Standards for New Educators: Guide to ABET Outcomes and Standards Availability in Libraries

Charlotte A. ErdmannPurdue UniversityASEE Annual ConferenceJune 22, 2010

Goals of Today’s Presentation

ABET Criterion Related to Standards

Standards Availability in

Libraries

Standards Use and Awareness in

Academia

Educational Materials

Terminology

Standards Specifications Recommended Practices Codes

These Standards

Fires

Buildings

Bridges Earthquakes

Environmental Issues

Computer Codes

Screws and Bolts

Home Products

Boilers

ABET Requirements for Curriculum include

Engineering

Standards in capstone

design class

Engineering Technology

Knowledge of technical literature

ABET – Criterion 5 - Curriculum•Major

design experience – based… “on earlier course work and incorporating appropriate engineering standards…”

Engineering

•Communications content – “Utilize appropriate technical literature and use it as a principle means of staying current.”

Engineering Technology

ABET Program Outcome Themes

Design

Problem Solving

Ethical Decision-Making

Commitment to Quality

Life-Long Learning

ABET Criterion 3: Program Outcomes for Engineering

Design a system, component, or process to meet needs within reasonable constraints… (3c)

Identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems (3e)

Understand ethical and professional responsibility (3f)

Engage in life-long learning (3i)

ABET Criterion 3: Program Outcomes for Engineering Technology

Apply current knowledge… (3b)

Apply creativity to design of a systems, component, or process… (3d)

Identify, analyze, and solve technical problems (3f)

Understand professional, ethical & social responsibilities (3i)

Engage in life-long learning (3h)

Commit to quality, timeliness and continuous improvement (3k)

Libraries – Standards Collections

Subramanyan (1981) wrote an excellent chapter in Scientific and Technical Information Resources. Osif, et al (2006) also included a good overview.

Musser (1990 ) and Taylor (1999) gave thorough guidance on standards collection development.

• Libraries buy standards that best meet the needs of their customers. Subscriptions, selected purchasing, interlibrary loan are used.

Surveys of Standards in Libraries

Pellack (2004) surveyed libraries that are members of the Association of Research Libraries while Matthews (2006) surveyed Top Engineering Schools Libraries

Results of both discussed splits between print and electronic subscriptions and on-demand purchasing

• Pellack asked more questions about Library Guides, Local Databases, and Interlibrary Loan while Matthews detailed Document Suppliers

State of the Standards Collections

One size does not fit all

Larger libraries have more programs to support and more resources to spent for standards but they may have limits as well

Smaller universities cannot support standards at the same level as larger libraries

Two Current Books

Hunter, Robert D. (2009) Standards, Conformity Assessment, and

Accreditation for Engineers. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Batik, Albert L. (1992) The Engineering Standard: A Most Useful

Tool. Ashland, OH: BookMaster/El Rancho.

Standards in Academic Institutions

Involvement

Research

Standards Creation

University Operation

Written publications

Journal articles

Conference papers

Dissertations and Theses

Structural Damage to the Pentagon

Professor Mete Sozen, member of the review committee, helped to investigate the structural

damage to the Pentagon. • The committee’s report mentioned standards from• American Concrete Institute (ACI)• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)• European Committee for Standardization (Eurocode)

Floating Point Arithmetic

William Kahan, University of California, Berkeley, spent more than 30 years contributing to IEEE 754

Standard emphasizes the “reliability and portability” of computer programs that use binary floating arithmetic

Created in 1985 Revised in 2008

Faculty Involved in New Standards

Propose a new SAE standard which agricultural workers with disabilities

Serve as members of committees that propose and revise standards

Critique standards that have errors and need improvement

University Operational Use

Specification for Procurement and Projects

Natural Gas Fired Package Boiler

Concrete Paving projects

Quick Review of Standards

American Association of State Highway

and Transportation

Officials (AASHTO)

American National

Standards Institute (ANSI)

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

Bibliographic Databases

App Science

& Tech

Compendex

inspec

Materia

ls Rese

arch D

atabaseTRIS

Web of S

cience

w/ P

roc

05000

10000150002000025000300003500040000

Databases for References to Journal Articles & Con-ference Papers

AASHTOANSIASTM

Axis Title

Standards on Campus Websites

Drexel

MIT

Penn State w/o

CiteSeerX

Purdue

Stanford

Texas A

& M

Univ. of W

ash.

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

Excerpt of Table 3: Google Results for References to Standards on University Websites

AASHTOANSIASTM

Standards Education Considerations

•Subject•Objective

s•Potential

standards uses & needs

Identify Course(s)

•Current collection

•Possible purchase

•Potential instruction session

Work with your

librarian

Teaching Materials and Assignments

Materials

Book Chapters

Websites

Case Studies

Assignments (Individual or Group)

Learning Outcomes

Deliverables

Grading

Case Studies

Hose Connections to Fire Hydrants

Why problem?

One size does not fit all

No standard size for fire hose couplings to connect to a hydrant

What is the Problem?

City has big fire

Fire chief call for help from neighboring cities

Neighboring fire department arrives in city

Firemen can not attach hose to hydrant.

Great Boston Fire

Great Boston Fire in 1872 – Hose couplings one of issues – 776 buildings burned (65 acres)

Convention of the Fire Engineers (later National Fire Protection Association) • approved a resolution that there should be a

standard in 1873 National Fire Protection Association, American Water Works Association, American Society for Mechanical Engineers• created and approved the first standard in 1891

Great Baltimore Fire

1904 - Great Baltimore fire of 1904 ▪ (Most sources start history here)▪ 1526 buildings burned (70 city blocks)

Hose couplings again a major problem National Bureau of Standards got involved Albert Merrill gathering data on 600 variations

on hose couplings A joint standard from multiple organizations

was approved

Hydrant and Coupling Issues are Still Problems

Seek and Evan’s 2004 Major U.S. Cities Using National Standard Fire Hydrants, One Century After the Great Baltimore Fire (NISTIR 7158 report)

In Conclusion

ABET Criterion Related to Standards

Standards Availability in

Libraries

Standards Use and Awareness in

Academia

Educational Materials

Thank you

Contact Information

Charlotte ErdmannAssociate Professor of Library Science

Siesgesmund Engineering Library

Purdue University

erdmann@purdue.edu