Engineering Education Research Articles

Media and Immersive Technologies in Higher Education

Media and Immersive experiences in higher education provide students the opportunity to engage with course content in ways that were not previously possible. The Media and Immersive team at the University of New South Wales, Sydney (UNSW) was created to support academics in developing innovative solutions and to foster engagement from students with new forms of content delivery. This paper will outline the affordances and challenges of media and immersive applications at UNSW and examine the possibilities that artificial intelligence and open educational resources offer in overcoming some of the barriers to widespread adoption.

Designing Immersive Reality Environments in Healthcare Education

This paper presents a proposed research framework aimed at addressing the critical need for innovative approaches in healthcare education by exploring the implementation of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies across Australasia. Utilizing an Educational Design Research (EDR) methodology, the proposed study seeks to develop a comprehensive, context-sensitive framework for the effective integration of AR and VR in healthcare curricula. The study navigates the unique challenges posed by Australasia's diverse cultural landscape, varying resource availability, and distinct institutional policies. Through iterative cycles of analysis, design, development, and evaluation, the proposed research intends to create and assess contextualized AR/VR experiences, their impact on student learning outcomes, and their potential to enhance healthcare education quality. The resulting framework and guidelines are intended to serve as a robust foundation for healthcare institutions across Australasia, potentially revolutionising healthcare professional training and ultimately contributing to improved patient care and public health outcomes. This proposed research not only addresses a significant gap in the current literature but also provides practical, evidence-based solutions for the successful adoption of cutting-edge technologies in healthcare education. Finally, the proposed framework generalisability to a global context focusing on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of quality education and good health for all.

Leadership in the Third Space

In higher education, the third space can be defined as a place where blended professional and academic roles and skills overlap to achieve common goals which primarily focus on student outcomes. This liminal space can be challenging to lead in as third space areas are typically complex, with a great need for problem-solving and resourcefulness. Career pathways for third space leaders do not follow a straightforward or linear trajectory and fit-for-purpose training and education opportunities for these roles are scarce. Examples of third space environments are educational design, learning design, learning technology and quality assurance. This paper explores common leadership traits and super-powers (key strengths or unique skills), which could contribute to a model for effective leadership in the third space.

Enhancing Automated Peer Code Reviews in Software Engineering Education with Context-Aware Generative AI

This study investigates the enhancement of peer code reviews in software engineering education through the integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) with contextual awareness. Previous implementations of GenAI, such as ChatGPT, lacked detailed context about the educational content and assessment goals, limiting their effectiveness. Our work-in-progress research addresses this gap by providing GenAI with additional static and dynamic contextual information, including project overviews, pull-request descriptions, and comments. In a controlled study involving 26 students from a 12-week software engineering course, we compared the efficacy of the original GenAI system with a context-enhanced version. Results demonstrated that the context-aware GenAI provided more accurate and useful feedback, as perceived by the students. These findings suggest that incorporating contextual information improves the quality of automated peer reviews, offering a promising tool for educators to enhance student learning and engagement in code review activities.

Modality Matters: Evidence for the Benefits of Speech‐Based Adaptive Retrieval Practice in Learners with Dyslexia

AbstractRetrieval practice—the process of actively calling information to mind rather than passively studying materials—has been proven to be a highly effective learning strategy. However, only recently, researchers have started to examine differences between learners in terms of the optimal conditions of retrieval practice in applied educational settings. In this study (N = 118), we focus on learners with dyslexia. We compare their performance to the performance of typical learners in an adaptive retrieval practice task using both typing‐based and speech‐based response conditions. We find that typical learners outperform learners with dyslexia when they are asked to respond by typing, but that this difference disappears when learners respond by speech. Using a mathematical model to decompose response times, we demonstrate that this typing‐specific disadvantage in learners with dyslexia is mainly a consequence of processing delays, rather than poorer memory performance. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying declarative learning in dyslexia, and they can be used to tailor educational technology toward the needs of neurodiverse learners.

How action learning broke down silos, built referent power, and created sustainable capability building

This paper presents a case study of how technology support moved from being a just in time (JIT) help service to developing capability and capacity building through a process of building digital self-efficacy (DSE). By active membership of the UNSW Online Learning and Innovation Community of Practice (OLI CoP) a process of action learning cycles was undertaken in partnership to focus on pedagogy ahead of technology. By doing so, a scalable change process was initiated that brings the coalition of the willing into being core university influencers. As a result, the academics see technology become embedded into their pedagogical practice rather than a tool alone. This case provides insights from the key learnings which have, in turn, enabled a new model of technology support delivery. This model has also provided career growth opportunities for both academics and the educational technology services (ETS) team, while also supporting student learning.

