Engineering Commons^™

The Conceptual Understanding Of Basic Electricity Concepts By Junior Engineering Students: An Update, Aidan O'Dwyer

Practice Papers

The paper reports, analyses and reflects on the results of a multiple-choice diagnostic test to assess student understanding of basic electricity concepts (developed for U.S. high school and college students [1]) taken by nine cohorts of first year engineering students (n=1286) at the authors university, from 2014 to date. The diagnostic test was taken prior to instruction by all student cohorts, and post-instruction by some student cohorts. This paper updates a previous contribution by the author which described the application of the test to seven cohorts of junior engineering students (n=203) from 2008 to 2013. The manner in which this …

The Relationship Between Vocational & Higher Education: Time For A Re-Charge?, Robin Clark, Jane Andrews, Benjamin Silverstone

Practice Papers

In both the UK and EU there is a growing awareness of the need for Higher and Further Education (HEIs / FEIs) institutions to work together to provide high quality engineering courses able to meet the needs of an increasingly technical and knowledge-based economy (Barrichello et al., 2020, Giraldo, 2022). This paper focuses on learning and teaching in one particular engineering area, that of ‘electrification’, it reflects upon moves to create a regional multi-level educational strategy built upon the development of expertise at partner FEIs.

As one of the UK’s leading Engineering Education providers at tertiary level, WMG is leading …

The ‘Engineering First Year’: "Step Up" To Success, Nicola Knowles, Jane Andrews, Gill Cooke, Lauren Schrock, Robin Clark, Graeme Knowles

Practice Papers

The nuanced nature of engineering as a profession is highlighted in a recent statement by the EPC (2023) in response to the UCAS publication ‘The Future of Undergraduate Admissions’ (2023). Focusing on the value of Personal Statements within the University Selection System, the EPC asks UCAS to provide more practical information to prospective students about the nature of engineering and what prerequisite qualifications are needed to study engineering. Such clarity is particularly important when considering Engineering Degree Apprentices. Starting with the research question “How can the gap between school and university be bridged in engineering education?” the paper critically discusses …

Entrepreneurship Education: Creating A Positive Adrenaline, Josep Bordonau, Oier Bolibar, Alber Filba-Martinez, Joan Nicolás-Apruzzese, Sergio Busquets-Monge

Practice Papers

A method to develop Entrepreneurship Education in any regular Engineering course is presented. The method is based in a team of students working on the description of the idea for the development of a real start-up using a structured approach trained by a business advisor and by the teacher. The team analyses the problem, the potential market, the solution, the development and the financing challenges of the start-up. The team works the Case development along an Engineering Course related with the technology of the start-up. The dedication of each student to the Case development is 25 hours, working along the …

Delivery Of Mental Health Training Across A College Of Engineering, Sarah Wilson, Isabelle Blaber, Joshua Hancock, Gabriella Pitcher, Joseph Hammer

Practice Papers

Mental health is of significant concern across College and University campuses. Within engineering, students have identified that they would be more likely to seek mental healthcare if referred by a student or faculty member. Therefore, this research to practice study aimed to encourage students to become advocates and referral agents for students in mental health distress. To accomplish this, engineering-specific mental health and wellness training was developed through the integration of quotes and data from engineering students, personalizing the training to the engineering experience. To reach nearly all engineering students (over 2,500 students), the 15-minute training was delivered in over …

Customising Best Practice In Studies Advice For Undergraduate Engineering Students, Margaret Morgan, Clare Mahon, Robert Mcmurray, Alan Brown, Pearse O'Gorman, George Burke, Ruth Holman, Michaela Keenan

Practice Papers

The attrition rates from undergraduate engineering programmes in the UK remains stubbornly high, despite the best efforts of course teams to engage and support students on their learning journeys. It is generally accepted that there is no single reason for attrition rates from engineering programmes being higher than from other vocational-type university programmes, but many academics believe that an effective Studies Advice system that works for students and staff, could lead to reduced numbers of disengaging and/or failing students. Much has been written on effective approaches to the provision of Studies Advice at University, but it is not clear if …

An Innovative Approach By Enter Network: Integrating Sustainable Development Into Professional Training For Engineering Educators, José Carlos Quadrado, Kseniia Zaitseva

