engineering education roxie r eal o utreach e x periences i n e ngineering a case study in providing...

ENGINEERING EDUCATION

ROXIEReal Outreach eXperiences In Engineering

A Case Study in Providing Service Learning Opportunities for Students on a Large Scale


The Instructional Team

Richard Goff Jenny Lo Christopher Williams

Tamara Knott Janis Terpenny

ENGE 1114: Exploration of Engineering Design

Department of Engineering Education Second course in first-year

engineering curriculum Contains 3 learning modules:

Graphics Communication Engineering Design Computer Programming

~ 900 1st-year engineering students

Pic of Torg classroom

mailto:[email protected]









The Service Learning Team

Karen Gilbert

Andy Morikawa Michele James Deramo


ENGE 1114 Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Understand the engineering design process

Demonstrate basic project management

Communicate engineering information

Participate in a major team design project

Improve ability to work in a team

Improve negotiating skills

Improve interpersonal communication skills

Have fun with engineering design

Improve relationship between VT campus and the community

Participate in VT Engage and Service-Learning

Service Learning

Design Project

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“Standard” Design Project

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What is ROXIE?

Service Learning Design Project

Students serve as “Design Consultants” for community partner

Work with community partner to identify need

Work towards solution using design methods taught in class


What is ROXIE?5 Steps:1. Partner with community

service group2. Perform volunteer

service activity with group

3. Reflect on experience and identify opportunity for improvement

4. Propose design problem (and get it

approved)5. Follow design method to

propose solution to problem


Implementation: Project Unveiling (aka Sales Pitch)

This semester you will:

LEAVE A LEGACY

Improve the

community

Actively apply principles of

design

Get out of the

classroom

Apply your knowledge to open-ended

problem

Be given the freedom to define your own project

Learn through doing

Get hands-on experience off-

campus

Connect with the

community


Implementation: Project Unveiling (aka Sales Pitch)

Your help is needed!The skills of an engineer are highly

valued and needed by the community service groups in our region.

You will be sharing your skills and knowledge while benefiting from learning how community service groups function and you will gain invaluable experience working as a team on a real-world problem. Great for the resume!

You will begin or continue a lifelong commitment of service to your community.


Implementation:Project Selection Advice

The design problem you identify should not only assist with the specific needs of the community service organization, but should also assist you with your internalization of the design process.

Answer in the affirmative for the following questions: Is there an opportunity for improvement?Are there multiple requirements and/or

constraints that must be met for a satisfactory solution to the problem?

Are there multiple alternatives for a successful solution to the problem?


Implementation: VT ENGAGE

Linking students withcommunity partnersFinding community partnersOn-line partner selectionLevel of student interestMaking the initial connection


Outcome: Project Partners

Boy Scouts of VirginiaAARP of Blacksburg

Blacksburg Baptist Church

Girl Scouts of Virginia

Angels of Assisi

Dayspring Christian Academy

Humane Society of Montgomery County

Blacksburg Mayor’s Office

Vote About America

Blue Ridge Scout Reservation

Lynchburg Girl Scouts

Luther Memorial Church

Beans and Rice, Inc.

Camp Alta Mons

Roanoke YMCA

Student Food Pantry

Floyd County Humane Society

Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue SquadHuckleberry Trail

Camp Ottari


Outcome: Example Projects

VT Rescue Workbench design “Movable Walls project for the Habitat for

Humanity Restore”Design of March of Dimes Educational

CurriculumBlacksburg Baptist Church Parking Lot Runoff

ControlPowhatan Welcome Center RenovationDesign of Indoor Bouldering Facility “Designing a Doggy Domicile”Bridge Handrail Design


Outcome: By The Numbers

~ 900 students185 teams (~175 projects)

~ 90 Community OrganizationsEstimated 15,000+ hours

contributed towards completion of project

90% of ROXIE community partners surveyed want to participate again in the futureIncreased interest in community

partners working with engineering students


“Just a quick note to say Thank You for developing the ROXIE project. We always enjoy exposing students, particularly Freshmen, to community service and helping them understand how their expertise and time can make a difference in the community. It was enjoyable, and impressive, listening to their presentations.” E. Gail BillingsleyExecutive Director, YMCA at Virginia Tech

Outcome: Community Response


“I just wanted to express my thanks for the opportunity to work with your Engineering students. It was a pleasure to work with this group as they handled themselves in a very professional manner.