Digital technologies in early and preschool education

Digital technologies in early and preschool education

Applying Augmented Reality Technology in STEM Education: A Bibliometrics Analysis in Scopus Database

Augmented reality offers diverse potential applications for STEM education, enabling students to engage directly with virtual elements in real-time and providing them with immersive, natural experiences. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of articles on this topic on the Scopus database to determine some quantitative information, such as general information about publications, countries, institutions, authors with the most contributions, and key trends in applying augmented reality technology in STEM education. An analysis of 201 studies published from 2005 to 2023 using Biblioshiny software and VOSviewer reveals that the United States leads in the number of studies conducted on this issue. Kryvyi Rih National University, Ukraine, has the most studies. The authors who contributed the most studies with the most citations on this issue are Lindner, C. and Rienow, A. from Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. Two primary research trends emerge, focusing on how Augmented Reality technology is utilized, particularly in STEM fields like Chemistry, which combines learning forms with other learning support tools and media such as mobile applications. Secondly, integrating augmented reality and virtual reality technologies into STEM programs at the university level, design of games, and virtual tools. This study offers important data for researchers looking to explore future applications of augmented reality technology within STEM education.

Exploring Teaching Reform in Fashion Design Major based on Virtual Reality Technology

With the development of technology and social progress, digital teaching has become the mainstream trend, and digital teaching technology is constantly integrated into the teaching of fashion design majors. Fashion design will further evolve and improve virtual simulation technology, continuously enhancing the intelligence and interactivity of teaching, and providing students with comprehensive and practical fashion design learning experiences. This article provides an overview of virtual reality technology, its application in fashion design teaching, application types, problems and solutions in the application of virtual reality technology in fashion design, and research on the reform of virtual reality technology in fashion design teaching. It proposes that virtual reality technology effectively improves the classroom teaching efficiency of fashion design, stimulates students' design and innovation inspiration, promotes the practicality of fashion design, and provides students with a good learning environment and methods. Applying VR technology to the field of modern education continuously promotes the development of teaching and education work, providing new teaching models and innovative teaching methods for national education work.

Educational Strategies for Enhancing Student Outcomes: Insights from Secondary Schools in Mbarara Municipality

Purpose: This paper examines the effectiveness of various educational strategies employed in secondary schools in Mbarara Municipality, Uganda, to enhance student outcomes. Methodology: The study uses a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data from standardized test scores with qualitative insights gathered through interviews with teachers, students, and school administrators. Findings: Findings reveal that student-centered teaching, regular formative assessments, and teacher professional development significantly improve student learning outcomes. However, challenges such as inadequate resources, overcrowded classrooms, and teacher absenteeism persist. Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: Recommendations focus on enhancing stakeholder collaboration, improving teacher training, and leveraging technology for teaching and learning. These strategies have the potential to foster better academic performance and overall student development.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL INCLUSION IN MODERN EDUCATION

The research addressed the importance of digital inclusion in modern education, focusing on how the integration of digital technologies can impact access to educational resources and the quality of teaching. The problem investigated was: how effective is digital inclusion in reducing inequalities and improving academic performance? The overall objective was to analyze how digital tools influence education and identify the challenges and opportunities associated with this inclusion. The methodology employed consisted of a literature review, using academic sources to examine relevant studies and articles on the topic. The research revealed that digital inclusion can promote greater equity by facilitating access to materials and resources, in addition to improving student performance through personalized pedagogical practices. Continuous teacher training was identified as an essential factor for the effective integration of digital technologies in the educational environment. However, challenges were also observed, such as the need for adequate infrastructure and support for educators and students. The final considerations highlighted that, for digital inclusion to benefit the educational environment, continuous effort is needed in policies and practices that support the use of technologies. Future studies could explore the conditions and strategies for effective implementation of digital technologies in education.

Analyzing the Role and Impact of International Service-Learning Programs in Engineering Education: A Case Study from École Polytechnique de Bruxelles

This study examines the role and impact of international service learning (ISL) programs in engineering education, focusing on the Codepo initiative at the École polytechnique de Bruxelles. Our primary objective is to analyze how ISL programs contribute to the development of students’ technical skills and civic engagement. We describe the structure and implementation of the Codepo teaching unit, present findings from a survey conducted with 150 former students (123 answers), and analyze the results in terms of skills acquisition, added value, and lessons learned. Our findings highlight the significant benefits of ISL programs for engineering students and provide actionable insights for other institutions aiming to implement similar initiatives. Notably, our results show that international service learning, generating large commitment from the students, can contribute to an engineering school in several ways. This type of initiative aims not only to train engineers in the field of cooperation (or in other technical professions) but also to educate them as world citizens. The results also highlight that it is not enough to propose projects linked to cooperation to make it a service learning scheme: working on reflexivity, encouraging autonomy, and finding the right partners remain challenges.

