Showing papers on "Engineering education published in 2016"

Generalized Principal Component Analysis

Abstract: This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the latest advances in the mathematical theory and computational tools for modeling high-dimensional data drawn from one or multiple low-dimensional subspaces (or manifolds) and potentially corrupted by noise, gross errors, or outliers. This challenging task requires the development of new algebraic, geometric, statistical, and computational methods for efficient and robust estimation and segmentation of one or multiple subspaces. The book also presents interesting real-world applications of these new methods in image processing, image and video segmentation, face recognition and clustering, and hybrid system identification etc. This book is intended to serve as a textbook for graduate students and beginning researchers in data science, machine learning, computer vision, image and signal processing, and systems theory. It contains ample illustrations, examples, and exercises and is made largely self-contained with three Appendices which survey basic concepts and principles from statistics, optimization, and algebraic-geometry used in this book. RenVidalis a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Director of the Vision Dynamics and Learning Lab at The Johns Hopkins University. Yi Mais Executive Dean and Professor at the School of Information Science and Technology at ShanghaiTech University. S. Shankar Sastryis Dean of the College of Engineering, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Professor of Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley.

Identity, Critical Agency, and Engineering: An Affective Model for Predicting Engineering as a Career Choice

Abstract: Background Prior to college, many students have no experience with engineering, but some ultimately choose an engineering career. Women choose engineering at lower rates than men. This article uses critical engineering agency (CEA) to understand first-year students' attitudes and self-beliefs to predict the choice of an engineering career. Purpose/Hypothesis We investigated how first-year students' math and physics identities and students' beliefs about the ability of science to improve the world predict choice of engineering as a career and whether these beliefs differ by gender. Design/Method The data were from the Sustainability and Gender in Engineering survey distributed during fall 2011 (N = 6,772). Structural equation modeling was used to understand first-year students' affective beliefs for predicting engineering career choice. Results Math and physics identities are important for predicting engineering choice at the beginning of college. Recognition from others and interest in a subject are positive predictors of physics and math identities. Students' performance/competence beliefs alone are negative predictors of engineering career choice but are mediated by interest and recognition from others. Student identities and agency beliefs are significant predictors of engineering career choice, explaining 20% of the variance. We also found gender differences in students' math and physics identities and agency beliefs. Conclusions This article emphasizes the importance of students' recognition beliefs and the importance of agency beliefs for women in predicting engineering career choice.

Identifying 21st Century STEM Competencies Using Workplace Data

Abstract: Gaps between science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and required workplace skills have been identified in industry, academia, and government. Educators acknowledge the need to reform STEM education to better prepare students for their future careers. We pursue this growing interest in the skills needed for STEM disciplines and ask whether frameworks for 21st century skills and engineering education cover all of important STEM competencies. In this study, we identify important STEM competencies and evaluate the relevance of current frameworks applied in education using the standardized job-specific database operated and maintained by the US Department of Labor. Our analysis of the importance of 109 skills, types of knowledge and work activities, revealed 18 skills, seven categories of knowledge, and 27 work activities important for STEM workers. We investigate the perspectives of STEM and non-STEM job incumbents, comparing the importance of each skill, knowledge, and work activity for the two groups. We aimed to condense dimensions of the 52 key areas by categorizing them according to the Katz and Kahn (1978) framework and testing for inter-rater reliability. Our findings show frameworks for 21st century skills and engineering education do not encompass all important STEM competencies. Implications for STEM education programs are discussed, including how they can bridge gaps between education and important workplace competencies.

