Bill Genereux - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Bill Genereux
ICERI2022 Proceedings
University professors from three universities in the USA and one university in the United Arab Em... more University professors from three universities in the USA and one university in the United Arab Emirates hosted an online workshop in creativity and design thinking called "Sketchy People" for their students. The intent of the virtual event was to engage students beyond their respective institutions and classrooms by connecting them with students from other institutions who have similar educational goals and interests using the framework of sketching as a form of design thinking and communication. Using the online collaboration website Miro.com and the online go to meeting platform of Zoom, students from different geographic locations completed lessons in drawing, creative writing, and typography together in real time in a virtual design studio setting. Just as they would in a physical design studio, students were able to see how others responded to different writing and drawing prompts and provide each other support and feedback. Breaking outside of institutional boundaries with online technology for this event resulted in an extraordinary outpouring of creativity and engagement. Drawing inspiration from artist and author Lynda Barry's book "Syllabus," these students wrote and read aloud original stories as well as made drawings based upon the stories that they heard each other tell. In under two hours each student participant produced numerous drawings along with several written pieces and typographic examples. This "Sketchy People" online learning event permitted colleagues separated by distance to reconnect and work with each other's students through an innovative team-teaching approach while enabling their students to meet new people and see new ideas in action. Because the methods and communication tools utilized in the workshop are freely available to educators, future virtual workshops are easily scalable and replicable.
An overview of using video projects as an alternative to traditional written term paper assignments.
This paper will explore the use of digital video as a teaching tool in college courses. Two very ... more This paper will explore the use of digital video as a teaching tool in college courses. Two very different courses of potential interest to engineering educators are cited as examples. The first is a foreign language course offered at the University of Notre Dame which uses video technology to encourage students to write, produce, and star in original Spanish language "telenovelas" or daytime dramas. The second course is an introduction to computer networking course offered at Kansas State University at Salina which uses video technology to teach the fundamentals of computer networking. Both courses use digital storytelling to enhance student learning, and strengthen communication skills. Some scholars argue that "the multimedia language of the screen has become the current vernacular" and it is time for video instruction to become foundational to undergraduate general education. Digital video is becoming increasingly affordable and accessible, providing an engaging method of instruction in a variety of subject areas. Video provides an excellent and familiar medium for enhancing student learning in a variety of disciplines, including engineering. Video serves as a bridge between the humanities and engineering when it brings technology into the humanities classroom and when it brings the humanities into the technology classroom. ABET accreditation requires that all engineering graduates have effective communication skills, have an ability to function on multidisciplinary teams, and have an understanding of the world, the economy, the environment and society. It is a challenge to fit the broad education required for gaining this kind of understanding into an intensive engineering education. Digital video technology addresses this challenge.
This study explored the impact of requiring a video term-paper project and media literacy instruc... more This study explored the impact of requiring a video term-paper project and media literacy instruction to address the desired educational goals of increasing student ownership of learning, learning course-related concepts, providing evidence of communication skills, and increasing knowledge of key media literacy concepts. Study participants came from convenience samples drawn from a technology course taught by the researcher and from a writing course taught by a colleague. The sixty participants were male (41) and female (19) college students in different years of their courses of study. Participants comprised traditional-age (18-24) and non-traditional-age (25+) students possessing varying levels of familiarity with the skills examined. A quasi-experimental, two-group control/intervention design was used, augmented by additional data collected from the intervention group. The quasi-experiment consisted of pre-and post-test measurements of media literacy, with both groups receiving m...
2007 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
at Salina. Bill has earned an A.A. degree from Cloud County Community College, a B.S. degree in C... more at Salina. Bill has earned an A.A. degree from Cloud County Community College, a B.S. degree in Computer Science with minors in Art and English from Kansas Wesleyan University, and a Master of Liberal Studies degree with emphasis in Internetworking and Telecommunications from Fort Hays State University. His computer and electronics training began in the US Navy, and he served aboard the USS Missouri, now a memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
at Salina. He is also a K-State doctoral student in curriculum and instruction, with research int... more at Salina. He is also a K-State doctoral student in curriculum and instruction, with research interests in media literacy and the educational use of digital media technology. He has been working with computers and technology for the past 25 years.
