Without Borders-USA (www.ewb-usa.org), an affiliate of

the Canadian group Engineers Without Borders-Ingénieurs Sans Frontières

(www.ewb.ca), which works with developing communities around the world. Since

that time, numerous other campuses have started student chapters.

• Engineers Without Frontiers (www.ewf-usa.org), initiated at Cornell University in

2001, is affiliated with Engineers Without Borders and also addresses the engineer-

ing-based challenges of developing communities.

mplementing

Service-Learning

Implementing service-learning in engineering is not a simple

task. Institutional and departmental barriers can be formida-

ble. Yet many resources are now available to support efforts

to integrate service-learning into the curriculum. The follow-

ing sections outline the barriers and enablers of service-

learning, as well as important steps in designing and imple-

menting a service-learning program, including selecting

a course, finding a partner, choosing a project, recruiting

students, and other key isues and activities. Finally, it offers

principles of good practice for implementing service-learning.

Resources for Adopting Service-Learning

Resources to help those interested in adopting service-learning can be found both on and off

campus. The most important resource is likely to be campus staff who work in the Student

Affairs, Community Service, Service-Learning, or Volunteer Services office. These staff mem-

bers can help direct faculty to other on- and off-campus resources.

ON-CAMPUS RESOURCES

• Student Affairs professionals

• Community service/service-learning offices

• High-level administrators (can provide climate, resources, and faculty

rewards/incentives)

• Faculty/staff that understand community needs (check across disciplines)

• Adjunct faculty (may be more connected to the community)

OFF-CAMPUS RESOURCES

• Faculty texts (e.g., Projects that Matter: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning

in Engineering,

AAHE, 2000)

hen planning for the

EPICS program started

in 1994, we were able

to contact many differ-

ent service agencies by

making a presentation

about the envisioned

program and its goals

to the directors of all

local United Way

agencies. This single

presentation led to

many discussions with

individual agencies and

a long list of potential

collaborations.”

“

COYLE ET AL., 1996

• Journals (these provide both information and publishing opportunities—

e.g.,

Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning)

• Higher education associations (sources for models, publications, workshops, grant

funding—e.g., Campus Compact, AAHE, AAC&U)

• The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (national information clearinghouse;

www.servicelearning.org)

• Program models and syllabus listings (e.g., www.compact.org/programmodels;

www.compact.org/syllabi)

• Proactive community agencies

• National Science Foundation (receptive to service-learning proposals)

• Professional associations (information, opportunities to network with faculty in

other institutions)

Institutional/Departmental Barriers to Adopting Service-Learning

• Traditional thinking about teaching engineering (faculty/administrators may not see

the value of adding a service component)

• Faculty time constraints (may be more pronounced in adjunct or non-tenured

faculty)

• Lack of faculty compensation/reward

• Comfort of faculty in teaching in nontraditional venues

• “Competition” for time in classroom

• Cost factors

- Teaching assistants and/or support staff

- Infrastructure: specialized labs, meeting rooms

- Materials to build projects for the community

Steps Involved in Implementing Service-Learning

SELECTING A COURSE

The first question to answer in getting started is, What course or courses are best suited to

having a service component added? The answer to this question depends on the answers to a

series of related questions:

• What are the learning objectives of the course?

• What would be the learning objectives for the service?

• What will the service add to the learning of the subject matter?

• What are the expected products/results of the service experience?

Service-learning is best suited to courses where the academic learning objectives can be

enhanced through an experiential or project component or through a concrete context to

frame abstract concepts. The most common example in engineering has been design courses

where the designs are placed in a community context. Students tackle interesting problems

and must interact with a real customers who usually do not have technical backgrounds.

Knowing that their designs will actually be used and will benefit a person or organization in

need is a powerful motivation for students.

Other courses where service-learning has been easily integrated are those that already have a

project component. Community-based projects provide a different way to look at a topic and

also provide a context the students wouldn’t normally associate with their area of study.

These courses may include junior and senior electives (e.g., solar systems engineering, where

students may perform analyses to identify ways of reducing home energy costs in partnership

with a local agency that builds homes for low-income families) or first-year introductory

courses, where students learn about the engineering disciplines and demonstrate this under-

standing in a real-world situation (e.g., by creating and delivering mini-lessons on their

majors to elementary or middle schools students).

Laboratory courses have also integrated service-learning by including real data or examples.

For example, in a measurements lab, students might collect environmental data and present

their findings to a civic or government organization. Real data that may have broad implica-

tions provides a context for discussions of the social and ethical issues involved in engineer-

ing.

Less common but equally powerful are engineering science classes. A service-learning com-

ponent substituted for a traditional component can enhance the understanding of abstract

concepts, as referenced earlier through the Kolb learning cycle. An example of such a model

is the integration of service-learning into a kinematics course at the University of

Massachusetts Lowell. Students analyze playgrounds and report on their safety to the local

parks board. This project gives the concepts covered in the course a practical context since

the students need to understand the motion of the children and define the magnitude of

force that could injure or kill a child.

In any course, the question should be asked, “How will the service enhance the learning

objectives of the course?” If the answer is that it won’t, then that course is not the right one

in which to introduce service-learning. If the answer is positive, the next question is how to

implement the service-learning component. It is perfectly reasonable to start by offering the

service as an optional component, a path taken by many practitioners of service-learning.

FINDING A PARTNER

The next logical question is, Where can I find a suitable community partner for the course?

Related questions to ask here revolve around identifying appropriate community needs and

finding on- and off-campus resources to assist in locating partners.

• What community needs would be appropriate and consistent with the objectives of

the service-learning?

• Are there resources on campus to assist in matching faculty and community

members?

• Is there a department for community relations with contacts and support services?

• Are there agencies or groups in the community that could provide contacts with a

number of potential partners (e.g., the United Way)?

If your campus does not have an office for service-learning or community service, look for a

student volunteer office. Most campuses have an office that works to place student volunteers

in the community; staff there will have many contacts in the local area. Faculty colleagues

can also provide excellent contacts. When selecting a potential community partner, it is help-

ful to evaluate both the organization and the people with whom the students will be work-

ing. The individuals at an organization can make or break students’ experiences. If they work

well with you, chances are they will work well with the students too.

SELECTING THE PROJECT

Project selection is equally important. The project must reflect the needs of the community,

the academic goals of the course, and the students’ level of ability.

• How will community voice be heard in the selection process?

• What are the students’ capabilities?

• How much effort will be expected for the service component of the course?

• What is the available time? (students’ time in school)

• What is the duration of the service (one semester, multiple semesters)?

- Does the service opportunity require continuity from semester to semester?

- Does it require summer involvement?

Service-learning seeks a balance between serving the community and academic learning.

Finding projects that properly strike this balance with your own classes may require discus-

sions with community partners. While the potential for impact in engineering is enormous,

it is not always obvious to community service providers or engineering faculty how they can

come together on a project. Discussions about community needs, the capabilities of the stu-

dents, and the learning objectives for the courses are helpful in identifying potential matches.

All community partners are local not-for-profit

agencies or organizations.

Significance—Not all projects can be undertak-

en, so partners whose projects should provide

the greatest benefit to the community are

selected.

Level of Technology—Projects must be chal-

lenging to, but within the capabilities of,

undergraduates in engineering.

Expected Duration—Projects that will span sev-

eral semesters offer the greatest opportunity to

provide extensive design experience on the

academic side and to address problems of

potentially high impact on the community side.

It has also proven valuable to achieve a mix of

short-term (one semester to one year) and

long-term (multi-year) projects, in that the

short-term projects build confidence and help

establish the relationship between the student

team and the community partner.

Project Partner Commitment—A crucial ele-

ment of the program has been the commit-

ment of individuals in the partner organizations

to work with the students to identify projects,

specify the requirements, and provide ongoing

critical feedback.

Location—Close proximity to campus makes

regular contact easier for students.

Project Selection Criteria

Purdue University’s EPICS program uses these criteria for selecting community projects. The

EPICS program includes freshman through seniors and is designed for students to be involved for

several semesters (Simon et al., 2002).

ORGANIZING THE SERVICE

Up-front work in organizing the logistics of the service activity can be a major determinant

of the success of the service-learning initiative. Being organized is critical for success in serv-

ice-learning. Questions to answer early on include:

• What community members will be involved in the service-learning program?

• Who from the community agency will be the service-learning contact?

• Where will the service be done?

• How will the students get to and from the service location?

• Do the students need supervision while doing the service?

- If so, who will supervise?

- What will be the roles of the community professionals and the faculty?

RECRUITING STUDENTS

Student recruitment is another issue that should be considered early on in the process. The

process used depends on the types of students who will be involved in the service activity

(discipline, year) and the resources available on campus. If the service-learning is an optional

activity, students will need to hear about it before they select their classes for the next semes-

ter.

• What types of students are needed to accomplish the service?

- What levels of students are needed?

- What disciplines/skills are needed?

• How will the opportunity be publicized?

- What agencies on campus can be recruited to help?

- What events can be used as a publicity springboard?

• What is the timeline for registering students?

• Who needs to be made aware of the opportunity? (Academic advisors? Other facul-

ty? Other departments?)

• Do you need a special recruiting event such as a call-out? (The University of Notre

Dame has had success using call-outs each semester to recruit students into its engi-

neering service-learning programs.)

Service-learning provides a context for multidisciplinary work. However, students who are

not used to taking classes in another major may not see its utility unless it is explained to

them. The department that lists your service-learning course may have unintended (or nega-

tive) connotations for academic advisors and students. As a result, one may need to be proac-

tive in informing both faculty and students of the benefits of this approach as part of the

recruiting effort.

ASSESSING THE LEARNING

Assessment is an important component of service-learning. It is imperative to remember

(and to communicate to students) that

students are assessed on the demonstration of their

mastery of academic outcomes, not on the service itself.

• What specific learning outcomes need to be assessed?

• What assessment measures will be used?

- Traditional assessment tools

- Peer evaluations

- Other?

• Will students produce deliverables?

• What role will the community partners play in the evaluation?

• What is the faculty member’s role/responsibility in evaluating student outcomes?

• Will teaching assistants be a part of the assessment process?

• Will students keep logs/journals/portfolios during the service?

MONITORING COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Monitoring the involvement of community partners is essential to the success of the project.

Without an established communication and feedback mechanism, it is impossible to know

whether community needs are being met—and whether students are getting the most out of

the learning experience.

• Who will remain in contact with the community partners?

• What feedback mechanisms do community partners have?

- Questionnaires

- Visits with individual partners

- Meetings for all community partners (these allow community partners to meet

each other and discuss your program)

• Do you have a community service office on campus that you should be coordinating

with or that can provide support and contacts?