Engineers at Play: Games as Teaching Tools for Undergraduate Engineering Students

Abstract: Background Many students may not respond strongly to instruction that they do not perceive as engaging. One pedagogical approach to help engage students involves the use of games. Educational games can provide students with a motivating and stimulating environment while providing them with immediate feedback to promote learning. Purpose This systematic review examines research focused on the implementation of games to teach undergraduate engineering students; it summarizes prevailing features and cites examples from a variety of engineering disciplines. Scope/Method The systematic review was conducted through a detailed search of Science Direct journals and the Scopus, Web of Science, Compendex/Inspec, and ERIC Education Research Abstract databases using terms pertinent to games in engineering education. A total of 191 papers was included after application of the inclusion/exclusion criteria. After screening those to determine if assessment of student learning outcomes was performed, 62 papers were found suitable for more detailed analysis. Conclusions Research on the implementation of games in undergraduate engineering classrooms has shown that, despite diverse forms of assessment applied, there is a general trend that both student learning and attitudes are improved by game-based activities. However, since only a relatively small subset of the literature demonstrates a systematic, validated approach in assessment, significant opportunities remain for future research.

Measuring Undergraduate Students' Engineering Self‐Efficacy: A Validation Study

Abstract: Background Self-efficacy has been shown to be positively related to undergraduate engineering students' achievement. Designing self-efficacy measures to assess the multifaceted skills required of engineers could improve the predictive relationship between efficacy beliefs and performance. Purpose This study evaluates the factor structure, validity, and reliability of general and skill-specific engineering self-efficacy measures created for use with undergraduate engineering students. Design/Method Self-efficacy items used for the measures were created and adapted from those used previously. Survey responses were collected from engineering students attending two southeastern universities. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to determine factor structure. Multiple regression analyses examined the relationship between engineering self-efficacy and academic achievement and intent to persist in engineering, both uniquely and when considering other motivation variables. Results Factor analysis results suggested two self-efficacy scales. The General Engineering Self-Efficacy Scale is unidimensional; the Engineering Skills Self-Efficacy Scale is multidimensional with three factors representing experimental skills, tinkering skills, and design. General engineering self-efficacy predicted academic achievement, even when prior achievement was controlled. Students' intrinsic value in engineering predicted their intentions to persist in the engineering profession. Conclusions We found evidence for the reliability, validity, and predictive utility of the engineering self-efficacy scales. These scales can be used to assess undergraduate students' beliefs in their capabilities to perform tasks in their coursework and future roles as engineers and to investigate the association between self-efficacy and academic outcomes of interest.

The reality of STEM education, design and technology teachers’ perceptions: a phenomenographic study

Abstract: The supply of highly qualified scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians is perceived by governments globally as being vital in securing economic prosperity, but somewhere along the line pupils are being ‘switched off’, and disengage with the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) beyond compulsory schooling. Improved STEM Education is presented as a way forward, and the supply of well qualified teachers is perceived as integral to achieving this vision. However in England and Wales, as government funded teacher training bursaries rise for those seeking to pursue a career in mathematics or science, funding for those wishing to train to teach engineering or design and technology is less lucrative. As individual disciplines both hold enormous potential to contribute to the STEM agenda, however currently this is not wholly realised. Set against a background of policy reform and curriculum change, this paper seeks to explore the ways teachers of design and technology perceive STEM, and how the range in variation of perception, relates to design and technology pedagogy. Phenomenography is the adopted methodology, and as such this paper explores participant’s pedagogical understanding and perceptions from a non-dualistic ontological stance. The primary research tool was interview, which following data analysis, categories of description were formed to create empirically grounded outcome spaces. Outcomes from this study show that teacher’s perception of STEM, their personal knowledge, and understanding of that knowledge, is intrinsically linked to the effectiveness of STEM delivery in their own classroom practice. In conclusion, findings from this study would support, in order for learners (pupils) to become STEM literate, that teachers of all STEM subjects be supported to explore ways in which they can best foster mutually reciprocal arrangements with their STEM counterparts.