2014 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) Proceedings, 2014
As digital imaging technology has improved and simple-to-use media sharing websites have appeared... more As digital imaging technology has improved and simple-to-use media sharing websites have appeared, the complexity of Halloween jack-o-lanterns being created has been increasing. In response to this trend, a team of faculty at Kansas State University teaching beginning design courses in Engineering Technology and Interior Architecture and Product Design has developed an interdisciplinary pumpkin design project. Students in Manhattan, Kansas and Salina, Kansas practice design skills in pumpkin carving using techniques such as information gathering, digital photography, and drawing by hand or using vector drawing software. Students completing this project must consider the fragility of the pumpkin material being carved while addressing the challenge of converting a two-dimensional design into a three-dimensional object. The exercise is continually improved and revised as participating faculty electronically share syllabi, rubrics, lesson plans, and finished carved pumpkin examples. Community engagement and service learning is a key component of this project. Partnerships with the zoos in both communities have been established. The students display their completed work, or publicly demonstrate their design and carving techniques at their respective zoos.
2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
This paper describes what was learned while implementing a reinvented undergraduate computer tech... more This paper describes what was learned while implementing a reinvented undergraduate computer technology curriculum during the first two years of its rollout. The paper includes the activities of the freshman cohorts of computer students who were the first to experience the curriculum redesign. Perhaps the biggest paradigm shift in the new curriculum was the adoption of the studio model of instruction. Borrowed from other traditions such as art and architecture, the studio provides a hands-on approach to learning that is ideal for computing students; particularly for the large percentage of students who attend our school while already working full time or returning from military service. The first years of using a new approach to teaching always have unique challenges. The computer faculty made decisions about what was important to address in the first year of the curriculum, and what projects to use to keep students engaged in and excited about the field of computing. Since the studio model radically departs from the single instructor classroom lecture model, multiple professors were utilized in the same freshman studio course, each bringing in their own unique areas of expertise. Along with the studio model, electronic portfolios were implemented for the assessment of student learning, as a benchmark that students must pass to advance to the upper-class courses, and for professional presentation to potential employers and clients. The benefits and challenges that were experienced during the first two years of using freshman studios will be discussed as well as what was learned from our assessment efforts.
2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
Through the years we have observed that students are often unable to see a broader perspective of... more Through the years we have observed that students are often unable to see a broader perspective of why they are studying various topics and required classes. Students seem to be less able to make the connections that they need to make between the different classes and disciplines. This paper discusses a computer technology curriculum and its weaknesses, subsequent changes that were implemented with a program overhaul, and an assessment plan that was devised to determine if those changes were effective towards meeting the learning goals. The changing expectations of both students and their future employers motivated us to reexamine and overhaul the way we teach computer technology. We revised our student learning outcomes to better reflect industry needs and to make assessment more efficiently used as a tool for curricular decision making. Central to the overhaul is the student portfolio. Every computer course in the new curriculum utilizes the portfolio for recording and reflecting on the experiential learning that occurred in the class projects. Not only does the portfolio provide data for assessment, but it demonstrates student abilities to potential employers. Another key component of the new curriculum is the studio. Borrowing from a tradition in art and architectural programs, we included six credit hour studios for third and fourth year students. This allows us to introduce a variety of topics that can be applied to relevant projects and help students to make connections, giving them a broader perspective. First and second year students also take a one credit hour studio to help connect topics from their various required classes.
A new technique in the creation of the stack frame of a function has been developed with the capa... more A new technique in the creation of the stack frame of a function has been developed with the capability of storing dynamic variables in the same area as local variables. This innovation permits the writing of an array declaration in C/C++ type languages, ...
Communications skills are universally recognized as important within the education of engineers, ... more Communications skills are universally recognized as important within the education of engineers, however these skills are often underemphasized in engineering and technology courses. One new approach to emphasizing professional communications skills is the assignment of student made video projects. Some scholars argue that video has become the current vernacular of our culture. Video engages an audience in ways unique to the medium. Becoming fluent in communicating with video technology expands the versatility of future engineers and engineering technologists. Advances in digital video technologies have made these video projects within the reach of most undergraduate students, however many students have surprisingly little experience in this area. Outside of traditional media-making degree programs, few college students are required to create an edited video during their undergraduate experience. This paper explores the implementation of a student-made video project in a computer te...
As digital imaging technology has improved and simple-to-use media sharing websites have appeared... more As digital imaging technology has improved and simple-to-use media sharing websites have appeared, the complexity of Halloween jack-o-lanterns being created has been increasing. In response to this trend, a team of faculty at Kansas State University teaching beginning design courses in Engineering Technology and Interior Architecture and Product Design has developed an interdisciplinary pumpkin design project. Students in Manhattan, Kansas and Salina, Kansas practice design skills in pumpkin carving using techniques such as information gathering, digital photography, and drawing by hand or using vector drawing software. Students completing this project must consider the fragility of the pumpkin material being carved while addressing the challenge of converting a two dimensional design into a three-dimensional object. The exercise is continually improved and revised as participating faculty electronically share syllabi, rubrics, lesson plans, and finished carved pumpkin examples. Com...