The plans that were submitted as part of their final report will most likely be implemented as soon as we are able to work out the logistics of the move. We had hoped to find a "better" use of our space but with limited time and staff had not been able to look at what our options might be. What a great benefit to the museum this assignment was!

It is so good to see the University helping the community in these ways. Rest assured that as you send your students out, they are representing you well!”

Rhonda HaleExecutive Director, Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center



“Thanks to the hard work of our ROXIE team, 28 young people working on their GED’s already have a computer to help them with their studies, which will help ensure their success with passing this test.”

Nelda Pearson, Executive Director

Beans and Rice



“We plan to implement as many projects as possible developed by our ROXIE teams. We are looking forward to a continued relationship with engineering students at Virginia Tech—possibly even working on more advanced projects as seniors.”

Jean Ann Hughes, DirectorGirl Scouts of Virginia, Skyline

Council



Working in the community was rewarding

“It is easy for students to struggle in finding a purpose for studying engineering during their freshmen year. ROXIE was an experience that allowed students to make their studies worthwhile, share their hard work with the community, and develop their engineering design skills and communication skills.”

“Being outdoors and doing a good deed for several young kids made this project an excitement from the start.”“I am glad that I have knowledge about how hard and time consuming it can be to keep a community service running.”

“Working with the community was very gratifying experience and helped me to realize how much people appreciate volunteering work.”

Outcome: Student Response


Working in the community was rewarding

“The project has allowed us to be exposed to other peoples’ lives while helping the community.”

“Working with the community was a great experience”

“I found it rather fulfilling. I have learned that doing what we did for the ROXIE project is something that I think I would enjoy doing for a living. … It really allows us to see what it is actually like to work as an engineer in the real world, and that experience is priceless.”

I really enjoyed being able to work with a community partner…I believe that the overall process was a positive experience.



Learned How to Do Engineering Design

“(at) the beginning of the project I felt overwhelmed and flustered … I felt unprepared to do any good … However, by the middle of the project I was more comfortable with the idea of working with a real community partner and not a theoretical person.”

“The ROXIE project … has greatly helped instill the principles of the design process in my mind. I have learned that there is a lot more to it than just writing down the problem, brainstorming, and experimenting.”

“I thought I was going to design an object within a group and have competition with other groups. However (through ROXIE) I recognized design is more than that and it is a process of finding and solving these problems.”



Learned How to Do Engineering Design

“I think that the design methods we learned in class will be useful for other engineering projects in the future”

“Before entering the ENG program at VT I was a submarine mechanic for the US Navy … Looking back at this period in my life I wish that I had some of the problem definition skills that I was taught during these beginning engineering courses.”

“The ROXIE project was a unique experience that helped me to improve on my design abilities and also showed me what the future as an engineer would be like.”



“The only thing that I think is wrong with this project is the fact that we are not able to deliver our design to our community partners. It feels like we are taunting them with a solution to a major problem of theirs without delivering the solution to them.”

“Engineers working on a House of Quality is definitely not serving the community or helping them in any way.”

“Since we will not actually implement our project, all the design processes and work we went through are basically useless.”


Questioning ROXIE’s benefit to the community



How your Efforts Made a DifferenceBy developing alternative solutions to a

problem, organizations are now able to focus in on the one idea that works best—in some cases leading to dramatic savings in consultant and professional fees

With complete, detailed reports in hand, organizations are now able to discuss these projects with their executive boards and apply for grant funding to implement YOUR solution

Many clients of the participating organizations are already enjoying the benefits of the ROXIE project


“Now that we have our report from our ROXIE team, we will begin immediately to apply for grants to fund our outdoor classrooms. It is very helpful and time-saving to have the detailed design and expenses in hand.”

Tamra Oliver, Assistant Principal

Falling Branch Elementary



Outcome: Lessons Learned

Community Partners Include community partners in kickoff

meetingReduce the overall number of community

partners involvedKeep partners involved through design

reviews

Students and Service Learning Design Projects

Increase number of teams working on a single project

Emphasize importance of intellectual service

Emphasize importance of design solution and not design product


ROXIEReal Outreach eXperiences In Engineering

Thank you.

engineering education roxie r eal o utreach e x periences i n e ngineering a case study in providing...

Documents

design problem

community slide

problem slide

engineering education

community service organization

design process

design consultants

design methods