Showing papers on "Engineering education published in 2008"

Advancing Engineering Education in P-12 Classrooms

Abstract: Engineering as a profession faces the challenge of making the use of technology ubiquitous and transparent in society while at the same time raising young learners' interest and understanding of how technology works. Educational efforts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (i.e., STEM disciplines) continue to grow in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade (P-12) as part of addressing this challenge. This article explores how engineering education can support acquisition of a wide range of knowledge and skills associated with comprehending and using STEM knowledge to accomplish real world problem solving through design, troubleshooting, and analysis activities. We present several promising instructional models for teaching engineering in P-12 classrooms as examples of how engineering can be integrated into the curriculum. While the introduction of engineering education into P-12 classrooms presents a number of opportunities for STEM learning, it also raises issues regarding teacher knowledge and professional development, and institutional challenges such as curricular standards and high-stakes assessments. These issues are considered briefly with respect to providing direction for future research and development on engineering in P-12.

Persistence, Engagement, and Migration in Engineering Programs

Abstract: Records from the Multiple-Institution Database for Investigating Engineering Longitudinal Development indicate that engineering students are typical of students in other majors with respect to: persistence in major; persistence by gender and ethnicity; racial/ethnic distribution; and grade distribution. Data from the National Survey of Student Engagement show that this similarity extends to engagement outcomes including course challenge, faculty interaction, satisfaction with institution, and overall satisfaction. Engineering differs from other majors most notably by a dearth of female students and a low rate of migration into the major. Noting the similarity of students of engineering and other majors with respect to persistence and engagement, we propose that engagement is a precursor to persistence. We explore this hypothesis using data from the Academic Pathways Study of the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education. Further exploration reveals that although persistence and engagement do not vary as much as expected by discipline, there is significant institutional variation, and we assert a need to address persistence and engagement at the institutional level and throughout higher education. Finally, our findings highlight the potential of making the study of engineering more attractive to qualified students. Our findings suggest that a two-pronged approach holds the greatest potential for increasing the number of students graduating with engineering degrees: identify programming that retains the students who come to college committed to an engineering major, and develop programming and policies that allow other students to migrate in. There is already considerable discourse on persistence, so our findings suggest that more research focus is needed on the pathways into engineering, including pathways from other majors.

Rethinking Engineering Education

Abstract: This book describes an approach to engineering education that integrates a comprehensive set of personal, interpersonal, and professional engineering skills with engineering disciplinary knowledge ...

Educating Engineers: Designing for the Future of the Field. Book Highlights.

Abstract: Foreword. Acknowledgments. About the Authors. Introduction. PART ONE Preparing the New-Century Engineer. Chapter 1: The New-Century Engineer. Chapter 2: Technical Knowledge and Linear Components. Chapter 3: A Historical Curriculum in a New Era. PART TWO A Foundation to Build On. Chapter 4: "Knowing That" and "Knowing How". Chapter 5: Listening, Seeing, Doing. Chapter 6: Learning for Problem Solving. PART THREE A Place to Explore. Chapter 7: Theory and Skills. Chapter 8: Lab in the Curriculum. Chapter 9: Learning in the Lab. Chapter 10: Lab Reports. Chapter 11: Making a Place to Explore Professional Practice. PART FOUR A Way to Create. Chapter 12: "Knowing To". Chapter 13: Project-Centered Learning. Chapter 14: Assessing Design. Chapter 15: Making a Place to Create. PART FIVE Affecting the World. Chapter 16: A Foundation for Professional Practice. Chapter 17: Findings from the Study: An Uneven Base. Chapter 18: Preparing for New-Century Professional Practice. PART SIX Bringing Professional Practice Forward. Chapter 19: A Design for Action. Chapter 20: Usable Knowledge. Chapter 21: Toward a New Model for Engineering Education. Chapter 22: Getting from Here to There. Appendix: About the Study. References. Index.