• How will community voice be maintained as the project progresses?

ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION

As noted earlier, analysis and reflection are key to helping students build new knowledge.

Therefore, designing the reflection component of the course is nearly as important as design-

ing the service component. Reflection activities should incorporate reflection on the impact

of the service on the technical work/knowledge, on students’ personal values, and on broader

social/civic systems and issues (Figure 3; Zlotkowsky, 2002).

• What types of reflection will students use?

- Written responses to guided questions

- Short essays about their experience

- Guided small-group discussions

• Who will prepare and facilitate the reflection?

• What are the learning objectives for the reflection?

- Academic learning objectives (e.g., the design process in a design course)

- Community needs that are being met

- Social/community/civic issues encountered or addressed during the service

- Implications/connections with discipline and community needs

- Implications for the students themselves

LIABILITY ISSUES

Liability is one of the most common questions about service-learning and one of its biggest

potential barriers. While we might wish that liability were not an issue when providing serv-

ice, of course it is. It is key to check in with relevant departments on campus to ensure that

the service-learning program complies with relevant college/university policies and that you

have any necessary forms and releases. Questions to consider include the following:

• Is a “hold harmless” agreement needed when projects are delivered?

• Are you working with minors in the community? (You may need permission from

parents.)

• Do you need to address any human subjects concerns? (If you are using people in

your testing or development or if you are gathering data from people that may be

published or presented outside the institution, you may need human subject

approval; check with your local institutional review board for approval.)

• Licensing

- What is your institution’s policy on licensing products and services?

- Does your institution have an office for licenses and patents?

• Off-campus permission

- Do students need permission to travel off campus?

- Universal waiver for the course will prevent having to fill out paperwork each

time

Technical

Level –

Discipline

Specific

Personal Values

Social Systems

and Issues

FIGURE 3: LEVELS OF REFLECTION

• Photographs

- A waiver form may be needed if photos of participants will be published in

print or online

- Does your institution have a publicity office that can help?

At Purdue University, products delivered by the EPICS program are released to the commu-

nity partner only after a hold-harmless agreement, approved by the university’s administra-

tion, has been signed. (This form is included in the appendix materials for reference.) The

Rose-Hulman Institute for Technology handles liability issues in its work on water treatment

designs in partnership with the Rural Community Assistance Program by contracting with a

professional engineer. The PE takes the work of the students and signs off after review. The

fees for the PE are paid by the local communities served.

MAINTAINABILITY

Some types of projects (e.g., a report on substandard housing, an alternative design for an

energy-efficient home, or a presentation to high school students) do not require ongoing

support once they are completed. However, when a project results in a physical deliverable

(e.g., an interactive display for a children’s museum, a database to track clients of homeless-

ness prevention agencies, therapeutic devices for children with disabilities), follow-up atten-

tion may be required. In these cases, it is important to provide both a contact and a process

for ongoing support to ensure the maintainability of the project and the continued coopera-

tion of a valuable community partner.

• Who is responsible for the delivered projects? (e.g., the faculty member, students in

the following semester’s course, graduating students, a student organization, a com-

munity resource, or staff at the organization or agency)

• Does the project need ongoing support?

• If so, how will it be supported once it is completed?

- Need clear expectations for maintenance and support of delivered projects

- Who does the community partner go to for follow-on support?

- How is the project supported in the summer?

SUPPORT MODELS

Several avenues are available for obtaining financial support for service-learning programs.

The first step in seeking such support is to determine whether you actually need financial

support and if so, how much. Once that determination is made, you can approach your insti-

tution, the business community, and government/private grant funders to seek the necessary

resources. Most institutions have a development office that is responsible for fundraising and

relationships with supporters. Development officers are often very interested in programs

such as service-learning because they have the novelty and appeal to generate interest from

potential donors. It is important to make sure your development office knows about your

program so the staff can watch for potential funding opportunities.

• College/university support

- Enlist assistance from the university or college development office

- Communicate regularly with the development office so they know what you

are doing

- Use models of support from other design or project-based courses

• Does it make sense to seek corporate partners?

- Three-way partnerships (corporation, university, community)

- What would be the value of corporate partnerships for your program? For the

company? For the community?

• Grant opportunities

- NSF Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement–Adaptation and

Implementation (CCLI–A&I) Program

- Service learning track of the NSF Engineering Education and Center’s

Department Level Reform (DLR) Program

- Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) Learn and Serve

America Program

Success Factors

PRINCIPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE

Jeffrey Howard (1993), one of the pioneers of service-learning, offers these principles of good

practice:

• Academic credit is for learning, not for service.

• Do not compromise academic rigor.

• Set learning goals for students.

• Establish criteria for the selection of community service placements.

• Provide educationally sound mechanisms to harvest the community learning.

• Provide supports for students to learn how to harvest the community learning.

• Minimize the distinction between the student’s community learning role and the

classroom learning role.

• Re-think the faculty instructional role.

• Be prepared for uncertainty and variation in student learning outcomes.

• Maximize the community responsibility orientation of the course.

PLANNING, PLANNING, PLANNING

The key to a successful service-learning experience is to plan it well from the beginning.

• Provide students with timelines and/or structure for service

• Provide clear expectations for the service

- How much will the service be worth in the course?

- Is the service optional or required?

- How is the service linked to the learning objectives of the course?

• Provide feedback for students

• Be visible during the service, if possible

• Provide guidance to students on interacting with community members

• Stay in communication with community partners during the service

- Monitor student experience and progress

- Make sure community needs are being met

• Expect the unexpected—be prepared to help students (and community members)

process events and issues that arise

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ppendix I:

Guided Questions for

Implementing Service-Learning

Service-learning can be implemented in several forms to meet students’ educational needs.

Some faculty members have integrated service-learning into existing courses; others have

found that new courses or programs have to be created to meet their needs. Before making

specific plans to implement service-learning, it is useful to take a step back and think about

the key educational issues and needs of both the institution and the department. The follow-

ing questions can help, and can be used as a teaching aid in the service-learning faculty

workshop.

1. What are the most compelling educational needs of your department/institution?

(e.g., realistic design experiences, multidisciplinary teaming opportunities, diversity

of the engineering population, retention, etc.)

2. Which of these needs could service-learning help to address?

3. If you were not bound by current models (course structure, credit hours, semester

timelines, etc.), what would the ideal course look like to meet the needs identified in

#2?

4. Can any current courses or course structures be modified to integrate what you

identified in #3?

a. Yes: What modifications need to be made to the course(s)? Use this course

as the example for the course revision exercise.

b. No:What type of course(s) is required to meet these needs? Can one course

do it, or is a series of courses or a full program required? Use these ideas in

the rest of the exercise.

5. What are the learning objectives for this course or program?

6. How will service enhance the learning objectives?

7. How will service fit into the structure of the course or program?

a. How much credit will be given for the service experience?

b. Is the service optional or required?

c. When will the service be done?

8. Who will the take the course or program? Does anything special need to be done to

attract these students? Do any academic advisors or other faculty members need to

be notified about the course or program?

9. What are potential service ideas to integrate with this course?

10. What community partners would be appropriate for this service?

11. What resources are available to identify community partners and community needs?

Does your campus have a community service/service-learning/volunteer office?

Could you attend a meeting of United Way directors? Does any other organization

(e.g., Habitat for Humanity) have an affiliate in your area? Do any other faculty

members have contacts with local community service organizations or schools?

12. How will the service be performed?

a. Who will supervise the students?

b. How will they get to and from the service?

13. Do you need waiver/liability/release/licensing forms?

a. Special waiver or travel forms needed for the off-campus experience?

b. Liability forms needed for the work in the community?

c. Licensing or other agreements for intellectual property?

d. Release forms needed for photos of participants?

e. Human subject permission needed?

14. How will the products or services be maintained after the course(s) has ended? Over

the summer?

15. How will the service-learning be assessed?

a. Credit is given for demonstration of academic learning objectives. How will

this be assessed?

b. How will the student service experience and community partner experience

be assessed?

16. What additional resources are needed for the reflection? Are guest facilitators needed

(faculty, instructors, or students)?

17. What strategies will you use to have students process (reflect on) the many aspects of

the service experience and connect these aspects to the rest of the course?

a. Academic context and learning objectives

b. Personal experience

c. Connection to and implications for the profession/discipline

d. Social/community issues

18. What resources will you need to implement this service? (e.g., space, funding,

projects, students, etc.)

Need to

Resources Needed In Place Available Acquire

19. What potential sources of funding/resources/partnerships can help facilitate your

planned implementation of service-learning?

20. Being able to articulate benefits of service-learning is important in advocating for

needed resources. As an exercise, list the benefits from the service for each con-

stituent group.

Constituent Group Benefits of Service-Learning

Students

Community

Faculty/staff

Department

Institution

Private sector

Engineering profession

ppendix II:

Sample Service-Learning

Projects, Syllabi, and Forms

Sample Projects from the EPICS Program 46

Purdue University 46

Case Western University 49

Georgia Institute of Technology 49

Iowa State University 50

Penn State University 50

University of Notre Dame 50

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez 51

University of Wisconsin, Madison 52

Syllabi and Course Descriptions 53

Hydrology 53

Civil and Environmental Engineering 55

Mechanical Engineering (Ergonomics) 57

Bioprocessing 61

Traffic Engineering 63

Dynamics 65

Sample Forms and Excercises 69

Reflection Exercise for First-Year

Engineering Students 69

EPICS Milestone Schedule, Fall 2002 71

Hold Harmless Agreement

for Delivered Community Projects 73

Sample Photo Release Form 75

Reporting and Evaluation Tools 76

Student Evaluation Matrix 76

Design Notebook Evaluation 78

Online Weekly Report Form 79

Peer Evaluation Form 80

Student Self-Assessment Form 82

Senior Design Project Description Form 83

Senior Design Student Outcomes Matrix 86

Sample Projects from the EPICS Program

The following projects, drawn from EPICS teams at various institutions across the country,

are examples of undergraduate engineering work in the community. More projects and other

information can be found at http://epicsnational.ecn.purdue.edu.

PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Constructed Wetlands

Project Partner: Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources.

Facts: Began in Fall 1998. Winner of the Spring 1999 AMD Design Award. Sponsored by

Tr iad Associates.

Mission: Work with the Purdue Department of Forestry and Natural Resources to develop

and construct a test wetlands area to clean up runoff from cattle, dairy, and swine farms and

to treat creek water.

Delivered: Design of the four-cell constructed wetland with two sets of parallel cells, plant-

ings of wetland plants in all four cells, pumping system from adjacent stream, inlet and exit

weir boxes for flow measurement, analysis of flow measurements, storage shed, observation

platform for visitors to the wetland.

