Three years ago, the Leonard C. Nelson College of Engineering replaced a traditional programming course for engineers with an applied software tools course. This course was expected to better prepare the students for later courses as well as develop skills that would be useful in their professional careers. Students learn the basics of Excel ® , Mathcad ® , and Visual Basic for Applications ® programming while using them for engineering applications. While the content of the course has not changed significantly since its inception, the delivery has. Much of this change in delivery was driven by student retention. Almost half of the students either dropped the course or earned less than satisfactory grades when the course was first offered. Subsequent modifications have greatly improved retention and student performance without compromising the quality of the course.The paper will focus on the initial design of the course, the retention issues that developed, and the modifications to course delivery that were made to address these issues. Grading policy, structure of the course content, and active learning exercises were keys to improvement. We will show how changes in these facets of course management led to better course outcomes. The paper also discusses the effects of prior computer experience and mathematics preparation on the retention problem. Purpose of the courseThe software tools course was designed as a replacement for a traditional computerprogramming course. Like many other engineering programs, instruction in a programming language had been required for all engineering majors at the West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech), and was offered during the freshman year. This course was taught by the Computer Science faculty, and used C++ as the programming language. Principle topics of this course were language syntax, logic structures, and program development. At the end of the course, students were to have a rudimentary knowledge of programming concepts and the ability to write programs that may be needed in later classes. There was also a general belief among the faculty that the process of learning a programming language would develop logical thinking skills.
There is no aspect of modern engineering practice that does not make use of computer-based tools. This has created an expectation that graduates from engineering programs will have strong computing skills. Graduates can be provided with these skills by integrating the application of software tools throughout the engineering curriculum. This paper describes how the application of software tools has been integrated into a typical chemical engineering curriculum. Where, how, and why each software tool is used are discussed, as well as the extent of formal instruction provided for each tool. The approach described in this paper requires software tools to be introduced early into the curriculum, used in all of the courses, and used together wherever appropriate. Software is employed that covers a range of applications: mathematical analysis, statistical analysis, process simulation, data acquisition, process control, graphical communication, and document preparation. The applications increase in level of difficulty as the students progress through the curriculum. This approach requires faculty members that are familiar with the software and can develop course work that effectively employs it. Course assessment and survey instruments indicate that the students have developed strong computer application skills, and that one of the primary learning outcomes of the program has been achieved. The best students become very proficient in the use of software tools, while the average student is able to use them effectively. Motivation There are two primary motivators for making significant use of software throughout the curriculum. The first is the value to the students in terms of enhancing their professional skills. Engineering graduates are expected to be able to effectively use computers and software in professional practice. A recent report by the CACHE Corporation (1) details the required skills: "1. know how to use a modern technical library to search for information located in electronic databases, and how to access electronic information services through the World Wide Web.
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