Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Engineering Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2021

Engineering education

Discipline
Institution
Publication
Publication Type

Articles 1 - 14 of 14

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Using A Systemic Skills Model To Build An Effective 21st Century Workforce: Factors That Impact The Ability To Navigate Complex Systems, Morteza Nagahi Dec 2021

Using A Systemic Skills Model To Build An Effective 21st Century Workforce: Factors That Impact The Ability To Navigate Complex Systems, Morteza Nagahi

Theses and Dissertations

The growth of technology and the proliferation of information made modern complex systems more fragile and vulnerable. As a result, competitive advantage is no longer achieved exclusively through strategic planning but by developing an influential cadre of technical people who can efficiently manage and navigate modern complex systems. The dissertation aims to provide educators, practitioners, and organizations with a model that helps to measure individuals’ systems thinking skills, complex problem solving, personality traits, and the impacting demographic factors such as managerial and work experience, current occupation type, organizational ownership structure, and education level. The intent is to study how these …


The Development Of Authentic Virtual Reality Scenarios To Measure Individuals’ Level Of Systems Thinking Skills And Learning Abilities, Vidanelage L. Dayarathna Dec 2021

The Development Of Authentic Virtual Reality Scenarios To Measure Individuals’ Level Of Systems Thinking Skills And Learning Abilities, Vidanelage L. Dayarathna

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops virtual reality modules to capture individuals’ learning abilities and systems thinking skills in dynamic environments. In the first chapter, an immersive queuing theory teaching module is developed using virtual reality technology. The objective of the study is to present systems engineering concepts in a more sophisticated environment and measure students learning abilities. Furthermore, the study explores the performance gaps between male and female students in manufacturing systems concepts. To investigate the gender biases toward the performance of developed VR module, three efficacy measures (simulation sickness questionnaire, systems usability scale, and presence questionnaire) and two effectiveness measures (NASA …


Insights From Two Decades Of P-12 Engineering Education Research, Cary I. Sneider, Mihir K. Ravel Nov 2021

Insights From Two Decades Of P-12 Engineering Education Research, Cary I. Sneider, Mihir K. Ravel

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

The 21st century has seen a growing movement in the United States towards the adoption of engineering and technology as a complement to science education. Motivated by this shift, this article offers insights into engineering education for grades P-12, based on a landscape review of 263 empirical research studies spanning the two decades from January 2000 to June 2021. These insights are organized around three core themes: (1) students’ understandings, skills, and attitudes about engineering and technology; (2) effective methods of P-12 engineering education; and (3) benefits of P-12 engineering education. The insights are captured in the form of evidence-based …


Investigating The Habits Of Mind Of Practicing Engineers, Theresa K. Green Aug 2021

Investigating The Habits Of Mind Of Practicing Engineers, Theresa K. Green

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

One goal of undergraduate engineering education is to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and decision-making strategies that are necessary for success in engineering practice. One proposed method to teach students these skills is to incorporate habits of mind into K-12 and undergraduate curricula. Habits of mind are the intelligent, social behaviors that engineers should aspire to have when solving problems, engaging with others, and dealing with uncertainty. Previous literature has suggested that incorporating ideas about habits of mind in educational curricula can teach students the disciplinary skills, technical knowledge, and social values that would help prepare them to enter …


Insights Into The Integration Of The Sdgs In Engineering Program Curricula As Seen Through The Prism Of The Perceptions Of Engineering Students And Educators, Klara Kövesi, Brad Tabas, Christiane Gillet, Una Beagon, Brian Bowe Jun 2021

Insights Into The Integration Of The Sdgs In Engineering Program Curricula As Seen Through The Prism Of The Perceptions Of Engineering Students And Educators, Klara Kövesi, Brad Tabas, Christiane Gillet, Una Beagon, Brian Bowe

Conference Papers

In this paper, we offer insight into how the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are being integrated into engineering programs. We investigate the question: “what opportunities and barriers should we take into consideration in order to better integrate the SDGs into engineering programmes?” We undertook two exploratory focus group studies with engineering students and academic participants that explored their perception of SDGs’ integration to their programs. Our results show significant differences between the perceptions of students and academics, and this indicates the need for a more comprehensive and balanced integration of the SDGs into engineering curricula. We particularly recommend a …


Transnational Latinx Youths’ Workplace Funds Of Knowledge And Implications For Assets-Based, Equity-Oriented Engineering Education, Amy Wilson-Lopez, Jorge Acosta-Feliz May 2021

