Engineering Program Research Articles

Recognising the need for biodiversity knowledge for engineering students – a case study in Norway

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand how to improve the recognition of biodiversity knowledge for engineering students, using a case study in the context of Norway. Design/methodology/approach A case study based on an elective course for engineering students was carried out. The course is related to sustainability and also explicitly focuses on biodiversity topics and causality for loss of biodiversity. Data was collected through questionnaires to students to understand their motivations and perceptions about the course, and through interviews with study programme coordinators, to understand their perspectives regarding sustainability and biodiversity education for engineering programmes. Findings Three main conclusions are established: the best approach is to incorporate biodiversity content into existing courses, rather than having a specific course dedicated to biodiversity; more knowledge on biodiversity is seemingly increasing the understanding of its importance, thus, students should be exposed to these topics early in their studies; and some strategies to improve the current course are related to being more specific on how to deal with biodiversity in different contexts (such as working life and different industries), offering a higher number of examples, and linking biodiversity with other environmental impacts. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to address the recognition of biodiversity knowledge in engineering programmes at a Norwegian university. The case study provides valuable insights that can be used to improve the integration of biodiversity knowledge into engineering programmes. Moreover, the methods used provide innovative and more reliable tools to better address the perceptions of stakeholders.

A Practical Research Methods Course That Teaches How to Be a Successful Biomedical Engineering Graduate Student

Should your department offer a course on how to be a scientist and a successful graduate student? We offer this course at George Mason University as a mandatory part of the graduate curriculum, but this is not common practice for graduate biomedical engineering programs. Graduate education in biomedical engineering is evolving rapidly, with an increasing demand for fundamental research skills, interdisciplinary skills, and professional development. We believe that graduate students will be more successful in their research activities if they are explicitly taught these skills at the beginning of their graduate coursework. This paper describes the design of this course in our bioengineering department.

For a bright future. Cuban nuclear engineers studying in late socialist Hungary

PurposeThis research aims to contribute to History of Education Studies as well as to New Cold War Studies, by examining a Reactor Technology Specialist Engineer program, launched in Hungary three times in the 1980s for Cuban nuclear engineers, graduates of the University of Havana.Design/methodology/approachThe institutional setting, the content of the program, the teaching staff, the students, and the outcomes are studied. The factors that motivated the birth of this special program are examined, including the following areas; in what ways it was different from the courses in which foreign students participated in Hungary; what its strengths and weaknesses were; how we can learn from this past experience and what relevance it has for the present.FindingsThe analysis – carried out within the context of Cuban–Hungarian relations in the Cold War – demonstrates that these two satellite countries used the fields of science and education to widen their international possibilities and at the same time to reinforce their national interests by cooperating with each other.Originality/valueThe investigation is based on archival sources, university yearbooks and journals as well as contemporary Hungarian press. Written sources were complemented by interviews with Cuban students and Hungarian teaching staff, thus providing a personal perspective, balancing official views.

A Case Study Comparison of Undergraduate Education and Engineering Majors’ Understanding of Community Engineering

ABSTRACT As we prepare teachers to provide students with opportunities within STEM education, authentic experiences should guide the instruction. Unfortunately, due to the novel integration of engineering into national reform documents, there is a dearth of documentation on elementary preservice teachers’ engineering ideas as they align with student goals (e.g. enrolling in an engineering program). As teachers must provide authentic science experiences to help frame the work of scientists for students, creating authentic engineering experiences should frame the work of engineers. Thus, it is important to foundationally investigate how elementary preservice teachers’ ideas about engineering reflect those of novice engineers. This research uses multiple case study to investigate and compare teaching and engineering majors’ understanding of engineering within their communities. Additionally, while there were some similarities across groups, engineering majors were more likely to speak to the science behind the artifacts represented in the photo novellas they authored, and the preservice teachers found a larger variety and diversity of engineering elements. Findings indicate that these groups have fundamentally different perspectives on engineering and how it is manifested within the communities. This has implications for upper tiers of education as elementary teachers lay broad engineering foundations, while middle, high school, and community colleges must methodically highlight engineering disciplines to provide more authentic experiences, highlighting the connections between engineering, science, and math.