Problem-Oriented and Project-Based Learning (POPBL) as an Innovative Learning Strategy for Sustainable Development in Engineering Education.

Abstract: In a world where systems are increasingly larger, where their boundaries are often difficult to identify, and where societal rather than technical issues play increasingly bigger roles, problems cannot be solved by applying a technical solution alone It thus becomes important for engineers to be skilled not only in terms of their particular technical field but also their ability to identify non-technical aspects of problems, the interaction between these aspects and possible solutions Introducing and integrating these aspects into engineering education is certainly not an easy task and requires innovative approaches In this article, focus is placed on the so-called Aalborg Model, a problem-oriented and project-based learning paradigm utilised at Aalborg University (Denmark), and the mutual benefits that this particular learning strategy provides for students, faculty and communities The article discusses the concept of sustainable development; accounts for the general capabilities of engineer

Characteristics of Successful Cross‐disciplinary Engineering Education Collaborations

Abstract: This article employs theory to demonstrate the characteristics of successful cross-disciplinary engineering education collaborations. Specifically, we analyzed data from interviews with 24 recent Journal of Engineering Education authors from engineer-nonengineer teams. Theoretical frameworks from education and psychology are used to ground the results and contribute to broader research on collaboration across technology and social science disciplines. The data suggest that the way an individual understands and appreciates the nature of knowledge affects the way he or she collaborates with colleagues in different academic disciplines, especially when the disciplines are fundamentally different. Although the literature criticizes engineers for not understanding or respecting other viewpoints, we found that nine engineers and eight nonengineers articulated awareness of their collaborators' perspectives, worked to integrate these into the research, and noted increased satisfaction and quality of work as a result. Recommendations for fostering this type of interdisciplinary integration in engineering education are offered along with suggestions for future research.

Competencies Beyond Countries: The Re‐Organization of Engineering Education in the United States, Europe, and Latin America

Abstract: For over two centuries, the competencies that engineers have been expected to gain from engineering education have been associated with countries. Increased mobility in the workplace is generating pressure to expand competencies beyond countries. A key indicator of changing expectations is found in efforts by engineering education organizations to extend themselves beyond countries. This article compares the transformation of engineering education organizations in the United States with those in Europe and Latin America. In the U.S., organizations are attempting to expand directly from the country to the globe, relying upon prior acceptance of a redefinition of required competencies. In Europe, the redefinition of engineering competencies is taking longer to develop as participating organizations have worked first to define a new regional identity in terms of continental mobility and economic competitiveness. Finally, in Latin America, the redefinition of competencies awaits a resolution of a competition between alternative models of the region. This study of the expected competencies of engineers contributes to the research area of engineering epistemologies. Overall, the contemporary re-definition of competencies in engineering education is not a universal phenomenon but depends upon success in defining identities that extend beyond the country.

Ethics and Engineering Education

Abstract: In the US, Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) recommends the study of ethics so that students acquire ‘an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility’ For the most part, teaching of the subject relies upon the use of scenarios – both hypothetical and ‘real’– and open discussion framed by the codes These scenarios and this framing are seriously deficient – lacking in their attention to the complexities of context, almost solely focused on individual agency, while reflecting too narrow and simplistic a view of the responsibilities of the practicing engineer A critique of several exemplary scenarios, and consideration of the demands placed upon today's professional, prompt reflection on the need for, not just a more expansive reading of the codes of ethics re what it might mean to be ‘responsible’, but a substantial reform of undergraduate engineering education across the board

Looking Beyond Content: Skill development for engineers

Abstract: Current concerns over reforming engineering education have focused attention on helping students develop skills and an adaptive expertise. Phenomenological guidelines for instruction along these lines can be understood as arising out of an emerging theory of thinking and learning built on results in the neural, cognitive, and behavioral sciences. We outline this framework and consider some of its implications for one example: developing a more detailed understanding of the specific skill of using mathematics in modeling physical situations. This approach provides theoretical underpinnings for some best-practice instructional methods designed to help students develop this skill and providesguidance for further research in the area.