Technologies: Environmental engineering, surveying, hydrology, botany, instrumentation.

Disciplines:Civil, Environmental, Survey and Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology,

Natural Resources, Agriculture.

Impact: Improved water quality. New techniques for mitigating agricultural runoff.

Community facility for environmental education.

Area: Environment.

Habitat for Humanity

Project Partner: Greater Lafayette Chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Facts: Began in Fall 1996.

Mission: Design systems, structures, and floor plans to minimize home construction and

energy costs. Improve data management and access to resources for Habitat affiliates.

Improve the efficiency of Habitat’s operations.

Delivered: New design for house corners to minimize air leakage. Brochure for homeowners

describing how to compute the cost of using different types of light bulbs. Thermal imaging

of Habitat homes to determine efficiency of Habitat construction techniques. Pressure door

to detect areas of heat loss. Web-based home selection guide for prospective homeowners;

analysis of projected annual utility costs for available floor plans, parametric studies on home

options (led to the addition of central air conditioning for all homes in Lafayette). Solar

powered attic fan for resale store.

Technologies: Power electronics, solar cells, heat flow, materials, energy-efficient structures,

construction, data management.

Disciplines: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science,

Landscape Architecture.

Impact: Lower-cost houses and lower home operating expenses for the working poor.

Area: Human Services.

Elementary Science Improvement

Project Partner: Happy Hollow Elementary School

Facts: Began in Fall 1997 at Burtsfield School; transitioned to Happy Hollow Elementary

School in Fall 1998 when Burtsfield School closed. Winner of the Fall 1997 AMD Design

Award and the Spring 2000 AMD Design Award. Sponsored by Boeing.

Mission: Develop technology-based interfaces to improve the usability of school science,

computing, and media facilities, including a weather station and a TV studio. Develop inter-

active activities and exhibits for the school’s new science museum.

Delivered: We b page software, electrical design for school’s TV studio. Weather station

instruments and instrumentation that feeds weather station data to a web page. Water gar-

den, including waterfall for the school’s rainforest room, which encourages environmental

awareness among the students. Science museum exhibits: Life-size camera: A flash wall that

uses strobe lights, a dark room, and phosphorous sheets to capture students’ shadows cast on

a phosphorescent wall. Color wall: Demonstrates principles of colored light. Memory basket-

ball: Score-keeping electronics added to an electronic basketball game to compare hits and

misses for shots taken with and without vision distorting goggles. Tornado: Project that sim-

ulates a miniature tornado in a Plexiglas box. Laser harp in progress.

Technologies: Software, electronics, computer interfaces.

Disciplines: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Education.

Impact: Improved educational resources and educational experience for 4th-6th graders.

Areas: Education and Outreach.

Homelessness Prevention Network

Project Partner: Eight Agencies of the Tippecanoe County Homelessness Prevention

Network. Two agencies in Anderson, Indiana.

Facts: Began in Fall 1995. Concluded in 2003, with statewide initiative to establish a commer-

cially supported homelessness management information system. Winner of the Spring 1998

AMD Design Award.

Mission: Design and implement a centralized database that allows agencies to coordinate

their services, track their clients, and assemble accurate reports without violating clients’ con-

fidentiality.

Delivered: Client machines and server deployed with agencies. Version 5.0 of the software

included security and encryption features, full report generation capability, duplicate client-

file merge algorithm on server, and a custom, private email system to enhance interagency

communications. In 2001, the county, in conjunction with the EPICS team, was awarded a

federal grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to par-

ticipate in a study of homelessness; the county was one of only 19 in the U.S. that had a

homelessness management information system that met HUD’s qualifications.

Technologies: Databases, cryptography, communications software.

Disciplines: Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Industrial

Engineering, Sociology.

Impact: Improved coordination of agencies serving the homeless; a better understanding of

homelessness in Tippecanoe County and Anderson, Indiana.

Aids for Students with Disabilities

Project Partner: Purdue University’s Office of the Dean of Students Adaptive Programs.

Facts: Began in Fall 1997. Sponsored by PPG and by a grant from the Christopher Reeve

Paralysis Foundation.

Mission:Design aids for Purdue students with disabilities.

Delivered: Determination of critical display refresh frequencies that trigger photosensitive

epilepsy. Remote Classroom Captioning system that uses wireless microphones and network-

ing to allow a remote transcriber to generate near-real-time class notes for hearing impaired

students. Classroom furniture: adjustable chair for students with chronic back problems;

adjustable table for students in wheelchairs (75 chairs and 25 tables placed in classrooms

around campus as needed by Purdue students). In progress: The Interactive Campus Map, a

web-based software system that will allow students to find the best wheelchair-accessible path

between any two points on campus. Also in progress: The Global Positioning System Device

for the Visually Impaired, a handheld navigation aid for students who are visually impaired.

It will help students find the shortest path between two points on campus and will give audi-

ble directions via an earpiece as they walk to their destination.

Technologies: Communications, GPS, human-computer interfaces, programming, ergonom-

ics, mechanical advantage, linkages, machining, CAD design.

Disciplines: Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Industrial

Engineering, Liberal Arts, Mechanical Engineering, Health Sciences.

Impact: Improved accesses to the Purdue campus for students with disabilities.

Areas: Access and Abilities.

CASE WESTERN UNIVERSITY

Solar Power

Project Partner: Cleveland Area Utility Companies.

Description:Case Western Reserve University has several electrically driven maintenance

vehicles that it wants to operate using solar power as a demonstration project for the com-

munity. A previous project has done basic charging system design. However, all designs are

dependent upon the actual power demands of the vehicle. The goal of the team is to instru-

ment a vehicle (and its associated charger) to determine the charging power requirements. A

data logger would collect the data over a period of time and the project would analyze the

data to specify the solar charging requirements. This project will work with local utilities to

specify a system that would feed daytime solar generated power back into the local power

grid avoiding the need for battery energy storage at the charger.

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Home Accessibility Inspection Program

Project Partner: Community Housing Resource Center (CHRC).

Description: The mission of the CHRC is to support balanced community revitalization

through housing stabilization, community networking, technical and professional services,

education, and information sharing. The Home Accessibility Inspection Program, sponsored

by AT&T, is a pilot project to develop the process and system to deliver a home inspection

service to senior homeowners. If the pilot project is successful, the program will grow into a

nationwide service offering. The CHRC is looking to the Georgia Tech EPICS program to

play a critical role in delivering this project. Students will own specific deliverables in each

phase of the project as well as participate in milestone reviews and project management.

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

Device Design for Children with Disabilities

Project Partners: Parents and Teachers of Children with Disabilities in Central Iowa.

Description:Began in Fall 1997. Team activities include design, fabrication, testing, docu-

mentation, and delivery of devices that improve the quality of life for children with disabili-

ties in Central Iowa. Typically these devices are for children with severe speech disabilities

due to multiple sclerosis, Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, or other diseases. Project exam-

ples include developing a switch extender designed to provide children with limited mobility

and/or limited coordination with a device that will aid them in operating switches encoun-

tered in everyday life. Another team delivered an Audio Communicator for a 3-year-old girl

that allows easy audio recording and playback keyed to one of six images.

PENN STATE UNIVERSITY

AgrAbility

Project Partner: AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians.

Description: First team began in Spring 2001. The team is developing tools that will create

new opportunities for farmers with physical disabilities to continue farming.

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME

St. Joseph River Project

Project Partner: The Cities of Elkhart, Mishawaka, and South Bend, Indiana.

Description: Began in Fall, 2000. This EPICS group works on the creation of a web-based

data entry system for use by the cities of Elkhart, Mishawaka, and South Bend. Working

closely with a representative from the Elkhart Public Water Works, the group is customizing

an online database to serve as a mechanism for the storage and retrieval of measurements

and readings used to monitor the changing water quality of the St. Joseph River as it flows

through these three cities on its way to Lake Michigan.

Indiana LED Signal Adoption Study

Project Partner: Indiana LED Signal Adoption Study (ILEDSAS).

Description: This EPICS group will evaluate the feasibility of replacing the current incandes-

cent traffic signal lights with new high-brightness light emitting diode (LED) technology. It

will perform an analysis of the significant energy/maintenance savings provided by the LED

devices and study methods of financing the initial capital investment. The group will work

with city leaders to assist them in the decision making process during the adoption of the

LED devices, and perform outreach to other communities interested in this technology. The

group will also track long-term energy/maintenance savings and LED performance/reliability.

Water Supply Studies

Project Partner: Small Community Mentoring Center (SCMC).

Description: The objective of the SCMC EPICS project is to assist small nearby communities

more effectively supply water and treat wastewater. During each of the last three summers,

teams of students visited the plants to assess needs. Students were then teamed with plant

operators to conduct full-scale plant studies to address a well-defined need.

UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO, MAYAGUEZ

Aquadilla Expressway Project

Project Partner: City of Aquadilla, Puerto Rico.

Description:Student EPICS teams are addressing the road transportation needs of special

communities in the western region of Puerto Rico, chiefly the conversion to expressway of

the PR-2 from Añasco to Hormigueros. More than 500 students from engineering, business

administration, social sciences, and humanities, as well as faculty members and government

officials, have been involved directly or indirectly with the EPICS initiative at UPRM during

its first year of operation. Close to 1,000 families from the La Vía community will be affected

by the students’ recommendations once the analysis and evaluation of the proposed project is

complete. The active participation of the students has already impacted Mayagüez and the

western region in a positive manner; an injection of funds for highway reconstruction for

2003-2004 on the order of $95 million is in the works, based on the findings of a feasibility

study of converting PR-2 highway to expressway and other lane widening needs on critical

sections of the highway network.

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN, MADISON

Rehabilitation Medicine Projects

Project Partner: University of Wisconsin Department of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Description:Began in Fall 2000. The goal of the teams is to expand the capabilities and con-

trol over their environment of patients with physical disabilities. The teams work on the

development of engineering-based systems to assist in providing care for the patients served

by Rehabilitation Medicine. Projects include an automated pill crusher, a device to assist in

making patient records, and a system for maximizing ease of use of equipment to measure

vital signs.

Other teams are working to design and implement modifications for wheelchairs, design

improvements for a hand-powered cycle, design a sip-and-puff casting device for a fishing

rod, and design a sip-and-puff page turner.

Information Systems Projects

Project Partner: EPICS clients and teams.

Description:In EPICS Information Systems (IS), the teams focus on developing quality web

pages that integrate active server pages, databases, and other web-based tools to solve specific

information technology needs for nonprofit clients. EPICS IS teams combine talents from

computer engineering, electrical engineering, technical communication, computer science,

marketing, business, communication, political science, English, art, journalism, human ecolo-

gy, and other majors. Students can be of any class (freshman through graduate), and can be

from any major. Team make-up consists of skill sets from as many majors as possible in order

to assure depth and breadth of experience.