Practice Papers

This paper discusses the development of a new pedagogical training program for engineering educators, created by the ENTER Network and co-funded by the EU. The program consists of modules that include courses designed to develop specific competencies. The selection of courses and competencies was based on surveys conducted with various stakeholders, including engineering educators, HEI administration, HEI engineering students, potential employers of HEI engineering graduates, and representatives of governmental bodies involved in education. The paper focuses on the relevance and origin of competencies addressed in the Sustainable Development Course, and presents the syllabus for this course, including information on its …

Engagement And Solidarity While Learning, Deolinda Maria L. Dias Rasteiro, Cristina M. R. Caridade, Ascensión Hernandez Encinas, Araceli Queiruga-Dios, Ion Mierlus

Practice Papers

2020 and 2021 were difficult years for students attending higher education and secondary education especially if they were preparing to enter higher education. Teaching was adapted, and assessments were the possible ones according to what we lived and experienced. Thus, students need innovative and stimulating teaching and learning practices that motivate and involve them in the teaching/learning processes. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and digital platforms have seen their indiscriminate use, not without sometimes, teachers and students questioning whether they were being used in the best conceivable way or taken full advantage of. Face-to-face group work and involvement with the …

Defining A European Engineer Profile Within A European University Alliance, Morris Villarroel, Nilüfer Ülker, Pascal Bigey, Pierre Bertrand, Ramón Martínez, Sophie Griveau, Philippe Barboux, Alberto Garrido

Practice Papers

The world needs more engineers and Europe provides a rich and diverse environment to train them, including shared values of sustainability and interculturalism. In this paper we attempt to build a profile for a “European engineer” based on skills and competences acquired in a European University Alliance centred around engineering education (EELISA, European Engineering Learning Innovation Alliance). We carried out an on-line survey for students and staff of partner universities as well as nine indepth interviews (50 min) with relevante stakeholders. The questions included in the survey are described as well as general results from 75 respondents. The overall results …

Project “Acércate A La Ingeniería”: Impact Assessment And Satisfaction Questionnaire, Annabella Narganes-Pineda, Roberto E. Araña-Suárez, Mariana Hernández-Pérez, Paula González-Suárez, Pedro M. Hernández-Castellano, María Dolores Marrero-Alemán

Practice Papers

Engineering is a key discipline in today’s society, as it is sustainability. Therefore, this are concepts that must be introduced in early educational levels. In this context, the project “Acércate a la Ingeniería” (Get closer to Engineering), designed and carried out by the Department of Education of the Government of the Canary Islands in collaboration with the Industrial and Civil Engineering School (EIIC) of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), has arisen. This project brings together eighteen secondary schools (IES) from five of the eight Canary Islands. The aim of this project is to educate students to …

Eelisa Credential: The Recognition Of Commitment And Impact In The Addressing Of Societal Challenges In The Eelisa Alliance, Ramón Martínez Rodríguez-Osorio, Thibaut Skrzypek, Sophie Griveau, Tamás Lovas, Nilüfer Ülker, Eike Trost, Mariana Mocanu, Piero Castoldi, Claudia Giua, Ignacio González Tejada, Sofía D'Aguiar, Daniel Chaparro

Practice Papers

EELISA Credential is a unique recognition process provided to EELISA students, professional and alumni who are part of the mission-driven EELISA communities and reflects the commitment and impact level achieved in the addressing of a societal challenge.

The EELISA Credential is an individual, progressive environment on which students collect badges. These badges are acquired after verifying the achievement of an educational outcome level after participating in community's educational activities. A badge represents the unit of learning acquisition and impact that corresponds to an educational outcome. It is reflected in the EELISA Credential which itself refers to an impact level and …

Using Ict To Motivate And Achieve Learning Outcomes In Live Teaching Of 650 Students, Juraj Petrović, Predrag Pale

Practice Papers

This paper describes efforts and practices used in teaching a Communication skills course with two full time teachers to approximately 650 enrolled students. It is focused on issues including motivating students if they consider this course to be non-essential for their professional development and a nuisance in their study, achieving learning outcomes in an efficient way, and using of ICT for assessment and self-assessment of communication skills. The ways and means of leveraging ICT in achieving these goals are presented in the paper. The potential of ICT and multimedia to motivate, keep students on schedule, gain their attention in lectures …

