Expertise:
Regional Air Quality, Technology in Higher Education, Online Education, MOOCs, Thermal-Fluids SciencesAs a graduate student and post-doctoral researcher, most of Paul Nissenson’s research involved conducting computer simulations of atmospherically relevant systems, especially of small (micrometer-sized) aerosols. Since coming to Cal Poly Pomona, his research focus has shifted to examining role of technology in engineering education. Currently, he is the Chair of the American Society for Engineering Education Pacific Southwest section for 2018-2019.
In 2018, Nissenson, along with Juliana Fuqua and Faye Wachs, faculty in the Psychology and Sociology Department, were recognized by the CSU with a Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award for their work transforming a bottleneck mechanical engineering course from a more traditional lecture-based class to one that offers students more opportunities to interact in order to improve learning outcomes. From fall 2015 to spring 2017, Nissenson implemented a variety of new strategies and technologies, while Wachs, Fuqua and trained student researchers assessed their impact on student academic performance. The class’ pass rate improved from 66 percent to 89 percent.
Part of those changes involved developing a set of video tutorials for students which have been added to his department’s YouTube channel and video library, ME Online. These videos have been viewed over 1 million times by people world-wide.
Recent Grants and Fellowships:
- CSU Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award, 2018
- Cal Poly Pomona ASME Professor of the Year Award, 2018
- Online Learning Consortium’s Digital Learning Initiative Award, 2017
- American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference, Best paper in the Computers in Education Division, 2017
- Northrup Grumman Teaching Award , 2017
- Cal Poly Pomona SPICE program, “Hands-on workshop for engineering faculty to create high-quality, accessible video tutorials for use in web-assisted and hybrid courses,” $5,412, June 2015
Selected Publications:
- With F. Wachs, J. Fuqua, A. Shih, M. Ramirez, L. DaSilva, N. Nguyen and C. Romero, “Successfully Flipping a Fluid Mechanics Course Using Video Tutorials and Active Learning Strategies: Implementation and Assessment,” Proceedings of the 2018 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition in Salt Lake City, UT, June 2018
- Howard, P. Nissenson, L. Meeks, E. Rosario, “Use of Textured Thin Liquids in Patients with Dysphagia,” American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology 27, 827-835. doi: 10.1044/2018_AJSLP-16-0140, 2018
- With Wachs, J. Fuqua, Y. Zhao, S. Pedroza and A. Shih. “Impact of an Online Learning Environment on Student Performance and Perceptions in a Fluid Mechanics Course,” Proceedings of the 2017 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition in Columbus, OH, June 2017
- With N. Tsuchiya and M. Jawaharlal, “A Student Assessment of the Value of a Redesigned First Year Mechanical Engineering Orientation Course,” Proceedings of the 2017 American Society for Engineering Education Pacific Southwest Section Conference in Tempe, AZ, April 2017
- With M. Jawaharlal and A. Shih, “A Hands-on, First Year Mechanical Engineering Course,” Proceedings of the 2016 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition in New Orleans, LA, June 2016
- With Coburn, “Scaling-up a MOOC at a state university in a cost-effective manner,” Proceedings of the 2016 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition in New Orleans, LA, June 2016
- With Shih, MOOC on a budget: Development and implementation of a low-cost MOOC at a state university,” ASEE Computers in Education Journal 7(1), 8-23, 2015
- With Shih (2015). “MOOC on a budget: Development and implementation of a low-cost MOOC at a state university,” Proceedings of the 2015 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition in Seattle, WA, June 2015
- “Impact of a hybrid format on student performance and perceptions in an introductory computer programming course,” Proceedings of the 2015 American Society for Engineering Education Pacific Southwest Section Conference in San Diego, CA, April 2015 (pg 77 of 624)
Interviews:
- Host, “The Engineering Student Experience” podcast
- Interview on the “Succeed in A&P” podcast, https://www.buzzsprout.com/133425/725680-award-winning-instructors-share-their-insights, June 2018
Education:
B.S., Physics; M.S. and Ph.D., Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering; University of California, Irvine