Academics

Enriching engineering education

Leonhard Center funds $300K for innovative projects to enhance curricula

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education recently funded seven projects, totaling nearly $300K, that aim to expand the use of educational approaches that are known to increase student motivation and learning, and to augment the engineering curricula to enhance students' skills, knowledge and abilities related to engineering ethics, global readiness, innovation and leadership.

Tom Litzinger, assistant dean for educational innovation and accreditation in the College of Engineering and director of the Leonhard Center, said, "The response from faculty and departments to the call for proposals was really great. We received 13 proposals. The total amount of funding requested was nearly $600,000."

This year, the following projects will be funded:

  • "Collaborating with the Wind Industry in the Creation of Online Project-Based Learning Experiences" by Elaine Gustus, instructional designer in aerospace engineering; Sven Schmitz, assistant professor of aerospace engineering; and Susan Stewart, research associate in aerospace engineering;
  • "Comprehensive Integration of Engineering Ethics into Biological Engineering Curriculum" by Jeffrey Catchmark, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, and Megan Marshall, instructor in agricultural and biological engineering;
  • "Enriching Engineering Education Using Peer-based Gamification of Challenging Course Concepts" by Guodong (Gordon) Pang, The Harold and Inge Marcus Career Assistant Professor in the Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, and Ling Rothrock, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering;
  • "Improving Problem-based Learning in a Large Junior-Level Mechanical Design Course" by Tim Simpson, professor of mechanical engineering, and Paris von Lockette, associate professor of mechanical engineering;
  • "Redesign of Chemical Engineering Capstone Design" by Dawn McFadden, assistant professor of chemical engineering;
  • "Scenario-Based Learning Modules for Teaching Complex Building Code Topics" by Paul Bowers, assistant professor of architectural engineering; Kevin Parfitt, professor of architectural engineering; Walter Schneider, practitioner instructor in architectural engineering; and Ryan Solnosky, research associate in architectural engineering; and
  • "Undergraduate Engineering Project Management in a Flipped Classroom" by David Nembhard, associate professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering, and Conrad Tucker, assistant professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering.

Litzinger noted, "These projects align well with the college and department strategic plans, and with the attributes of a world-class engineer. We look forward to the positive impact they will have on engineering students' academic pursuits."

The Leonhard Center was established in 1990 by an endowment from the late William Leonhard, an electrical engineering alumnus, and his wife, Wyllis. The center strives to enable the key changes that are required to maintain a world-class engineering education at Penn State.

Last Updated May 19, 2016

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