Robotics is Over, But the Fun has Just Begun!

Today was the first day of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Conference in Vancouver. The Robotics Competition was concluded today with Itasca Community College placing 8th out of 16 teams. Congratulations to Brian, Matt, Ashley, Ryan, and Steve. The sessions that I attended today were Project Based Learning, the Main Plenary, ABET Assessment Outcome J, and Engineering Economics. It felt like IRE was being praised in my first session, because all the things the speakers wish they could do with their programs we already do! The Main Plenary session was almost the exact same thing, but instead of 40 people in the room, there were thousands! After the project based learning sessions, I then moved onto ABET Outcome J. The first 2 speakers had nothing to do with ABET Outcome J, but before I got too worried, the 3rd speaker said just what I wanted to hear. She talked about 3 different types of activities students can do to prove competence in ABET Outcome J, which all seem to be good ideas. Though she was the only speaker of 5 to actually speak on ABET Outcome J, I feel got enough information from her session. I then relocated myself across the street and up 2 flights of stairs for an Engineering Economics session. The first speaker mentioned how helpful "clickers" are in a lecture because it keeps the class engaged. However, the con to the clicker is that every student must buy their own. The instructors believe students do not use it enough to justify the cost of one. However, Ron figured out how to incorporate the clicker into his class without that con by simply purchasing them all himself. This way the clickers remain in the classroom for all classes to use, and everyone can stay engaged during a lecture. When I said this during the comments part of the session, many people looked surprised as if they hadn't thought of this option, or maybe surprised that an instructor would actually perform such a favor for their students. One man asked, "What school is this?" To which I answered, "Itasca Community College, located in Northern Minnesota." I should've added "The Best Place to Start" with a wink. I finished up the day by attending Becky Bates session where she was competing for national best paper. She is competing against 3 others, each from different regions of North America. She presented her paper on testing in groups very well. I hope she wins! Stay tuned for day 2 in Vancouver.