THE BENEFITS OF THE PARTICIPATION OF STUDENTS IN THE LETTERS COURSE IN INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAMS RELATED TO TECHNOLOGY IN THE CONTEXT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

This article presents the benefits of the participation of undergraduate students in Letters in interdisciplinary programs related to the insertion and instrumentalization of technology in the context of the Federal University of the Southern Border. The work presents definitions of interdisciplinarity and reflections on multidisciplinary practices and technology in the context of higher education based on the work of Literature students in an interdisciplinary program of technology in education. It also presents reflections on the postulates in official documents such as the National Curricular Parameters (PCNs), the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC), the National Common Base for the initial training of basic education teachers (BNC-Formação) and the National Curricular Guidelines for the Literature course in order to understand what these guiding documents bring to the thematic cores of this work. The initial training of teachers in the area of ​​Literature was related to the technological transformation experienced by society in the 21st century, specifically in the school context, and reflected on ways to prepare future teachers for professional practice in the face of this reality.

Implementation of Committee Partnerships on AI-Based School Policies at Public Junior High School

In the increasingly sophisticated digital era, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has significantly changed various fields, including education. In Indonesia, secondary schools have begun implementing AI technology to improve the quality of teaching and school management. Implementing this technology includes using AI-based systems for personalized learning, student data analysis, and more efficient school administration management. Implementing AI-based policies requires a strong partnership between the school committee and the school. This includes monitoring technology implementation, providing teacher training, and involving parents in the technology-based learning process. This study aims to identify and analyze the role of partnerships between school committees and schools in implementing AI-based policies at SMP Negeri 3 Tanjungsari. To ensure effective policy implementation, various stakeholders, including school committees, must support advancing AI technology in education. This study employs a qualitative approach, incorporating a case study method. It obtained the collected data through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis. The study results indicate that strong partnerships between school committees and schools play a significant role in supporting the implementation of AI policies. However, some challenges are still faced, such as the committee's lack of understanding of AI technology. This study also offers strategies to improve the effectiveness of these partnerships, including training and enhancing communication between the committee and the school. These findings significantly contribute to developing educational policies that are more adaptive to technological advances.

Health-preserving physical culture and wellness competences as an important condition for ensuring and spreading a high level of public health (methodological aspects)

WHO indicates that the purpose of actions aimed at strengthening public health protection is to ensure conditions under which people can remain healthy, able to strengthen health and well-being, and prevent deterioration of health. However, in the basic documents, there is no place for health-preserving physical culture and health-improving competencies of a person in the system of general efforts. The aim of the work is to reveal the need and place of health-preserving physical culture and wellness competencies of a person as a condition for ensuring and spreading a high level of public health in Ukraine. Material and methods. The study was organized at the Dnipro State Academy of Physical Culture and Sports, the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technology, the National Technical University “Dnipro Polytechnic” (all in Dnipro) and the Zaporizhzhia State Medical and Pharmaceutical University. The used methods of theoretical research were: study and generalization of data from domestic and foreign official and literary sources, as well as abstraction, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction. Results. Conceptual principles and didactic technology of physical education of a non-professional physical education (NpPhE), with an emphasis on strengthening the general cultural component of the educational component “Physical education” in higher education, aimed at eliminating existing shortcomings. Provided with pedagogical technology, NpPhE contributes to the formation of the building blocks of one’s own health. And the system of effective pedagogical mechanisms of NpPhE is significantly different from the provision of information about health, which is the subject of modern valeology. In this context, the development of conceptual directions of creative valeology is relevant, as a means of supporting a person’s creativity in a safe effect on health. Namely, the formation in institutions of higher education of the builders of their own health. Conclusions. A system of pedagogical mechanisms is proposed, which is significantly different from just providing information about human health as a benefit/harm of influences and actions, which is what valeology is focused on. This is a prerequisite for the formation and development of creative concepts of modern valeology based on the improvement of cultural and practical components of the educational component “Physical education” in the conditions of a higher education institution for specialists who take care of building their own health from specialties related to civilians. In conditions where the majority of their graduates are engaged not in physical, but intellectual work, the further implementation of approaches related to professional-applied physical training for professional activities is something that it is time to abandon.