Transnational Latinx Youths’ Workplace Funds Of Knowledge And Implications For Assets-Based, Equity-Oriented Engineering Education, Amy Wilson-Lopez, Jorge Acosta-Feliz

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Due to economic inequality in society, millions of Latinx high school youth work after-school jobs and summer jobs in order to provide additional income for their families. The purpose of this qualitative study, conducted with transnational Latinx youth, was to identify the engineering-related skills and bodies of knowledge they developed and applied while in different workplaces. This study is framed in complementary theories of funds of knowledge, Vygotskian theories of mediated action, and theories of resistant capital. Specifically, this study is based in the premise that youth can develop engineering-related funds of knowledge through tool-mediated, goal-directed activities jointly conducted with …


Engineering Students’ Perceptions Of Mathematical Modeling In A Learning Module Centered On A Hydrologic Design Case Study, Madeline F. Merck, Melissa A. Gallagher, Emad Habib, David G. Tarboton Mar 2021

Engineering Students’ Perceptions Of Mathematical Modeling In A Learning Module Centered On A Hydrologic Design Case Study, Madeline F. Merck, Melissa A. Gallagher, Emad Habib, David G. Tarboton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Engineering students need to spend time engaging in mathematical modeling tasks to reinforce their learning of mathematics through its application to authentic problems and real world design situations. Technological tools and resources can support this kind of learning engagement. We produced an online module that develops students‚Äô mathematical modeling skills while developing knowledge of the fundamentals of rainfall-runoff processes and engineering design. This study examined how 251 students at two United States universities perceived mathematical modeling as implemented through the online module over a 5-year period. We found, subject to the limitation that these are perceptions from not all students, …


Intersecting Engineering And Literacies: A Review Of The Literature On Communicative Literacies In K-12 Engineering Education, Katarina N. Silvestri, Michelle E. Jordan, Patricia Paugh, Mary B. Mcvee, Diane L. Schallert Feb 2021

Intersecting Engineering And Literacies: A Review Of The Literature On Communicative Literacies In K-12 Engineering Education, Katarina N. Silvestri, Michelle E. Jordan, Patricia Paugh, Mary B. Mcvee, Diane L. Schallert

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Given the increased attention on pre-college engineering education and its disciplinary nature pertaining to language, discourses, and communicative practices, this state-of-the-art literature review focused on findings of research articles informed by qualitative and quantitative data to foreground communicative literacies within engineering design teams at the pre-college level. A disciplinary literacies framework was used to interpret and analyze published works in this particular domain. A search, selection, and inclusion process typical for state-of-the-art reviews yielded 33 studies. Constant comparison and open-coding led to clustering studies under five overarching themes in ranked order of frequency of occurrence pertaining to: (a) engineering disciplinary …


Facilitating Veteran And Adult Students' Learning And Retention In Engineering: Faculty-Student Partnership - A Model Of An Evidence-Based Practice, Kim E. Bullington, Anthony Dean, Cynthia Tomovic, Vukica M. Jovanović, Rafael E. Landaeta Jan 2021

Facilitating Veteran And Adult Students' Learning And Retention In Engineering: Faculty-Student Partnership - A Model Of An Evidence-Based Practice, Kim E. Bullington, Anthony Dean, Cynthia Tomovic, Vukica M. Jovanović, Rafael E. Landaeta

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

With the growing number of adult and military veterans entering higher education, it is important to understand and incorporate the basics of andragogy in curriculum, course development, and the learning environment to facilitate learning and degree completion. Researchers in this S-STEM project funded by the NSF share observations of a student-faculty partnership that resulted from the development of a formal learning community. A series of targeted seminars were conducted that appear to have increased adult and military veteran engineering and technology students’ levels of connectedness and self-efficacy. Results of this pilot study are shared as an evidence-based practice to enhance …


Mentoring Prospective Engineering Students Through The After School Program "Girls In Engineering" Focused On Building An Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle, Vukica M. Jovanović, Deborah Marshall, Jeff Warren Larson Jr., Abdul Rahman Badawi, Neil R. Stclair, Otilia Popescu, Murat Kuzlu, Petros J. Katsioloudis, Linda Vahala, Michael Anthony Crespo Jan 2021

