Engineering Curriculum Research Articles

Closing the Gap: A Comprehensive Analysis of Software Engineering Curriculum and Industry Requirements

Closing the Gap: A Comprehensive Analysis of Software Engineering Curriculum and Industry Requirements

Forging synergies: Crafting a hybrid curriculum in internet technology and environmental design for enhanced educational outcomes

Forging synergies: Crafting a hybrid curriculum in internet technology and environmental design for enhanced educational outcomes

Decolonising Technology Education: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge for Sustainable Development in Electrical and Mechanical Systems and Control

Electrical and Mechanical Systems and Control topics in the Technology Education curriculum have an engineering component. The engineering curriculum component with its antecedent science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects has not embraced indigenous knowledge (IK), thus it does not contribute to sustainable development specifically. Although some studies have inquired into the integration of technological knowledge and IK, few have focused on Electrical and Mechanical Systems and Control within IK for sustainable development. This creates a need to explore the integration of IK into the teaching of Electrical and Mechanical Systems and Control for sustainable development. In this exploratory case study, six senior phase Technology teachers were purposively selected and interviewed to gather information about their understanding of IK and sustainable development and attempts to integrate IK into the teaching of Electrical and Mechanical Systems and Control. Data were thematically analysed and reported under emerging themes. The findings revealed that: (1) IK is associated with the way indigenous people use knowledge, culture, tradition and systems that could enhance skills to solve their day-to-day problems for sustainable development; (2) integration of IK in Technology Education can transform the teaching of Electrical and Mechanical Systems and Control if it considers the contribution of IK; (3) teachers view IK as knowledge that gives an opportunity to understand the importance of culture and tradition in the teaching of Electrical and Mechanical Systems and Control. Technology Education could be transformed by embracing IK for sustainable development, especially considering the difficulty that learners encounter in learning Electrical and Mechanical Systems and Control.

Incorporating Electrochemistry and Battery Technology in an Undergraduate Materials Science Course

Electrochemical devices and systems are ubiquitous in many engineering disciplines, yet basic electrochemistry principles are rarely covered in the typical undergraduate engineering curriculum. This presents a barrier for young engineers aspiring to make contributions to this fast-growing field, as well as primary investigators in electrochemical engineering at undergraduate-only institutions. In the field of mechanical engineering, one of the oldest and arguably the broadest engineering disciplines, energy storage and conversion are covered in depth at the undergraduate level. However, electrochemical energy storage and conversion are only briefly glanced, if at all. As part of curriculum development in a new undergraduate mechanical engineering program, electrochemistry fundamentals, with a focus on applications to battery technology, were deliberately incorporated into a second-year materials science course.Undergraduate materials science courses typically focus on general process-structure-property relationships of different engineering materials, and this course is no different. Instead of covering only traditional materials, significant time is also devoted to battery materials, which are very relevant and poised for exponential growth in this era of electric vehicles and renewable energy storage. The course includes instruction on basic electrochemical principles, a survey of functional materials used in common electrochemical devices and their properties, as well as a short lab project where students are guided through the steps of constructing a simple coin-cell lithium-ion battery, arguably the most dominant of all battery chemistries. Classroom discussion also includes the environmental impacts of sourcing raw battery materials and end-of-life disposal practices, which, given current projections, will lead to a substantial sustainability problem as the battery market grows with electric vehicle uptake. Emerging battery technologies that seek to address the challenges of the current generation of batteries are also introduced. Students are also asked to give a short presentation after researching additional topics in the field that are of interest to them. Overall, the course aims to help modernize the undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum by incorporating electrochemistry principles and battery technology into a core course.

Teachers’ Perceptions of and Suggestions for Embedding Entrepreneurship in Technology Education

Entrepreneurship education is critical to many countries’ efforts to ameliorate youth unemployment. Embedding entrepreneurship content or skills into school subjects can contribute to these efforts. Although youth unemployment is especially rife in South Africa, its school curriculum does not include extensive entrepreneurship education. For these reasons, researchers have been investigating and proposing various ways to develop and expand entrepreneurship in the school curriculum. Previous studies have explored if and how entrepreneurship could potentially be purposely embedded in the South African Senior Phase Technology curriculum, finding positive potential for such an endeavour. Still, most studies have only explored the intended curriculum without considering their implementation in the enacted curriculum. Technology teachers’ voices—the enactors of the intended curriculum—were therefore overlooked. The current study explored the perceptions of experienced Technology teachers regarding the feasibility of embedding entrepreneurship education in the existing Senior Phase Technology curriculum. Technology teachers were invited to make practical suggestions for merging entrepreneurship into the Technology curriculum. A qualitative phenomenological strategy of inquiry was used. Purposive sampling resulted in 30 experienced Technology Education teachers from the North West province completing a questionnaire. Data were analysed thematically and several interesting findings emerged. Technology teachers were overwhelmingly supportive of embedding entrepreneurship in this subject, offering numerous practical and feasible suggestions in this regard. These suggestions could be used to strengthen the intended and enacted Technology curriculum in South Africa by making the learning therein more meaningful and life-relevant for learners.

