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Engineering

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Purdue University

Theses/Dissertations

2015

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Full-Text Articles in Education

Understanding How Adults Approach Technological Challenges: A Sequential Mixed Methods Research, Mariana Tafur Arciniegas Apr 2015

Understanding How Adults Approach Technological Challenges: A Sequential Mixed Methods Research, Mariana Tafur Arciniegas

Open Access Dissertations

People from all backgrounds engage with technology in their everyday lives. There is, however, a gap in the public's understanding of technology and limited research on how engineers and non-engineers approach technological challenges. Prior studies have focused on the public's understanding of technology but limited research has been conducted on how people deal with technological challenges as part of their everyday lives. Studying how individuals with non-STEM backgrounds engage with technology will contribute a more comprehensive understanding of strategies for closing the technological literacy gap. Taking into account that technology developments rapidly occur, lifelong learning skills are another critical dimension …


Difficulty As A Concept Inventory Design Consideration: An Exploratory Study Of The Concept Assessment Tool For Statics (Cats), Dana L. Denick Apr 2015

Difficulty As A Concept Inventory Design Consideration: An Exploratory Study Of The Concept Assessment Tool For Statics (Cats), Dana L. Denick

Open Access Dissertations

The ability for engineering students to apply mathematic, scientific and engineering knowledge to real-life problems depends greatly on developing deep conceptual knowledge that structures and relates the meaning of underlying principles. Concept inventories have emerged as a class of tests typically developed for use in higher education science and engineering courses. Concept Inventories (CIs) are multiple-choice tests that are designed to assess students' conceptual understanding within a specific content domain. For example, the CI explored within this study, the Concept Assessment Tool for Statics (CATS) is intended to measure students' understanding of the concepts underlying the domain of engineering statics. …


The Effect Of Integrated Science, Engineering, Technology, And Mathematics Lessons On Interest And Engagement Of Secondary Students, Cameron Nunan Apr 2015

The Effect Of Integrated Science, Engineering, Technology, And Mathematics Lessons On Interest And Engagement Of Secondary Students, Cameron Nunan

Open Access Theses

This study set out to answer the research question: Does teaching a single lesson, utilizing the interconnected principles of STEM in STEM courses, increase overall student interest and engagement in STEM classes in secondary schools? The literature review established a need for student interest in STEM to help fill future STEM careers. ^ Integrated STEM lessons were a viable option for increasing interest, but existing research on the matter was limited. Integrated STEM lessons were applied at a test site school using a multiple baseline framework and evaluated responses with a variation of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI). According to …