Lmate: An Innovative Bachelor Degree Connecting Mathematics And Industry, Sandra Maria Aleixo, Sandra Gaspar Martins

Practice Papers

The bachelor degree in Mathematics Applied to Technology and Enterprise (LMATE) has an innovative structure, working in partnership with industry, involving a transdisciplinarity curriculum plan, with a solid mathematical base including extensive knowledge in statistics, optimization, modeling and programming (Python, R, etc.), along with training in engineering, physics and management. LMATE presents three differences in relation to other applied mathematics portuguese bachelors degrees: it was constructed upside down towards the usual, once partner entities (enterprises, public entities and research centers) were consulted on relevant mathematical contents to solve their problems, instead of being created exclusively by the academy; in its …

Exploring Strategies To Promote Engagement And Active Learning Through Digital Course Design In Engineering Mathematics, Fulya Kula, Erik M. Horstman, Lavinia S. Lanting, Linda R. Ten Klooster

Practice Papers

This research explores the strategies and techniques used to foster and promote the engagement and active learning of engineering students within a digital course. This digital course has been developed to address the varying levels of understanding of fundamental mathematics among first-year engineering students, who often have disparate levels of prior knowledge at their high school completion. We observe an increasing need to bridge the widening gap between high school and university mathematics in order to prevent engineering students from being hindered in their academic successes due to a lack of prior mathematical understanding. With a team of engineers and …

Critical Consciousness And Engineering Design Teaching Framework, Renata Alejandra Revelo Alonso, Joel Alejandro Mejia, Luis Montero Moguel, Alex Stutts

Practice Papers

Sustainability in engineering design is not just about the processes and practices established or the materials used and sourced, it is also about the mindset that engineers bring to design to carry forth solutions that promote a sustainable world. In this practice paper, we review a teaching framework for an engineering course on design with a contextual perspective. To contextualize engineering design, we incorporate critical consciousness topics to discuss alongside each design process topic. For example, during the unit when we discuss design alternatives in the engineering design process, we also discuss implicit bias and how implicit bias may impact …

Inclusion In Computing Via The Early Research Scholars Program At Uic, Renata Alejandra Revelo Alonso, Diana Diaz Herrera, Anastasiia Rozhkova, Joseph Hummel

Practice Papers

For a sustainable world, all people who aspire to be engineers should have an equitable opportunity to achieve their engineering education. In the United States, groups of individuals continue to be minoritized in engineering and computing specifically. This practice paper addresses inclusion and diversity efforts in the computing field, within two departments of a college of engineering, to 1) increase the number of minoritized students in computing, 2) introduce research as a career path to undergraduates early on in their education, and 3) nurture a sense of community (within the department and the computing field) for students. These efforts are …

Transforming Curriculums For An Age Of Multi-Modal Education: A 5-Phase Approach, Justine I. Blanford, Jeroen Verplanke

Practice Papers

The pandemic has accelerated the trend towards online and hybrid learning with many educational institutes pivoting their education to online learning environments and has subsequently transformed societal expectations. There have been many benefits associated with these changes (e.g., multi-dimensional interactions, flexibility and deep learning). As we move into more online education due to changing needs and demands from students, how best to adapt our education for multi-modal learning environments can be a challenge. Getting our education ready for a multi-modal age is bringing about disruptive changes forcing us to rethink what we teach and how we teach it. Thus, the …

The Art Of Repairing - Or How To Teach Engineering Students Sustainable Design Principles, Stefan Kühne, Christian Forbrig, Anja Marckwardt, Julian Kober, Juri Rappsilber, Dirk Oberschmidt

Practice Papers

Project-based learning bridges the gap between theoretical training and practical applications. The motivation of students to participate is increased especially by working out real-life problems. To provide this kind of practical learning experience, we are establishing a repair project for broken, otherwise discarded, lab equipment. It will not only help to reduce waste and save money by repairing research equipment, but will also encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. Providing a space to learn about the underlying functional properties of various often highly specialized lab instruments, students identify malfunctions, deepen understanding of vulnerable designs, and discuss and perform strategies for repairing …