Teacher Trainers’ and Curriculum Development Experts’ Perspectives on Information Technologies Curriculum in Teacher Education

This mixed-method study had two purposes: (1) to explore the appropriateness of the learning outcomes of information technologies (IT) course curriculum in teacher education programs based on the opinions of curriculum development experts and (2) to evaluate the opinions of the academics about the adequacy of this curriculum. Curriculum development experts (n = 5) evaluated the learning outcomes of the IT course curriculum followed by the education faculties of 25 universities in Türkiye in terms of their qualitative relevance. We also obtained the opinions of 10 academics in these faculties for the evaluation of the IT course curriculum. To collect data, we used the “Qualitative Eligibility Form for Learning Outcomes” and “Evaluation Form for IT Curriculum”. We employed descriptive statistics in the analysis of quantitative data while qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. The results showed that most of the learning outcomes in the IT course curriculum were not sufficient for the criteria of formal spelling conformity, necessity, and encouragement of higher-order thinking. The academics’ perspectives revealed that course sessions and practical learning activities in the IT curriculum were not sufficient. They suggested that emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, Web 2.0/3.0 tools, robotics, coding, and augmented/virtual reality should be integrated into the curriculum. The implications for IT curriculum in teacher education programs and recommendations for future research were also discussed.

Research on the Construction of Curriculum Ideological and Political Evaluation System in the Reform of Information Technology Curriculum in Vocational Colleges

Research on the Construction of Curriculum Ideological and Political Evaluation System in the Reform of Information Technology Curriculum in Vocational Colleges

Design and characterization of a low-cost particle image velocimetry system

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is considered the gold standard technique for flow visualization. However, its cost (at least tens of thousands of dollars) can prove inhibitive in its standard form. This article presents an alternative design, leveraging off-the-shelf and open-source options for each key component involved: camera, laser module, optical components, tracer particles, and analysis software. Flow visualization is a crucial technique to connect theory to practice in teaching and researching fluid mechanics. Despite the ubiquity of this field within engineering curricula, many undergraduate institutions globally forego utilizing such equipment, given the barriers to setting it up. The availability of this low-cost alternative (∼$500) that can be built in-house offers a path forward. Characterization was done by visualizing the rotational flow generated by a magnetic stirrer in a cylindrical beaker. The velocity magnitude around the stirrer bar measured by the low-cost PIV system was compared to expected values calculated analytically. The percent difference was between 1–2% when the flow stayed two-dimensional but increased as the flow began developing into more of a 3-D flow. Repeatability varied no more than 6% between experiments. This platform holds the potential for reliable replication across institutions broadly.

Decentring engineering education beyond the technical dimension: ethical skills framework

Engineering plays a key role in society today, influencing social behaviour, economic systems, (un)sustainability and future construction. Faced with this central and powerful role of engineering, it is urgent to recognise the need for professionals in this area to be culturally competent and sociopolitically committed in the collective ethical construction of the common good. Engineering course curricula generally focus on technical-scientific training – as is the case in Portugal – not on including or valuing other educational dimensions (namely, social, ethical, cultural or political responsibility). However, to promote an ethically responsible and sustainable future, it is imperative that these dimensions are included in engineers’ training, namely through ethical education that promotes a responsible professional practice that contributes to a viable common future. Intending to contribute to a culturally responsive engineering education, and to the development of the pedagogical dimension of the ethical education of engineering students, this study aims to develop a framework of the ethical skills necessary for the professional practice of engineering. The methodology used included a systematic literature review and document analysis. The developed framework allows systematising and interconnecting ethical skills, which can promote and facilitate the inclusion of ethical education in engineering courses. The framework helped to design a curricular module in engineering. It is a useful tool for professors of ethics in engineering, for those responsible for structuring engineering curriculum plans and for anyone responsible for enhancing this field of engineering education.

