Ali Mehrabian | Daytona State College (original) (raw)

Papers by Ali Mehrabian

In an evolving online education environment, innovation is a key factor in advancing the stateof-... more In an evolving online education environment, innovation is a key factor in advancing the stateof-the-art. The advantages of distance learning and online education are well established. Many institutions of higher and continuing education in the United States and around the world have online systems and mechanisms in place, delivering effective and robust online education to the learners. Here is discussed a case study of an online engineering course that required innovation in the structure of the course content and in the course presentation to accommodate all learners, including well-prepared and underprepared ones. This has been a three-phase online course, undergone three phases of revisions and improvement in three semesters using the students’ feedback. The course is well delivered and received, based on the feedback and anecdotal evidence. The overall assessment provided evidence that in the current distance learning environment, innovation is the name of the game.

Land development is the process of converting land from one use to another, and is typically appl... more Land development is the process of converting land from one use to another, and is typically applied to residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial lands. Land development process involves many entities including, but not limited to the land use planner, landscape architect, civil engineer, land surveyor, developer, realtor, and land owner. From an engineering and design perspective, the land surveyor and the civil engineer are essential parts of this process, as they are usually the first to arrive at the site and the last to leave the site after the completion of the development. Some of the major components of land development and subdivision design include street design, sidewalk and trail design, storm-water drainage design, water distribution systems design, sewage collection design, on-site and off-site sewage treatment design, utility systems and easements, erosion and sediment control design, lot and open space grading, and installation of survey monuments and mar...

Abstract. A novel reliability analysis technique is presented to estimate the reli-ability of rea... more Abstract. A novel reliability analysis technique is presented to estimate the reli-ability of real structural systems. Its unique feature is that the dynamic loadings can be applied in time domain. It is a nonlinear stochastic finite element logarithm combined with the response surface method (RSM). It generates the response sur-face around the most probable failure point and incorporates information of the distribution of the random variables in the RSM formulation. It is verified using the Monte Carlo simulation technique, and is found to be very efficient and accurate. Most sources of nonlinearlity and uncertainty can be explicitly incorporated in the formulation. The flexibility of connections, represented by moment-relative rota-tion (M–θ) curves, is addressed. After the Northridge earthquake of 1994, several improved steel connections were proposed. Structural Sesimic Design Associates (SSDA) tested several full-scale proprietory slotted web beam–column connec-tions. The autho...

With distance learning on the run, economicaladvantages of online courses make offering them very... more With distance learning on the run, economicaladvantages of online courses make offering them verypopular. As such, many institutions of higher education inthe United States and elsewhere have online systems andmechanism in place, delivering effective online education tothe learners. This applies to both “non-profit” and “forprofit”institutions. Here is discussed some of the selectioncriteria for choosing what online courses to be offered inengineering and technology-related fields. Discussions alsoinclude current trends and related challenges.Index Terms ⎯ distance learning; delivery modes;engineering education; live; online; hybrid; online selectioncriteria.

Journal on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, 2008

Present technology and the accessibility of internet have made distance learning easier, more eff... more Present technology and the accessibility of internet have made distance learning easier, more efficient, and more convenient for students. This technology allows instructors and students to communicate asynchronously, at times and locations of their own choosing, by exchanging printed or electronic information. The use of project-based approach is being recognized in the literature as a potential component of courses in the faculties of engineering, science, and technology. Instructors may have to restructure their course differently to accommodate and facilitate the effectiveness of distance learning. A project-based engineering course, traditionally taught in a classroom settings using live mode at the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of Central Florida (UCF) has been transformed to a distance course taught using distance modes. In this case, pedagogical transitions and adjustments are required, in particular for obtaining an optimal balance between t...

The green energy industry has emerged as agrowing industry over the last few years. Economicdeman... more The green energy industry has emerged as agrowing industry over the last few years. Economicdemands for green energy push for skilled engineers andpeople with technical skills and proper training in theseareas to fulfill the forecasted job growth in these sectors.The birth of the PRISM project is to present and provide thetraining opportunities in solar energy, fostering a greenenergy industry training center. PRISM Project is a$238,000, NSF funded training project for three years,centered at Daytona State College in Daytona Beach. Itsgoal is to provide entry level and short-duration training inphotovoltaic and solar energy. The training programcurriculum is designed with the objectives that the graduatesof the program are equipped with the basics knowledge inphotovoltaic energy production basic theories, installations,and troubleshooting. Here is discussed PRISM project andits successes in training and collaborating with the greenenergy industry. Index Terms - solar energy; photovo...

