Technology-based Courses Research Articles

Learning styles of design students and the relationship of academic performance and gender in design education

The study focuses on design education using Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) and explores the effects of learning styles and gender on the performance scores of freshman design students in three successive academic years. Findings indicate that the distribution of design students through learning style type preference was more concentrated in assimilating and converging groups. Further study indicates that the first and third groups were found to be more balancing while the second group being mostly a southerner. The learning style preferences did not significantly differ by gender in all three groups. Although there is no consistency in all three groups, results indicate that the performance scores of males were higher in technology-based courses, whereas scores of females were higher in artistic and fundamental courses and in the semester academic performance scores (GPA). Also, it was found that the performance scores of converging and diverging students differed significantly in favor of converging students only in design courses. In design education, instructors should provide a strategy that is relevant to the style of each learner in design studio process.

Ritter AB, Reisman S, Michniak BB: Biomedical Engineering Principles

Ritter AB, Reisman S, Michniak BB: Biomedical Engineering Principles

Integrating Writing into IT/MIS Courses

As popular literature claims that college graduates are entering the workforce lacking sufficient writing skills, this paper argues that the integration of writing into the MIS/IT curriculum is an important and achievable goal necessary for the overall development of students in Information Technology or Management Information Systems degree programs. While traditional IT/MIS programs rely heavily on technology-based courses, it is argued that these technology courses also must promote effective writing habits needed for career growth in the IT/MIS fields. By providing examples of writing assignments currently used in several programs, this paper illustrates for all educators in an IT or MIS program how writing assignments can be used in most MIS/IT classes. Research papers, journaling, written exams, and micro-themed papers are some of the current methods used to incorporate writing into the IT/MIS curriculum.

Stressed Out! A National Study of Women and Men Journalism and Mass Communication Faculty, Their Uses of Technology, and Levels of Professional and Personal Stress

(Proquest Information and Learning: ... denotes non-USASCII text omitted.) We used to worry a lot about technology-challenged women. Researchers noted that little girls were driven away from the computers in their schools by more aggressive little boys. When girls became adolescents they lost interest in computer-based education. Girls tended to play fewer games on computers, and game-producing companies didn't design games for girls. When the Internet was developed, girls were not very visible. We worried that they would never go online. And when we looked at the rate of entry to computer and technology-based fields, we noted that the number of men in these programs far outweighed the number of women. These days we have worried a lot less about women. Jupiter Media Metrix reported that the numbers of women online surpassed those of men in 2000. Depending on the statistics on which you rely, women make up 51% to 52% of the total online population in the United States.1 More games now target girls than ever before. And research by the AAUW Educational Foundation finds that girls are not as interested in careers in computer science because they find it boring.2 But girls' socialization to the computer could have effects that persist into adulthood. Though women may well be more proficient in their use of the computer, they may not have recovered from the influences that affected their attitudes toward technology. This study examines the gender differences that manifest themselves when journalism educators use computers and computer-based technologies in their teaching and research. Background on Women, Technology, and Education There may be good reason to still be concerned about women when it comes to issues surrounding despite women's increased visibility on the web. According to U.S. Census data for 1997, cited by the Commission for the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology Development, 67.9% of all workers in those fields are white males (compared to their 41.7% representation in the total population that year). The report of the Commission called for an increase in women, minorities and people with disabilities to be recruited and trained in greater numbers for these fields. In 1995, the U.S. Department of Education reported that women earned from 9% to 28% of all the degrees in computer, information science and engineering degrees. Though not generally thought of as a profession, journalism and mass communication education can require considerable expertise in computer-based technologies. In journalism and mass communication, women have come to dominate the undergraduate and graduate degree programs across the country. When graduates of Ph.D. programs in these fields move into faculty positions at U.S. colleges and universities, many of them are called on to teach technology-based courses on web design, graphic communications, photojournalism and broadcast journalism and communication. Though women make up only 35.5% of the full-time permanent faculty in colleges and universities in these fields, they are slightly increasing in numbers.3 Both men and women may have been hesitant to enter careers in the teaching of technology-based courses, like those in journalism and mass communications, because of the additional stress the brings with it. In the 1998-99 national survey of university faculty conducted annually by the University of California at Los Angeles' Higher Education Research Institute, researchers found that two-thirds of U.S. faculty claimed that keeping up with information technology was a source of stress.4 The stress reported from the using in their jobs ranked fourth among all the stress producers for women and fifth for men. Linda Sax, director of the research, said she felt that technology-based stress ranked high on the faculty list of stresses because the vast majority of faculty regularly use the computer for correspondence, and more than half use computers on a regular basis for their scholarly writing and to work from home. …