The Impact of a Digital Game-Based AI Chatbot on Students’ Academic Performance, Higher-Order Thinking, and Behavioral Patterns in an Information Technology Curriculum

In the age of intelligence, information technology (IT) education has become the focus of attention in the education sector. However, traditional teaching methods fall short in motivating students and fostering higher-order thinking and have difficulty providing a personalized learning experience. Although AI chatbots can provide instant feedback as an innovative teaching tool, it is still challenging to fully enhance learner engagement. Based on this, this study developed a digital game-based AI chatbot system to enhance students’ learning experience through digital game-based learning strategies. This study utilized a quasi-experimental design with the experimental group using a digital game-based AI chatbot and the control group using a traditional AI chatbot. A comparison was made between the two groups concerning student learning performance in IT courses, higher-order thinking (including problem-solving, computational thinking, and creativity), learning motivation, and flow experience. In addition, the behavioral patterns of high-achieving and low-achieving students in the experimental group were analyzed. The results showed that the experimental group was significantly better than the control group in academic performance, problem-solving, computational thinking, learning motivation, and flow experience, but there was no significant difference in creativity tendency. Behavioral pattern analysis showed that high-achieving students in the experimental group showed more systematic learning strategies, while low-achieving students relied more on immediate feedback and external help, but both high- and low-achieving groups were able to actively talk to the AI chatbot and actively explore problem-solving strategies in the digital game. Therefore, AI chatbots based on digital games can be effectively used in IT courses to help students construct knowledge and develop higher-order thinking.

Nuclear Reactor Operations Education and Training with Virtual Reality and an Immersive Desktop Application

A virtual reality learning module to train nuclear engineering students in reactor operations to understand reactor power excursions has been developed. The learning module was taught with an Oculus-2 headset and controllers (now called Meta Quest 2). The class was comprised of 71 undergraduate students, mostly in their fourth year of the nuclear engineering curriculum at Texas A&M University. The learning module simulation of power excursion, called pulsing the reactor, was modeled after the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station TRIGA reactor. First, the students visited the TRIGA reactor for pulsing and answered a technical quiz on the subject. Next, the students performed pulsing in the equivalent virtual reality module developed in this work. One of the primary learning objectives in the laboratory exercise was the role of passive and active safety mechanisms in a rapid reactivity insertion and power excursion. Data from the actual reactor visit showed that most students did not understand a key passive safety mechanism during the reactor visit. However, the students showed a notable improvement in their understanding of the safety mechanisms after the virtual reality reactor visit. When asked if the virtual reality learning module would have made the quiz at the reactor easier, 96% of the students reported that at least one of the quiz questions would be have been better answerable with the virtual reality module. Students also noted that the virtual reality module needed to expand its scope to include more details and teaching components. Although most students were reluctant to completely replace the pulsing reactor visit with its virtual reality module version available at the time of the study, they appreciated it as a learning reinforcement tool. Student opinion may change more favorably in the future with continued improvements and enhancements of the module.

Investigating cognitive and metacognitive components of WebQuest-based education in the 7<sup>th</sup> grade work and technology curriculum according to Shannon’s entropy technique

The current research was conducted to investigate the cognitive and metacognitive components of WebQuest education in the 7<sup>th</sup> grade work and technology curriculum using the strategy of quantitative content analysis and Shannon’s entropy technique. From the total population, it was selected as the sampling method of the research, therefore, all content elements, including activities, images, texts, and self-evaluations, were analyzed and investigated. These content elements were organized as the content analysis checklist and data collection tool. In this research, for the core components, the components obtained from the research with the title of “The application of WebQuest in teaching third-grade elementary science” were used, which included two core categories, cognitive and metacognitive, along with basic themes. The results of the examination of the cognitive components showed that in the 7<sup>th</sup> grade work and technology curriculum, the most attention was paid to the component of “pluralistic thinking” with an importance coefficient of (0/128) and also the least attention was paid to the components of “constructive thinking” and “creative thinking” with an importance coefficient of (0/061). Also, the results of the metacognitive components analysis illustrated that in the 7<sup>th</sup> grade work and technology curriculum, the most attention was paid to the components of “self-efficacy skills”, “self-management skills”, and “self-control skills” with an importance coefficient of (0/164) and the least attention was paid to the components of “self-directed skills” and “self-monitoring skills” with an importance coefficient of (0/109).

