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Engineering, like architecture and art & design, is well served by creativity. Architecture programs, both building and landscape, emphasize creativity and encourage exploration of the student's capacities for creative design through intensive immersion in "studio culture." Although art & design programs do not typically tout the benefits of studio culture to the degree that architecture programs do (e.g. [1]), studio classes also play an important role in most art & design programs. Studio inculcates an atmosphere of intellectual curiosity, cooperative learning, collaboration, and respectful consideration of new ideas and multiple points of view. Such attributes would contribute to the quality of teamwork encountered in the multidisciplinary design-team environment in which engineers typically function today. The author teaches courses that primarily support a Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB)-accredited [2] Landscape Architecture undergraduate program housed in the University of Delaware's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. His courses, all cross-listed in landscape architecture and civil engineering, often have a mix of landscape architecture and engineering students simultaneously enrolled. Engineering students in civil, environmental, and construction engineering are represented. Data are examined that indicate the studio format promotes enhanced student learning in at least one important common element of the courses: mastery-based problem sets designed to improve student analytical abilities and technical skills. The data, gathered for two courses over 8 semesters and for 257 students clearly show that students master more of the problem set material under the studio/flipped classroom format. This paper examines the typical structure of studios in architecture and landscape architecture programs and discusses some observations the author has had with use of the studio format in his courses. The complementary nature of studio and the flipped classroom are examined. The positive influence of studio culture on creativity, collaboration, cooperative learning, and the engineering design process are considered. Recommendations are proposed for incorporation of studio format courses in engineering programs beyond the obvious application in senior design courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An asynchronous learning system tool allows the learner to work independently without synchronizing his/her schedule with those of other people or events. This paper discusses the experience of using the LON-CAPA learning system for asynchronous problem set delivery in six engineering, engineering technology, and landscape design courses offered through the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Delaware over a period of 12 years. LON-CAPA (web site at < http://www.lon-capa.org/>) is free, open-source, coursemanagement software developed and supported by Michigan State University. It includes a testing and assessment component that allows for coding a variety of homework (HW) and test problems that are computer-graded and submitted by students on-line. Advantages of using LON-CAPA include: • Students have unique numbers for their problems. Cheating is difficult. Collaborative learning is encouraged. • The system provides immediate feedback by indicating whether submitted answers are correct or incorrect. • Multiple attempts encourage perseverance so that students will work on the problems and remain engaged in active learning until correct solutions are obtained. • Increased student/instructor interaction allows the instructor to "coach" students with appropriate assistance. • All resources on the LON-CAPA system network are available for sharing with all other system users. Courses included surveying, soil mechanics, stormwater management, and site engineering. Over 500 student-semesters of data that compared LON-CAPA problem-set performance to exam scores were scrutinized. For two courses, it was also possible to examine the relationship between exam scores and performance on conventional hand-graded problem sets. Significant positive relationships between successful completion of both types of HW problem sets and exam scores were found as were differences in results between conventional hand-graded HW and online LON-CAPA HW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Department of Bioresources Engineering at the University of Delaware has used a competency-based assessment approach as one means of demonstrating program outcomes for Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission (ETAC) of ABET accreditation of its -yr Engineering Technology (ET) program. Fourteen ET workplace competencies1 were derived from Iowa State University (ISU) workplace competencies used for EAC of ABET accreditation of ISU engineering programs. To avoid the complexity and interdependence of ETAC of ABET α-k program outcomes, each workplace competency was designed to be "clear, concise and independent of all others." Mastery of each competency is demonstrated by performance of a "set of observable and measurable key actions." The ET workplace competencies were validated by mapping them to the ETAC of ABET a-k program outcomes and showing that mastery of the workplace competencies was necessary and sufficient to address achievement of the program outcomes. Undoubtedly, the best venue for demonstrating mastery of workplace competencies is in the workplace. The University of Delaware (UD) has a general education requirement for all students to engage in a 3-credit "Discovery Learning Experience" that involves substantial outside of the traditional classroom learning. Such experiences typically include internships, service-learning, independent study, undergraduate research, and study abroad. ET students at are encouraged to satisfy the requirement with a "Technical Practicum in Industry" -- an internship. Students are required to keep a reflective journal documenting their work activities and time on the job, which must reach 120 hours for a 3-credit course. The students also submit a final report summarizing their experience. The ET workplace competencies provide an excellent framework around which the students can organize their journals and final reports. Artifacts consisting of work products generated by the students can be provided and discussed in the narrative to demonstrate mastery of specific workplace competencies. Students are encouraged to document significant workplace experiences using the behavioral interviewing response technique known as "STAR" -- Situation/Task, Action, Result. At the conclusion of the internship, the students' supervisors are requested to complete a brief evaluation of their advisees that is based on achievement of the workplace competencies. This process yields excellent direct assessment data that can be used for ETAC of ABET accreditation purposes and a solid basis for assigning a grade to a student's internship efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]