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Published byLynn Lucy Stevenson Modified over 9 years ago
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Changing the Paradigm of Instruction and Outreach Jim Clarke Engineering Librarian Miami University Oxford, Ohio
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Agenda Undergraduate Engineering Education Academic Engineering Librarianship Literature Research Guidance Process (LRGP) Review Process Examples Future Deployment & Research Plans
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The state of U.S. engineering education is weak. – U.S. universities cannot recruit enough students. – Only 60% of the recruited students become engineers. – Approximately 110,000 U.S. engineering graduates per year. – About 400,000 domestic engineering jobs are available. – Strong growth in engineering jobs until at least 2018. – Concerns exist regarding U.S engineer quality. Undergraduate Engineering Education
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Government & Private Sector investing in STEM. – According to a report by the National Science and Technology Council, the feds spent 3.4 billion just in 2011 through 252 distinct investments. – States including Washington, Oregon, Texas, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio, Tennessee, Arizona, California, and Idaho have developed STEM alliances that rely on both public and private funding. – The Business and Industry Stem Education Coalition (BISEC) & TechNet are examples of corporate partners supporting STEM. Undergraduate Engineering Education
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Lack of emphasis on literature research – Pressure to teach hard skills – Slow-paced Incremental learning – Credit-rich curricula – Limited research paper assignments Undergraduate Engineering Education
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Engineering Librarians/Jedi Knights
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Potential to increase student retention & quality of young American engineers. – Committed to STEM education. – Train students to access & analyze technical literature. – Foster critical thinking & informed decisions for design projects. – Support the development of high caliber engineers. Value of Engineering Librarians
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The few serve the many – 500-600 in North America – 1 librarian/1700 students* Declining desk demand External role – Semi-Faculty/Outside Curriculum Limited instruction time – 200 minutes/128 weeks Outreach = New frontier Obsolete Engagement Model
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Literature Research Guidance Process (LRGP) 1.Research kickoff meetings (capstone case study) 2.Team reference meetings & instruction 3.Initial literature searches 4.Follow up weekly meetings
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LRGP Weekly Team Meetings 5.Meet teams with or without faculty advisors. 6.Require agendas, Gantt charts, minutes, wikis. 7.Facilitate literature analysis discussions: – What did you read? – Why is it valuable for the project? – How can you use the information in the design process? – Should your fellow team members read it? – Does it raise important questions to ask your advisor? – Does it identify a need for more reading materials?
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As the semester progresses 8.Meet with teams weekly until the midterm 9.Co-advise for presentations, posters, papers. 10. Attend student events to provide support – Develops strong professor & student relationships
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Initial Observarions LRGP is not threatening to professors. - Supports accreditation (ABET) learning outcomes. LRGP is practical for engineering students. LRGP is practical for many engineering disciplines. LRGP is not scalable for a small staff. – Small scale LRGP projects should attempted. – Added value needs to be proven. – STEM investments need to be harnessed. – 21 st Century engagement model needs to end.
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Outreach-focused librarians – Incremental growth First-Year Research Programs Independent Research Student Chapter Projects Senior Design Projects Design Project Librarians
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Next Steps Prove LRGP increases learning outcomes. Pilot project for the 2012 fall semester Pursue an NSF TUES grant in 2013: – Hire temporary design project librarians to maximize LRGP deployment. – Facilitate LRGP deployment at other universities. Consider support from other STEM organizations.
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