Getting the Numbers Right: International Engineering Education in the United States, China, and India

Abstract: This article challenges the commonly cited statistics for engineering graduates in the United States, China, and India. Our research shows that the gap between the number of engineers and related technology specialists produced in the United States versus those in India and China is smaller than previously reported, and the United States remains a leading source of high-quality global engineering talent. Furthermore, engineering graduates in China and India face the prospect of substantial unemployment, despite high corporate demand for their services; this raises questions about the quality of recent graduates. The United States, however, also confronts problems in its continued ability to attract and retain top engineering talent from abroad because of visa uncertainties and growing economic opportunities in their countries of origin. We argue that the key issue in engineering education should be the quality of graduates, not just the quantity, since quality factors have the biggest impact on innovation and entrepreneurship.

The Good Engineer: Giving Virtue its Due in Engineering Ethics

Abstract: During the past few decades, engineering ethics has been oriented towards protecting the public from professional misconduct by engineers and from the harmful effects of technology. This "preventive ethics" project has been accomplished primarily by means of the promulgation of negative rules. However, some aspects of engineering professionalism, such as (1) sensitivity to risk (2) awareness of the social context of technology, (3) respect for nature, and (4) commitment to the public good, cannot be adequately accounted for in terms of rules, certainly not negative rules. Virtue ethics is a more appropriate vehicle for expressing these aspects of engineering professionalism. Some of the unique features of virtue ethics are the greater place it gives for discretion and judgment and also for inner motivation and commitment. Four of the many professional virtues that are important for engineers correspond to the four aspects of engineering professionalism listed above. Finally, the importance of the humanities and social sciences in promoting these virtues suggests that these disciplines are crucial in the professional education of engineers.

Teaching Communication in Capstone Design: The Role of the Instructor in Situated Learning

Abstract: Calls for engineers to communicate more effectively are ubiquitous, and engineering education literature includes numerous examples of assignments and courses that integrate writing and speaking with technical content. However, little of this literature examines in detail how engineering students develop communication skills and how those learning mechanisms influence classroom practice. To address this gap, this article synthesizes research on communication learning in college from the fields of composition and technical communication and illustrates its relevance to the engineering classroom with a case study of a capstone design course. The principles of situated learning and activity theory, in particular, provide strong evidence that the ways in which course instructors and students interact around communication tasks play a significant role in helping students develop transferable communication skills.

I still wanna be an engineer! Women, education and the engineering profession

Abstract: Women's low enrolment in post-school engineering degrees continues to be a problem for engineering faculties and the profession generally. A qualitative interview-based study of Australian women engineers across the range of engineering disciplines showed the relevance of success in math and science at school to their enrolling in engineering at university. However, for a significant number of the women the positive self-image connected with school success was not maintained by their workplace experience. Using a mixed methods approach, further investigations of the attitudes and experiences of working engineers at three large firms suggest that engineering workplaces continue to be uneasy environments for professional women. Particular issues for women working as professional engineers are identified in this paper and some educational strategies are suggested in order to better prepare engineers for an inclusive and participatory professional life.

Conceptualizing Engagement: Contributions of Faculty to Student Engagement in Engineering

Abstract: The concept of student engagement, now prominent in the engineering education and higher education communities, has a long intellectual history. Yet only recently has attention focused on the role that faculty play as designers of educational environments to support student engagement. Drawing from examples and data from the Engineering Change study (which evaluated the impact of the new EC2000 accreditation standards on engineering programs and student learning), the Academic Pathways Study of the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education, and studies underway at the United States Air Force Academy, we explore the role of faculty, as the institutional agents who are most proximal to the student experience, in developing, facilitating, and sustaining high levels of student engagement.