Project teams form to work on providing solu-

tions for a specific client from the community.

Functional teams— technology or service

based—form as part of the EPICS infrastructure to provide solutions and/or tools that can

be used by all project teams. For example, a functional team may develop a web-based calen-

dar that can be used by any of the project teams to meet client needs.

Syllabi and Course Descriptions

HYDROLOGY

University of Utah, Civil and Environmental Engineering 452

Hydrologic Analysis of the Decker Lake Outlet; Balancing Design Criteria

Service-learning may be defined succinctly as the “exercising” of course content and learning

objectives in a fashion that addresses and meets a recognized community need. The ideal is

simple, and hence, compelling; improve the quality of teaching/learning environments while

fostering and enhancing individuals’ sense of civic responsibility and value.

During the spring semester, students in the Department of Civil and Environmental

Engineering’s hydrology class will continue to perform a portion of a broader service-learn-

ing hydrologic analysis of Decker Lake. Decker Lake is a 35-acre lake in West Valley City that

is managed as a flood control/detention basin by Salt Lake County. The lake is bordered by

I-215 to the west and Redwood Road to the east. It is surrounded to the north and south by

the Decker Lake Business Park and the E-center. The surrounding drainage sub-basins that

flow into Decker Lake include industrial, residential, and undeveloped agricultural and for-

mer agricultural land. The Decker Lake outlet drains under Redwood Road to the Jordan

River.

Over the years, Decker Lake has suffered the deleterious effect of urbanization, resulting in

sediment filling in the lake and chemical/biological pollution. An ongoing effort is under way

to restore the lake and its surroundings by the Decker Lake Wetlands Preserve Foundation

(DLWPF). Conversely, Salt Lake County has an ongoing need to use the floodwater capacity

of Decker Lake for storm water management in the Jordan River watershed. The DLWPF is a

private, nonprofit community service organization established in 1994 to promote the

preservation, as well as the recreational and education uses, of Decker Lake and its surround-

ings. The Foundation correctly recognizes that successful restoration of the lake will require

integrated community and technical efforts. There is both EPA and US Army Corps of

Engineers involvement at Decker Lake.

Decker Lake in filled from a 10 mi

urban watershed that is divided into five sub-basins.

Several of these sub-basins are quite small and highly urbanized (~3 acre paved parking lots,

for example). The outfalls from these sub-basins into Decker Lake are, for the most part, via

un-engineered canals and culverts. There is one outlet from Decker Lake to the Jordan River,

through a culvert located on the east end of the lake.

One of the dominant questions of the DLWPF is the maximum lake level that could be real-

ized under “worst case” inflow conditions. This question is motivated by a concern about

flooding of lakeside trails and constructed facilities such as handicapped access, picnic shel-

ters, and interpretive/ educational displays. The elements of a hydrologic analysis to answer

this question included:

What is the “worst case” cumulative inflow storm hydrograph from the five drainage sub-

basins of Decker Lake? What is the stage (depth)–storage relationship for the lake itself?

What is the stage–discharge relationship for the existing Decker Lake outlet, and what type of

alternative, engineered outlet could be recommended to minimize the peak lake level?

In a previous service-learning hydrology class, the land use characteristics of the individual

sub-basins were considered, along with the hydro-meteorology of the central Salt Lake valley,

leading to the development of a “worst case” cumulative inflow storm hydrograph for Decker

Lake.

In the following year’s service-learning hydrology class, this inflow hydrograph was routed

through Decker Lake using a detention/storage flood routing technique known as Puls’ rout-

ing. The results of this analysis indicate that, depending on the hydraulics of an engineered

outlet to the lake, Decker lake can be managed hydrologically as either a flood water

impound or as a recreational facility and urban wildlife habitat. The former supports the

needs of Salt Lake County, while the latter supports the envisioned uses of the DLWPF.

You will bring your valuable professional skills to bear on this engineering problem of great

importance to a nonprofit foundation, that is working to addressing a recognized community

need, as well as public sector agencies.

Specifically; First, you will be responsible to “balance” the disparate design criteria for the

hydraulics of the lake outlet, based on the needs of both the DLWPF and Salt Lake County.

Second, you will be responsible to design a hydraulic structure for the lake outlet that has the

potential to address both the DLWPF’s and Salt Lake County’s needs at site.

During the semester, you will: 1) establish design teams; 2) develop “client-engineer” rela-

tionships with the Decker Lake Wetlands Preserve Foundation, and Salt Lake County; 3)

establish and document scopes-of-work for individual tasks; 4) convene a pre-design work-

shop with the “stake-holders” at Decker Lake and then perform the requisite analysis; 5) inte-

grate the results of the analysis and make appropriate design recommendations; 6) Orally

and as a written document, present your results and recommendations to the engineering

and non-engineering “clients” in an understandable and useful way; and 7) individually keep

an engineering log to describe your work, the man-hours invested, and the impact you

believe your efforts have had on the community, the practice of civil engineering, and the

relationship between these two elements and your skills and commitments as a civil engineer.

Your efforts from this service-learning project will be evaluated and graded as the “design”

homework project on the course syllabus (worth 1/2 of the total homework points available;

~50 pts). A citation will be placed on your transcripts showing that the course was taken as

“service-learning.”

In addition to exercising the learning objectives of the class in a realistic design environment,

this Service Learning project will provide a valuable experience in a typical “client-engineer”

working environment.

Lastly, the service component of the project will give you the opportunity to consider how,

after graduation, you might integrate or set aside a portion of your professional engineering

practice for projects that meet a recognized community need but are otherwise uncompen-

sated.

CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

University of Utah, Civil & Environmental Engineering 4910: Senior Design

Varied Structural Design Projects

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The objective of this course is to provide engineering students with a comprehensive project

design experience that is similar to those that will be found in practice. The students will

work in team environments, using engineering analysis and design skills gained from their

prior class work. These design projects will have open questions, requiring initiative, creative

and technically accurate thinking and problem solving on the part of the students. There will

“clients” for these design projects. Meeting the needs of these clients, while “practicing for the

public good,” will be paramount.

Additionally, there will be a number of lectures and external guest speakers who will provide

insight into the engineering design process, the role of engineers in modern society, and

issues of professional relevance, professional development and organizational/team skills. The

synthesis of this information is a requisite element of the course.

It is anticipated that the students will gain capabilities and sensitivities to the following:

•Apply knowledge from mathematics, sciences and engineering to solve engineering

problems.

• Design and a constructible and sustainable civil engineering system, component or

process.

•Function on multi-disciplinary teams.

•Formulate and solve civil engineering problems in several of the following areas:

structural, geotech, transportation, environmental, and water resources engineering.

• Gain an understanding of civic, professional and ethical responsibilities applicable to

the practice.

• Effectively communicate in written, graphical and verbal forms.

•Develop a clearer understanding of the ethical, economic, environmental, social and

political impact of civil engineering in a societal and global context.

•Develop mechanisms and habits that allow you maintain a perspective on contem-

porary issues that impact our infrastructure and environment.

GRADING

•Attendance (including regularly scheduled team meetings): 20%

•Individual (Written) Homework Assignments: 10%

•Class Notes, Speakers Log, Fieldtrip/Site Notes: 20%

•Team Projects: 50%

Project Proposal (including client interview & project schedule)

Progress Reports (two)

Interim Progress Presentation

Final Progress Report

Final Project Presentation

PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS

1. One of the dominant methods for reducing the risk of snow avalanches on commu-

nities and transportation corridors in the European Alps is through the use of snow

supporting structures in the avalanche starting zones. Through client interviews and

by exercising other appropriate, traditional engineering design elements, you will

establish the scope of work, project schedule, for an initial generic unit design (Phase

I) and final design (including cost analysis) for a deployment of avalanche mitigat-

ing snow-supporting structures for a site (Phase II) in the domestic intermountain

west. The European design guidelines for these structures will be used. They are

written in German.

2. The Colorado River is a typical global scale mega resource system. It provides ~85%

of the community and agricultural water supply for the semi-arid west and southern

California. There are a variety of agencies, NGOs, and private sector organizations

that will benefit from a concise, but complete understanding and visual representa-

tion of the Colorado River system and resource. The final product of this effort will

be four (4) copies of a traditional wall-size “storyboard” that depicts the Colorado

River system, its sources, inflows, outflows, users, and other important water

resource attributes. These public information storyboards will be of sufficient quali-

ty that an agency or other organization would display them prominently in their

lobbies or conference rooms. Through client interviews and by exercising other

appropriate, traditional engineering design elements, you will establish the scope of

work,project schedule, for an initial and final design for these informational displays

and attendant documentation.

3. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides a codified environment for the

construction or modification of structures and/or structural and facilities access for

individuals with physical limitations to their personal mobility. The final product of

this effort will be an inventory/assessment of the “problem areas” on the University

of Utah campus with the ADA requirements, a visual rendering of recommended

routes-of-travel for the disabled, recommendations and final designs (including a

cost analysis) for a suite of potential constructed modifications to various campus

facilities that will allow for enhanced compliance with ADA codes. Through client

interviews and by exercising other appropriate, traditional engineering design ele-

ments, you will establish the scope of work, project schedule, for initial and final

designs.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (ERGONOMICS)

University of Utah, Mechanical Engineering 515: Ergonomics

Ergonomics and Seniors

Ergonomics short course notes supplemented by OSHA publications, journal articles and

other relevant material. It is recommended that students purchase a 3-ring binder so that

additional information can be added during the quarter.

Start

We ek Date Key Topic

1 28 Sep Anthropometry (HW 1, Anthropometry, handed out)

2 5 Oct Upper Extremity Cumulative Trauma Disorders and Seated

Wor kplace Design (HW 1 due; HW 2, UECTD, handed out)

3 12 Oct Manual Material Handling (HW 2 due; HW 3, MMH, handed

out)

4 19 Oct NIOSH Work Practices Guide (HW 3 due; HW 4, WPG,

handed out)

5 26 Oct Metabolic Load and Heat Stress (HW 4 due; HW 5, Metabolic,

handed out)

6 2 Nov Ergonomics and the Senior Population (HW 5 due; focus on

project from here on)

7 9 Nov Vibration and Noise, Hearing

8 16 Nov Controls and Displays, Lighting

9 23 Nov The Americans with Disabilities Act

10 30 Nov OSHA involvement in Ergonomics Project Presentations

11 7 Dec Project Presentations

Finals Week FINAL EXAM (covers all course material and project

presentations)

The first half of the course will be an intensive introduction into basic ergonomics concepts

and analytical techniques required to analyze and redesign a workplace, living environment,

or other environment in which people spend a considerable amount of time. The first half of

the course will contain most of the lecture material, all quizzes, and all homework

The last half of the course will include less intensive course work. Groups of 3-5 people will

focus on the field application of the tools and techniques used in the first part of the course.