Markets, metrics, and modernisation: Higher Education strategy makers’ conceptualisations of digital empowerment

ABSTRACT Digital empowerment is a recurrent theme in the discourse of educational technology in post-pandemic Higher Education and a leitmotif of organisational strategy. Yet, despite its prevalence, digital empowerment is a poorly understood concept. As organisations reimagine themselves as the digital Universities of the future, attention must turn to strategy and its role in defining the digitally empowered student, teacher, and organisation, and how such definitions manifest through policy. This study combines a synthesis of institution-level digital strategies from UK Higher Education with the voices of the strategy-maker, including senior leaders. This study reveals that conceptualisations of digital empowerment are underpinned by an assemblage of neoliberal narratives, including those associated with marketisation, metrics, and modernisation. The findings of this study are illustrative of the role that strategy plays in the alignment of Higher Education with neoliberalism and why notions of digital empowerment therein are inherently problematic.

Trainer Kit Module for DC Motor Speed Control Using Voice Commands Based on Arduino

Based on the results of observations made by researchers through direct observation of lecturers in the field of electricity, Electrical Engineering Education Study Program, it was found that there is a need for additional trainers as learning media in the electrical machine control course. This study aims to find out how to design a trainer kit design module for DC motor speed control using voice commands by utilizing the Arduino microcontroller. We also learned the results of testing the design of a trainer kit design module for DC motor speed control using voice commands by utilizing the Arduino microcontroller. The research method researchers use is the Research and Development (R&D) method, which aims to develop new products or innovations that benefit. Based on the results of expert validation, it can be concluded that the Arduino Microcontroller-Based Trainer Kit Practical Module obtained a high percentage of media experts at 96%, material experts at 95.5%, and language experts at 80%. These results indicate that this module gets the "Very Eligible" category to be applied to the Electrical Machine Control course.

Exploring Online Teaching's Impact on Instructors in Core Engineering Courses: Insights, Challenges, and Future Directions

ABSTRACTThis study examines the impact of online teaching on instructors of fundamental engineering courses, focusing on insights, challenges, and future pathways. By analyzing the instructors' perspectives, the research examines various aspects of online teaching, including mode of delivery, student engagement strategies, assessment preferences, and future directions. Insights are drawn from a comprehensive survey of instructors, shedding light on their experiences, challenges, and preferences in the online teaching landscape. The findings highlight a preference for synchronous sessions, the utilization of diverse engagement techniques, and the significance of maintaining academic integrity in assessments. Instructors' preference for face‐to‐face interaction for improved academic performance and openness to hybrid teaching modes are evident. This study not only provides valuable insights into the dynamics of online teaching but also paves the way for future advancements in pedagogical strategies and educational technology integration. The research identifies potential areas for future work, ranging from refining hybrid teaching models to exploring emerging technologies and fostering instructor training.

Chatgpt Assisted Teachers in Improving Formative Assessment

In recent years, the application of artificial intelligence technology in education has received widespread attention, but its specific utility and challenges in formative assessment remain underexplored. This research paper investigates the value of ChatGPT in aiding teachers with exam design and providing student feedback. Through comprehensive interviews, the study analyses the actual effectiveness and challenges of using ChatGPT to enhance teaching efficiency and optimize student feedback. The findings indicate that ChatGPT offers significant advantages in generating diverse assessment questions and personalized feedback. However, teachers must validate and edit the AI-generated content to ensure its accuracy and relevance. Based on these insights, the paper provides several key recommendations: validating AI-generated content, enhancing teacher training, and maintaining teachers' professional independence. These steps are essential to optimize the quality and efficiency of educational assessments. This research aims to contribute to the better integration of AI technologies in education by addressing both their potential and their limitations comprehensively.

The Impact of Digital Learning Platforms on Student Motivation in High School

This study explores the relationship between the use of digital learning platforms and student motivation in high school settings. With the increasing integration of technology in education, understanding its influence on student engagement and motivation is critical. This research employs a cross-sectional survey design with a sample of 200 high school students from New York City. Using a questionnaire based on the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS), the study examines whether students who regularly use digital platforms demonstrate higher motivation levels than their peers who do not. Data analysis, conducted using SPSS, reveals a significant positive relationship between digital platform usage and student motivation. The findings suggest that digital learning tools may enhance motivation, offering important implications for educators and policymakers. However, the study's cross-sectional nature and limited sample size present constraints, indicating the need for further research.