ROXIE
Real Outreach eXperiences In Engineering
A Case Study in Providing
Service Learning Opportunities
for Students on a Large Scale
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
The Instructional Team
ENGE 1114: Exploration of Engineering Design
Richard Goff
Tamara Knott
Jenny Lo
 Department of Engineering Education
 Second course in first-year
engineering curriculum
 Contains 3 learning modules:
 Graphics Communication
 Engineering Design
 Computer Programming
 ~ 900 1st-year engineering students
Janis Terpenny
Christopher Williams
Pic of Torg
classroom
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
The Service Learning Team
Karen Gilbert
Andy Morikawa
Michele James Deramo
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
ENGE 1114 Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Understand the engineering design process
Demonstrate basic project management
Communicate engineering information
Participate in a major team design project
Improve ability to work in a team
Improve negotiating skills
Improve interpersonal communication skills
Have fun with engineering design
Improve relationship between VT campus and the
community
Participate in VT Engage and Service-Learning
“Standard”
Design
Project
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Service Learning
Design Project
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ENGINEERING EDUCATION
What is ROXIE?
Service Learning Design Project
Students serve as “Design
Consultants” for community
partner
Work with community partner to
identify need
Work towards solution using
design methods taught in class
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
What is ROXIE?
5 Steps:
1. Partner with community service
group
2. Perform volunteer service activity
with group
3. Reflect on experience and identify
opportunity for improvement
4. Propose design problem
(and get it approved)
5. Follow design method to propose
solution to problem
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Implementation:
Project Unveiling (aka Sales Pitch)
This semester you will:
Get out of the
classroom
Improve the
community
Connect with the
community
Learn through
doing
Actively apply
principles of design
Be given the freedom to
define your own project
Apply your knowledge to
open-ended problem
Get hands-on
experience off-campus
LEAVE A LEGACY
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Implementation:
Project Unveiling (aka Sales Pitch)
Your help is needed!
 The skills of an engineer are highly valued and needed
by the community service groups in our region.
 You will be sharing your skills and knowledge while
benefiting from learning how community service groups
function and you will gain invaluable experience
working as a team on a real-world problem. Great for
the resume!
 You will begin or continue a lifelong commitment of
service to your community.
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Implementation:
Project Selection Advice
The design problem you identify should not only
assist with the specific needs of the community
service organization, but should also assist you
with your internalization of the design process.
Answer in the affirmative for the following questions:
 Is there an opportunity for improvement?
 Are there multiple requirements and/or constraints that must
be met for a satisfactory solution to the problem?
 Are there multiple alternatives for a successful solution to the
problem?
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Implementation: VT ENGAGE
Linking students with
community partners
Finding community partners
On-line partner selection
Level of student interest
Making the initial connection
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: Project Partners
Floyd County Humane Society
Vote About America
Lynchburg Girl Scouts
Beans and Rice, Inc.
Blacksburg Baptist Church
Blacksburg Mayor’s Office
Angels of Assisi
Huckleberry Trail Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad
Camp Alta Mons
Blue Ridge Scout Reservation Boy Scouts of Virginia
AARP of Blacksburg
Luther Memorial Church
Roanoke YMCA
Girl Scouts of Virginia
Dayspring Christian Academy
Camp Ottari
Humane Society of Montgomery County
Student Food Pantry
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: Example Projects
 VT Rescue Workbench design
 “Movable Walls project for the Habitat for Humanity Restore”
 Design of March of Dimes Educational Curriculum
 Blacksburg Baptist Church Parking Lot Runoff Control
 Powhatan Welcome Center Renovation
 Design of Indoor Bouldering Facility
 “Designing a Doggy Domicile”
 Bridge Handrail Design
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: By The Numbers
~ 900 students
185 teams (~175 projects)
~ 90 Community Organizations
Estimated 15,000+ hours contributed towards
completion of project
90% of ROXIE community partners surveyed
want to participate again in the future
Increased interest in community partners working
with engineering students
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: Community Response
“Just a quick note to say Thank You for developing the ROXIE
project. We always enjoy exposing students, particularly
Freshmen, to community service and helping them understand
how their expertise and time can make a difference in the
community.
It was enjoyable, and impressive, listening to their
presentations.”
E. Gail Billingsley
Executive Director,
YMCA at Virginia Tech
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: Community Response
“I just wanted to express my thanks for the opportunity to work with your
Engineering students. It was a pleasure to work with this group as they handled
themselves in a very professional manner.