In addition to other group meetings and field work, each group will be required to meet with

the instructor each week to discuss the group project. This “meeting” may take place in the

classroom or in the field.

It is expected that the projects for the autumn class will involve field studies involving the

elderly population. Projects for this class might include the ergonomic analysis of nursing

homes, in-home resident situations or the transportation requirements of seniors. These

projects might also involve the training of personnel who work in facilities serving the senior

population in work methods to reduce the potential for ergonomic disorders such as cumu-

lative trauma disorders (carpal tunnel syndrome, etc.) or back injuries which might result

from lifting patients or children. It might also be feasible to actually initiate modest

ergonomic “self help” programs in some facilities. Potential project sites will be dismissed

during the first haft of the course. Note that these are only proposed ideas and students may

develop projects that meet these general criteria. A proposal will be due from each group

during the fifth week of class that outlines the proposed project. This will be reviewed and

returned the next week.

DRAFT POINT DISTRIBUTION:

Exam 100

Homework (5 X 1 0) 50

Quizzes (5 X 4) 20

Project Report 100

Project Presentation 50

TOTAL 320

There will be five 4-point ergonomics quizzes given during the quarter for a total of 20

points. These will be given at the beginning of the class and will cover the material assigned

for that class. Each quiz will also contain four points relating to college or professional bas-

ketball. The BB questions will not count toward the ergonomics course grade; however, the

student with the highest total quiz points for the quarter (20 points for the ergonomics ques-

tions plus 20 points for the BB questions for a total of 40 points max) will receive two tickets

for a UTAH JAZZ game.

GENERAL FORMAT FOR TERM PROJECTS

•Cover Page: Use normal paper. The cover should include:

-Name of author(s)

-Course title and number

-Project Report title

-Submission date

-Instructor’s name

•Abstract: One or two paragraphs summarizing the project.

•Table of Contents (with page numbers for major sections).

•Introduction/Background: Discuss the general background of the subject area.

Include any relevant previous research or information. Introduce the project and

note why it is important.

•Method (for an empirical research project): For an empirical research project discuss

the method of experimentation. (For other projects the Method Section and

Results/Discussion Section are combined into the general body of the report, which

can be called Results/Discussion.)

•Results/Discussion: Summarize the results of the experimentation or research.

Include tables and figures if appropriate. If a great deal of data is collected, summa-

rize the results and include relevant raw data in an appendix. Figures are graphic

illustrations of things or data. Tables are arrays of data with headings to identify the

entries.

•Conclusion: Draw out key findings contained in the previous Results/Discussion

section and present the implications of those findings.

•References: Include information (in any accepted format with which you feel com-

fortable) that will facilitate retrieval by an interested reader. Reference facts that are

not common knowledge or opinions of others.

•Appendix: Include secondary data such as raw data. Don't include figures and

tables. They belong in the text.

•Other Stuff: Put tables and figures as close as possible to (but not preceding) where

they are first mentioned in the text. When tables and figures are oriented lengthwise,

the bottom should be toward the right. The axis on figures should have a zero point

on the axis or a notation to show otherwise.

Project Groups “Next Action” should be discussed with the instructor next week. Additional

reference material is available in the office.

1. Development of a folding/portable ramp or system to allow a person in a wheelchair

to access a van. This might be the same as a portable device to allow a person in a

wheelchair to access an elevated surface such as a stage. This might be hand, air or

C02 powered. Next Action: Develop performance specifications such as weight, lift

distance, lift capacity, type of power, etc. and preliminary design ideas. Develop ideas

of physical ability of potential user.

2. Move from wheelchair to standing/semi-standing position. This device will also help

a person with poor hand function to stand up from a wheelchair to exercise or bal-

ance. Next Action: Develop performance specifications such as weight, lift distance

of seat, lift capacity, type of power, etc. and preliminary design ideas. Develop ideas

of physical ability of potential user.

3. Develop a device to hold a book or a newspaper for an individual with poor hand

function (arthritis?) or other disability. Next Action: Develop performance specifica-

tions and preliminary design ideas. Develop ideas of physical ability of potential

user.

4. Analysis of patient handling task in burn unit at UU hospital. Present recommenda-

tions and short training session to nursing staff. Next Action: Become more familiar

with UM biomechanical model. Review nurse/lifting research. I have some for you to

start with. Approval to do study at UU hospital has been received.

5. Analysis of lifting hazards in the sterilization unit at UU Hospital. Present recom-

mendations and short training session to nursing staff. Next Action: Become more

familiar with UM biomechanical model. Review nurse/lifting research. I have some

for you to start with. Approval to do study at UU hospital has been received.

6. Stair climb assist device. I envision this as a “bar” across the stairs at waist/chest

height that can be moved or indexed ahead of the user. The bar would be able to

move ahead of foot or two and “lock” so the user can hold on to the bar while

climbing or descending. The bar might attach to the existing handrail or require that

a new guide or track be attached to one or both walls. Next Action: Develop per-

formance specifications such as grip strength, hip and knee extension strength, push

strength, potential vestibular dysfunction, etc. and preliminary design ideas. Develop

ideas of physical ability of potential user.

7. Analysis of lifting hazards for nursing personnel in local nursing home. Present rec-

ommendations and short training session to nursing staff. Next Action: Become

more familiar with UM biomechanigal model. I will review this with you next week.

Review nurse/lifting research. I have some for you to start with. Preliminary

approval to do study at Saint Joseph Villa has been received.

8. Ergonomics review of VDT workstations in ME administrative offices. Present rec-

ommendations and short training session to ME staff. Next Action: Become more

familiar with seated and VDT workstation design. Attend special 1-hour lecture.

9. Device/system to allow a user with weak hands to insert and remove plugs from the

wall and/or connect a plug to an extension cord.

BIOPROCESSING

University of Utah, CVEEN 569: Bioprocess Fundamentals

Design of Systems for Separation and Purification of Biological Products

CRITERIA FOR DESIGNATION OF SERVICE-LEARNING CLASSES

Needed Service:Students will work in groups of 3 to 5 on a project that is needed by the Salt

Lake Valley Solid Waste Facility. The 10-week project will be to gather information and to

conduct experiments on the use of dump leachate to moisturize compost heaps. Each group

will investigate one possible configuration out of several. After the project, the most success-

ful configuration will be used for further investigation by the Solid Waste Facility. Thus the

service provided will be technical as well as benefit the community as a whole.

elevance to Subject Matter: The information and experiments will demonstrate the princi-

ple of composting, which will be covered in class towards the end of the quarter. Thus it will

provide the students with first-hand experience in working with a process discussed in text-

books and in class. Several basic principles of biochemical engineering that are taught at the

beginning of the class will also be emphasized in the project.

hinking About What They Learned: Each student group will present a brief oral report (<5

min) on the progress of their experiment to the class every two weeks. The instructor, in as

much as possible, will relate what they have experienced to the class subject matter at hand

and ask the students to speak about what they have learned that week to what is happening

in the "real" world.

ssessment: At the end of the quarter the student groups will be required to submit a written

final report on their particular project, including a background (literature) section as well as

an explanation of the experimental results. This will provide the instructor with an opportu-

nity to assess whether they have understood the service project as well as the technical sub-

jects it covers. The final report will constitute 10% of their final grade for the course.

Everyone in each group will receive the same group grade.

valuation of Service by Recipient: During the course of the project and, particularly, at the

end, Mr. David Lore, Environmental Engineer with the Salt Lake Valley Solid Waste Facility,

will be working with the student groups and their projects. The instructor will ask Mr. Lore

of his evaluation of each group and of the participation of each student in that group.

ivic Education: The project will enable the students to see the value of their technical back-

ground in solving some of the local environmental problems. Working with the local solid

waste management facility will hopefully show them the value of recycling and other com-

munity efforts that will help the local community.

nowledge Enhances Service: Since the project is technical in nature and is related to class

subjects, the knowledge gained from the textbooks can be applied directly to the service pro-

vided and enhances the learning of biochemical engineering principles.

Learning from other class members: Since students will be working in groups of 3 to 5 they

will have an opportunity to interact with one another and learn from each other. The group

presentations will also give them another opportunity to organize their thoughts collectively.

All groups will also discuss the results from the other groups and all students will learn from

others’ experiences.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Application of chemical-engineering principles to biological, biochemical and environmental

engineering systems. Design of systems for cultivation of microorganisms and for separation

and purification of biological products. Students will be working on a service-learning class

project in groups of 3–5 with a local city, county, state, or national agency which will provide

technical assistance to that agency that is related to the subject matter discussed in class. This

is a 3-credit hour course taught every Winter quarter and serves as a prerequisite to other

biochemical engineering courses taught in the Department of Chemical & Fuels engineering.

COURSE SUMMARY:

PRE-REQUISITES: For Chemical & Fuels Engineering Students: CHFEN 350-Fluids, CHFEN

366 - Mass Transfer, BIOL 240 - Cell Biology. Recommended prerequisites or corequisites are

CHFEN 364 - Heat Transfer, CHFEN 362 - genetics, and CHFEN 210 -Numerical Methods

or their equivalents. For Civil & Environmental Engineering Students: CVEEN 463 - Intro. to

Envir. Engr. I Recommended prerequisite or co-requisite is CVEEN 464 - Intro. to Envir.

Engr. 11.

OBJECTIVE: To apply engineering principles to biological and biochemical systems and to

introduce the concepts of bioprocess engineering. Problems in enzyme kinetics, cell metabo-

lism, bioreactors, biological waste treatment and immobilized cells will be addressed.

TEXT:

James E. Bailey and David F. Ollis, Biochemical Engineering Fundamentals, 2nd ed.,

McGraw-Hill Publishers, 1986.

REFERENCES ON RESERVE:

Michael L. Shuler and Fikret Kargi, Bioprocess Engineering: Basic Concepts,Prentice-Hall,

1992.

James M. Lee,

Biochemical Engineering, Prentice-Hall, 1992.

H. R. Bungay and G. Belfort, eds.,

Advanced Biochemical Engineering, Wiley Interscience,

1987.

S. Aiba, A.E. Humphrey, and N.F. Millis,

Biochemical Engineering, 2nd ed., Academic Press,

1973.

B. Atkinson, F. Mavituna,

Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology Handbook, 2nd ed.,

Stockton Press, 1991.