Leveraging emotional intelligence to foster proactive climate change adaptation: A study of engineering decision-making

The impacts of climate change and development present significant challenges and complexities that require new solutions, wise choices, and multi-disciplinary integration. In this context, emotional intelligence (EI) plays a crucial role. However, traditional engineering education and practice overlook the importance of understanding and managing emotions. This research aims to determine the impact of EI as a tool to enhance proactive decision-making and implement sustainable measures within the engineering profession.The study makes three main research contributions. First, it confirms a positive relationship between EI and proactive sustainable decision-making among engineers. This means that engineers with high EI are more likely to consider the impacts of their decisions on various stakeholders and dimensions of sustainability. Second, it suggests that EI can enhance creativity and innovative thinking in engineering, helping engineers to develop effective solutions for challenges related to climate change. Third, the study advocates for incorporating EI training and assessment into engineering curriculums to foster a sustainable and ethical engineering culture. By improving EI, engineers can enhance their interpersonal skills, self-awareness, and emotional management, which in turn can significantly improve teamwork in addressing challenges related to climate change.

Reflections: enhancing critical thinking in science education by implementing philosophy elements into training.

In this work, I describe the trajectory of philosophy and science as separate disciplines from their early days as quite overlapping fields to their clear divergence in the latest centuries. From personal experience, I discuss the benefits of exposure to philosophy and closely related courses in undergraduate studies and bring to the forefront the positive aspects of integrating philosophy of science courses in graduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum. I also briefly offer some additional steps institutions can take to foster unity between areas of science and philosophy by incorporating interdisciplinary activities.

THE DIGITAL ENGINEERING FACTORY: CONSIDERATIONS, CURRENT STATUS, AND LESSONS LEARNED

AbstractIn industry, the advancement of digital engineering and the digital thread aims to reduce the impact of knowledge ‘siloes’ by providing a way to integrate data across the entire system lifecycle and across multiple domains. In a typical engineering curriculum, however, courses are still treated as ‘siloes’, and students often do not have the opportunity to experience this industrially relevant approach to engineering. The Digital Engineering Factory (DEF) is a digital engineering environment under development at the University of Arizona to support engineering students. The DEF supports students by providing access to multiple engineering tools and is structured using a ‘hub‐and‐spoke’ approach to consolidate data from these tools. Through this connected architecture, students can transfer data generated in a particular course to tools for use in other courses. Connecting course activities in this way enables students to experience a complete end‐to‐end system lifecycle. At its ‘hub’, the DEF uses Violet to integrate data from multiple sources, create a digital thread, and generate a graph representation of the dataset. This knowledge graph, written in the Ontological Modeling Language (OML), can be viewed in OML Rosetta and is structured according to the University of Arizona Ontology Stack (UAOS). The use of the UAOS and OML Rosetta allows instructors to leverage semantic web technologies to support teaching activities such as grading. In this paper, the authors review the objectives of the DEF, discuss the status of the project, and highlight current limitations and lessons learned with regards to its deployment. These may be useful to inform similar developments in industrial settings.

Assessing the Relevance of Technical Education Curricula to Current Industrial Skill Demands in Tanzania: A Case Study of Civil, Electrical, and Biomedical Engineering Curriculum

This qualitative study assessed the alignment of technical education curricula with current industrial skill demands in Tanzania. Data were collected through documentary review and interviews with 34 purposively selected technical graduates. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. The findings revealed persistent reliance on outdated content delivered predominantly through lecturing methods within certain parts of the curriculum. The study also identified obsolete teaching and learning facilities, such as equipment and machines. Furthermore, it highlighted discrepancies between the stated learning outcomes of the curriculum and NACTVET’s CBET standards. These findings suggest a misalignment between the curriculum and industry requirements, potentially impacting graduates’ preparedness for the workforce. Consequently, the study recommends a comprehensive curriculum review informed by a rigorous labour market analysis. To facilitate this process, NACTVET could offer training programmes for technical education institutions on developing curricula aligned with CBET standards.

