EXTROVERT: Learning To Innovate Across Disciplines EXTROVERT: Experience with Cross- Disciplinary Learning Narayanan Komerath, Marilyn Smith, Brian German

EXTROVERT: Learning To Innovate Across DisciplinesEXTROVERT: Experience with Cross-Disciplinary Learning

Narayanan Komerath, Marilyn Smith, Brian GermanGeorgia Institute of Technology

Erian Armanios, U. Texas, Arlington

Dolores Krausche, Florida Center for Engineering Education

EXTROVERT: Learning To Innovate Across Disciplines

Project Objectives:• Build resources for problem-solving across disciplines to develop new concepts.• Acquire experience on how engineers perform in such learning.

Approach: Enable learners to gain confidence with the process of solving problems, -starting with their own preferred learning styles.

Ideas being implemented include: •Design-centered portal to aerospace engineering •Vertical streams of technical content •Case Studies •Library of solved problems•Integrative concept modules • Module-based assessment to measure learning in time to improve it.

X: for cross-discipline / horizontal integrationTr: TransferVert: Vertical integration


• EXTROVERT builds on 12 year experience of the Aerospace Digital Library collection of resources, expanding and refining the resources.

• Intuitive gateway to AE based on conceptual design of flight vehicle systems, suited to learners at all levels.

• Allow any user to go up to the perspective of the general public, and down to level of detail needed for R&D.

• Detailed sequential course notes, linked across disciplines.

• Worked Examples, Concept Development examples, Case Studies

• Continuous, modular learning assessment, focused on learning.

How



•EXTROVERT is a cross-disciplinary problem solving resource. •Built on an aerospace engineering core, the resource aims to facilitate innovation •Emphasis is on providing a sound footing in the learners’ core discipline •Uses examples and links from advanced concepts and case studies to venture into other disciplines.

Specific conclusions: 1.A portal to the major discipline set in conceptual design enables learners starting at a high school level to obtain a quick and useful perspective, as well as entry to in-depth resources. 2.Concept essays and concept modules provide succinct introductions to vertical knowledge streams. 3.A library of worked examples enables practice and developing depth.4.Case studies and “real world” applications provide perspective and in-depth engineering analysis experience to motivate learners and .stimulate depth in thinking processes.5.Advanced concept explorations help learners build “common sense” estimation skills based on laws of science. Experience with systematically reducing uncertainty and identifying areas requiring more knowledge, while refining concepts. 6. Current preferences of undergraduate student learning practices, placing the course notes and textbooks at the top of their preferences, followed by old tests and worked examples.


Evolution Of The EXTROVERT Idea

•Iterative learning experiments 1994•Design-centered introduction to aerospace engineering, 1997•“Aerospace Digital Library” website in sustained operation since 1998•Catering to multiple learning styles, 2002•Concept development exercises, 2002• Course experiments with breadth and depth using the Aerospace Digital Library• Student team experience with cross-disciplinary projects• Boeing Welliver experience, 2004: reinforced need for depth•Case studies, 2009

NASA Innovation RFP: reviewers saw the merit in the argument that real depth AND breadth are needed to do engineering innovation


Design Centered Introduction To Aerospace Engineering(Taught to freshmen since 1998)

• Designing a Flight Vehicle: Road Map• Force Balance During Flight• Earth's Atmosphere• Aerodynamics• Propulsion• Performance• Stability and control• Structures and Materials• High Speed Flight• Space Flight

Design-Centered Portal to the Home Discipline

First airplane design and overview of disciplines in first 10 weeks in college. Next 5 weeks to refine design, learn about space missions.


Vertical streams of content integrated from notes used in courses across all levels of specific disciplines, available on the Internet. Example: Fluid dynamics/Aerodynamics

Level Title

Freshman Introduction to Aerospace Engineering

Sophomore/Junior Low Speed Aerodynamics

Junior Thermodynamics

Junior Gas Dynamics

Junior/Senior High Speed Aerodynamics

Graduate 1 Transonic and Hypersonic Aerodynamics

Graduate 2 High Temperature and Non-equilibrium Gas dynamics


Concept essays and concept modules provide succinct junctions between knowledge streams.

CE Examples•Antenna Design•Fluid dynamic Drag•Aerodynamic Lift•Brayton Cycle Engine• Vortex Flows


Library of solved example problems and applications to guide learners. Built from the core of solutions published by permission from the estate of Georgia Tech’s Professor Emeritus Howard McMahon.