Engineering Students’ Perceptions of Soft Skills, Industry Expectations, and Career Aspirations

Abstract: Because of globalization and the rapid advancement of technology, researchers and employers agree that the 21st-century engineer must have a set of skills (e.g., teamwork, communication, and management) that were not emphasized in the past. In response, many universities have started to implement program changes in order to graduate well-rounded engineers. As an attempt to assess the gap between what universities are exposing their engineering students to and the requirements of the industry, this paper examines the perceptions of a sample of engineering students about the importance of various soft skills and how well their universities have prepared them in gaining the associated abilities. Students were also surveyed about their career aspirations in an attempt to determine whether these aspirations affect their perceptions. The results revealed that, although the students showed a significant understanding of the importance of soft skills, some of these perceptions can be attributed to their c...

Learning Together: A Collaborative Autoethnographic Exploration of STEAM (STEM + the Arts) Education

Abstract: Background There is a growing interest in STEAM (STEM + the Arts) education as a means to enhance the creativity of STEM students and broaden interest in STEM fields. Many art educators, however, object to the instrumental justification for study in the arts as a way to improve student performance in other areas. Purpose Drawing on the first two authors' engagement in an interdisciplinary design studio, this study develops an expanded view of how STEAM might enrich engineering education in ways that more closely align with the pedagogical commitments of the arts. Design/Method This article is written as a collaborative autoethnography between the first two authors, educators in environmental engineering and art education, respectively. The study is grounded in the educational philosophy of arts advocate Maxine Greene, who views learning as an active, collaborative search for meaning, “wide-awakeness,” and social change. Results Our dialogue reveals the potential for STEAM to provide students and educators with opportunities to explore personally relevant connections between materials, design, society, and the natural environment and to critically engage with implicit and explicit facets of disciplinary identity. Conclusions This view of STEAM simultaneously complements and challenges current conceptions of this emerging educational movement that, almost without exception, are underpinned by calls for competitive economic growth and technological development. We hope future research will build on our perspectives to continue a conversation about STEAM that considers the diverse contributions of, and mutual benefits to, all parties involved.

Building Up STEM: An Analysis of Teacher-Developed Engineering Design-Based STEM Integration Curricular Materials

Abstract: Improving K–12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education has a priority on numerous education reforms in the United States. To that end, developing and sustaining quality programs that focus on integrated STEM education is critical for educators. Successful implementation of any STEM program is related to the curriculum materials used. Educators increasingly recognize the challenge of finding quality curriculum materials for integrated STEM education. In this study, 48 teachers participated in a year-long professional development program on STEM integration, and they designed 20 new engineering design-based STEM curriculum units. Each STEM curriculum unit includes an engineering challenge in which students develop technologies to solve the challenge; each unit also integrates grade level appropriate mathematics (data analysis and measurement) and one of the three science content areas: life science, physical science, or earth science. A total of 20 STEM integration units were assessed using the STEM Integration Curriculum Assessment (STEM-ICA) tool. Comparisons among the STEM units showed that the context or the engineering activities in physical science focused STEM units were more engaging and motivating comparing to the authentic contexts used in life science and earth science focused STEM units. Moreover, mathematics integration and communicating mathematics, science, and engineering thinking were not found to strongly contribute to the overall quality of the STEM units. Implications for designing effective professional development on integrated STEM education will be discussed.

Preparing for Industry 4.0 - Collaborative Virtual Learning Environments in Engineering Education

Abstract: In consideration of future employment domains, engineering students should be prepared to meet the demands of society 4.0 and industry 4.0 – resulting from a fourth industrial revolution. Based on the technological concept of cyber-physical systems and the internet of things, it facilitates – among others - the vision of the smart factory. The vision of “industry 4.0” is characterized by highly individualized and at the same time cross-linked production processes. Physical reality and virtuality increasingly melt together and international teams collaborate across the globe within immersive virtual environments. In the context of the development from purely document based management systems to complex virtual learning environments (VLEs), a shift towards more interactive and collaborative components within higher educational e-learning can be noticed, but is still far from being called the state of the art. As a result, engineering education is faced with a large potential field of research, which ranges from the technical development and didactical conception of new VLEs to the investigation of students’ acceptance or the proof of concept of the VLEs in terms of learning efficiency. This paper presents two corresponding qualitative studies: In a series of focus groups, it was investigated which kinds of VLEs students prefer in a higher education context. Building upon the results of the focus groups, a collaborative VLE was created within the open world game Minecraft. First screenings of the video material of the study indicate a connection between communicational behavior and successful collaborative problem solving in virtual environments.