Service Science, Management and Engineering: Education for the 21st Century

Abstract: Increasingly, academic and industrial leaders are recognizing that college graduates need new skills to address business and technical issues in a service business environment. Because services depend critically on people working together and with technology to provide value for others, these new skills include the ability to integrate across traditional disciplinary areas to obtain globally effective solutions. Service Science, Management and Engineering (SSME) is one such approach to properly focusing education and research on services, and to preparing tomorrow's graduates to work in an expanding services economy. Papers in this volume were developed from the 2006 conference hosted by IBM, Service Science, Management, and Engineering - Education for the 21st Century. The book incorporates a variety of perspectives, informed by an international background in SSME experience and education, including management, business, social science, computer science and engineering.

Model-eliciting activities (MEAs) as a bridge between engineering education research and mathematics education research

Abstract: This article introduces Model-Eliciting Activities (MEAs) as a form of case study team problem-solving. MEA design focuses on eliciting from students conceptual models that they iteratively revise in problem-solving. Though developed by mathematics education researchers to study the evolution of mathematical problem-solving expertise in middle school students, MEAs are increasingly used in undergraduate engineering at the introductory course level, and are the subject of several NSF grants to expand their implementation. A primary implementation challenge involves finding appropriate blends of MEAs with other pedagogies. Current research and development efforts include five areas of expanding the theoretical and empirical scope of the MEA construct. These include development and use of Reflection Tools, a device to nurture problem-solving personalities; implementation of current and futuristic learning technologies; elicitation and repair of misconceptions among undergraduates; development of engineering students’ ethical frameworks; and implementation of the elicitation model in higher level engineering courses.

Getting the Numbers Right: International Engineering Education in the United States, China, and India

Abstract: This article challenges the commonly cited statistics for engineering graduates in the United States, China, and India. Our research shows that the gap between the number of engineers and related technology specialists produced in the United States versus those in India and China is smaller than previously reported, and the United States remains a leading source of high-quality global engineering talent. Furthermore, engineering graduates in China and India face the prospect of substantial unemployment, despite high corporate demand for their services; this raises questions about the quality of recent graduates. The United States, however, also confronts problems in its continued ability to attract and retain top engineering talent from abroad because of visa uncertainties and growing economic opportunities in their countries of origin. We argue that the key issue in engineering education should be the quality of graduates, not just the quantity, since quality factors have the biggest impact on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Broadening Female Participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Experiences at Community Colleges.

Abstract: This chapter presents findings from interviews with female community college students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields regarding their learning experiences, interaction with faculty, and educational and career aspirations.

The New Engineer: Between Employability and Social Responsibility

Abstract: The reasons behind the demand for what is sometimes called the New Engineer are critically examined and it is argued that a focus on employability alone is not sufficient to prepare socially responsible engineers. By examining issues around work organisation and sustainability it is proposed that engineers need to understand the wider social context in which they work. It is argued that the focus of ethics education should be broadened to focus on the social structure and the way it both enables and constrains socially responsible conduct. There is a call to refocus engineers’ attitudes towards the systems of regulation so they see them not only as constraints but as potential enablers supporting socially responsible engineering.

Engineers, development, and engineering education : From national to sustainable community development

Abstract: In October 2007, Norman Borlaug wrote in Science magazine that ‘more than 200 science journals throughout the world will simultaneously publish papers on global poverty and human development – a collaborative effort to increase awareness, interest, and research about these important issues of our time’. Borlaug, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and father of the green revolution, was demonstrating that the scientific community is at last taking questions seriously of sustainability and development. Borlaug's own contentious role in the history of ‘development,’ however, points to the complexity of the term and the contested role scientists and engineers have played in that history. As engineering education initiatives incorporating sustainable development practices proliferate, it becomes ever more important to understand the historical lessons of development and the contributions of engineers. This paper outlines a history of engineering practice and education in relationship to development, sustainable develo...