ICERI2022 Proceedings
University professors from three universities in the USA and one university in the United Arab Em... more University professors from three universities in the USA and one university in the United Arab Emirates hosted an online workshop in creativity and design thinking called "Sketchy People" for their students. The intent of the virtual event was to engage students beyond their respective institutions and classrooms by connecting them with students from other institutions who have similar educational goals and interests using the framework of sketching as a form of design thinking and communication. Using the online collaboration website Miro.com and the online go to meeting platform of Zoom, students from different geographic locations completed lessons in drawing, creative writing, and typography together in real time in a virtual design studio setting. Just as they would in a physical design studio, students were able to see how others responded to different writing and drawing prompts and provide each other support and feedback. Breaking outside of institutional boundaries with online technology for this event resulted in an extraordinary outpouring of creativity and engagement. Drawing inspiration from artist and author Lynda Barry's book "Syllabus," these students wrote and read aloud original stories as well as made drawings based upon the stories that they heard each other tell. In under two hours each student participant produced numerous drawings along with several written pieces and typographic examples. This "Sketchy People" online learning event permitted colleagues separated by distance to reconnect and work with each other's students through an innovative team-teaching approach while enabling their students to meet new people and see new ideas in action. Because the methods and communication tools utilized in the workshop are freely available to educators, future virtual workshops are easily scalable and replicable.
An overview of using video projects as an alternative to traditional written term paper assignments.
This paper will explore the use of digital video as a teaching tool in college courses. Two very ... more This paper will explore the use of digital video as a teaching tool in college courses. Two very different courses of potential interest to engineering educators are cited as examples. The first is a foreign language course offered at the University of Notre Dame which uses video technology to encourage students to write, produce, and star in original Spanish language "telenovelas" or daytime dramas. The second course is an introduction to computer networking course offered at Kansas State University at Salina which uses video technology to teach the fundamentals of computer networking. Both courses use digital storytelling to enhance student learning, and strengthen communication skills. Some scholars argue that "the multimedia language of the screen has become the current vernacular" and it is time for video instruction to become foundational to undergraduate general education. Digital video is becoming increasingly affordable and accessible, providing an engaging method of instruction in a variety of subject areas. Video provides an excellent and familiar medium for enhancing student learning in a variety of disciplines, including engineering. Video serves as a bridge between the humanities and engineering when it brings technology into the humanities classroom and when it brings the humanities into the technology classroom. ABET accreditation requires that all engineering graduates have effective communication skills, have an ability to function on multidisciplinary teams, and have an understanding of the world, the economy, the environment and society. It is a challenge to fit the broad education required for gaining this kind of understanding into an intensive engineering education. Digital video technology addresses this challenge.
This study explored the impact of requiring a video term-paper project and media literacy instruc... more This study explored the impact of requiring a video term-paper project and media literacy instruction to address the desired educational goals of increasing student ownership of learning, learning course-related concepts, providing evidence of communication skills, and increasing knowledge of key media literacy concepts. Study participants came from convenience samples drawn from a technology course taught by the researcher and from a writing course taught by a colleague. The sixty participants were male (41) and female (19) college students in different years of their courses of study. Participants comprised traditional-age (18-24) and non-traditional-age (25+) students possessing varying levels of familiarity with the skills examined. A quasi-experimental, two-group control/intervention design was used, augmented by additional data collected from the intervention group. The quasi-experiment consisted of pre-and post-test measurements of media literacy, with both groups receiving m...
2007 Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
at Salina. Bill has earned an A.A. degree from Cloud County Community College, a B.S. degree in C... more at Salina. Bill has earned an A.A. degree from Cloud County Community College, a B.S. degree in Computer Science with minors in Art and English from Kansas Wesleyan University, and a Master of Liberal Studies degree with emphasis in Internetworking and Telecommunications from Fort Hays State University. His computer and electronics training began in the US Navy, and he served aboard the USS Missouri, now a memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
at Salina. He is also a K-State doctoral student in curriculum and instruction, with research int... more at Salina. He is also a K-State doctoral student in curriculum and instruction, with research interests in media literacy and the educational use of digital media technology. He has been working with computers and technology for the past 25 years.