Latina/o Adolescents' Funds of Knowledge Related to Engineering

Abstract: Background According to a growing body of research, many Latinas/os experience dissonance between their everyday cultural practices and the cultural practices prevalent in engineering. This dissonance contributes to many Latinas/os' sense that engineering is “not for me.” Purpose This study sought to explore the meaning in the relationship between engineering cultural practices and the funds of knowledge found in Latina/o adolescents' familial, community, and recreational settings. Design/Method This ethnographic study followed seven groups of Latina/o adolescents as they identified problems in their communities and solved them through engineering design processes. Using a modified form of constant comparative analysis, we analyzed three data sources: individual interviews, observations of group meetings, and concurrent or retrospective protocols. We developed a coding scheme that categorized the participants' funds of knowledge as they related to engineering. Results The participants' everyday skills and bodies of knowledge aligned with engineering practices. Specifically, their familial, community, and recreational funds of knowledge mapped onto the application of engineering design processes, systems thinking, ethical and empathetic reasoning, knowledge of production and processing, use of communication and construction tools, scientific and mathematical knowledge, and teamwork. Conclusions Engineering instruction for Latina/o adolescents can be reconceptualized as a third space of learning and knowing where adolescents' everyday familial, community, and recreational practices are actively solicited and connected with the cultural practices of engineering.

Teaching Power Electronics With a Design-Oriented, Project-Based Learning Method at the Technical University of Denmark

Abstract: Power electronics is a fast-developing technology within the electrical engineering field. This paper presents the results and experiences gained from applying design-oriented project-based learning to switch-mode power supply design in a power electronics course at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Project-based learning (PBL) is known to be a motivating problem-centered teaching method that not only places students at the core of teaching and learning activities but also gives them the ability to transfer their acquired scientific knowledge into industrial practice. Students choose a specification to implement from various power converter application projects, such as a fuel cell power conditioning converter, a light-emitting diode (LED) driver or a battery charger. The students select the topology, design magnetic components, calculate input/output filters and design closed-loop controllers necessary to fulfill the requirements listed in the chosen specification and thus meet the project's goals. This paper presents the course teaching plan and teaching methods, assessment method and student feedback.

The Role of Entrepreneurship Program Models and Experiential Activities on Engineering Student Outcomes.

Abstract: Entrepreneurship education is being delivered to greater numbers of engineering students through a variety of courses, programs, and experiential learning activities. Some of these opportunities are designed primarily to serve engineering students in their departments and colleges, while others are cross-campus, university-wide efforts to serve students from many disciplines. To date, few researchers have examined to what extent differing program models and experiential activities impact students’ perceptions of their entrepreneurial knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy. This paper examines these issues based on the results of a survey of 501 senior level engineering students enrolled in three institutions that offered three different models of entrepreneurship education. Findings indicate that higher perceptions of entrepreneurial knowledge were associated with the number of entrepreneurship courses taken and involvement in experiential learning activities. Further, students who were enrolled at an institution with a multidisciplinary program tended to rate their entrepreneurial abilities higher than those at two institutions with programs more embedded in engineering departments. This research provides faculty and administrators with valuable insight that can inform the development of entrepreneurship programs targeting engineers, and suggests areas for future research.

Education and invention

Abstract: Modern growth theory puts invention on the center stage. Inventions are created by individuals, raising the question of whether we can increase the number of inventors. To answer this question, we study the causal effect of MSc engineering education on invention, using data on U.S. patents’ Finnish inventors and the distance to the nearest technical university as an instrument. We find a positive effect of engineering education on the propensity to patent and a negative OLS bias. Our counterfactual calculation suggests that establishing three new technical universities resulted in a 20% increase in the number of USPTO patents by Finnish inventors.