Educating the Engineer of 2020

Abstract: How will engineering practice change in the next twenty years? What are the implications to engineering education? Will we have achieved gender equity? These questions will be discussed in the context of three recent reports of the US. National Academy of Engineering – The Engineer of 2020: Global Visions of Engineering in the New Century; Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering Education to the New Century; and Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering.Copyright © 2008 by ASME

Is Modeling of Freshman Engineering Success Different from Modeling of Non‐Engineering Success?

Abstract: The engineering community has recognized the need for a higher retention rate in freshman engineering. If we are to increase the freshman retention rate, we need to better understand the characteristics of academic success for engineering students. One approach is to compare academic performance of engineering students to that of non-engineering students. This study explores the differences in predicting academic success (defined as the first year GPA) for freshman engineering students compared to three non-engineering student sectors (Pre-Med, STEM, and nonSTEM disciplines) within a university. Academic success is predicted with pre-college variables from the UCLA/CIRP survey using factor analysis and regression analysis. Except for the factor related to the high school GPA and rank, the predictors for each student sector were discipline specific. Predictors unique to the engineering sector included the factors related to quantitative skills (ACT Math and Science test scores and placement test scores) and confidence in quantitative skills.

Student enthusiasm for engineering: charting changes in student aspirations and motivation

Abstract: Many recent teaching initiatives in engineering education have the underlying premise of improving student engagement with global issues and providing first-hand experience of complex problems associated with sustainable development and production. A greater understanding of actual motivational drivers may help in student recruitment and retention, and address, e.g. gender disparity. In this work, student motivations and aspirations are explored through a cross-faculty survey of undergraduate engineering students. The results indicate that while many students start an engineering degree with an aspiration to ‘invent something new’ and ‘make a difference to the world’, these diminish with time to be dominated by issues such as financial security. Students who continue to aspire to the creative/high-impact notions of engineering also maintain an enthusiasm for engineering. However, all students desire more practical work and skills training. Based on these findings, some general recommendations are given fo...

Educating engineers in the sustainable futures model with a global perspective

Abstract: The solutions to the world's current and future problems require that engineers and scientists design and construct ecologically and socially just systems within the carrying capacity of nature without compromising future generations. In addition, as governments move towards policies that promote an international marketplace, educators need to prepare students to succeed in the global economy. Young people entering the workforce in the upcoming decades will also have the opportunity to play a critical role in the eradication of poverty and hunger and facilitation of sustainable development, appropriate technology, beneficial infrastructure, and promotion of change that is environmentally and socially just. Many universities espouse the idea that discipline integration is a prerequisite for successful implementation of sustainability in education. However, few engineering curriculum have taken the step to integrate concepts of sustainable development with an international experience. This paper discusses t...

Empowering Engineering College Staff to Adopt Active Learning Methods

Abstract: There is a growing consensus that traditional instruction in basic science courses, in institutions of higher learning, do not lead to the desired results. Most of the students who complete these courses do not gain deep knowledge about the basic concepts and develop a negative approach to the sciences. In order to deal with this problem, a variety of methods have been proposed and implemented, during the last decade, which focus on the “active learning” of the participating students. We found that the methods developed in MIT and NCSU were fruitful and we adopted their approach. Despite research-based evidence of the success of these methods, they are often met by the resistance of the academic staff. This article describes how one institution of higher learning organized itself to introduce significant changes into its introductory science courses, as well as the stages teachers undergo, as they adopt innovative teaching methods. In the article, we adopt the Rogers model of the innovative-decision process, which we used to evaluate the degree of innovation adoption by seven members of the academic staff. An analysis of interview and observation data showed that four factors were identified which influence the degree innovation adoption: (1) teacher readiness to seriously learn the theoretical background of “active learning”; (2) the development of an appropriate local model, customized to the beliefs of the academic staff; (3) teacher expertise in information technologies, and (4) the teachers’ design of creative solutions to problems that arose during their teaching.