Mentoring Prospective Engineering Students Through The After School Program "Girls In Engineering" Focused On Building An Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle, Vukica M. Jovanović, Deborah Marshall, Jeff Warren Larson Jr., Abdul Rahman Badawi, Neil R. Stclair, Otilia Popescu, Murat Kuzlu, Petros J. Katsioloudis, Linda Vahala, Michael Anthony Crespo

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

A number of studies by engineering education researchers have pointed out that all-female teams, rather than mixed teams, result in better forms of participation and interaction in engineering related after-school programs and clubs. In particular, for after-school programs or clubs that form in response to a STEM competition, all-female teams have better chances of developing. One such competition, which will be discussed in this paper, is a regional Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) competition in which students from Blind_Review High School have been participating for many years.For each year’s competition, an all-female team of students enrolled in the Career and …


Gamification Of Icebreaking Activities For Mechanical Engineering Students Embarking On A Problem Based Learning Module, Kevin Delaney, Gerard Nagle, Mingzhu Chen Jan 2021

Gamification Of Icebreaking Activities For Mechanical Engineering Students Embarking On A Problem Based Learning Module, Kevin Delaney, Gerard Nagle, Mingzhu Chen

Conference papers

When they enter the workforce engineering graduates must be able to engage collaboratively with others to find solutions to complex engineering challenges. This involves a great deal more than simply solving technical problems traditionally taught in engineering school. The Mechanical Engineering Discipline in Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) has helped students develop real-world engineering skills through a team based Problem Based Learning (PBL) module since 2005. This module, involving third year students, can be particularly challenging since participants can join the third year of the program from other programs or universities and many will not have known each other prior …


Here You Have To Be Mixing: Collaborative Learning On An Engineering Program In Ireland As Experienced By A Group Of Young Middle Eastern Women, Shannon Chance, Bill Williams Jan 2021

Here You Have To Be Mixing: Collaborative Learning On An Engineering Program In Ireland As Experienced By A Group Of Young Middle Eastern Women, Shannon Chance, Bill Williams

Articles

This research project uses grounded theory to analyze interviews conducted with eight women from Oman and Kuwait. Members of the sample group were studying together at an institute of technology in Dublin, Ireland. The paper reports patterns in 15 interviews collected in the years 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 to provide a longitudinal overview of the experience of the learners. During the coding process, three major themes emerged having to do with the experience of learning with others and/or learning in groups. The first theme involved communication within the group and the group's approaches to working together. The second identified …


Development Of A Situational Judgement Test And An Assessment Of Its Efficacy As A Stimulus Of Metacognitive Behaviour In Engineering Students, Darren Carthy Jan 2021

Development Of A Situational Judgement Test And An Assessment Of Its Efficacy As A Stimulus Of Metacognitive Behaviour In Engineering Students, Darren Carthy

Doctoral

Metacognition entails the conscious evaluation and control of one's cognitive processes. This meta-level control of cognitive process is not essential for all activities, but in the domain of problem solving and the development of new expertise, conscious control of mental functioning is essential to success. Previous studies have shown a relationship between metacognitive knowledge & skills and student self-regulated learning, self-efficacy and more generally, with success in academic and non-academic endeavours; they represent critical skills for an aspiring engineer to possess for their future employability. Metacognition can be stimulated by allowing students to engage and reflect on the problem-solving process. …


Enhancing Preservice Teachers' Intention To Integrate Engineering Through A Multi-Disciplinary Partnership (Evaluation), Francisco Cima, Pilar Pazos, Jennifer Jill Kidd, Kristie S. Gutierrez, Stacie I. Ringleb, Orlando M. Ayala, Krishnanand Kaipa Jan 2021

Enhancing Preservice Teachers' Intention To Integrate Engineering Through A Multi-Disciplinary Partnership (Evaluation), Francisco Cima, Pilar Pazos, Jennifer Jill Kidd, Kristie S. Gutierrez, Stacie I. Ringleb, Orlando M. Ayala, Krishnanand Kaipa

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Driven by the need to broaden participation and increase recruitment in STEM fields, considerable efforts are underway to promote the infusion of engineering into elementary and secondary grade levels. The benefits of engineering education and the strong support from professional and educational groups are well documented, yet the actual integration of engineering content in the K-12 setting remains a challenge. Pre-college educator programs that train future teachers are a natural target for the integration efforts. Although elementary educators recognize the importance of integrating engineering in their classrooms, they often lack the confidence to teach engineering content. The absence of effective …