Thinking Like an Engineer

Description

About the Book

 

Balance structure and flexibility to encourage guided inquiry

• Presented topically rather than sequentially, the balance of flexibility and structure provide each student with the amount of scaffolding they need to be successful.
• Provide the foundation upon which the upper-level courses depend for the skills necessary to master more advanced material.
• Scripted examples accompany skills in select sections of this text that are difficult to lecture, such as Excel and MATLAB. The first time a skill is presented, students are expected to use their laptops to work through the examples (not just read them).

 

Reinforce and Expand through Active Learning

• Several checkpoints within the text allow students to see if they understand the material.
• Comprehension Checks, within the reading, allow the students to self-evaluate their understanding of the material in preparation for class–to enable students to be self-directed learners, we must encourage them to self-evaluate regularly.
• Review Sections, at the end of each of the five parts of the text, provide additional questions, often combining skills within the part to help students climb to the next level of understanding.
• In-Class Activities, stimulate active conversation within pairs and groups of students working through the material. The focus is kept on student effort, and forces them to keep working the problem until they arrive at the right answer. This provides a set of worked out problems for them to solve, using their own logic, before they are asked to tackle more difficult problems.
• Umbrella Projects, allow students to apply skills that they have mastered to larger-scope problems. These problems have been found extremely helpful in providing context for the skills that students learn throughout the unit.
• Video lecture slides accompany each section within the chapter and present sample solutions using voiceover. The video lecture slides provide a set of sample solutions in addition to and different from those in the text.
• Starting worksheets and code are provided for Excel and MATLAB for students to work through examples.
• UPDATED! Microsoft Office 2016 and MATLAB 2016.
• Templates are provided for several types of reports and presentations.

 

Customize Your Course

Content can be customized to match the topic organization in your course syllabi. Instructor Resources include:

• Instructor’s Manual—Available to all adopters, this provides a complete set of solutions for all activities and homework exercises. For the in-class activities, suggested guided inquiry questions along with time frame guidelines are included. Suggested content sequencing and descriptions of how to couple assignments to the Umbrella Projects are also provided.
• PowerPoints—A complete set of lecture PowerPoint slides make course planning as easy as possible.
• Sample Exams—Available to all adopters, these will assist in creating tests and quizzes for student assessment. 

About the Book

• New material and revisions are based on the comments from faculty who teach with the text, reviewer recommendations, and feedback from students.
• Updated to Microsoft Office 2016 and MATLAB 2016.
• Added approximately 30% new questions and modified 25% of existing questions.

 

Content Updates

 
Chapter 1: Everyday Engineering

• New specific engineering fields show the diversity of engineering.
• Improved representation of women in list of engineers in Review Questions.

Chapter 3: Design, Teamwork, and Project Management

• Expanded discussion of design, particularly a more general discussion of idea generation.
• Expanded discussion of teamwork, including discussion of common team dynamics.
• New discussion of project management approaches.

Chapter 4: Engineering Communication

• Improved examples of bad practice in presentations along with improved versions.
• Extensive do’s and don’t’s list for designing technical posters. 

Chapter 6: Solving Problems

For Introduction to engineering courses.

 

Inspire self-guided inquiry with an active learning model

Thinking Like an Engineer: An Active Learning Approach, 4th Edition is designed to facilitate an active learning environment for first year engineering courses. The authors incorporate a model of learning that encourages self-guided inquiry and advances students beyond “plug-and-chug” and memorization of problem-solving methods. Checkpoints throughout each chapter provide worked out problem sets for students to solve using their own logic, before they are ready to tackle more difficult problems. An emphasis on reading and practice before class prepares students for in-class activities that reinforce the chapter’s material. Students arrive prepared for class, allowing instructors to spend class time focusing on active learning through collaborative problem-solving, computer-based activities, and hands-on experiments that encourage guided inquiry. The 4th Edition provides new material and revisions based on input from instructors and students, as well as current software releases.

 

Also available with MyLab Engineering.

MyLab^™ Engineering is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment program that truly engages students as it offers customized, self-paced learning with instant feedback. MyLab Engineering gives students unlimited opportunity for practice with feedback and help when they need it most.  Students will be prepared ahead of class, allowing you to spend class time focusing on active learning.

Note: You are purchasing a standalone product; MyLab^™ Engineering does not come packaged with this content. Students, if interested in purchasing this title with MyLab Engineering, ask your instructor for the correct package ISBN and Course ID. Instructors, contact your Pearson representative for more information.

 

If you would like to purchase both the physical text and MyLab Engineering, search for:

 

0134642252 / 9780134642253 Thinking Like an Engineer: An Active Learning Approach Plus MyLab Enginerring — Access Card Package

 

Package consists of:

• 0134609875 / 9780134609874 MyLab Engineering with Pearson eText — Access Card — for Thinking Like an Engineer: An Active Learning Approach
• 0134639677 / 9780134639673 Thinking Like an Engineer: An Active Learning Approach

 

Students can use the URL and phone number below to help answer their questions:

 

http://247pearsoned.custhelp.com/app/home

 

800-677-6337

 

Part 1

Engineering Essentials  

Engineering is an . . . Itch!

