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Engineering education

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


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that resistance to change is reinforced by the fundamental myth of engineering education that asserts the supremacy of basic research over all other engineering academic activities, and propose organizational, integrative, and programmatic changes.
Abstract: Change is coming to engineering education, but many reform efforts have proceeded without explicitly examining the prime movers of change, the forces that resist change, or the facets or foci of the system that are most in need of change. This essay frames the current debate by seeing change as motivated by external competitive and technological forces. Resistance to change is viewed as being reinforced by the fundamental myth of engineering education that asserts the supremacy of basic research over all other engineering academic activities. After providing evidence that the myth resulted largely from an overestimation of the role of science and an underestimation of the role of engineering in World War II, the essay considers needed organizational, integrative, and programmatic changes. Among these are the creation of student-faculty teams responsible for delivering a quality education, bottom-up alliances with industrial clients, and a number of proposals aimed at helping the profession explore its human, philosophical, and historical underpinnings. The essay concludes by warning that times of great change risk making matters worse through the unintended consequences of reform. A principled methodology of reform is suggested that advocates distributed and competitive implementation together with a special appreciation for knowledge that is difficult to articulate.

45 citations

Proceedings ArticleDOI
10 Oct 2001
TL;DR: Evidence from interviews and questionnaires points to some of the sources for this resistance to use of the CoWeb in engineering, mathematics and some computer science classes.
Abstract: The CoWeb is a collaborative learning technology used in many classes (over 100) at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), USA. The authors present evidence of the success of the tool in supporting learning at a low cost. They also provide anecdotes about the active resistance they have received to use of the CoWeb in engineering, mathematics and some computer science classes. Evidence from interviews and questionnaires points to some of the sources for this resistance.

45 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the influence of case-based instruction when compared to traditional lecturebased instruction within a mechanical engineering course on student performance in terms of learning, conceptual understanding, and student perceptions towards the two approaches.
Abstract: Recently, there has been a push within engineering curricula to adopt more learner-centered pedagogies, such as case-based instruction. Case-based instruction has been hypothesized to make the curriculum more relevant and motivating for students by pushing them to integrate the concepts they have learned with other experiences. The current study examined the influence of case-based instruction when compared to traditional lecture-based instruction within a mechanical engineering course on student performance in terms of learning, conceptual understanding, and student perceptions towards the two approaches. Seventy students from one systems course in a mechanical engineering program participated in this study. The study utilized within subjects posttest only experimental research design to assess student learning and engagement from cases. Participants completed posttests and a survey. We found that students' conceptual understanding was significantly higher when learning from case-based instruction as compared to traditional lecture. Additionally, the survey results exhibited that cases allowed for significantly more engagement and connections to the real world. However, students reported that cases were not better in improving their learning. Given limited research on the effectiveness of case-based instruction in engineering, this study provides empirical support for the use of cases in engineering. We also argue that student perceptions are not accurate predictors for their actual learning outcomes. Implications for engineering educators and directions for future research are offered. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 51: 659–677, 2014

45 citations

Proceedings ArticleDOI
19 Oct 2005
TL;DR: In this article, the authors highlight the researches done for the creation of competency related to engineering technology programs being offered in India, which can also help in the development of the competency-based curriculum.
Abstract: The universities in different countries follow their own curriculum development philosophies with the intention of producing "work-ready" engineers. "ABET engineering technology criteria" was introduced to rationalise the various curriculum development philosophies followed by different universities in the USA. This paper highlights the researches done for the creation of competency related to engineering technology programmes being offered in India, which can also help in the development of the competency-based curriculum. This is being done with an attempt to usher in some level of rationalisation of Indian technical education system. On comparing the competency bank experience with ABET criteria, the author is of the view that the some of its concepts could be useful to enrich "ABET engineering technology programmes criterion # 2 'a to k' and criterion # 8. Related to these concepts, two major classifications of industries which also influence the competencies to be identified and developed in the undergraduates of the engineering education institutions are also discussed

45 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explain how to improve student writing skills by convincing engineering students to be concerned simultaneously with technical content and the quality of writing, without asking engineering professors to teach writing as a separate subject.
Abstract: A great deal can be done to improve student writing without asking engineering professors to teach writing as a separate subject. This paper explains how to hone writing skills by convincing engineering students to be concerned simultaneously with technical content and the quality of writing. Many engineering courses offer opportunities for students to improve their writing, but the most effective motivation arises from design problems. Experience in several courses over a 10 year period indicates that some simple advice coupled with frequent opportunities to practice can improve writing skills rather easily and quickly. This can be done without trying to teach English or doing extensive editing on reports. Encouraging good writing in engineering courses has been well received by students. They see that it will be valuable after graduation and they appreciate the value of practicing writing skills in a realistic engineering problem-solving environment.

45 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
2023239
2022652
2021607
20201,010
20191,046
20181,123