Student Engagement In Sustainability Issues Through Video Production: A Multimodal Critical Consciousness-Based Approach To Engineering Education, Joel Alejandro Mejia, Luis Montero

Practice Papers

The formation of engineering students should prioritize both technical skills in engineering and a critical awareness of the designed world. This qualitative methods study aimed to analyze the extent to which a teaching approach, based on the in the integration of Freire’s critical pedagogy and Multimodal literacy frameworks, promotes first-year engineering students’ development of critical consciousness. Drawing from Paulo Freire’s work on critical pedagogy, the critical consciousness framework emphasizes that individuals and their practice in community awaken critical awareness of their surroundings, including the interconnectedness that exists between economic, social, political, cultural, historical, and environmental factors. To this end, we …

Making Meaning Together: An Autoethnography Study On Our Role In Ethics Education, Diana Bairaktarova, Lenka Lhotska, Amirouche Moktefi, Aive Pevkur, Constantin Vică

Practice Papers

Representation of diverse people’s perspectives, cultures, and ideas enriches societies. Equally important for communities to flourish is to have diverse perspectives on what good ethics education is. For 50 years the European Society of Engineering Education (SEFI) has been uniting and supporting engineering educators and researchers from around the globe and particularly from Europe. However, involvement from institutions in Eastern Europe is still very low. To diversify and strengthen the community by bringing perspectives from these countries, we engaged in an autoethnography study to share insights on participation barriers broadly and ethics education, more specifically. We choose autoethnography as this …

Automatically Scored, Multiple-Attempt, Recurring Weekly Exams In A Physics Course: Can They Improve Student Wellbeing And Learning Outcomes?, Sami Suhonen

Practice Papers

This paper describes the arrangements and assessment methods employed in the engineering physics online courses offered by Tampere University of Applied Sciences. The grading process involves the use of automatically assessed weekly online exams in Moodle, which comprise mostly numerical questions, as well as conceptual questions, force diagrams, and multiple-choice questions. Students are allowed to attempt each exam three times, and their best score is recorded. The questions and initial values were randomized for each try to reduce possibilities for trial-and-error method and copying from peers. By completing the week exams with enough points, the students were able to pass …

Challenge-Based Learning And Constructive Alignment: A Challenge For Information Systems’ Educators, Joao Moreira, Wallace Ugulino, Marcos Machado, Luís Ferreia Pires

Practice Papers

Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) is an emerging approach to the design of education activities known for its benefits in fostering student engagement and, consequently, positively affecting their learning outcomes. For the educator, the ’challenge in the challenge’ is to guarantee that the CBL-based education design follows certain regulations, like ensuring proper curriculum coverage with Constructive Alignment. This challenge becomes particularly difficult to address in the field of Information Systems, within Computer Science, where multiple practices can be followed to solve the same problem. This is even more challenging when CBL is applied at course-level, where the curriculum of the course focuses …

Are E-Assessments The Future Of Assessments For Engineering Students?, Zohaib Akhtar, Esther Perea Borobio

Practice Papers

Replacing traditional examinations with electronic assessments (e-assessments), also known as digital assessments, is gaining more popularity. However, it has become controversial as people have raised serious concerns about the limitations of these e-assessments, especially when the assessments have high stakes, like the end-of-term examinations. In this paper, we have evaluated whether e-assessments will replace the traditional end-of-term exams for engineering students in the future. Although this topic is equally valid for non-engineering fields, a few factors that make it unique to engineering are discussed. Different aspects of e-assessments are critically compared to paper-based (off-print) examinations based on existing literature and …

Innovative Engineering Education In The Wake Of Smart Agriculture. Revision Of The Agricultural Engineering Curriculum, Andreas Mandler, Giovanni Carabin, Lorenzo Becce, Francesco Fabio Nicolosi, Fabrizio Mazzetto

Practice Papers

Global developments request ever more productive agricultural production systems to ensure food security. Agricultural production must be environmentally, socially sustainable and economically efficient. Innovative digital technologies are central to sustainable production systems. This poses challenges to the education of agricultural engineers, as technologies for real world challenges result from highly interdisciplinary innovations.