The plans that were submitted as part of their final report will most likely be
implemented as soon as we are able to work out the logistics of the move. We had
hoped to find a "better" use of our space but with limited time and staff had not
been able to look at what our options might be. What a great benefit to the
museum this assignment was!
It is so good to see the University helping the community in these ways. Rest
assured that as you send your students out, they are representing you well!”
Rhonda Hale
Executive Director,
Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: Community Response
“Thanks to the hard work of our ROXIE team, 28 young people
working on their GED’s already have a computer to help them
with their studies, which will help ensure their success with
passing this test.”
Nelda Pearson, Executive Director
Beans and Rice
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: Community Response
“We plan to implement as many projects as possible
developed by our ROXIE teams. We are looking forward to a
continued relationship with engineering students at Virginia
Tech—possibly even working on more advanced projects as
seniors.”
Jean Ann Hughes, Director
Girl Scouts of Virginia, Skyline Council
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: Student Response
Working in the community was rewarding
“It is easy for students to struggle in finding a purpose for studying
engineering during their freshmen year. ROXIE was an experience that
allowed students to make their studies worthwhile, share their hard work
with the community, and develop their engineering design skills and
communication skills.”
“Working with the community was very gratifying experience and helped me
to realize how much people appreciate volunteering work.”
“Being outdoors and doing a good deed for several young kids made this
project an excitement from the start.”
“I am glad that I have knowledge about how hard and time consuming it
can be to keep a community service running.”
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: Student Response
Working in the community was rewarding
“The project has allowed us to be exposed to other peoples’ lives
while helping the community.”
“I found it rather fulfilling. I have learned that doing what we did for
the ROXIE project is something that I think I would enjoy doing for a
living. … It really allows us to see what it is actually like to work as an
engineer in the real world, and that experience is priceless.”
“Working with the community was a great experience”
I really enjoyed being able to work with a community partner…I
believe that the overall process was a positive experience.
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: Student Response
Learned How to Do Engineering Design
“(at) the beginning of the project I felt overwhelmed and flustered … I felt
unprepared to do any good … However, by the middle of the project I was
more comfortable with the idea of working with a real community partner
and not a theoretical person.”
“I thought I was going to design an object within a group and have
competition with other groups. However (through ROXIE) I recognized
design is more than that and it is a process of finding and solving these
problems.”
“The ROXIE project … has greatly helped instill the principles of the design
process in my mind. I have learned that there is a lot more to it than just
writing down the problem, brainstorming, and experimenting.”
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: Student Response
Learned How to Do Engineering Design
“The ROXIE project was a unique experience that helped me to
improve on my design abilities and also showed me what the
future as an engineer would be like.”
“Before entering the ENG program at VT I was a submarine
mechanic for the US Navy … Looking back at this period in my
life I wish that I had some of the problem definition skills that I
was taught during these beginning engineering courses.”
“I think that the design methods we learned in class will be
useful for other engineering projects in the future”
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: Student Response
Questioning ROXIE’s benefit to the community
“The only thing that I think is wrong with this project is the fact
that we are not able to deliver our design to our community
partners. It feels like we are taunting them with a solution to a
major problem of theirs without delivering the solution to them.”
“Since we will not actually implement our project, all the design
processes and work we went through are basically useless.”
“Engineers working on a House of Quality is definitely not
serving the community or helping them in any way.”
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: Student Response
How your Efforts Made a Difference
 By developing alternative solutions to a problem,
organizations are now able to focus in on the one idea that
works best—in some cases leading to dramatic savings in
consultant and professional fees
 With complete, detailed reports in hand, organizations are
now able to discuss these projects with their executive
boards and apply for grant funding to implement YOUR
solution
 Many clients of the participating organizations are already
enjoying the benefits of the ROXIE project
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: Community Response
“Now that we have our report from our ROXIE team, we will
begin immediately to apply for grants to fund our outdoor
classrooms. It is very helpful and time-saving to have the
detailed design and expenses in hand.”
Tamra Oliver, Assistant Principal
Falling Branch Elementary
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
Outcome: Lessons Learned
Community Partners
 Include community partners in kickoff meeting
 Reduce the overall number of community partners involved
 Keep partners involved through design reviews
Students and Service Learning Design Projects
 Increase number of teams working on a single project
 Emphasize importance of intellectual service
 Emphasize importance of design solution and not design
product
ENGINEERING EDUCATION
ROXIE
Real Outreach eXperiences In Engineering
Thank you.
ENGINEERING EDUCATION