One of the typically damaged steel beam-column connection during the Northridge earthquake of 199... more One of the typically damaged steel beam-column connection during the Northridge earthquake of 1994 was bolted-web, welded-flange (BWWF), now known as “pre-Northridge” connection. Proposed post-Northridge connections are more ductile and capable of dissipating more energy, thus improving the behavior of steel moment resisting frames (SMRF). The post-Northridge connections with added ductility will be denoted in the paper as BWWF-AD. However, the estimation of the nonlinear response of SMRF in the presence of BWWF-AD is not simple. These are essentially partially restrained (PR) connections. The behavior of PR connections is generally represented by moment-relative rotation (M-θ) curves. Along with material and geometric nonlinearities, the presence of PR connections adds another major source of nonlinearity and must be considered appropriately for accurate seismic response analysis. Structural Seismic Design Associates (SSDA) proposed a unique proprietary SlottedWebTM connection and ...

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Seismic performance of steel frames with "post-Northridge" bolted web, welded flange, b... more Seismic performance of steel frames with "post-Northridge" bolted web, welded flange, beam-column connection with adequate ductility (BWWF-AD) and "preNorthridge" bolted web. welded flange, beam-column connection (BWWF) is comprehensively evaluated using a nonlinear finite element method (FEM). The material and geometric nonlinearities, major sources of energy dissipation, and the flexibility of the connections are considered. The Richard Model is employed to analytically describe the moment-relative rotation (M-0) curves of BWWF-AD connections using limited available data of fullscale, ATC-24 laboratory experiments. From the limited experimental data, an analytical method is developed to predict and to extrapolate the M-0 curves of BWWT-AD connection with any sizes of beams and columns. This method is used to extend the test results of an individual BWWF-AD cotmection to a frame with several or more BWWFAD connections. The inelastic seismic response of two SAC S...

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Examples are covered here of curriculum innovation driven by industry input. At Middle Tennessee ... more Examples are covered here of curriculum innovation driven by industry input. At Middle Tennessee State University an engineering management degree forms an innovative partnership with industry. At Florida Atlantic University the Mobile Technology Consortium (MTC) has formed through an Industry-University Alliance as well as using Motorola’s vision to impact its engineering curriculum. IUPUI is forging an industrial partnership with engineering technology capstone courses. At Rochester Institute of Technology curriculum development driven by industry input is taking place.

Examples are covered here of internships, capstone projects, engineering centers, and other metho... more Examples are covered here of internships, capstone projects, engineering centers, and other methods to work with industry to give students more real world experiences. At Carnegie Mellon University assessing the impact of mandatory internships on employability of recent college graduates in Mexico is taking place. At Weber State University changing capstone projects in a way to improve the curriculum is happening. At Texas A&M University telecommunication engineering technology students are learning via the Cisco Test Engineering Center. At Purdue University – West Lafayette they are making it real by immersing students in week long enterprise resource planning simulations. At Vancouver Island University their “Mission Impossible” is providing maximum learning in minimum time. And at Florida Atlantic University engineers and other people are communicating engineering results to a larger audience.

The field of construction demands educatedpersonnel in green and sustainable construction. With t... more The field of construction demands educatedpersonnel in green and sustainable construction. With therecent trends in the industry, many clients demand moregreen materials and design and an overall sustainability toachieve a cleaner and safer structures. The LEEDcertification has also attracted much attention. Here a caseof successful implementation of “green module” into aconstruction material and method course at the bachelor’slevel is presented. Discussions include curriculum flexibilityand constraints reflected by the addition of the greenmodules. The module discussed here is developed accordingto the state-of-the-art body of knowledge and is consistentwith educational program outcomes of the course and that ofthe educational program. The more comprehensive coursecan be delivered online or using hybrid modes ofinstructional delivery. The follow-up empirical assessmentof green modules shows that they are well received by thestudents and their reflective employers, indicating asucce...

In recent years distance education and learning have emerged as a popular method of instructional... more In recent years distance education and learning have emerged as a popular method of instructional delivery in engineering and technology-related fields. Many faculties of engineering and technology may found themselves teaching online classes or thinking about teaching one. In this process, crafting and preparation of online exams without sacrificing the educational quality and exam security is a crucial issue to the faculty. Psychological setbacks and barriers among engineering students also add another concern for the faculty teaching in a distance education environment, i.e., students may have fears of losing partial credit in an online multiple-choice exam. The asynchronous and economical advantages of distance education and learning that make offering and taking them very popular force the profession to re-examine and re-engineer some of these exam-related issues. In this paper we discuss some background and lessons learned from our experience with crafting online exams for the...

Open source technology plays a vital role in acost-effective and robustly accessible online engin... more Open source technology plays a vital role in acost-effective and robustly accessible online engineeringeducation. This role becomes even more vital in somedeveloping countries where there are much engineeringeducation demand and where the supply of accessibletechnology may be cost prohibitive and not as accessible.This paper encapsulates some of the freely accessible stateof-the-art open source technology and their applications inonline engineering education and addresses some keyfeatures of the current technology. Open source technologyis not very useful without the appropriate tools. Thus,discussions also include some open source tools to facilitatethe access and the cost-effectiveness.Index Terms ⎯ distance learning; pedagogy; engineeringeducation; open source technology; freeware; learningmanagement system.

2001 Annual Conference Proceedings

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings