Scholars Hangar (United States Air Force Academy)
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New initiatives in outreach and instruction and the supporting redesign of our website led to a remarkable 250% increase in website visitation
No full textIn fall 2019, the U.S. Air Force Academy’s (USAFA) McDermott Library directed staffers to solve a problem with student engagement. The average visitation to our library website was nearly half the rate as at comparable libraries, such as the U.S. Military Academy (West Point). A research study was needed to identify and address the underlying cause, and we were able to resolve it. Student engagement with USAFA’s library website went from 40,000 visits in 2020 to 100,000 visits in 2022. This study is being shared in hopes that other libraries will find some useful insights in our research approach
Systems, Methods, and Apparatus for Multi-Arm Expansion
No full textA system, method and apparatus for unfolding and folding a multi-arm device that includes a support member and an actuator. A first arm is coupled to the actuator and extends from a folded position to an unfolded position upon actua tion of the actuator. A second arm is coupled to the actuator and moves from a folded position to an unfolded position upon actuation of a linkage that causes the second arm to rotate. A third arm moves from a folded position to an unfolded position, via an elbow joint, upon release of a tether attached to the third arm
Repeaters for Use in a Hostile Environment
No full textA repeater for maintaining wireless line of sight communications. The repeater is autonomously repositional in both absolute location and azimuthal orientation. The repeater has at least two vibratory motors, or other vibration sources, which provide oscillations to depending legs against a support surface. By selectively operating one or more of the vibration sources together or independently, the repeater may be moved as helpful to maintain line of sight communication with another repeater or other operational hardware. A command signal from a remote base station controls the locomotion of the repeater to provide both a change in absolute position relative to the surroundings and a rotational change in azimuthal orientation as necessary to maintain communication under dynamic conditions
A Collabroration Hub Expediting Flight Capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense and Academic Research
Full text linkAuthorized licensed use limited to: USAF ACADEMY. Downloaded on July 20,2023 at 02:28:04 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.The field of aerial robotics is growing rapidly, along with the promise of assisting human operators with tasks that are hazardous, inaccessible, or time consuming [1] . Military and law enforcement organizations are especially interested in such capabilities due to the naturally hazardous nature of their missions, driving them to become early supporters and adopters. A particularly challenging mission is the exploration of unknown indoor environments, which has potential applications in exploring and clearing enemy compounds, searching for accident survivors, or responding to active shooters. Multirotor vehicles have been proposed and occasionally used in such scenarios, but as capabilities increase, so does the complexity of the hardware and software. As a result, researchers interested in exploring this field, as well as those in myriad other fields that depend on aerial experimentation, face an increasingly high barrier to entry: establishing flight capabilities. This article is intended to help aspiring researchers get their aerial robotics experiments off the ground
Repeaters for use in a hostile environment
No full textA repeater for maintaining wireless line of sight communications. The repeater is autonomously repositional in both absolute location and azimuthal orientation. The repeater has at least two vibratory motors, or other vibration sources, which provide oscillations to depending legs against a support surface. By selectively operating one or more of the vibration sources together or independently, the repeater may be moved as helpful to maintain line of sight communication with another repeater or other operational hardware. A command signal from a remote base station controls the locomotion of the repeater to provide both a change in absolute position relative to the surroundings and a rotational change in azimuthal orientation as necessary to maintain communication under dynamic conditions
Flipping a Required Mechanics Course with Different Instructors
Full text linkFlipped classes are relatively common in engineering education. In a flipped class, the lecture content is typically delivered asynchronously before class via videos, and the in-class activities are redesigned to be more active. In this paper, we will be discussing the flipping of a required sophomore level engineering mechanics course, Mechanical Engineering 220 – Fundamentals of Mechanics (ME220), at the United States Air Force Academy, and in particular, its effect on student performance and their attitudes towards flipped courses. Every student at USAFAis required to take this course regardless of their major. In the Fall of 2022 there were 18 sections of this course with four of the sections taught by three different instructors using a flipped structure. In general, there was no statistical difference in student performance on commonly graded exams between the flipped and non-flipped sections except in a few instances discussed in this paper. In regard to students’ attitudes towards flipping, we looked at the effect of the instructor as well as the effect of various other factors such as major, GPA, gender, and activities outside of class, such as participation in intercollegiate athletics. We learned that students’ preference for a flipped structure over a traditional structure was strongly dependent on the instructor. Students taught by the instructor who developed the flipped course and who had a lot more teaching experience than the other two instructors indicated that they preferred the flipped structure (46%) to a traditional one (30%). For one of the other instructors, the students indicated that they strongly preferred a traditional structure (65%) over a flipped structure (13%) even though the videos were identical and the class structure was very similar to the first instructor’s class. The third instructor’s students also preferred the traditional structure, but not so dramatically. For the instructor whose students preferred the flipped structure, we learned that STEM majors tended to prefer the flipped structure more than non-STEM majors, and students involved in extracurricular activities also tended to prefer the flipped structure. Gender did not affect students’ preference for the flipped structure, and finally, students who anticipated getting an A or B in the class tended to prefer the flipped structure
Implementing Technical Communication Instruction in a Civil Engineering Course: The Value of Knowledge Surveys and Peer Review
No full textThere is a growing need for engineers to be effective communicators, yet professional skills often are underdeveloped by college-level engineering curricula and undervalued by engineering students. To improve communication skills, we integrated a technical communication block of instruction into a civil engineering (CE) computer applications course. Applying strategies from self-regulated learning theory, we used self-assessments to measure effectiveness of the instruction. Specifically, we used a pre-course and multiple post-assignment knowledge surveys (KS) that comprised competency statements aligned with the learning outcomes for each assignment. We also reviewed scores students received on their technical writing assignment submissions. Then we compared students’ KS assessments against instructor scores on each of the five writing assignments. Overall, the technical communication was deemed to be effective, as demonstrated by improved student technical writing competencies, including creating more-audience-centered, -accessible, and -usable deliverables. Results from KS demonstrated that self-assessments became better aligned with instructor’s grades, indicating that students improved their ability to self-assess their own capabilities. This study reinforces the benefit of integrating technical communication instruction, even on a small scale, and highlights the usefulness of KS for self-assessment and learning. Recommendations for integrating peer review, in terms of both frequency and type, also are discussed
Student-to-Industry Interaction in a Civil Engineering Field Course: Benefits for Education and Leadership
Full text linkHigh Impact Practices in the Civil Engineering Major at the United States Air Force Academy
No full textWhen implemented effectively and systematically across a curriculum, high impact practices (HIP) have the potential to increase student engagement and result in higher student achievement. The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a four-year military university with a large liberal education core curriculum that provides the foundation for service and officership in the United States Air or Space Forces. Building on the liberal education core, the civil engineering (CE) major’s courses begin with the cornerstone field engineering course, paired with a two-week co-curricular experience for students at an Air or Space Force installation. With its motto “construct first, design later,” the field engineering course is an HIP and quintessential experiential learning course that gives students a practical frame-of-reference for future analysis and design courses. The CE major culminates with another HIP, the capstone design course, which gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, building confidence in their ability to successfully apply those skills to the increasingly complex problems they will face after graduation. This book chapter provides a case study of the CE major at the USAFA, documenting the HIPs across the majors’ program, and highlighting the key elements and benefits of each