Agricultural engineering (AgEng) as academic discipline is not universally established, which leaves voids in educational curricula and formal training areas. A substantial conflictual dualism remains between the biological and engineering domains. There are currently no homogeneous pathways through which these domains merge on common scientific and cultural foundations, …

Improving Employability With A Competence Profile (Practice), Giajenthiran Velmurugan, Dennis Friedrichsen

Practice Papers

Employability has become a central focus for Higher Education Institutions. The European University Association’s report states that graduates should acquire a mix of transversal and discipline-specific skills. An educational approach known for providing students with this is Problem-Based Learning. An institution known for successful implementation of PBL is Aalborg University located in Denmark. In this paper we will look at an initiative they have recently launched to improve the employability of their engineering graduates. Employability can be defined from different perspectives. In this paper we develop a framework where employability is viewed from three different perspectives. 1) Internal values, beliefs …

Becoming An Expert In Soft Robotics In One Week And Beyond!, Peter Stassen, Guy Van Looy, Sam Peerlinck, Elias De Smet, Imran Qayyum Mundial, Alexis Van Merris, Benjamin Gorissen

Practice Papers

The Athens network of technological institutions and universities offers students international exchange experiences through intensive specialization courses during a brief period. Yet, it is challenging to effectively explain complex research topics to students in only one week, while offering at the same time self-paced learning perspectives instead of absorbing expert lectures as a passive student. Furthermore, students often experience a knowledge gap with the 'international experts' they are consulting, which hinders vivant exchange of ideas during discussions. In this context, we report our experiences of a newly designed crash course within the field of soft robotics that was offered to …

A Game-Based Learning Approach To Enhance Understanding Of Interface Design Principles In Design Education, Deborah Carberry, Colm O'Kane, Kevin Delaney, Ulrich Kruhne, Martin Andersson, Donal Mchale

Practice Papers

The design of user interface is an important and challenging topic for student designers to understand and master. The eight principles of good User Interface (UI) design are often taught using primarily cognitive approaches, which can leave room for improvement in students’ ability to apply the principles in a variety of contexts. Game-based learning tools are recognised to be beneficial in university classrooms across a variety of discipline areas and topics due to their capacity to increase engagement. This project presents a first prototype for an instructional tool that leverages constructionism and embodied learning to enhance students’ understanding and application …

Screw Loose Toolbox, Anton Schaefer

Practice Papers

Blue Engineering is a student-driven course on the environmental and social responsibility of engineers. It has been developed by student initiatives at two German universities since 2010. By 2023, there are more than 15 courses at universities in Germany and in the Netherlands using the open source course design. In assessing the learning outcomes of the participants, the need to promote the skill of transfer of learning of the students became clear. This practice paper presents the current approach: 24 metaphorical tools have been developed, each of which functions like a special lens, allowing to recognise certain patterns of action, …

Exploring The Potential For Scripting With Simulation In Engineering Education – Practical Examples Using Python And Ansys, Susannah Cooke, Susan Coleman, James Derrick

Practice Papers

The ability to use scripting tools to harness the power of complex engineering software is not only critical for research and industry, but also offers opportunities for student learning and development. This paper covers two ways in which undergraduate engineering students have been exposed to Ansys simulation tools to be controlled from Python programs. A pilot series of ‘CodeFests’ have been held in partnership with university engineering departments, offering a fun way for students to engage with Python coding while exploring the power of scripting to optimise or iterate on solutions. These have used the PyMAPDL structural simulation library, leveraging …

Certificate-Based Good Practice To Motivate Engineering Students To Learn Sustainability Skills, Orsolya Barna, Mária Szalmáné Csete

Practice Papers

Engineering plays a crucial role both in addressing sustainability challenges and in helping to achieve the sustainability transition. However, tackling the complex problems of sustainability needs a broader understanding of these issues from nonengineering perspectives as well. The Department of Environmental Economics and Sustainable Development of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences (GTK), has developed a unique method for a uniform certification of studies in the fields of sustainability, environmental economics, and environmental management for engineering students. The so-called green certificate is provided after the successful completion of at least five elective …