Making engineering education more sustainable through community-based learning and teaching

Community-based learning and teaching offers engineering students a transformative educational experience that extends beyond textbooks, labs and classrooms by engaging students in co-creation activities with local community as part of their formal learning. By immersing themselves in real-world community contexts, engineering students develop practical skills, cultivate a sense of social responsibility, and become well-rounded professionals prepared to tackle the intricate challenges of our ever-evolving world. Community-based learning and teaching takes engineering education beyond the confines of ‘in-house’ produced project proposal briefs, leads to better opportunities for interdisciplinary learning (beyond engineering ‘subdisciplines’) and more opportunities for creativity and flexibility in how engineering problems are approached and solved. As part of an institution-wide study, in this paper we share specific findings from engineering educators, as well as university-wide engagement professionals and those supporting teaching and learning (24 in total), on the barriers and opportunities to community-based learning and teaching approaches. Using semi-structured interviews, we used thematic analysis to generate a series of themes which aligned with four key beneficiaries within engineering education: academics, students and community partners and university. Our findings reveal the values and expectations, employability benefits and infrastructural considerations to implement this type of learning as part of future-facing and sustainable curricula in engineering. This includes areas such as motivation, role of the community, partnership building, development of leadership skills and networking and financial planning and relationship management. The findings also provide useful context-specific recommendations for educators seeking to develop their own sustainable approaches towards facilitating community-based learning and teaching in engineering disciplines.

Changing the way we teach using co-creation: Embedding employability in the engineering curriculum through the students’ perspective

Student voice is not often included in curriculum design, leading to limited course overview and student engagement. To improve student engagement for the “Skills for Employability” module available in all courses offered at the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering (CBE) at the University of Sheffield, we designed a student-led research project with three strands. A survey was deployed to academics, students, and alumni, our approach regarding employability was compared to that followed by 29 other universities with relevant courses, and a review of the module content was performed. Findings revealed that academics, students, and alumni are not always on the same page regarding employability or teaching practices. This project has shown that we need to actively listen to the student voice, encourage students to shape aspects of the module, and support them in understanding the link between their course and employability alongside outlining that employability skills are just as or more important as the technical skills they hold. This paper shows the approach we followed, highlights findings through all three project strands, and indicates steps, mainly proposed by students, as best practice to improve engagement and takeaways.

Leveraging Marker-based Augmented Reality to Enhance Simplified Representation Learning in Mechanical Drawing : A Practical Studies in The Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

This study aims to develop AR technology of simplified representations based on ISO standards and to quantify the efficiency and contribution of developed AR technology in assisting students in learning mechanical drawing. This research proposed a marker-based AR application development, intended for teaching simplified representations, named Augmented Reality Penyederhanaan Gambar - ARPeGa, and an experimental study to quantify the user experience (UX) using the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ). A pilot study involving 38 mechanical engineering students was conducted to evaluate the impact of AR involvement on user experience. In addition, the UEQ data analysis tool version 11 was used. The UEQ results showed attractiveness was excellent (1.87), while efficiency, dependability, stimulation, and novelty were good (1.63, 1.60, 1.63, and 1.22 respectively). And perspicuity was categorized as “above average” (1.51). This study’s outcomes demonstrate that using 3D model visualization in the AR application strengthens user experiences to understand simplified representations. Overall, the application has a ‘good’ level in some categories: efficiency, dependability, stimulation, and novelty.

Redefining creative education: a case study analysis of AI in design courses

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to explore the transformative impact of AI-augmented tools on design pedagogy. It aims to understand how artificial intelligence technologies are being integrated into educational settings, particularly in creative design courses, and to assess the potential advancements these tools can bring to the field.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopts a case-study approach, examining three distinct courses within a creative technology curriculum. This methodology involves an in-depth investigation of the role and impact of AI in each course, focusing on how these technologies are incorporated into different creative disciplines such as production design, fine arts, and digital artistry.FindingsThe research findings highlight that the integration of AI with creative disciplines is not just a passing trend but signals the onset of a new era in technological empowerment in creative education. This amalgamation is found to potentially redefine the boundaries of creative education, enhancing various aspects of the learning process. However, the study also emphasizes the irreplaceable value of human mentorship in cultivating creativity and advancing analytical thinking.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this research might include the scope of the case studies, which are limited to three courses in a specific curriculum. This limitation could affect the generalizability of the findings. The implications of this research are significant for educational institutions, as it suggests the need for a balanced interaction between AI's computational abilities and the intrinsic qualities of human creativity, ensuring that the core essence of artistry is preserved in the age of AI.Originality/valueThe originality of this paper lies in its specific focus on the intersection of AI and creative education, a relatively unexplored area in design pedagogy. The value of this research is in its contribution to understanding how AI can be harmoniously integrated with traditional creative teaching methods. It offers insights for educational institutions preparing for this technological transformation, highlighting the importance of maintaining a balance between technological advancements and humanistic aspects of creative education.