Harvey W. Blanch and Douglas S. Clark,

Biochemical Engineering, Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1996.

Jens Nielsen and John Villadsen,

Bioreaction Engineering Principles, Plenum Press, 1994.

TRAFFIC ENGINEERING

University of Utah, Civil and Environmental Engineering 420: Traffic Engineering

Traffic Engineering Studies

TOPICS:

Speed studies

Vo lume studies

Flow/density/speed

Shock wave

Gap theory

Queuing theory

Intersection design

Intersection and highway capacity analysis accident analysis, road safety

Tr ansportation planning

CLASS DESCRIPTION

The Course Goals are to introduce the theoretical concepts that underpin traffic engineering

and to apply these ideas to a series of practical traffic engineering problems. The course

objectives are to learn report writing and library research skills; how to analyze and design

traffic facilities and data analysis techniques. The course will introduce advanced transporta-

tion concepts of traffic flow theory, traffic control system design and intelligent transporta-

tion systems.

How the class will meet the required criteria for SERVICE-LEARNING designation: Students

will have the opportunity to take either a conventional course or a service-learning structure.

The former will rely on 40% of the grade awarded through traditional problem solving. The

latter will rely on 40% grade from the service-learning component. The service-learning ele-

ment is detailed below.

SERVICE-LEARNING PROJECT

The service-learning project will:

•Address real traffic problems in real communities.

•Relate to the practical application of the theory provided formally in class.

• Enable students to follow the way that theoretical principles help the professional

engineer to help communities to resolve transportation problems.

•Assess the learning derived through peer group evaluation of projects and presenta-

tions.

•Provide service interactions in the community facilitated through the presentation

to the communities of reports, and through the participation of the local groups in

the assessment of student contributions.

• Enhance civic education through student exposure to the complex interaction

between small local groups and municipal authorities.

SERVICE-LEARNING PROJECT REPORT FORMAT

Your reports will be evaluated on both their technical content and quality of presentation,

including English composition. Mathematical equations, diagrams, data sheets, etc., can be

done by hand, but all text must be typewritten. While you will be working in groups, your

reports will be individual. Minor details may vary, but reports should usually follow the

structure suggested below:

Title Page - This should include the title, the class name and your name.

Executive Summary - Succinctly identify the nature and motivation of the study,

the general characteristics of the methodology, and the principal conclusions and

recommendations.

Background - Describe in more detail the nature of the study, the questions being

addressed, the theoretical basis for the analysis, and any other pertinent background

information.

Approach - Describe in moderate detail what you did, with specific reference to the

theoretical justification for your work.

Results - Present your results in summarized form that is easy to follow, using sum-

mary tables and charts where appropriate. Detailed work sheets and voluminous

interim results should be banished to an appendix, or omitted altogether, if this

helps to improve legibility. Include any recommendations and their justification.

Appendices (if necessary).

I would expect your reports to be about 15 to 20 pages of double spaced typed text, including

tables and diagrams but excluding appendices. To achieve a good score, the report must be

both a high-quality piece of technical writing (in presentation and content) and exhibit a

high degree of insight into the problem and analysis methods. You should note weak

assumptions and important issues overlooked in the formulation of the assignment, weak-

nesses in the data, and weaknesses in the analysis methods, and suggest possible remedies to

these weaknesses as well as alternative approaches.

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS COOPERATING WITH/BENEFITING FROM THE PROGRAM

Salt Lake City Council

UDOT Research and

Development

Wasatch Front Planning

Organization

WFMPO Salt Lake County

West Valley Resident Group

West Bountiful Community

Council

Millcreek Lions Club

Sugar House Community Council

Arcadia Heights Community

Council

Center for Liveable Streets

DYNAMICS

University of Massachusetts Lowell, Dynamics 22.213

Mini-Project on Local Playground Safety

The goal of this mini-project is to provide you with a chance to apply the theory and tools of

engineering dynamics to an actual system and an opportunity to help your local community.

Our class will be working with MASSPIRG and an AmeriCorp volunteer to help evaluate and

improve the safety of local playgrounds. With our knowledge of dynamics, we will estimate

the speed, forces, momentum, and potential injuries to children on various playground

devices and recommend safety improvements. We will proceed in steps as outlined below.

BACKGROUND (FROM THE NATIONAL PROGRAM FOR PLAYGROUND SAFETY:

(www.uni.edu/playground/resources/statistics.html)

Each year approximately 205,860 preschool and elementary children

receive emergency department care for injuries that occurred on

playground equipment. From January 1990 to August 2000, CPSC

received reports of 147 deaths to children younger than 15 that

involved playground equipment. Injuries to the head and face

accounted for 49% of injuries to children 0-4, while injuries to the

arm and hand accounted for 49% of injuries to children ages 5-14.

For children ages 0-4, climbers (40%) had the highest incidence

rates, followed by slides (33%). For children ages 5-14, climbing

equipment (56%) had the highest incidence rates, followed by

swings (24%). Falls to the surface was a contributing factor in 79%

of all injuries. Most injuries on public playground equipment were

associated with climbing equipment (53%), swings (19%), and slides

(17%). Data reported in Tinsworth, D. and McDonald, J. (April

2001). Special Study: Injuries and Deaths Associated with Children’s

Playground Equipment. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Consumer Product

Safety Commission.

TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES

1. Estimate the maximum speed of children on various rides, including swings, slides

(straight and helical), and merry-go-rounds.

2. Estimate the potential forces exerted on the children by the rides and by other chil-

dren coming off the rides by exiting or falling off.

3. Estimate the impact of children hitting the ground from exiting or falling off the

rides.

4. Inform your community about maximum speeds, forces, and impacts on children

on local playground equipment and the potential for injuries.

5. Suggest improvements to the playgrounds in general (eg., warning signs) and to

designs of the rides (e.g., railings) to make them safer.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this project the student should be able to:

1. Apply the theory of kinematics to estimate the velocity, acceleration, forces, momen-

tum, and impact on children of typical playground rides,

2. Evaluate the potential positive and negative impacts of the technology on the local

community,

3. Write a brief report describing the analysis, results, conclusions, and suggestions of

this mini-project. Write a section to be given to parents and community groups with

information important to them.

You may work in groups of three persons, at most. If you choose to work in a group, turn in

a joint group report.

Part I

Velocity, Acceleration, Forces

In this part of the mini-project, you will be assessing the velocity, acceleration, and forces

possible on children using playground rides found near where you live. Choose a playground

near where you live. Measure important parameters of the equipment such as height, length,

ride material and finish, and ground surface material beneath the ride. If you can, take pho-

tos to document your study and to help in future analysis. Use the parameters from the rides

in your playground in place of those below. If your playground does not have the specific

ride mentioned in the questions below, substitute a ride that your playground does have or

else use the default parameters for the ride in the question. You may make any reasonable

assumptions about the size and weight of children.

1. A classic slide starts at a 10-foot height, has a ramp down at a 45 degree angle, and

has a short horizontal section 2 feet in length and 1.5 feet off the ground. Assume in

the worst case that the slide is wet and that friction is negligible. (a) What will be the

speed of a child coming off the end of the slide? (b) If a child falls off the top of the

slide, what is the speed of the child just before she/he hits the ground?

2. A helical slide is 13 feet in height, has a radius of 5 feet, has two revolutions, and

exits one foot above ground level. Again assume the slide is wet and there is negligi-

ble friction in the worst case. (a) What will be the maximum velocity of a child com-

ing off the end of the slide? (b) What will be the maximum force exerted on the

child by the edges of the slide? (c) What will be the maximum acceleration of the

child?

3. A swing is 10 feet long. (a) What will be the maximum velocity of a child on the

swing? At what position will that maximum velocity be attained? (b) What is the

maximum acceleration and force exerted by the swing seat on the child? (c) If a child

fell off the swing what would be the maximum velocity of the child just before

she/he hit the ground? Where would the child fall off to achieve a maximum veloci-

ty?

4. A merry-go-round is 8 feet in diameter, is 1.5 feet off the ground, and has bars for

holding on. (a) Estimate the maximum rotational speed of the ride based on your

estimates of the maximum speed of a child running to turn the merry-go-round

before jumping on. (b) What would be the acceleration and force acting on the child

by the bar if the child were seated at the edge of the ride? (c) If a child fell off the

ride at this speed, what would be the speed of the child just before hitting the

ground?

Part II

Impacts

With the force and velocity values you estimated (and corrected, if necessary) in Part I, (a)

Estimate the maximum impact and effective deceleration of a child exiting or falling off each

ride (whichever is worse) onto whatever surface material is present in your playground. (b)

Suggest devices for parts of a ride that might be improved to keep the child on each ride. (c)

Suggest surface materials that might be improved in your playground. Be specific as to type

and depths of material for each ride. [If you do not have four rides in your playground, use

one of the “default” rides above.] (d) If a non-rider walked in front of a swing, what would

be the result if the rider were at your estimated maximum speed?

A safety survey form used to study playgrounds throughout the country, including some in

Lowell, is available at: www.pirg.org/reports/consumer/playground2000/index.html. At this

site is also safety information as well as the results of the national survey.

Suggestion for analysis for part (a): You could probably treat the surface material as a linear

spring. You could estimate the “spring constant” by applying a known force (your body per-

haps) over a surface area equivalent to the head or elbow of a child and then estimating the

deflection of the surface. You could assume the velocity of the child reaches zero at the maxi-

mum deflection of the surface material. You could then use the principles of work and

momentum and impact that we have covered in class to estimate the force and deceleration

of the child’s body part (average or as functions of displacement or time deflecting the sur-

face material). Relate equivalent forces and deceleration rates to probable injury. [See ASTM

F1292 and ASTM F355 for additional information.]

Part III

Outcomes

1. The accrediting agency for our engineering program requires that graduates

demonstrate (among other things) a “broad education necessary to understand the

impact of engineering solutions in a global and social context” (ABET, 1998,

“Engineering Criteria 2000,” Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology,

Baltimore, MD). The impacts of your engineering information to inform parents

and those responsible for the safety of playgrounds—including the physics and

potential speeds and forces on their children—and of your possible solutions to

improve the playground rides could be in the social, economic, and environmental

domains of the local community.

2. Briefly describe at least two positive impacts of your information and engineering

solutions on the local community.

3. Briefly describe one potential environmental, sociological, or economic problem that

could arise as a result of your engineering solution.

Part IV

Recommendations

Make recommendations to be given to those responsible for your playground. Include only

those rides that are actually in your playground (not the “default” rides that you might have

used for calculation purposes).