Agency and structure in engineering education: perspectives on educational change in the light of Anthony Giddens' structuration theory

Norwegian higher education has for a long time been strongly committed to individual strategies for development and change. A case study in a third-year basic engineering course at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology supports the idea that social change as a phenomenon should be paid more heed. After discussing this study, the paper turns to the kinds of challenges we face in higher education in general, and how these challenges can be met, theoretically and practically. Anthony Giddens' structuration theory is discussed in this context. It is not an educational theory, but has great potential for analysing situations of change. According to this theory it is the recursive social practices that help us to conceive both stability and change. Hence, structures in Giddens' sense not only represent barriers, but also enable change and development to take place.

Photonics laboratory experiments for modern technology-based courses

The modern photonics and optical communications industries have placed ever increasing demands on the supply of skilled graduates who are competent in the design, installation and operation of photonics systems. In response to this demand, we have developed a range of photonics laboratory teaching experiments to support accompanying lecture courses by underpinning fundamental principles with hands-on experimental experience. These systems enable students and trainees to investigate experimentally the basic principles, characteristics, and design of optical waveguides, optical communications systems, optical amplifiers and fault location techniques for optical networks, with additional scope for open-ended investigation of real technical issues such as mode spectrum analysis in optical waveguide and optical pulse dispersion/bit rate limits in fiber communications systems. The educational and overall system design philosophies, hardware,and experiments are reported in this paper.

Developing a Web-based learning module in a basic civil engineering course

Developing a Web-based learning module in a basic civil engineering course

Networking Students beyond the Campus

What good does it do to integrate creative technology-based courses into the curriculum if most students can't access the technology? This problem drove Washington State University to create Greeknet—a way of providing high-speed campus network access not only to students in residence halls but also to those off campus in fraternities and sororities. Here's how they did it.

New structures for technology-based courses

Here we consider new modes of course organization, made possible by the computer, the videodisc player, the compact disk player, and other components of modern interactive technology. Current courses were all developed before this equipment existed, so it is not surprising that they do not reflect new possibilities created by the new technology. It is likely that new forms of course organization will come into existence, courses that would not have been possible without the computer. Several new forms are explored here, including the hypercourse and the complete mastery learning cycle. These courses imply a greater degree of student control, in a variety of ways, and they emphasize a level of interaction not typically attainable today.

Geological Engineering Applied to Geotechnique: A Review of the Undergraduate University Programs in Canada

Research Article| May 01, 1984 Geological Engineering Applied to Geotechnique: A Review of the Undergraduate University Programs in Canada D. F. VANDINE D. F. VANDINE Professional Engineer Thurber Consultants Limited, 210-4475 Viewmont Avenue, Victoria, B.C. V8Z 6L8 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Environmental and Engineering Geoscience (1984) xxi (2): 171–178. https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.xxi.2.171 Article history first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation D. F. VANDINE; Geological Engineering Applied to Geotechnique: A Review of the Undergraduate University Programs in Canada. Environmental and Engineering Geoscience 1984;; xxi (2): 171–178. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.xxi.2.171 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentBy SocietyEnvironmental and Engineering Geoscience Search Advanced Search Abstract In Canada, twelve universities offer undergraduate programs in geological engineering. Eight of these twelve programs offer options specifically directed to geotechnique. The other four geological engineering programs have no designated concentrations and combine geotechnical areas of study with mineral exploration, petroleum exploration, and/or applied geophysics. All twelve programs are regulated by the engineering or applied science faculty at their respective universities. However, most of the programs are housed or administered, in whole or in part, by the department of geology or earth sciences at the university.The geological engineering programs at all twelve universities are designed around a nucleus of basic mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Added to this are a large number of fundamental geology and basic engineering courses. These are complemented by a number of geotechnical, technical, and non-technical courses.The presentation compares and contrasts the 1981–1982 curricula of the twelve undergraduate programs. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this article.

