Week 7 Blog Assignment for ENGR 103

In preparation for the Week 7 discussion, Professor Jesiek and Dr. Haller have requested that you read the document posted on Blackboard (Nisbett, Chapter 1, 2003) under Week 7 Course Content.  After reading this document, consider the following questions in your original blog post:

1.  Honestly, what's your general impression about Asians?

2.  Honestly, what do you think are some of the general impression that Asians have toward Americans?

3.  What are some possible pros/cons of each country's engineering culture?

4.  If you were preparing to study or work in Asia,what things you would want to learn most? Fear most?

As always, make sure you have your post, and any comments and responses completed by 5:00pm on Sunday, October 2nd.

Expansion of Learning Communities?

Dr. Jesiek, Yuxiang, and I would like to know your opinion about expanding this learning community to more students next year.  We're exploring two models.  The first one involves increasing the size from our current 30 to 45 and keeping the same format.  The second involves increasing the size to ~120 students and utilizing the I2R lab in the basement of ARMS and putting students in groups to maintain the "community" sense.  


We're still talking about this and weighing the pros and cons.  Please let us know if you have any thoughts about this, positive or negative, or different concepts. 


We'll take a couple minutes in class on Monday for your feedback , or you are encouraged to make comments here on the main page to this post.


Thanks for your input!

Week 6 Blog Assignment for ENGR 103

Next in our series of presenters is Dr. Johannes Strobel, Assistant Professor of Engineering Education.  I encourage you to check out his webpage. 

In preparation for his presentation, he has asked that you review this report (http://www.lct-consultants.org/files/challenges_of_int_man_teams.pdf), focusing on pages 1, 6, and 11.  You need not read the entire report, but you should come prepared knowing the material of those three pages.  Prepare an original post.  You need not follow the writing prompts, but some ideas for posts follow:
1. Briefly summarize what you read and highlight any connections with anything we have discussed in class over the last two weeks about engineering cultures, dominant cultural images, or anything you feel is relevant or connected to global engineering.  
2. After reviewing his webpage and this article, please prepare a couple questions for Dr. Strobel about engineering/business practice and/or the educational system of Europe.

As always, the post, and any comments or responses you may choose to make, is due at 5:00pm on Sunday, September 25.

Week 5 Blog Assignment for ENGR 103

Next week will begin the first of a series of guest presenters on various geographic regions of the world.  First in this series is Dr. James Litster, Professor of Chemical Engineering.  I encourage you to check out his webpage and note his awards, honors, and research area.  Aside from earning his BE and PhD degrees from University of Queensland, Australia, he also taught there for some time before coming to Purdue.


In preparation for his presentation, he has asked that you browse The Australian, the "biggest-selling national newspaper in Australia" according to Wikipedia, and be prepared to comment on an article from the paper.  For your blog assignment, please find an article on engineering, business, Australian culture, or relationship with the USA, and prepare an original entry briefly summarizing the article and highlighting any connections with anything we have discussed in class over the last two weeks about engineering cultures, dominant cultural images, or anything you feel is relevant or connected to global engineering.  Please include the URL of your article in the text of your post.  You're welcome to use the same article as someone else, but please make sure your post contains original thoughts!


As always, the post, and any comments or responses you may choose to make, is due at 5:00pm on Sunday, September 18.

Week 4 - Blog Prompts

REMINDER: Blog posts are due Sunday, September 11 at 5 PM.

After watching the Chunnel video clip and reading the associated article excerpt (in the Week 4 folder on Blackboard), consider the following:

1) What characteristics of British and French engineering culture are reflected in these stories about the Chunnel project? Are you surprised about these differences? Why or why not?

2) What are some possible pros/cons of each country's engineering culture? How were these reflected in the Chunnel project?

3) How and why do you think Great Britain and France developed unique engineering cultures? What factors or influences might help explain these differences?

4) Imagine you are about to start an internship at an engineering firm in Great Britain or France. To prepare for this experience, what could you do to learn more about each country's engineering culture?