Response strategies for curriculum change in engineering

Abstract: During the last 25 years, there have been many calls for new engineering competencies and a corresponding gradual change in both curriculum and pedagogy in engineering education. This has been a global trend, in the US, Europe, Australia and now emerging in the rest of the world. Basically, there have been two main types of societal challenges that many engineering institutions have responded to: the employability skills of graduates and the need for a sustainability approach to engineering. These are two very different challenges and societal needs; however, the ways engineering institutions have responded form a consistent pattern across many of the content aspects. No matter the specific character of change, three very different curriculum strategies seem to have evolved: an add-on strategy, an integration strategy or a re-building strategy; the latter involves substantial curriculum re-design. The add-on strategy and integration strategy are the ones most commonly used, whereas the re-building strategy is at an emerging stage in most engineering education communities. Most engineering schools find it very chal- lenging to re-build an entire curriculum, so smaller changes are generally preferred. The purpose of this article is to conceptualise these institutional response strategies in a wider literature and present examples of curriculum change within both employability and sus- tainability. We will maintain that all these strategies are based on management decisions as well as academic faculty decisions; however the implications for using the various strategies are very different in terms of system change, role of disciplines, leader inter- ventions and faculty development strategies. Furthermore, institutions might use all types of response strategies in different programs and in different semesters. The conceptual framework presented here can provide analytical anchors, hopefully creating more awareness of the complexity of systemic change.

Outcomes and Processes in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program: STEM PhD Completion, Sense of Community, Perceived Program Benefit, Science Identity, and Research Self-Efficacy.

Abstract: Previous research has shown that the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, is an effective intervention for high-achieving underrepresented minority (URM) students; African-American Meyerhoff students are significantly more likely to enter science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) PhD programs than comparison students. The first of two studies in this report extends the prior research by examining levels of PhD completion for Meyerhoff (N = 479) versus comparison sample (N = 249) students among the first 16 cohorts. Entering African-American Meyerhoff students were 4.8 times more likely to complete STEM PhDs than comparison sample students. To enhance understanding of potential mechanisms of influence, the second study used data from the 22nd (Fall 2010) to 25th (Fall 2013) cohorts (N = 109) to test the hypothesis that perceived program benefit at the end of freshman year would mediate the relationship between sense of community at the end of Summer Bridge and science identity and research self-efficacy at the end of sophomore year. Study 2 results indicated that perceived program benefit fully mediated the relationship between sense of community and both criterion measures. The findings underscore the potential of comprehensive STEM intervention programs to enhance PhD completion, and suggest mechanisms of influence.

STEM Integration in Middle School Life Science: Student Learning and Attitudes

Abstract: In many countries around the world, there has been an increasing emphasis on improving science education. Recent reform efforts in the USA call for teachers to integrate scientific and engineering practices into science teaching; for example, science teachers are asked to provide learning experiences for students that apply crosscutting concepts (e.g., patterns, scale) and increase understanding of disciplinary core ideas (e.g., physical science, earth science). Engineering practices and engineering design are essential elements of this new vision of science teaching and learning. This paper presents a research study that evaluates the effects of an engineering design-based science curriculum on student learning and attitudes. Three middle school life science teachers and 275 seventh grade students participated in the study. Content assessments and attitude surveys were administered before and after the implementation of the curriculum unit. Statewide mathematics test proficiency scores were included in the data analysis as well. Results provide evidence of the positive effects of implementing the engineering design-based science unit on student attitudes and learning.