2014 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) Proceedings, 2014
As digital imaging technology has improved and simple-to-use media sharing websites have appeared... more As digital imaging technology has improved and simple-to-use media sharing websites have appeared, the complexity of Halloween jack-o-lanterns being created has been increasing. In response to this trend, a team of faculty at Kansas State University teaching beginning design courses in Engineering Technology and Interior Architecture and Product Design has developed an interdisciplinary pumpkin design project. Students in Manhattan, Kansas and Salina, Kansas practice design skills in pumpkin carving using techniques such as information gathering, digital photography, and drawing by hand or using vector drawing software. Students completing this project must consider the fragility of the pumpkin material being carved while addressing the challenge of converting a two-dimensional design into a three-dimensional object. The exercise is continually improved and revised as participating faculty electronically share syllabi, rubrics, lesson plans, and finished carved pumpkin examples. Community engagement and service learning is a key component of this project. Partnerships with the zoos in both communities have been established. The students display their completed work, or publicly demonstrate their design and carving techniques at their respective zoos.
2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
This paper describes what was learned while implementing a reinvented undergraduate computer tech... more This paper describes what was learned while implementing a reinvented undergraduate computer technology curriculum during the first two years of its rollout. The paper includes the activities of the freshman cohorts of computer students who were the first to experience the curriculum redesign. Perhaps the biggest paradigm shift in the new curriculum was the adoption of the studio model of instruction. Borrowed from other traditions such as art and architecture, the studio provides a hands-on approach to learning that is ideal for computing students; particularly for the large percentage of students who attend our school while already working full time or returning from military service. The first years of using a new approach to teaching always have unique challenges. The computer faculty made decisions about what was important to address in the first year of the curriculum, and what projects to use to keep students engaged in and excited about the field of computing. Since the studio model radically departs from the single instructor classroom lecture model, multiple professors were utilized in the same freshman studio course, each bringing in their own unique areas of expertise. Along with the studio model, electronic portfolios were implemented for the assessment of student learning, as a benchmark that students must pass to advance to the upper-class courses, and for professional presentation to potential employers and clients. The benefits and challenges that were experienced during the first two years of using freshman studios will be discussed as well as what was learned from our assessment efforts.
2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
Through the years we have observed that students are often unable to see a broader perspective of... more Through the years we have observed that students are often unable to see a broader perspective of why they are studying various topics and required classes. Students seem to be less able to make the connections that they need to make between the different classes and disciplines. This paper discusses a computer technology curriculum and its weaknesses, subsequent changes that were implemented with a program overhaul, and an assessment plan that was devised to determine if those changes were effective towards meeting the learning goals. The changing expectations of both students and their future employers motivated us to reexamine and overhaul the way we teach computer technology. We revised our student learning outcomes to better reflect industry needs and to make assessment more efficiently used as a tool for curricular decision making. Central to the overhaul is the student portfolio. Every computer course in the new curriculum utilizes the portfolio for recording and reflecting on the experiential learning that occurred in the class projects. Not only does the portfolio provide data for assessment, but it demonstrates student abilities to potential employers. Another key component of the new curriculum is the studio. Borrowing from a tradition in art and architectural programs, we included six credit hour studios for third and fourth year students. This allows us to introduce a variety of topics that can be applied to relevant projects and help students to make connections, giving them a broader perspective. First and second year students also take a one credit hour studio to help connect topics from their various required classes.
A new technique in the creation of the stack frame of a function has been developed with the capa... more A new technique in the creation of the stack frame of a function has been developed with the capability of storing dynamic variables in the same area as local variables. This innovation permits the writing of an array declaration in C/C++ type languages, ...
Communications skills are universally recognized as important within the education of engineers, ... more Communications skills are universally recognized as important within the education of engineers, however these skills are often underemphasized in engineering and technology courses. One new approach to emphasizing professional communications skills is the assignment of student made video projects. Some scholars argue that video has become the current vernacular of our culture. Video engages an audience in ways unique to the medium. Becoming fluent in communicating with video technology expands the versatility of future engineers and engineering technologists. Advances in digital video technologies have made these video projects within the reach of most undergraduate students, however many students have surprisingly little experience in this area. Outside of traditional media-making degree programs, few college students are required to create an edited video during their undergraduate experience. This paper explores the implementation of a student-made video project in a computer te...
As digital imaging technology has improved and simple-to-use media sharing websites have appeared... more As digital imaging technology has improved and simple-to-use media sharing websites have appeared, the complexity of Halloween jack-o-lanterns being created has been increasing. In response to this trend, a team of faculty at Kansas State University teaching beginning design courses in Engineering Technology and Interior Architecture and Product Design has developed an interdisciplinary pumpkin design project. Students in Manhattan, Kansas and Salina, Kansas practice design skills in pumpkin carving using techniques such as information gathering, digital photography, and drawing by hand or using vector drawing software. Students completing this project must consider the fragility of the pumpkin material being carved while addressing the challenge of converting a two dimensional design into a three-dimensional object. The exercise is continually improved and revised as participating faculty electronically share syllabi, rubrics, lesson plans, and finished carved pumpkin examples. Com...