Material Advantage at Iowa State: A Case Study for Student Pre- professional Society Success
For four years in a row, the Material Advantage student society at Iowa State University (ISU) has been selected as the nation’s Most Outstanding Chapter. This paper examines, as a case study, the activities and programs of the chapter at ISU, with implications to other student preprofessional societies. Activities have included plant tours, technical meetings and seminars, special events, joint meetings, community involvement, fundraising, and participation in various technical conferences. In addition, the results of a survey are presented aimed at identifying the factors that most contribute to the society’s success at ISU.
Eight Factors For Creating An Active Student Professional Society And How It Enhances The Engineering Curriculum
In the past four years the South Dakota State University American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Student Chapter has been recognized as one of the top student chapters in the nation. ASCE has four zones in the United States and the South Dakota State University student chapter has been awarded as the best in their zone three times and the nations top student chapter once. At South Dakota State University, eight factors have been identified as critical to creating this success: 1) outstanding student leaders, 2) younger member involvement, 3) support from the institution, 4) active program, 5) attending ASCE activities away from campus, 6) active practitioner advisor, 7) active advisor, and 8) adequate funds and fund raising activities. The outstanding work of this chapter has complimented the curriculum of the civil engineering department in the following ways: 1) exposure to the practice of engineering and the types of work and contributions they may make as an engineer, 2) creating contacts for summer and postgraduation employment, 3) providing avenues to learn about and exercise social responsibility, 4) exposure to the importance of life-long learning and licensure, 5) development of teamwork, communication, and leadership skills, and 6) service to profession. This paper will provide examples of how the eight factors for a successful chapter are implemented and how the student chapter supports departmental outcomes.
A Study of the Changes Over Time in State Anxiety in a Computer-Assisted Instructional Program
The purposes of this study were to analyze (1) the changes over time in the state anxiety level of children in a computer-assisted program of reading instruction and in classroom reading instruction, (2) the changes in state anxiety patterns as related to gender, achievement level, and ethnicity, and (3) the difference in anxiety levels of the students while in computer-assisted reading instruction and classroom reading instruction.