Innovative engineering education in the cooperative VR environment

Abstract: In the scope of the article, there is the presentation of the cyber-higher educational environment feasible by the technical innovations appearing rapidly and the investigation of the methods which can be applied successfully in the educational scene of the future. My goal was to create an educational scene suiting to the digital life of the CE generation students-called Z generation and alpha generation in the traditional generation theories, but clearly called CE and the CCE generation in the CogInfoCom theory — presently studying in the higher education of engineering and meeting the students requirements set against the learning environment. The educational method presented in the article and the research aiming at defining the strategy suit to the science of CogInfoCom supplementing it with an additional pedagogical aspect. The study shows an example for presenting the realization of how we can teach the future technologies to the the future engineers with the help of the present and modern technologies by applying innovative educational methods so that the the human and the ICT merges during work in the coopertative VR scene suiting mostly to the CE genetations digital life while the development of the future technologies is happenning. The cooperative VR learning environment presented in the article ensures an efficient educational scene for the higher education of engineering due to its project-based educational opportunity and at the same time it allows the education of the disruptive technologies appearing more and more extensively, even immediately after the appearance of the technology.

Preparing Engineers for the Workplace through Service Learning: Perceptions of EPICS Alumni

Abstract: Background Service-learning programs that emphasize engineering design have been posited to bolster the professional preparedness of engineering alumni. However, we know little about how such programs actually prepare engineers for the workplace. Nor does prior literature fully explain how characteristics of these programs affect professional preparation. Purpose This study investigates how alumni perceive the impact of one service-learning program, Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS), in preparing them for the workplace. We seek to provide empirical and theoretical foundations about how this program affected the alumni's perceptions of how they were prepared for professional practice. Design/Method This investigation was an embedded, sequential mixed-methods study, which began by administering a survey to 523 participants. On the basis of survey responses, we interviewed 27 participants and conducted a thematic analysis of transcripts to describe how participants related their EPICS experiences to the workplace. Results The findings describe how alumni perceived the role of EPICS in preparing them for the workplace. The thematic analysis reveals how alumni perceived the nature of their preparation through three themes: EPICS was a bridge from education to practice, EPICS provided a means for gaining workplace experience, and EPICS developed a variety of professional skills. Conclusions Grounded in alumni perspectives, this study demonstrates a strong link between participating in service-learning activities and navigating the complexity of the workplace. Finally, we identify three key characteristics of EPICS that are transferable to other institutions.

Creativity in Engineering

Abstract: Creativity is a fundamental element of Engineering Creativity is concerned with the generation of effective, novel solutions to problems, while Engineering, and Engineering Design has a similar goal, focused on technological solutions It was the Sputnik Shock of October 1957 that prompted, for the first time, research into the people who generate creative solutions, the cognitive Process es they employ, the environment in which they undertake these activities, and the characteristics of the Product s they create This chapter summarises the psychological framework that guides efforts to understand how Creativity is fostered so that Engineering organisations can maximise their capacity for Innovation Of special importance is embedding Creativity in Engineering Education

Co-Curricular Connections: The Role of Undergraduate Research Experiences in Promoting Engineering Students’ Communication, Teamwork, and Leadership Skills

Abstract: This study examined the impact of undergraduate research (UR) in engineering, focusing on three particular learning outcomes: communication, teamwork, and leadership. The study included 5126 students across 31 colleges of engineering. The authors employed propensity score matching method to address the selection bias for selection into (and differential availability of) UR programs. Engineering students who engage in UR tend to report higher skill levels, but when curriculum and classroom experiences are taken into account, there is no significant effect of UR on teamwork and leadership skills. Not accounting for college experiences such as curricular, classroom, and other co-curricular experiences may overestimate the positive relationship between UR participation and professional skills. After propensity score adjustment, we found that UR provided a significant predictor of communication skills; a finding that provides support for previous research regarding the importance of communication skills as an outcome of UR. The study highlights the importance of taking into account selection bias when assessing the effect of co-curricular programs on student learning. Implications of the study include expanding undergraduate research opportunities when possible and incorporating communication and leadership skill development into required course curriculum.