Chapter 1

Everyday Engineering  

1.1 Choosing a Career  

1.2 Choosing Engineering as a Career  

1.3 NAE Grand Challenges for Engineering  

1.4 Choosing a Specific Engineering Field  

1.5 Engineering Technology–A Related Field

1.6 Gathering Information  

1.7 Pursuing Student Opportunities  

Review Questions  

 

Chapter 2

Ethics  

2.1 Ethical Decision Making  

2.2 Plagiarism  

2.3 Engineering Creed  

2.4 Social Responsibility  

In-Class Activities  

Review Questions  

 

Chapter 3

Design, Teamwork, and Project Management  

3.1 Design Processes  

3.2 Defining the Problem or Need  

3.3 Criteria: Defining What Is Important  

3.4 Generating Ideas  

3.5 Comparing Designs and Making Decisions

3.6 Prototyping and Testing  

3.7 Sustainability–A Special Design Criterion  

3.8 Working in Teams  

3.9 Experimental Design: PERIOD Analysis  

3.10 Project Timeline  

3.11 Modern Project Management  

In-Class Activities  

Review Questions  

Mini Design Projects  

 

Chapter 4

Engineering Communication  

4.1 Basic Presentation Skills  

4.2 Sample Presentations  

4.3 Basic Technical Writing Skills  

4.4 Common Technical Communication Formats  

In-Class Activities  

Review Questions  

 

Chapter 5

Estimation  

5.1 General Hints for Estimation  

5.2 Estimation by Analogy  

5.3 Estimation by Aggregation  

5.4 Estimation by Upper and Lower Bounds  

5.5 Estimation Using Modeling  

5.6 Significant Figures  

5.7 Reasonableness  

5.8 Notation  

In-Class Activities  

Review Questions  

Chapter 6

Solving Problems       

6.1 Problem Types  

6.2 SOLVEM–One Approach to Solving Problems  

6.3 Representing Final Results  

6.4 Avoiding Common Mistakes  

6.5 Examples of SOLVEM &nbs

For Introduction to engineering courses.

 

Inspire self-guided inquiry with an active learning model

Thinking Like an Engineer: An Active Learning Approach, 4th Edition is designed to facilitate an active learning environment for first year engineering courses. The authors incorporate a model of learning that encourages self-guided inquiry and advances students beyond “plug-and-chug” and memorization of problem-solving methods. Checkpoints throughout each chapter provide worked out problem sets for students to solve using their own logic, before they are ready to tackle more difficult problems. An emphasis on reading and practice before class prepares students for in-class activities that reinforce the chapter’s material. Students arrive prepared for class, allowing instructors to spend class time focusing on active learning through collaborative problem-solving, computer-based activities, and hands-on experiments that encourage guided inquiry. The 4th Edition provides new material and revisions based on input from instructors and students, as well as current software releases.

 

Also available with MyLab  Engineering

MyLab™ Engineering is an online homework, tutorial, and assessment program that truly engages students as it offers customized, self-paced learning with instant feedback. MyLab Engineering gives students unlimited opportunity for practice with feedback and help when they need it most.  Students will be prepared ahead of class, allowing you to spend class time focusing on active learning.

Elizabeth A. Stephan is the Director of the General Engineering Program at Clemson University.  She earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from The University of Akron.  During her undergraduate work, she completed a cooperative education experience with Dow Chemical in Midland, MI, conducted research on coal purification methods, and was named the College of Engineering Outstanding Senior.  After graduation, she was employed by Boride, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical in Traverse City, MI, specializing in high-performance ceramics.  She returned to The University of Akron on a College of Engineering Fellowship, earning her PhD in Chemical Engineering focusing on multiphase transport processes.  She has taught at The University of Akron and Wayne College, and served in several postdoctoral positions.  She joined the faculty at Clemson in January, 2002 in the General Engineering Program, assuming the role of Director in 2007.  Beth has served as a national official as a district director in Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, since 1996.  She is the chief advisor for the South Carolina Alpha Chapter of Tau Beta Pi, and an advisor for the Clemson chapter of Alpha Omega Epsilon, a professional sorority.

 

David R. Bowman has been teaching in the General Engineering Program at Clemson University since January, 2006.  He earned his degrees from Clemson University, including a BS and MS in Computer Engineering and is currently pursuing a PhD.  A member of ASEE, David has experience in the design and development of software tools for engineering education research and pedagogy.  During his undergraduate and graduate work, David hosted All Screams Considered, an award winning radio show on WSBF-FM, whose name apes the popular NPR program All Things Considered.  In addition to broadcasting, David enjoys performing music on acoustic, electric, and bass guitars.

 

William J. Park is currently an associate professor in the Engineering and Science Education Department at Clemson University. Following a few years as a cattle farmer, he completed three degrees at Clemson University:  a BS in Ornamental Horticulture with a particular emphasis on xerophytic plants, an MS in Electrical Engineering focusing on electronic music synthesis, and a PhD in Electrical Engineering conducting research in electronic countermeasures. Bill is currently faculty advisor for a student team renovating a very large 1970’s vintage electronic organ, and is a moderately accomplished pianist.

 

Benjamin L. Sill is Alumni Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering, having retired in 2008 after 32 years at Clemson University. He earned a BS and MS from N.C. State University in Aerospace Engineering and a PhD from Virginia Tech in Aerospace and Ocean Engineering. Before he joined Clemson, Ben was employed by the Naval Ordnance Station, Indian Head, MD, and by Duke Power Company, Charlotte, NC. At Clemson, he was a founder of Clemson’s Wind Load Test Facility. Beginning in 1999 he served as the Director of Clemson’s General Engineering Program. In 2007, he helped establish a new Engineering and Science Education Department at Clemson, and served as its chair until his retirement.  He is the recipient of numerous teaching and research awards, including the prestigious Clemson Class of 1939 Award.  Outside the university, he gives numerous presentations with topics ranging from humorous to educational — including talks on ancient coins, old maps, wildflowers, houseplants, snakes, birds, and hurricanes. Ben has authored three bird books, has publishe