added some intro amd discussion text

ASEE_paper.tex

@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 \usepackage{times}
 \usepackage{float}
 \usepackage[numbers,super]{natbib}
-\usepackage{lipsum} % Package to generate dummy text throughout this template.
 
 \titleformat*{\section}{\normalsize\bfseries} % Makes section titles 12 pt font
 
@@ -49,31 +48,74 @@
 %----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 \section*{Abstract}
 
-In this paper, I will discuss a project-based competition in an upper-level
-mechanical engineering laboratory course. I redesigned the course in Fall 2018
-to prepare students to make engineering decisions and accomplish design goals.
-My short-term objectives were to prepare the students to start their capstone
-projects senior year and improve technical writing.  The course introduced
-static and dynamic beam models and experiments. The project-based competition
-asked students to use a cantilever beam to measure the mass of an object.   The
-laboratory course focused on learning from failure in the form of writing
-exercises, peer-editing, and graded progress reports during experiments.
-Students spent the first 9 weeks of the course following experimental procedures
-and writing lab reports. In the final project-based competition, the students
-designed their own set of experiments including finite element analysis and
-experimental procedures. The students were graded upon their approach to the
-problem and quantification of uncertainties in measured and predicted values. I
-awarded a cash prize to the most accurate mass measurement. I will discuss the
-impacts of the project-based competition on the following year's senior capstone
-projects and detail the measured improvements in technical writing throughout
-the semesters in Fall 2018 and Fall 2019. The impacts were measured based
-upon a standardized rubric and qualitative interviews. 
+In this paper, I discuss novel features in an upper-level engineering course
+that have been used to enhance technical writing, prepare students for
+engineering design, and enhance problem-solving skills.  I redesigned the course
+in Fall 2018 to prepare students to make engineering decisions and accomplish
+design goals.  My short-term objectives were to prepare the students to start
+their capstone projects senior year and improve technical writing.  The
+laboratory course includes a number of novel features: specifications grading,
+interactive Jupyter lab handouts, and a project-based competition with
+\$150-prize.  Students spent the first 9 weeks of the course following
+experimental procedures and writing lab reports.  In the project-based
+competition, the students designed their own set of experiments including finite
+element analysis and experimental procedures. The students were graded upon
+their approach to the problem and quantification of uncertainties in measured
+and predicted values. I awarded a cash prize to the most accurate mass
+measurement. I discuss the impacts of specifications grading, project-based
+competition, and detail the measured improvements
+in technical writing throughout the semesters in Fall 2018 and Fall 2019. The
+impacts were measured based upon a standardized rubric and qualitative
+interviews. 
 
 
 %------------------------------------------------
 
 \section*{Introduction}
 
+Engineering is difficult. Engineering students are expected to create models,
+take measurements, make predictions, and validate results. 
+
+As academics, we tend to favor rational design e.g. Newton's laws, differential
+equations, thermodynamics
+
+Students are drawn to engineering for its empirical appeal e.g. learn by doing,
+create and measure approach 
+
+Rationalists and empiricists have been at odds for centuries, marked especially
+by the conflict between David Hume's Treatise of Human Nature and Immanuel
+Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. 
+
+Since the divide between rational and empirical thought, there is skepticism
+from both sides as to the validity in the work of modeling and measurement.
+
+Models will claim measurements are incorrect, while measurements will claim
+models are not representing reality. 
+
+Modern engineers are expected to build innovative designs with rational models,
+but also validate and correct these designs with emprical measurements and
+insights. 
+
+Engineering design has to use both rational and empirical ideas to accomplish
+goals. 
+
+Use models to predict results
+
+Use measurements to interpret results
+
+validate predictions with measurements
+
+relate quantitative rational model to empirical measurements
+
+Technical writing is crucial to communicating model predictions and measured
+results. Despite the necessity for strong writing skills, students struggle to
+meet professors'\cite{lillis2001} and employers'\cite{conrad2017} expectation
+for quality writing. In order to improve student writing, I used specification
+grading\cite{nilson2015}. Specification grading introduces pass-fail grading of
+the lab reports similar to competency-based education or mastery
+learning\cite{bloom1971, kulik1990}. 
+
+
 
 %------------------------------------------------
 
@@ -153,7 +195,9 @@ Fig.~\ref{}\quality}(a), the scores of each lab group is fit to a linear model t
 determine the change in report grade per report. The goal was to have the entire
 class in the green "continuous improvement"-area. In Fall~2018, 92\% of the
 class continually improved and in Fall~2019, 72\% of the class continually
-improved their scores. 
+improved their scores. The "maintain quality" area represtents students
+that wrote report of high quality initiially, but did not improve during the
+course of the class. 
 
 \begin{figure}[ht]
 

ASEEpaper.bib

@@ -25,3 +25,32 @@
   year={1908},
   publisher={JSTOR}
 }
+
+@article{conrad2017,
+  author = {Conrad, Susan},
+  doi = {10.1002/jee.20161},
+  file = {:home/ryan/Downloads/Conrad-2017-Journal{\_}of{\_}Engineering{\_}Education.pdf:pdf},
+  issn = {1069-4730},
+  journal = {Journal of Engineering Education},
+  month = {apr},
+  number = {2},
+  pages = {191--217},
+  title = {{A Comparison of Practitioner and Student Writing in Civil Engineering}},
+  url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jee.20161},
+  volume = {106},
+  year = {2017}
+}
+
+@article{lillis2001,
+  author = {Lillis, Theresa and Turner, Joan},
+  doi = {10.1080/13562510020029608},
+  issn = {1356-2517},
+  journal = {Teaching in Higher Education},
+  month = {jan},
+  number = {1},
+  pages = {57--68},
+  publisher = {Informa UK Limited},
+  title = {{Student Writing in Higher Education: Contemporary confusion, traditional concerns}},
+  volume = {6},
+  year = {2001}
+}