Engineering Commons^™

Teaching Ethics As Practical Reflection In A Project-Based Engineering Course, Marcel Krüger, Michael Jäckle, Felix Pfaff

Practice Papers

The implementation of ethics in engineering courses often faces several intertwined problems. For example, there is widespread moral relativism, ethics is often confused with moralism on the one hand and with pro-contra discussions on the other, there are difficulties with the degree of abstraction being too high, or ethics is relativised as one method for decision-making among many others. Furthermore, in many cases, ethics is suspected of being artificially introduced into engineering. In the context of a project-based course at a German university, we took up these challenges and developed an innovative teaching format whose focus is not on theories …

“Keep It Simple: Optimized Student Evaluations With Moodle”, Marius Mailänder, Edward Rullmann, Felix Di Lenarda, Christian Forbrig, Juri Rappsilber

Practice Papers

Acquiring representative feedback from students is a common problem for universities. To address the often low response rates and participation bias, we focussed on a simplified evaluation process and improved user convenience. We developed and implemented a new tool for collecting feedback by sharing an accessible short survey on our Moodle-based e-learning platform. This new Moodle evaluation tool allows surveys to pop up visibly but non-invasively within every Moodle course offered by our university for the duration of the valuation period. After voting, the survey does not show up again. By condensing a questionnaire to three main queries using a …

Instructional Considerations For Virtual Reality In Engineering Training And Education: Preliminary Research Results, Haider Al-Juboori, Gina Noonan, Vincent O Brien, Dorel Picovici

Practice Papers

Digital reality has been gradually introduced into all parts of human society, and the field of education is no exception due to the potential of technology and related tools to enhance the teaching and learning process. However, there is still a paucity of research in this area within an Irish higher education context. The research explores how to best employ virtual reality (VR), using the Oculus Quest 2 system, to improve and develop the level of contemporary training, as well as to enhance the educational experience. Both the technical and educational perspectives will be considered. The researched sample consists of …

Exercising Unesco Competencies In Students Through Research-Based Education For Sustainable Development, Scott Strachan, Claire Crichton-Allen, Louise Logan, Stephen Marshall

Practice Papers

Today’s complex global challenges call upon a different pedagogical approach to Higher Education (HE) that is fit for the purpose of preparing our students – to paraphrase the words of Sir Jonathan Porritt - not only for the world of work, but the work of the world. Indeed, we can and should be preparing students for both, as it is through their professional lives and activities that they will arguably be able to have the most positive impact on these global challenges. Consequently, re-focusing teaching on ways of thinking, being and practicing, the so-called ‘head, heart and hands’ framework, should …

Engaging Students Through Innovation In Computer Science Education, Kamilla Klonowska, Marijana Teljega, Fredrik Frisk

Practice Papers

This contribution addresses how the innovation activities have been implemented in two bachelor programmes in computer science at Kristianstad University in Sweden. The goal of the innovation activities is to equip students with essential skills and abilities like developing technical and analytical skills, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity to prepare them in their professional role, to actively contribute to their workplace and work to identify and find innovative solutions to societal challenges. To achieve this goal, the programmes provide project-based learning to enhance the learning experience for students and, additionally, include the events like Imagine or Hackathon, where …

Fostering Individual Learning Types On Online Learning Platforms To Strengthen Students' Competencies, Anja Marckwardt, Stefan Kühne, Julian Kober, Daniel Rolon, Samuel Erdt, Dirk Oberschmidt

Practice Papers

The availability of video lectures and hybrid formats in higher education has increased significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Predominantly, however, instructional content has simply been translated 1-to-1 into video formats regardless of effectiveness and students' needs. Interaction and diversity in content delivery were often missing. This practice paper presents an ongoing investigation on how lecture content can be presented within an online learning platform in order to meet the individual learning types of students and to address actual usage behaviour, potentially enabling a positive effect on learning outcomes. By creating learning paths, students can choose from different content modes, …

International Cooperation Framework For Next Generation Engineering Students, Anneli Kakko

Practice Papers

International Cooperation Framework for Next Generation Engineering Students (NextGEng) is an Erasmus+ Cooperation partnership in higher education project which started at the beginning of October 2022 and will end at the end of September 2025. In this project, there are six full partners who are participating in all project’s activities: Technical University of Cluj Napoca (main partner) and Robert Bosch SRL from Romania; Jamk University of Applied Sciences and Valmet Technologies Oyj from Finland; University of Jaen and Sensory Integration and Robotics from Spain. This project aims to develop an international cooperation framework that promotes international team-teaching aligned with the …