Enables learners to navigate worked examples at a wide variety of skill levels in these core areas.

Caters to learners who must see examples before learning the “theory”.

Enables greater depth in courses.

Resource for new graduate students and PhD exam candidates.

Usage by industry visitors.

McMahon Solutions Library


Case Study: SR 71 Performance Prediction in AE3310 class)

“The wisdom (?) of crowds !!!”

Presented at the 2010 ASEE Annual Conference & Exhibition

Case studies and “real world” applications provide perspective and in-depth engineering analysis experience to motivate learners and .stimulate depth in thinking processes.


Advanced concept explorations help learners build “common sense” estimation skills based on the laws of science, and experience with the process of systematically reducing uncertainty and identifying areas requiring more knowledge while refining concepts.


Cross-disciplinary Project Examples

•Liquid hydrogen supersonic transport concept development, including demographics, economics, carbon market issues.

•Space Power Grid approach to Space Solar Power, synergizing renewable energy, communications, lighter-than-air platforms, radar technologies, orbital mechanics, economics and public policy.

•Micro Renewable Energy Systems courses and testbeds.

•Retail Power Beaming

•Microgravity flight tests.

•Force-field Tailoring of objects in reduced gravity.


SUCCESSES – AND ISSUES ENCOUNTERED

Target is depth of understanding and breadth of capabilities: encounters stiff resistance from “experienced” students who “know” what should be taught. - freshmen complained about intense calculations and learning in 1st 6 weeks of

conceptual design assignment (short-range airliner), but then repeated those calculations in 1 week (LH2 fuelled short-range airliner) and then did the essential parts of the design as one of six questions on a 3-hour final.

- Seniors (who missed the above approach) had a good deal of trouble with the

small conceptual design part preceding supersonic airplane drag calculation.- Concept of developing a “figure of merit” for a given design from the ideal, was

missed by most.

- Graduate students in aerodynamics were in deep trouble as the availability of “assumed” undergraduate knowledge and examples made “thought” questions fair game on closed book tests; several then did extremely well on take-home open-ended, integrative “final exam”. Some still did not “get” the idea of delivering well-thought-out quantitative answers, not just “suggestions”.


•Current preferences of undergraduate student learning practices, place course notes and textbooks at the top of their preferences, followed by old tests and worked examples.

•Students have a tough time learning to make order-of-magnitude estimates and placing bounds on answers.

•Surveys as knowledge-integrators

•Surveys as motivators of innovation

•Resources allow instructors to pose more challenging assignments, and force students to “raise their game”.

•Grading out of 120 allow top students to pull out ahead


CONCLUSIONS

1. A portal to the major discipline set in conceptual design enables learners starting at a high school level to obtain a quick and useful perspective, as well as entry to in-depth resources. 2. Vertical streams of content are integrated from notes used in courses across all levels of specific disciplines.3. Concept essays and concept modules provide succinct introductions to the detailed vertical streams of content. 4. A library of worked examples caters to learners who start with that as their mode of initial learning, and to those who use these solved problems as formative assessment of course modules. 5. Case studies and “real world” applications provide perspective and in-depth engineering analysis experience to motivate learners and .stimulate depth in thinking processes. 6. Advanced concept explorations help learners build “common sense” estimation skills based on the laws of science, and experience with the process of systematically reducing uncertainty and identifying areas requiring more knowledge while refining concepts. 7. Present-day learners place course notes and textbooks at the top of their preferences, followed by old tests and worked examples.


This work is funded under the NASA Innovation in Aerospace Instruction” Initiative. Mr. Tony Springer is the Technical Monitor.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


Question: What types of resources are you likely to eventually use, when you are trying to learn a subject?


DISCUSSION

Relation of Student Educational Outcomes to ABET


How Learners Interact with the Resources

Three types of interactions are implemented at present. 1. The condensed course material is placed on the web resources and presented in class. 2. Learners are guided by the instructor (in classes) or navigate the web portal (as independent learners) to the Solved Problems library as part of their formative assessment or preparation for tests. 3. Surveys provided through the web-based anonymous survey site, tied to individual modules of subjects, induce learners to think deeply about the material in each module. In the long term, we expect that professionals will do this on their own in an iterative manner. In the short term, the instructor might point out that while survey participation is entirely voluntary, there is no law prohibiting the use of questions on the survey in tests.

Documents

EXTROVERT: Learning To Innovate Across Disciplines EXTROVERT: Experience with Cross- Disciplinary Learning Narayanan Komerath, Marilyn Smith, Brian German