In terms that non-engineers and non-medical people can understand:

1. Summarize key existing parameters of your playground: dimensions of rides, dis-

tance apart (if relevant), surface material, signs, barriers to keep non-riders from

walking in front of riders (as near swings), conditions of ride surfaces and structural

elements (corrosion, splinters, paint peeling…). You might want to consider using

the evaluation form at www.pirg.org/reports/consumer/playground2000/index.html.

Photos would be very helpful here.

2. Explain the possible dangers in your playground; include quantitative estimates as

much as possible of equivalent force or deceleration as, for example, number of “g’s”;

heights of rides (type and thickness); repairs; barriers between rides; spacing of

rides; removal of rides (if warranted); signs; railings to prevent falls; higher sides to

keep children on rides, etc.

Sample Forms and Excercises

REFLECTION EXERCISE FOR FIRST-YEAR

ENGINEERING STUDENTS

This exercise is used in a first-year engineering service-learning class at the University of San

Diego. Students work in teams to create or improve on computer-controlled electromechani-

cal models of systems, including providing full technical documentation. They then present

their projects at a local high school. The academic goal for the engineering students is to com-

municate effectively with a non-technical audience. The high school students gain encourage-

ment to pursue math, science, and engineering studies.

Before Going to the High School

PLEASE BRING YOUR BLUE BOOK WITH YOUR ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS TO

CLASS ON MONDAY, MAY 1.

Please respond in writing to the following questions. Your responses will not affect your

grade, but will be used to help evaluate the NIFTY project. Please write as much as you can

to elaborate on your answers. Respond in your blue book.

1. How relevant do you think this service-learning project is to your training as engi-

neer? What makes it relevant (irrelevant)?

2. What tools and skills have you acquired so far that will help you in this service-

learning project? Specify what they are and how they will help you.

3. What concerns do you have about the service-learning project that make you anx-

ious? Specify your concerns and why they make you anxious.

After Going to the High School

PLEASE BRING YOUR BLUE BOOK WITH YOUR ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS TO

CLASS ON FRIDAY, MAY 5.

Please answer each of these questions with respect to your experience presenting your NIFTY

project at Kearny High School.

1. What do you think are the most important things you learned?

2. What surprised you the most? What was the most fun?

3. If you had this presentation to do over again, what would you do differently? Why?

4. What do you think your audience (the students at Kearny) learned?

5. Were the concerns you had before you went to Kearny addressed? Specify your con-

cerns and why they made you anxious.

6. Would you recommend that future Engr 20 students present their NIFTY projects at

Kearny? Why or why not?

Developed by Dr. Susan Lord, University of San Diego, based on an assessment tool from

Dr. E. Tsang at the University of South Alabama. Used with permission.

EPICS MILESTONE SCHEDULE, FALL 2002

The following is a sample EPICS team schedule; parallel schedules are established for teams

continuing from the previous semester and those starting as new teams.

DURING LAB: Develop Semester Plan:

Objectives Statement for team’s

projects, Semester Timeline (Gantt

chart) with project milestones, Status

Summary of Delivered Projects, Team

Budget, Team Organization Chart, and

Team Continuity Plan. Update

information on “My EPICS.”

DURING LAB: Begin discussion of

team organization, individual and

team goals. Update information on

“My EPICS.”

2 or 3 DURING LAB: Meet with project

partner one week; do team dynamics

exercises the other week.

DURING LAB: Meet with project

partner one week; do team dynamics

exercises the other week.

2 TEAM: Complete Responsibilities Form;

turn in Semester Plan (turn in at start of

week 2 lab and post on team’s home

page). Turn in team budget request.

INDIVIDUAL: Turn in Team Transition

checklist; deadline for having a design

notebook. Weekly reports due at end

of lab.

TEAM: Complete Responsibilities

Form.

INDIVIDUAL: Deadline for having a

design notebook. Weekly reports

due at end of lab.

3 Personal semester goals in the weekly

report.

Personal semester goals in the weekly

report.

4 TEAM: Demo in lab, including technical

appendix; written proposals due for

teams with major new project. Team

dynamics.

INDIVIDUAL: Review of design

notebooks. Pre-register for peer

evaluation.

TEAM: Written proposal due at time

of lab, including budget requests.

Team dynamics

INDIVIDUAL: Review of design

notebooks. Pre-register for peer

evaluation.

5DURING LAB: Progress report planning

session.

DURING LAB: Proposal presentations.

WEEK CONTINUING TEAMS NEW TEAMS

7 TEAM: Written progress report posted

on web.

DURING LAB: Progress presentation.

PROJECT: Senior design project

descriptions.

INDIVIDUAL: Senior design outcomes

assessment.

PROJECT: Senior design project

descriptions.

INDIVIDUAL: Senior design outcomes

assessment.

8 DURING LAB: Design review planning

session. Review of Senior Design

Outcomes Matrices.

INDIVIDUAL: Review of design

notebooks. Self-assessment and peer

evaluations.

DURING LAB: Progress report

planning session. Review of Senior

Design Outcomes Matrices.

INDIVIDUAL: Review of design

notebooks. Self-assessment and peer

evaluations.

9 EPICS CALL OUT

Invite reviewers to the design review.

EPICS CALL OUT

Invite reviewers to the design review.

10 TEAM: Mail Design Review documents

to reviewers.

TEAM: Mail Design Review

documents to reviewers.

11 DURING LAB: Design review. TEAM: Progress report.

DURING LAB: Progress presentation

& process design review.

13 PROJECT: Deadline for final approval

of senior design project descriptions.

INDIVIDUAL: Final senior design

outcomes assessment.

PROJECT: Deadline for final approval

of senior design project descriptions.

INDIVIDUAL: Final senior design

outcomes assessment.

15 TEAM: Deadline for deliverables to

project partner.

TEAM: Deadline for deliverables to

project partner.

16 TEAM: Written end-of-semester report

due.

INDIVIDUAL: Review of design

notebooks. Self-assessment and peer

evaluations.

TEAM: Written end-of-semester

report due.

INDIVIDUAL: Review of design

notebooks. Self-assessment and peer

evaluations.

(exam)

TEAM: End-of-semester presentation.

Milestones Checklist: Verify that all

team reports and presentations are

posted on the web.

TEAM: End-of-semester presentation.

Milestones Checklist: Verify that all

team reports and presentations are

posted on the web.

WEEK CONTINUING TEAMS NEW TEAMS

HOLD HARMLESS AGREEMENT

FOR DELIVERED COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Waiver, Release and Hold Harmless Agreement

This Waiver, Release and Hold Harmless Agreement is made on this ___ day of _______,

200_ by [insert full corporate or other name of recipient of EPICS services] (“Recipient”).

WHEREAS, Purdue University (“Purdue”) participates in Engineering Projects In

Community Service (“EPICS”), a program under which Purdue faculty members and stu-

dents provide certain types of services at no charge to and for the benefit of not-for-profit

organizations such as Recipient to solve engineering-related problems faced by such organi-

zations; and

WHEREAS, in consideration of the willingness of Purdue and its faculty and students to

provide such services at no charge, Recipient is willing to execute this Waiver, Release and

Hold Harmless Agreement;

NOW THEREFORE, Recipient, on behalf of itself and its heirs, assigns and all other persons

or entities claiming by, under or through Recipient, represents, covenants and agrees as fol-

lows:

1. Recipient acknowledges that in the course of providing services under the EPICS

program, Purdue or its faculty members, students, employees, officers, agents or rep-

resentatives might cause injuries, death, property damage or other harm to Recipient

or to third parties. Recipient accepts and voluntarily incurs all risks of any such

injuries, damages, or harm which arise during or result from any activities of or

services provided by Purdue or its faculty members, students, employees, officers,

agents or representatives, regardless of whether or not caused in whole or in part by

the negligence or other fault of Purdue, the Trustees of Purdue University, and/or its

or their departments, affiliates, faculty members, students, employees, officers,

agents, representatives or insurers (“Released Parties”).

2. Recipient waives all claims against any of the Released Parties for any injuries, dam-

ages, losses or claims, whether known and unknown, which arise during or result

from any activity of or services provided by any of the Released Parties under or in

connection with the EPICS program, including but not limited to any such injury,

damage, loss, or claim arising from any engineering services or any other services

provided as part of the EPICS program, regardless of whether or not caused in

whole or part by the negligence or other fault of any of the Released Parties.

Participant releases and forever discharges the Released Parties from all such claims.

3. Recipient agrees to indemnify and hold the Released Parties harmless from all losses,

liabilities, damages, costs or expenses (including but not limited to reasonable attor-

neys’ fees and other litigation costs and expenses) incurred by any of the Released

Parties as a result of any claims or suits that (i) Recipient, (ii) anyone claiming by,

under or through Recipient, or (iii) any third party, may bring against any of the

Released Parties to recover any losses, liabilities, costs, damages, or expenses which

arise during or result from the participation by, or services supplied by, any of the

Released Parties in the EPICS program, regardless of whether or not caused in whole

or part by the negligence or other fault of any of the Released Parties.

4. Recipient acknowledges having carefully read and reviewed this Waiver, Release And

Hold Harmless Agreement, and Recipient represents that it fully understands and

voluntarily executes the same.

EXECUTED this _________________

day of __________________, 20______.

[Insert Full Name Of Recipient]

By: _________________________

Title: _________________________

From Purdue University; used with permission.

SAMPLE PHOTO RELEASE FORM

Model Release Form

I do hereby grant permission to Purdue University, its agents, and others working under its

authority, full and free use of video/photographs containing my image/likeness. I understand

these images may be used for promotional, news, research and/or educational purposes.

I hereby release, discharge, and hold harmless the University and its agents from any and all

claims, demands, or causes of action that I may hereafter have by reason of anything con-

tained in the photographs or video.

I do further certify that I am either of legal age, or possess full legal capacity to execute the

foregoing authorization and release.

Name (please print)

Guardian’s Name (please print)

Signature Date

School Address

Home Address

Parent(s) Name and Address (if different from home address; only fill out if you are under 18

years of age)

From Purdue University; used with permission.

Reporting and Evaluation Tools

STUDENT EVALUATION MATRIX

Instructors use this matrix as part of their student evaluation. The matrix takes into account

both ABET’s objectives and Bloom’s taxonomy, which emphasizes six key areas: knowledge,

comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

COMPETENCIES BEGINNING DEVELOPING ACCOMPLISHED EXEMPLARY

Technical Skills -

Ability to apply

technical skills (from

the student’s major)

to the work

Able to

recognize basic

technical needs

of the project.

Able to define

basic technical

skills and tasks

needed for the

project(s).

Able to identify

technical issues

related to one’s

field.

Able to apply

concept from

major’s core

courses to

project.

Applies basic

understanding of

technical

knowledge to

project.

Able to apply concepts

from advanced and/or

multiple courses in

one’s major to the

project.

