Engineering education

About: Engineering education is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 24293 publications have been published within this topic receiving 234621 citations.

Women in the Academy: Female Leadership in STEM Education and the Evolution of a Mentoring Web.

Abstract: Introduction The words "quiet crisis," "creeping crisis," and "gathering storm" have been used to describe the status of the United States in an increasingly flat world (Friedman 2006; National Academy of Sciences 2006). In The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Freidman addresses the "education gap" that is emerging in the United States and sounds an alarm intended to rouse people to action (2006, 323-359). Similarly, Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL), the national alliance dedicated to improving undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, has stepped up the urgency of the call for fundamental, long-term, coordinated transformational change of the entire system so as to prepare the United States for the future (PKAL 2006, 1-27). From the perspective of women in the academy, it is of special interest to note that these concerns occur in the context of a gender imbalance in the STEM workforce. Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields and in STEM leadership positions in the United States. For example, data reported in Science and Engineering Indicators 2010 show that only 26% of the college-educated workforce in science and engineering are women (NSB 10-01 2010, 3-32). When considering first-time college freshmen in the national student population, more males (41%) than females (30%) select science or engineering as their intended field of study (NSB 10-01 2010, Appendix Table 2-6). Interestingly, females end up earning 50% of the bachelor's degrees but only 40% of the doctoral degrees in science and engineering (Burrelli 2008, 1; NSF 09-305 2009, 39). In academia 31% of full-time faculty in science and engineering are women, with the preponderance in the life sciences (NSB 10-01 2010, 3-32). Further, only 27% of STEM deans and department heads are women according to the most recent data available from the National Science Foundation (NSF 09-305 2009, 14, 254). There are ample reports in the literature that address the underlying reasons for this imbalance and it is not the purpose of the present paper to add to this body of knowledge. Rather, the question that has emerged in writing the present report is a pragmatic one: given the gender imbalance in the STEM workforce, what can be done to encourage, enable, and empower women to engage and be successful in the STEM disciplines? By sharing strategies and results in a case study format, this paper will demonstrate a model for "what works" with regard to women leaders building and sustaining successful and effective academic programs in STEM and will suggest approaches that may be helpful in working to achieve gender equity in the STEM workforce. CASE STUDY INSTITUTION Stevenson University Stevenson University (SU) serves as the case study institution. Located near Baltimore, Maryland, SU is an independent, comprehensive institution of over 3,400 students pursuing bachelor's and master's degrees whose primary niche is career-oriented liberal arts education. In U.S. News and World Report's 2010 edition of "America's Best Colleges," Stevenson climbed to the 11th ranking among the "Best Baccalaureate Colleges-North Region" and again was recognized as one of the nation's "Top Up-and-Coming Schools" and "Great Schools, Great Prices" (U.S. News and World Report America's Best Colleges 2010). It is worth noting that Stevenson University has been Stevenson University for only two years (since 12 June 2008). After nearly four years of careful deliberation and an extensive vetting process, the institution that had been Villa Julie College for 60 years was redefined from a college to a university with a new name that better reflects its scope and mission. Decades of program development, curricular expansion, enrollment increases, and growth in the size and scope of the campus itself contributed to the recent institutional transformation. This bold and dramatic step is characteristic of the institution well-known in the local community for its entrepreneurial spirit, innovative culture, and responsiveness to the needs of the workforce. …

Impact of additive manufacturing on engineering education – evidence from Italy

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how the direct access to additive manufacturing (AM) systems impacts on education of future mechanical engineers, within a Master’s program at a top Italian University Design/methodology/approach – A survey is specifically designed to assess the relevance of entry-level AM within the learning environment, as a tool for project development The survey is distributed anonymously to three consecutive cohorts of students who attended the course of “computer-aided production (CAP)”, within the Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Politecnico di Torino The course includes a practical project, consisting in the design of a polymeric product with multiple components and ending with the production of an assembled prototype The working assembly is fabricated by the students themselves, who operate a fused deposition modelling (FDM) machine, finish the parts and evaluate assemblability and functionality The post-course survey covers diverse aspe

Factors affecting effectiveness in e‐learning: An analysis in production management courses

Abstract: E-learning may help to open up new channels for the traditional teaching of engineering but there are many questions about what makes e-learning an effective and satisfactory method, in particular, in the field of industrial engineering. This article evaluates the potential factors affecting the effectiveness of engineering e-learning courses by applying structural equation modeling in a sample of students of multiple production management courses for industrial engineering students. This way, the gaps and methodological weaknesses detected in prior studies has been avoided. The findings of this study suggest that interaction is key to getting successful outcomes, that the right mixture of human and technology must be found, that it is crucial to teach students to learn online and that special attention must be directed to non-traditional students who have the additional pressure of resolving time conflicts between e-learning, work and/or family life. These findings can help engineering colleges and schools offering e-learning courses to learn more about how to enhance students' success. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 19: 572–581, 2011

Confusions and Conventions: Qualitative Research in Engineering Education

Abstract: Moving into a new area of research, especially an interdisciplinary area and from technical to social research data, can be daunting. There are many new terms to encounter and whole new ways of doing things. Furthermore, the new variety of qualitative research emerging from engineering education research groups can fall in betwixt and between – with reviewers from neither social science nor engineering domains recognizing what they see as quality and hence rejecting the work. As members of the Editorial Board, we have seen an increasing number of qualitative research papers submitted to the Journal of Engineering Education over the last couple of years, but we are disturbed by the number of these that get rejected. How can we assess quality in unknown and innovative areas of work? This guest editorial aims to throw some light on the confusions arising at this juxtaposition of engineering/physical science and social science cultures in order to lay the foundations for better research papers and better reviews of qualitative studies in this Journal and elsewhere. In particular, we seek to highlight how research design encompasses epistemology, theory, methodology, and methods – all of them integrated in a coherent way.