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This work in progress paper will describe a new program that was implemented in the summer of 2016 to aid students who have completed their first year of engineering and are transitioning into their introductory, discipline-specific sophomore classes. At University of Notre Dame, all students complete a common first-year engineering program before entering their choice of engineering departments in the fall semester of their sophomore year. In all engineering departments, students are expected to have common college-level proficiency, knowledge, and skills in chemistry, physics, math, and have completed the first-year engineering classes. However, many students struggle with some of these concepts, making their transition into sophomore year much more difficult. In order to help better prepare these students, faculty members at Notre Dame developed a set of videos covering topics that students may need additional guidance and practice. These videos were released to students before the start of the fall semester and were completely voluntary. This paper will review initial findings from that release and detail some future directions for expanding this project as a first-year to sophomore bridge. In starting this video site, faculty members from a number of first-semester sophomore courses. were asked to provide guidance on what pre-requisite concepts students would need to be successful in their classes. In each case, the instructors have an expectation that students have had an appropriate background for certain basic concepts and dedicate minimal, if any, classroom time to them. A sample of responses are: (1) All Disciplines: Setting up and solving systems of linear equations through various techniques, including using MATLAB shortcuts or matrix manipulations such as Gaussian elimination or use of Cramer's rule. (2) Disciplines with additional computer resource needs: Familiarization with university computer resources, specifically logging into and using Linux based machines (3) Statics/Mechanics Course: Proficiency in calculating and manipulating 3 dimensional vectors (4) Introduction to Electrical Engineering Course: Understanding of some basic physical laws such as Kirchhoff laws and application of mathematical tools (including first-order linear differential equations) to perform circuit analysis. The video site was released to students 2 weeks before classes started and material has remained available to them throughout the fall semester. In this preliminary study, we focused on whether or not students would visit the site when available. A total of 504 site users were given access to the videos as determined by student enrollment in the sophomore engineering courses. As of the end of January 2017, a total of 402 students have visited the site (79.8% of all possible student users) with a total of 1821 visits. Student usage in this first implementation encourages the expansion and continuation of the project. Future work on this project will include: (1) Expanding the video offerings to meet the needs of more students and additional courses that are not yet covered (2) Collecting data on which resources were viewed most and at what point they were used (3) Creating practice problems to enhance skill development in key areas (4) Surveying and interviewing students and faculty to better understand impacts of the video on sophomore course readiness and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the development of a dynamic ball-and-plate system successfully completed for a one-semester Senior Capstone Design project. A group of five undergraduate students developed the project concept and constructed a prototype within a semester, integrating major mechatronics engineering concepts learned in classes. The three-degree-of-freedom system consists of sensors, actuators, and controls to keep a free rolling ball in a desired position on a flat plate, accounting for any possible external disturbances. Due to its complexity, multiple steps were taken to solve the design challenges and develop the system. The major works were mathematical modeling, kinematic constraints and dimensional analysis, simulations, and construction of the system. The control system required an effective control strategy and a thorough analysis of system parameters. The system's feasibility and optimal operation were fully considered in the design phase. The design was then validated by simulations using Simulink/MATLAB™ and experimental testing. The completion of the system development provided the understanding of analyzing different control designs on various system parameters based on multidisciplinary mechatronics design principles. Lastly, the class outcomes confirmed the effectiveness of students' learning on multidisciplinary mechatronics engineering through this hands-on project as an assessment of the design project presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For large enrollment courses, such as Statics, Dynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Solid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, the use of computers (laptops and tablets) in the classroom can save instructor time. However, there are numerous problems with computer-based exams, especially when the students are allowed to access online course materials (eBook, homework, etc). Previously, the author used student-supplied laptops for web-based exams in the classroom, but this has become problematic over the years due to the increased sophistication of communication software (Twitter, Facebook, Skype, SnapChat, etc.). It is no longer reasonable to expect the instructor and TAs to be able to monitor student laptops during exams. To solve this issue, android-based tablets with special apps have been developed and implemented into two fundamental engineering courses, Fluid Mechanics and Solid Mechanics (Mechanics of Materials). The paper first examines both the selection process for the Android-based tablets and the development process for applications (apps) required for testing. Both Android and iOS tablets were considered. Based on cost and ease of system customization, Android-based tablets were selected. Two different apps were developed for use for tests. The first app, "examApp" permits the student to access the online text and it records the student's choices. It has numerous security features that limit access to the exam only on the tablets provided and only during the test time. All graphics are vector-based so they are crisp on high resolution screens. Included in the examApp was an admin (or instructor) page that provides the instructor and TAs real-time information about the exam while in progress. This includes scores, percent correct for a given problem, students activity, graphs, and direct communications to all students. The second app, "eBookApp", allows the student access to the online eBook used for the class. However, it blocks the student from other online web site or material. The Android operating system itself was modified to limit access to standard apps like email, app stores, social networks, and even browsers. The apps were developed using Abobe AIR development framework due to its relatively easy development of web and mobile apps when compared to native programming or HTML5 with JavaScript. AIR also avoids programming the same app three times (web browsers, Android and iOS). The successful results (and lessons learned) using tablets for in-class testing for multiple engineering courses are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teamwork is a fundamental part of the engineering profession; therefore, students majoring in engineering often work in teams. However, many dread the prospect of working on a team because they fear that their course grade will be adversely affected by the actions of other team members who cannot be trusted to support their own expectations of work product quality. This belief might have been formed through a prior experience, or may arise from suspicion about the unknown motives and actions of the other team members. While effective and appropriate team leadership is often identified by students as a major factor in team success, a more fundamental attribute of a successful team is trust among its members. This research study will identify and explore the role of trust in the dynamics of successful first year engineering design teams at our multidisciplinary university in the eastern United States. We are using a conceptual framework for the formation of trust in a team-based environment, which has been formed by studies of successful business, technical and sports teams. Despite differences in maturity and experience, engineering students have a lot in common with these older team members, because both groups are people with common traits of human nature. Our research questions are as follows: • How do team members describe manifestations of trust as a key factor in team success? • How can faculty remove barriers to the development of trust among members of student teams? End-of-semester surveys revealed that teams that exhibited a high level of trust often stated that the choice of design project did not affect the ability of the team to be successful, while teams with a low level of trust often blamed the choice of project for their difficulties factors. Successful teams also seem to exhibit a type of "team chemistry" whereby they enjoyed socializing as well as working together. The trust reinforces this type of compatibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]