Session M1F
Work in Progress - Utilizing Projects and Innovative Demonstrations in Student Recruitment Chad Davis, Mark Yeary, Patrick McCann, and James Sluss Jr. University of Oklahoma,
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[email protected] Abstract - The School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Oklahoma (OU) is currently experiencing a decline in new enrollments that is similar to the national trends for engineering disciplines. In an effort to increase the interest in ECE and engineering in general, outreach activities focused on advanced technologies and innovative demonstrations are being deployed. These recruiting techniques are modeled from successful programs such as Botball and FIRST Robotics that have approximately 200,000 combined student participants. Demonstrations that showcase advanced technologies have been performed at over twenty k-12 outreach events over the last year. This paper discusses this recruiting technique and the expected impact on future engineering enrollment. Index Terms –Autonomous robots, magnetic levitation, recruitment. FIRST, Botball. INTRODUCTION
In the U.S., the number of students choosing to study engineering is declining, while the number of college graduates is continually rising. According to the latest Digest of Education Statistics, the number of Computer Science and Engineering Bachelor’s degrees granted reached its peak value of 137,715 in academic year 2003-04. This number dropped by 9.8% to 124,242 in 2006-07. During this four year period the total number of bachelors’ degrees has increased by 8.9% from 1,399,542 to 1,524,092 [1]. The University of Oklahoma - School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (OU-ECE) is also experiencing declines in the number of bachelor’s degree seeking students. To address this problem, OU-ECE is placing a special emphasis on recruiting and searching for innovative techniques to increase new enrollments. The reason for focusing on innovative projects and demonstrations was driven by observing the success of existing programs such as Botball and FIRST. The common theme of both of these programs is that they are focused on the creation of a technologically advanced robot. The merit of this recruiting methodology was reinforced during Dr. Davis’s time as a mentor in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). The level of student enthusiasm at the FRC regional at Oklahoma City was unbelievable and worthy of replicating by other organizations seeking to promote engineering. The FIRST 2008 Annual Report cites that close to 160,000 students are currently involved in the program and “FIRST
participants are 50% more likely to attend college, twice as likely to go on to major in science or engineering, and three times as likely to major specifically in engineering.”[2] Botball is another program that is making a significant impact in the promotion of the field of engineering. Over 40,000 students have been impacted by Botball and “93% of students surveyed stated that Botball was one of the best or better things they’ve ever participated in at school” [3]. The success of both of these programs is strong evidence that today’s students are interested in hands-on learning opportunities focused on innovative projects. K-12 DEMONSTRATIONS
ECE faculty and student organizations are focused on an ongoing effort to recruit students into engineering by showcasing projects and advanced technologies. Demonstrations have been performed at over twenty k-12 outreach events over the last year. Examples of these demonstrations are provided in hopes that it will inspire other institutions to replicate them in their surrounding areas and have an active role in reversing the recent decline of engineering students. I. Autonomous Robots As shown by botball and FIRST, robotics is a popular topic with k-12 students. An example of how autonomous robots appeal to freshman level college students can be found at Indiana University—Purdue University Fort Wayne. They experienced an 18% increase in retention when students took an introduction to engineering course that included an autonomous robot project [4]. OU-ECE student projects are an ideal source for effective demonstrations. Several final projects from a junior level electronics lab course at OU have been converted to powerful recruiting tools. One commonly asked question during demonstrations at k-12 outreach events is “Who built it?” They are amazed when they are told that OU-ECE juniors built it for a class project. It leads to a discussion about how they can design and build similarly complicated devices after just a few years of education in ECE. In the model of Botball and FRC, autonomous robot projects are always structured as a competition in the before mentioned electronics lab course. Some of the past electronics lab autonomous robot competitions include: Line-Following Robot Race, MineSweeping robot contest, and a Sumo-bot battle. These robots and the video footage of the competitions make excellent recruiting tools.
978-1-4244-4714-5/09/$25.00 ©2009 IEEE October 18 - 21, 2009, San Antonio, TX 39th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference M1F-1
Session M1F The following figure shows a mine-sweeping robot demonstration that was presented to a group of middle school students. This robot uses sensors to locate magnets (or “mines”) that are under the board and actuate a marker at the detected location. The outside edge of the board is taped to allow the robot to detect the boundary. The goal of the competition is to successfully mark the most mines in a specified time limit.
curiosity to understanding the societal benefits of the technology and how they can get involved in furthering the research.
FIGURE 2 ADVANCED LED TECHNOLGY DEMONSTRATION
CONCLUSION FIGURE 1 MINE-SWEEPING ROBOT DEMONSTRATION
II. Magnetic Levitation Areas of ECE other than robotics are also demonstrated. One of these came from an OU-ECE magnetic levitator student project competition. The winner was the team that could levitate the magnet the longest distance from the coil. Levitation is a fascinating topic for students of all ages. As they see the magnet suspended in mid-air they are always enthusiastic, but are usually unaware of how it could benefit society. In addition to showing the project, a connection to a societal benefit is also provided to the students. The Maglev monorail is used as an example of how this energy efficient technology can result in affordable and time-saving transportation, a reduction in oil consumption, and numerous environmental benefits. III. Advanced LED Technology Some demonstrations are taken from examples of new technologies that can be effectively demonstrated and their societal benefits easily explained. One such demonstration that has been successfully deployed deals with advanced LED technology. Ultra bright LEDs are shown to students along with an information sheet that highlights the differences between incandescent light bulbs and LEDs. The intensity of the LEDs allows them to be seen from far away and the student’s curiosity leads them to the display eager to learn. The technology is then explained and connected to immense energy reduction and environmental benefits. The OU-ECE solid state devices research group (www.coe.ou.edu/sserg) that works on new materials for solid state lighting is also discussed. The goal of this demonstration is to lead students from the initial stage of
Since the recruiting techniques discussed in this paper are in their initial stages, the results cannot be quantitatively assessed at this time. The expectations are high due to the level of interest in the demonstrations and the preliminary number of students who have tentatively declared ECE as a major for the upcoming enrollment period. These techniques are also receiving recognition from outside observers. OU-ECE was the only engineering school at OU to receive an award for the OU COE’s 2008 Fall Festival table display. Once the students recruited with these techniques matriculate into college the impact on ECE enrollments will be assessed. Methods to assess the effectiveness of this program will be statistical analysis of enrollment numbers and student surveys. Since most other aspects of OU-ECE have been static, any future enrollment changes can be attributed largely to this work. The first opportunity to effectively survey OU-ECE students is in their first required ECE course in the sophomore year. At that point all OU-ECE students will be given the opportunity to provide the data required to adequately assess whether these recruiting techniques are effective. REFERENCES [1] “Digest of Education Statistics, 2008.” March 2009. Nced.ed.gov. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009020.pdf. pg 401 Accessed: 25 May 2009. [2] “2008 Annual Report”. usfirst.org. http://usfirst.org/uploadedFiles/Who/Annual_ReportFinancials/2008_AR_FINAL.pdf. Accessed: 25 May 2009. [3] “Botball Educational Robotics Program Statistical Impact”. botball.org. http://www.botball.org/_files/2008/Press_Media/08_impact_stats.pdf. Accessed: May 2009. [4] Pomalaza-Ráez, C.A., and Brenda Groff, “Retention 101: Where Robots. Go…Students Follow,” Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 92, No. 1, 2003, pp. 85–90.
978-1-4244-4714-5/09/$25.00 ©2009 IEEE October 18 - 21, 2009, San Antonio, TX 39th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference M1F-2
