This paper describes the first phase of infusing undergraduate courses in science and engineering with problem-based learning about transportation disruptive technologies. The project represents a collaboration between Benedict College and the University of South Carolina on an NSF Targeted Infusion Project (TIP) funded through the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP). The main project goal is to transform the approach for educating students pursuing STEM majors at a local HBCU. It is structured around an implementable set of pedagogical strategies in active learning with an emphasis on problem-based learning for in-the-classroom and outside-the-classroom (i.e. undergraduate research) environments.
This paper focuses on the development and implementation of three problem-based modules in three different courses ranging from first-year introduction to engineering to senior-level software engineering. Modules are created using the Environments for Fostering Effective Critical Thinking (EFFECTs) instructional framework. The paper reveals the benefits and challenges of a new approach to teaching and learning based on instructor and student interviews.
Dr. Pierce is the Director for Diversity and Inclusion and Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of South Carolina. He is a USC Connect Faculty Fellow for Integrative Learning and former Bell South Teaching Fellow in the College of Engineering and Computing. He is the ASEE Campus Representative and a Director for the Graduate Studies Division. Dr. Pierce has experience and interest in the evaluation of critical thinking and deep learning of students when immersed in various active learning environments.
Associate Professor of Engineering at Benedict College, has expertise in risk analyses and intelligent transportation systems via the development of applications of statistical models on different systems such as traffic signals and freeway monitoring. He is also engaged in the modeling and quantifying of cyberattacks at transportation networks under the framework of connected and autonomous vehicles. He is currently serving as associate director at the Tier 1 University Transportation Center for Connected Multimodal Mobility. Part of different NSF and DOT funded projects, he has worked with more than 25 undergraduate students at the College summer undergraduate research institute between 2011-2019.
I teach computer science courses.
Dr. Petrulis is an independent consultant specializing in education-related project evaluation and research. He is based in Columbia, South Carolina.
Dr. Nathan Huynh’s current research interests include (1) supply chain and logistics, (2) intermodal network design, (3) freight transportation systems, (4) civil infrastructure systems, and (5) health care systems. He is particularly interested in using technologies to capture data to enable more sophisticated modeling of infrastructure and health care systems. He is also interested in improving students' critical thinking skills through innovative pedagogical practices.
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