In today’s job market, computation skills are vital for practice-ready engineers. So, Michigan State University’s (MSU) College of Engineering held a workshop to help faculty across the college become more familiar with computational tools and ways to incorporate them into student learning experiences.
S. Patrick Walton, associate dean for academic programs, said, “The hope is the workshop spurs educators in engineering to develop and adopt computation as a central part of their courses, with the goal of continual exposure and reinforcement for students at all stages in the curriculum.”
The recent workshop, offered in collaboration with MathWorks, a developer of mathematical computing software for engineers and scientists, provided faculty with guidance on implementing computational materials into courses and methods for assessing students on their computational assignments.
Lisa Kempler, MathWorks’ research and education strategist, said “MSU’s College of Engineering academic success team really went the extra mile to bring the workshop to life. We provided resources, and they put in all the effort required for the workshop to be a success.”
Computation skills across the curriculum
Elisa Tolson, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, teaches a course on the fundamentals of combustion for fuels and alternative fuels. Adding computation to the curriculum was a new undertaking, so she was encouraged to participate in the learning workshop.
“We wanted to integrate programming languages into the course so students would be exposed to it multiple times and get more experience,” said Tolson. “This is important since a lot of employers are looking for that.”
Mahdi Zareei, an academic specialist in the Applied Engineering Sciences program, teaches a course on global systems, economics, engineering and the environment. In the course, students learn about complex integrated systems and how to navigate this complexity using simulated models and virtual worlds.
“It's much easier for students to build a virtual world, test it through different scenarios, and try out different management strategies if they use computational programming,” said Zareei. “One thing that I really liked about this workshop was that we could share our knowledge with and learn from fellow faculty.”
Kyle Foster, assistant dean for student success, added, “Many of the workshop participants may not know what others in the college are doing to enhance the computing skills of our students. Learning from each other and leveraging the collective experiences of the community will improve the computing experience for all of our students.”
Enhancing students’ computational skills will pay off over time, Walton added. “While we cannot predict which computational tools and approaches our graduates will need to use, we can give them a deep understanding of the power of computation and how it can be applied in solving modern engineering challenges.”
Written by Judi Melena Smelser
MSU College of Engineering Media and Public Relations page