Able to distinguish

technical issues of the

project.

Able to describe

concepts needed for

the project to

teammates.

Able to apply

knowledge from

multiple courses to

the project.

Able to organize the

project’s technical

issues into parts that

can be done by

teammates.

Able to teach

teammates from other

disciplines relevant

concepts needed for

the project.

Design Process -

Ability to describe

and apply the

engineering design

process

Able to

describe and

explain the

design process.

Able to schedule

tasks to fit within

and to complete

the design

process.

Able to use the

design process to

organize and

identify tasks to

complete the

project.

Able to appraise

progress on the

project(s) relative to

the design process.

Able to determine

when the project is off

sequence and needs

correction.

Able to take a

leadership role in

defined necessary

steps in the design

process.

Able to develop tools

for effective use of

the design process by

teammates.

Able to arrange tasks

to complete the

design process

successfully.

Able to predict results

of team progress

relative to the design

process.

Communication-

Ability to

communicate

effectively using

written and oral

presentation

methods

Able to arrange

information for

presentations

and reports.

Able to present

details of

project when

provided by

others.

Able to modify

reports or

presentations

when given

direction.

Able to present

position with

limited

supporting

details.

Able to present

position with

some supporting

details.

Presentation

exhibits some

planning but

lacks

organization.

Able to interpret

project results in

oral or written

presentations.

Able to present

position with adequate

supporting details.

Presentation uses clear

language choices.

Presentation exhibits

adequate planning.

Able to demonstrate

project results in

presentations and

reports.

Able to design a

presentation similar to

previous formats.

Able to take

leadership in the

design of reports

and/or presentations.

Clearly and concisely

presents solid

positions during team

meetings.

Able to assess

presentations and

identify areas needing

change.

Presentations are

made clearly and

effectively.

Reports are well

written, clear,

complete and concise.

Developed by Jennifer Kushner (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and William Oakes

(Purdue University).

COMPETENCIES BEGINNING DEVELOPING ACCOMPLISHED EXEMPLARY

Teamwork- Ability

to function on a

multidisciplinary

team

Has awareness

of team roles

Able to be a

responsible

team member.

Able to perform

in more than one

of the team

roles.

Able to identify

their roles and

those of their

teammates.

Able to perform in

multiple team roles.

Able to take some

leadership role.

Able to do peer and

self-assessment.

Participates in activities

that build team

cohesiveness.

Assists others in

assimilating to the

team.

Able to lead team

effectively and

creatively; delegates

tasks.

Able to develop tools

or systems that allow

the team to function

more effectively.

Initiates activities that

build team

cohesiveness.

Resourcefulness-

Ability to acquire

and apply

knowledge from

outside standard

courses

Able to use

resources that

are readily

available.

Able to master

simple new

skills to

accomplish

tasks.

Able to look

beyond available

resources for

additional ones.

Able to gather

potential resources

prior to beginning

work.

Able to discern quality

of resources.

Able to acquire basic

skills needed for the

project.

Able to identify

resources needed

prior to beginning

work.

Able to gather needed

resources.

Able to predict what

will be resource-

intensive.

Able to master new

skills needed for the

project.

Community

Awareness

Able to

describe the

project

partner’s

organization.

Able to

describe how

the project will

benefit the

community.

Able to describe

project partner’s

role in the

community.

Able to interpret

how team’s

work will impact

the community.

Able to identify

appropriate projects

that could benefit the

community.

Able to articulate their

own potential role as

an individual and as a

professional in the

community.

Able to propose new

projects for the team

that will benefit the

community.

Able to lead the team

in a new direction

based on perceived

need.

Able to evaluate

community impact of

projects.

Professional Ethics Able to discuss

ethical issues.

Demonstrates

basic ethical

behavior toward

team members

and project.

Able to distinguish

ethical issues

individually and as a

team.

Able to initiate team

activities to enhance

understanding of

ethical issues.

Able to evaluate

ethical issues related

to themselves and/or

team activities.

DESIGN NOTEBOOK EVALUATION

EPICS students are taught to keep design notebooks to document their work during projects.

The notebooks become a place to record technical information, team progress, and responses

to reflection questions. This form is used to evaluate the notebooks, which reflect both stu-

dents’ work and their ability to record it.

EPICS: Design Notebook Evaluation Form

Comments:

ONLINE WEEKLY REPORT FORM

Students in the EPICS program at Purdue University use this online form to track their

weekly accomplishments and plan ahead for the coming week. It also allows them to monitor

their design notebook entries, one element on which they are assessed. (See the Design

Notebook Evaluation Form on the previous page.)

PEER EVALUATION FORM

In the EPICS peer evaluation form, students are asked to evaluate several roles the other stu-

dents do or could play. The roles are listed on an online form (below), along with spaces for

students to score their peers on these roles. Explanations of the roles and scores, which are

provided for student evaluators on the EPICS website, follow the form.

Explanation of Roles:

TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTIONS: Te c hnical work that pertains to the project. Technical contribu-

tions may take many different forms, depending on the project and the team members' disci-

plines. Contributions to the content of the project.

TASK DEFINITION: Activity in the early phase of the design process leading to problem defini-

tion and identification of tasks that the team will work on to address the project partner’s

needs.

REPORTING/DEMOS/PRESENTATIONS: Work on team reports, demonstrations, design reviews,

talks, and/or poster presentations, either for EPICS milestones or for the project partner.

LEADERSHIP/CONTRIBUTIONS TO KEEPING THE TEAM ON TRACK: Team or project leadership;

group task roles such as Coordinating, Summarizing, Harmonizing, Gatekeeping.

TEAMWORK: Contributions to the overall smooth functioning of the project group or team.

Absence of self-oriented (selfish) behaviors.

INTERACTIONS WITH AGENCY: Interaction with the project partner.

EFFECTIVENESS IN PERSONAL TASK(S): In whatever job(s) the team member is involved, how

conscientiously and well has he or she done the job?

Scoring Guidelines:

1 Poor: Does NOT recognize his/her role on the team in this area. Functioning below

what is expected in this area. Minimal initiative shown in this area. Often misses

meetings or commitments in this area.

3Below average: Can define and/or identify his/her role in this area. Needs help iden-

tifying future tasks. Occasionally takes initiative in this area. This person is not as

effective as other team members.

5Average:Schedules tasks to meet established goals. Applies basic knowledge/experi-

ences to accomplish his/her tasks. Sometimes takes initiative in this area. Does basi-

cally what is asked to do.

8 Good: Analyzes and tests options, questions, actions when appropriate. Provides

constructive feedback to the team when appropriate. Regularly takes initiative in this

area and is very dependable. Does at least his/her share for the team in this area.

10 Outstanding: A key member of the team. Consistently shows initiative. Takes

responsibility for a significant share of the team’s work. Assesses options, advocates

for the most effective solutions.

CONFIDENCE IN YOUR SCORES: Rate how familiar you are with each team member’s activities

and contributions. You are to evaluate all team members; this column allows you to indicate

that you are not very familiar with the contributions of team members with whom you have

not worked directly.

DISTRIBUTION OF (HYPOTHETICAL) $10K BONUS: Enter amounts as integers (e.g., 2000 rather

than $2,000 or 2K). The entries must sum to $10,000.

AREA OF GREATEST CONTRIBUTION: May be in any project or a contribution to the team in

general.

STUDENT SELF-ASSESSMENT FORM

Name (please print) Team Date

Major - Year (circle one) Credits (circle one)

Please list your major accomplishments for the semester in the following areas. Note that you

do not need to have accomplishments in each category. Return this form to your advisor.

Advisors are to make comments and return completed forms with the course grades at the

end of the semester.

Category: Technical (as it applies to the project and/or your major)

Advisor ❒ I agree with the student’s assessment

Comments

Category: Communication

Advisor ❒ I agree with the student’s assessment

Comments

Category: Teamwork and leadership

Advisor ❒ I agree with the student’s assessment

Comments

Category: Any other areas of significant accomplishment

Advisor ❒ I agree with the student’s assessment

Comments:

SR JR SO FR 1 2

At Purdue University, students in Electrical and Computer Engineering may elect to take an

EPICS course as a substitute for the traditional capstone design course. Because EPICS is an

engineering-centered but multidisciplinary service-learning program, documentation proto-

cols were developed to ensure that students taking it for senior design are fulfilling their

requirements. Each student completes two forms, one project description and one outcomes

matrix. Examples of each are shown below.

SENIOR DESIGN PROJECT DESCRIPTION FORM

Advisor Approval

(initials/date):

EPICS Approval

(initials/date):

This form is to be completed for each EPICS project on which one or more students are

using senior-year EPICS registration to fulfill the BSEE or BSCmpE senior design require-

ment. Senior design students on the project should work together to complete the form.

Submit one form per project. If an EPICS team has several projects involving senior design

students, submit a separate form for each project.

Semester

Course Number & Title EE 490 Senior Participation in Engineering Projects in Community

Service (Senior Design)

EPICS Team

Name(s) of Advisor(s)

Project Title

Senior Design Students

Graduation Date Name

Project Description: Provide a brief technical description of the design project, including the

following:

a) A summary of the project, including customer, purpose, specifications, and approach;

b) A description of how the project built upon knowledge and skills acquired in earlier

ECE coursework;

Area of Expected

Name Major Expertise Graduation Date

c) A description of what new technical knowledge and skills, if any, were acquired in doing

the project;

d) A description of how the engineering design process is incorporated into the project;

e) A description of the multidisciplinary nature of the project;

f) A summary of how realistic design constraints are being incorporated into the project.

As appropriate, include economic, environmental, ethical, health & safety, social, and

political constraints, and considerations related to sustainability and manufacturability.

SENIOR DESIGN STUDENT OUTCOMES MATRIX

Student’s Name

Team

Project

Semesters Recorded

How

sem 1 sem 2 Outcomes documented Initials

Enter date(s) of

documentation of

outcome

Describe how

the student’s

realization of

the outcome is

documented.

Initials of

individual

recording the

outcome.

i. applies technical material from their

discipline to the design of engineering

products

ii. demonstrates an understanding of

design as a start-to-finish process

iii. demonstrates an ability to identify and

acquire new knowledge as a part of the

problem-solving/design process

iv.demonstrates an awareness of the cus-

tomer in engineering design

v. demonstrates an ability to function on

multidisciplinary teams and an appre-

ciation for the contributions of indi-

viduals from other disciplines

vi. demonstrates an ability to communi-

cate effectively with both technical and

non-technical audiences

vii. demonstrates an awareness of engi-

neering ethics and professional respon-

sibility

viii. demonstrates an appreciation of the

role that engineering can play in social

contexts