University Interaction with National Development Plans: a case study from Iraq

This case study of the development of the University of Technology in Baghdad, Iraq, illustrates how from its foundation in 1975, this new technological university has adjusted its work to national needs as expressed in National Development Plans. The basic engineering course has a two-plus-two structure with the possibility of students becoming technicians after the first two years, thus meeting a particular national shortage. The course lays particular emphasis upon practical applications and upon close involvement with industry. As industry in Iraq has broadened its scope the curriculum in the university has widened. The non-technical subjects within the course have become more significant in response to a perceived national need. The authors offer this case-study for consideration by those who are concerned with the interaction of universities with society.

Cognitive Levels in a Basic Electrical Engineering Course

An analysis of cognitive levels in a basic electrical engineering course has shown some limitations of Bloom's taxonomy. The problem solving taxonomy suggested by Dean and Plants tends to be more adequate for engineering education. This issue is illustrated by examples from a basic electrical engineering course (linear circuit analysis)

Petroleum Engineering - Where Does It Go from Here?

Abstract The question of declining enrollments in petroleum engineering schools and future manpower problems have been ably covered by others. Declines in enrollment ranging from 50 to 100 per cent, accompanied by recruiting problems, have provoked increasing discussion about the problem. Most of the discussions to date have involved the forecasting of future enrollments, future demand, and the like. This discussion takes a look at another facet of the situation, namely:Does the petroleum industry of the foreseeable future have a need for men formally trained in the petroleum engineering discipline?If the answer to the first question is positive, what are the problems of the educator and how can they be solved?What are the roles of industry, the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME and educators in future events? A plan of action is advanced that, hopefully, may serve to stimulate further thought in the areas involved. Introduction It is difficult to characterize petroleum engineering, for the term is used by many people in many ways. Many "petroleum engineers" are educated in another discipline but justify the title by adoption and experience. The discussion here shall be limited to the formal discipline of petroleum engineering. This is difficult because curricula in this area have never been standardized to the degree usually found in other engineering disciplines. About 13,000 bachelors degrees have been awarded in petroleum engineering to date. Of these, about 40 per cent have been earned from curricula that are really options of another discipline. Many consist largely of a survey course or two, reservoir engineering and some geology. It is indeed unfortunate that the membership of SPE has not set up general criteria for petroleum engineering schools in much the same manner that AIChE and other organizations have done. It would help alleviate our current problem. The Education Committee has defined the scope of petroleum engineering quite well, but there has never been any real effort to implement it from the standpoint of curricula, academic standards, etc. Therefore, for the purposes of this discussion, a petroleum engineering school will be defined as one which offers at least 18 hours of instruction (exclusive of geology) and is operated as a separate budget unit in the college of engineering. This is not necessarily where the line should be drawn, but it merely serves to define a petroleum engineering school for the purposes of this paper. Before examining our current problems we should reflect for a moment about the past contributions of petroleum engineering schools. Many people have apparently lost sight of these contributions and are advocating change just for the sake of change. As best we can determine, petroleum engineering dates back to approximately 1925. Then, men with mining and geological backgrounds became aware of the need for training to cope with some of the specific problems being encountered in the "mining" of oil. The first curricula were composites of certain basic engineering and geology courses, plus a course or two stressing the art of drilling and producing. Although revised many times, it is interesting to note that art (survey) type courses remained a part of the curriculum until several years ago-even in the better schools. However, all of the engineering disciplines have gone through this phase. Petroleum engineering started to come of age in the late forties or early fifties and is just now reaching full maturity. Examine the Transactions volumes for the past 20 years and you will notice how much more sophisticated they have become. There were some excellent early publications, but they were few and far between unless one was interested primarily in "how to do" articles. In fact, truly significant articles prior to 1945 were so scarce that they soon attained the status of "true gospel". This is pointed out in rebuttal to current detractors who look with scorn on past petroleum engineering educational efforts. A study of old curricula bears out the premise that petroleum engineering training has changed as the need has changed. JPT P. 29^