First Steps Towards Gamification Of Online Physics And Mathematics Assignments, Paula Immonen, Juho Ratava, Johanna K Naukkarinen, Ayesha Sadiqa, Jukka V Paatero, Markku Kuosa, Aleksi Mankonen, Barkat Bhayo, Mikko Äijälä

Practice Papers

The objective of this practice paper is to describe and analyse the use of online learning tasks on engineering mathematics and physics courses. The development of learning tasks was inspired by the promising effects of gamification techniques in higher education. Hence, some gamification elements, such as bonus points and immediate feedback were integrated into the learning tasks. Course results and student feedback demonstrate the positive impact of gamification of online learning tasks on students’ motivation and learning. In the end, further possibilities of increasing the number and repertoire of gamification techniques in engineering mathematics and physics courses are discussed.

Formulation Of The Firis-P Professional Core-Competency Framework For Flexible Academic Curricula: The Biomedical Engineering Program, Jan R. Buitenweg

Practice Papers

Introduction – How to formulate the goals of an academic educational program in such a way that they reflect the identity of the profession, but at the same time allow the flexibility required for self-responsible and self-directed individual study paths that can initiate lifelong learning and successful interdisciplinary collaboration after graduation? Here, we present a novel competency framework that (1) reflects the identity and academic level of the interdisciplinary Biomedical Engineering (BME) profession, (2) permits the alignment of program intended learning outcomes that accommodate the content of the different specialisation tracks of the BME program and (3) guides students and …

Conceptual Modelling As An Overarching Research Skill In Engineering Education, Mieke Boon

Practice Papers

Today’s society is impacted by complex, fast and continuously changing problems. These need to be tackled inter-, multi and transdisciplinary. At the University of Twente, we have developed a new CBL minor Intelligence, creativity, and responsible technological innovation in societal transformations, (ICR&TIST), which focuses on research skills in complex socio-technological problem-solving contexts. The design of this minor has been guided by new insights from long-running research aimed at developing a Philosophy of Science for the Engineering Sciences and extensive experiences with engineering education in project-based learning (PjBL). Education in scientific research tends to focus on academic contexts, while scientific research …

A Digital Learning Environment Twin Of A Lab On Prototyping To Give Engineering Students Digital Access 24/7, Christian Riess, Michael S. J. Walter, Maria Tyroller, Robert Nierlich

Practice Papers

Students do not always enjoy an in-depth practical learning experience with adequate hands-on activities during their academic education. In many fields, traditional laboratories are common learning spaces that are, however, not accessible 24/7 and the students’ task is mostly pre-defined, resulting in a short and very “passive” active learning. To overcome this limitation and to provide a broader availability and to foster individual learning experience, we transformed a lab from this analog world into a digital learning and teaching environment twin. The laboratory on product design with an extensive machine park (3D-printers, CNCcarving machines, laser cutter, hand tools, etc.) is …

Establishing A Timber-Focused Competency Framework To Up- And Re-Skill Built Environment Professionals To Meet Sustainability Goals, Sarah Jayne Hitt, Robert Hairstans, Kirsty Connell-Skinner, Tabitha Binding, Gabriele Tamagnone

Practice Papers

Engineers equipped with skills for a sustainable built environment have never been more critical, as government and industry sustainability goals such as the 2050 net zero target have significant implications for the construction sector. Concurrently, the UK’s Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has estimated that over 250,000 new workers will be needed by 2027 to meet demand. Besides this need for green skills, the sector is also looking towards more sustainable building materials, methods, and technologies, such as homegrown biogenic offsite manufactured (bioOSM) timber: an innovative technology requiring additional engineering and manufacturing expertise.

To address this critical skills gap, the …

Mapping The Sustainable Developmental Goals And Student Perspectives On Skills Development Using Alternative Assessments For Engineering Education, Janet Mckennedy, Zeinab Bedri

Practice Papers

Student-created video and in-class debate were introduced in the assessment of education for sustainable development (ESD) in an environmental engineering module. This work was undertaken with a group of structural and civil engineering students in their stage 3 of study for a level 8 degree. There were 63 students registered for this course: 40 civil and 23 structural. Prior to any intervention, a linking exercise was undertaken to map the words in the module descriptor to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This informed the design of the assessments.

After completion of the respective assessments, student surveys were used to understand …

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 …