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Conference paper: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition. Conference dates: June 26 - 29, 2022. Location: Minneapolis, MN. © 2022 American Society for Engineering Education. This paper was originally published as: Dick, B. (2022). Long-term impact of COVID-19 on the first-year engineering experience at a mid-sized teaching focused university [Paper presentation]. 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. https://peer.asee.org/41352 This paper discusses the COVID-19 adaptions made within the first-year engineering design curriculum, and reflects on their impact fulfilling the required learning outcomes, mitigating student mental health issues, and addressing academic misconduct. It will further articulate the adaptations that are planned to be continued within the first-year experience as students return for face-to-face instruction. The impact of these changes will continue to be studied over the coming academic year. https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/26179/DickASEE2022.pdf?sequence=3

Conference paper: 2021 First-Year Engineering Experience. Virtual conference dates: August 9 - 10, 2021. © 2021 American Society for Engineering Education. This paper was originally published as: Dick, B. (2021). Enabling hands-on, team-based project work during COVID-19 [Paper presentation]. 2021 First-Year Engineering Experience Conference. https://peer.asee.org/38378 COVID-19 has impacted delivery of the first-year engineering design curriculum throughout the post-secondary system. At Vancouver Island University (VIU), instruction of the first-year curriculum shifted to an entirely remote learning environment where students were not expected to be in physical contact at any point during the term. This presented a significant challenge to delivering its learning outcomes and activities, particularly hands-on, team-based project work. At VIU, students typically complete a cornerstone design project in the second term of their firstyear of studies. Due to COVID-19, this project was modified to allow for completion within a virtual learning environment. Teams of three or four students were tasked to cooperatively create a rolling ball structure, built in isolation, but delivered and assembled at the University campus by the course instructor and its technician. This structure was required to form a path for a rolling ball, and interact with its neighbouring structures to create seamless track. Collectively, all team structures (a total of ten) formed a ring allowing for continuous ball movement once started. These pass-off points between each structure were determined collaboratively between both teams and individuals. This paper describes how a team-based cornerstone project experience was managed, and its impact on the student experience. https://viurrspace.ca/bitstream/handle/10613/26194/DickASEE35475.pdf?sequence=3