Engineering design in the primary school: applying stem concepts to build an optical instrument

Abstract: Internationally there is a need for research that focuses on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education to equip students with the skills needed for a rapidly changing future. One way to do this is through designing engineering activities that reflect real-world problems and contextualise students’ learning of STEM concepts. As such, this study examined the learning that occurred when fifth-grade students completed an optical engineering activity using an iterative engineering design model. Through a qualitative methodology using a case study design, we analysed multiple data sources including students’ design sketches from eight focus groups. Three key findings emerged: first, the collaborative process of the first design sketch enabled students to apply core STEM concepts to model construction; second, during the construction stage students used experimentation for the positioning of lenses, mirrors and tubes resulting in a simpler ‘working’ model; and third, the redesign process enabled students to apply structural changes to their design. The engineering design model was useful for structuring stages of design, construction and redesign; however, we suggest a more flexible approach for advanced applications of STEM concepts in the future.

Thinking Like an Engineer: Using Engineering Habits of Mind and Signature Pedagogies to Redesign Engineering Education

Abstract: In order to attract more young people into engineering and ensure that they are well equipped to meet future professional challenges we need to know how successful engineers think and act when faced with challenging problems. Using a mixed methods approach this study investigated the habits of mind that engineers use most frequently when engaged in the core activity of “making” things or “making things work better”. We identified the six most distinctive learning dispositions, or engineering “habits of mind” [EHoM] that engineers frequently deploy. Our research then explored ways in which the teaching of engineering might be re-designed to cultivate EHoM using “signature pedagogies” and through this, generate deeper understanding of what is involved in becoming and being an engineer. This paper reports on the research undertaken with engineers to define the EHoM and identifies some of the distinctive features of signature pedagogies as they might be applied to engineering education. It concludes by outlining future research to further validate and define habits of mind and signature pedagogies for engineering.

Educating engineers for industry 4.0: Virtual worlds and human-robot-teams: Empirical studies towards a new educational age

Abstract: The term "Industry 4.0" symbolizes new forms of technology and artificial intelligence within production technologies. Smart robots are going to be the game changers within the factories of the future and will work with humans in indispensable teams within many processes. With this fourth industrial revolution, classical production lines are going through comprehensive modernization, e.g. in terms of in-the-box manufacturing, where humans and machines work side by side in so-called "hybrid teams". Questions about how to prepare for newly needed engineering competencies for the age of Industry 4.0, how to assess them and how to teach and train e.g. human-robot-teams have to be tackled in future engineering education. The paper presents theoretical aspects and empirical results of a series of studies, carried out to investigate the competencies of virtual collaboration and joint problem solving in virtual worlds.

Technical and Professional Skills of Engineers Involved and Not Involved in Engineering Service

Abstract: Background Engineers must acquire increasing technical and professional skills to meet pressing global challenges, but fitting training for these skills into already crowded curricula is difficult. Engineering service may provide opportunities to gain such skills; however, prior research about learning outcomes from such activities has been primarily small-scale, anecdotal, or lacking a comparison group. Purpose/Hypothesis We aim to understand whether self-reported learning outcomes differ between engineers involved and not involved with engineering service activities. Specifically, do the two groups experience and learn different technical and professional skills in their engineering activities? Design/Method We used a sequential mixed methods approach that began with interviews and focus groups with 165 participants and continued with a questionnaire administered to over 2,500 engineering students and practicing engineers both involved and not involved with engineering service. Analyses included variable-oriented qualitative analysis and multiple linear regression models to compare perceived technical and professional skills. Results Quantitative results show that engineers involved and not involved with engineering service report comparable perceived technical skills, and that those involved in engineering service report significantly higher perceived professional skills, even when controlling for age, gender, and grade point average. Qualitative results indicate that higher professional skills can be partially attributed to the realistic, complex, and contextualized learning experiences within engineering service activities. Conclusions Engineers involved with engineering service may gain strong professional engineering skills that do not compromise their technical skills. Thus, engineering service may help educate the type of engineers the field needs to confront pressing global challenges.