Development of manufacturing engineering program of Bulacan State University using employability tracer study

<span lang="EN-US">Tracer study is one of the continuous quality improvement tools for curriculum development. The graduates are invited to answer the tracer form to determine their employability. Since the Manufacturing Engineering program in Bulacan State University (BuLSU) is the youngest engineering program, there is minimal data on graduates available, especially on the details of their first jobs, such as the first job related to the program, time taken to land their first job, gross monthly salary, and learning competencies. The demographic profile of the manufacturing engineering graduates from 2015 to 2019 is preserved and remains strictly confidential for the safety of their identification. Correspondingly, the study applied a cross-sectional retrospective survey method. Moreover, 67.41% of manufacturing engineering graduates responded. The employment rate of manufacturing engineering graduates was 93.38%, whereas regular or permanent in their current employment was 84.40%. Furthermore, data show that they are employed within less than a month, 50.97% of responses. Lastly, the primary learning competency that manufacturing engineering graduates consider is critical thinking skills, with a response rate of 86.11%, followed by problem-solving skills, with 81.94% responses, while third was communication skills, with a rate of 78.08%. Ultimately, the recommendations for further curriculum and program improvement are exhibited.</span>

Research Group Introduction: Abe Laboratory, Electrical and Electronics Engineering Program, Dept. of Monozukuri Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology

Research Group Introduction: Abe Laboratory, Electrical and Electronics Engineering Program, Dept. of Monozukuri Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology

Blended Implementation of Existing Precollege Engineering Programs: Teacher Perspectives of Program Impact

Blended Implementation of Existing Precollege Engineering Programs: Teacher Perspectives of Program Impact

Inclusive Learning Environment in Transnational Education: A Case Study of a First Year Software Engineering Programme

This research explores the execution of an inclusive learning environment (ILE) in a first-year Software Engineering programme at a Chinese university within a Transnational Education (TNE) framework. The practical use of inclusive education in TNE settings is still relatively underexplored, despite its acknowledged role in improving student experiences and results. Using surveys, interviews, and module evaluations, the study examines the unique challenges and opportunities presented when inclusivity practices cross-cultural and educational borders. The research identifies three key factors in creating an ILE: the programme setup, cultural sensitivities in teaching, and diverse assessment methods. These factors significantly enhance student engagement and overall learning outcomes. The study notably contributes to the discourse on inclusivity in TNE, particularly within the Chinese context, offering practical insights for educators and stakeholders developing inclusive TNE software engineering programmes. It ends by recommending further research on the long-term effects of these strategies on student outcomes and TNE policymaking.

ARE VOCATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENTS READY TO FACE WORKFORCE DISRUPTION IN THE CONSTRUCTION FIELD?

The purpose of this research is to 1) Describe the digital literacy understanding of vocational high school students in the Construction and Property Engineering program. 2) Analyze students' understanding of technological disruption in the field of construction. 3) Analyze students' readiness to face technological disruptions in the construction field. The research was conducted at a vocational high school that offers the Construction and Property Engineering program in South Sulawesi province. The study took place from March to June 2023. The population of the research consisted of all students in grade X, totaling 1125 students. The sample size was determined using the Slovin formula with a 0.05 level of error, resulting in a sample of 318 respondents. All items are valid and reliable based on the validity and reliability test with a value greater than 0.361. The research findings indicate that the digital literacy understanding of vocational high school students in the Construction and Property Engineering program regarding their readiness to face the labor workforce disruption in the construction field is mostly categorized as very good with a percentage of 80%. Furthermore, students' understanding of technological disruption in the construction field and their readiness to face the labor workforce disruption in the construction field is dominantly categorized as very good with a percentage of 63%. Student readiness is dominantly in the Able category, but there are still 18% who are in the Need to optimize category in facing technological disruption in the construction sector.

Assessment of the Implementation of Flipped Classroom Setup in DIFEQUATIONS at Holy Angel University – School of Engineering and Architecture

Flipped classroom is an interactive teaching approach which provides active learning. In the first semester of school year 2023-2024, flipped classroom was implemented in DIFEQUATIONS under the School of Engineering and Architecture of Holy Angel University. Basic knowledge about each topic were provided by the instructors to the students before the in-campus sessions with the aid of asynchronous discussions such as pre-recorded videos and module resources and online assignments through the university’s learning management system. Students were equipped with fundamental principles and knowledge which were utilized during their in-campus sessions where active and interactive learning took place, acquiring them with mathematical skills and competencies. This study was conducted to know the perception of the second year engineering students who were enrolled in DIFEQUATIONS when flipped classroom was carried out. Ten statements regarding the evaluation of the General Engineering program, which was the implementation of flipped classroom in DIFEQUATIONS, were rated by the students and indicated strongly agree response with an average rating of 4.34. Students responded agree with the flipped classroom approach, getting an average rating of 4.10, which were the evaluations from thirty statements regarding flipped classroom. Suggestions and comments were solicited from the students to recognize the challenges, know the feedback and identify ways to improve the implementation of flipped classroom. Flipped classroom was a good way of understanding, studying and learning, where students were able to grasp each lesson in a more accessible and engaging process.

Predictive modeling of on‐time graduation in computing engineering programs: A case study from Northern Chile

AbstractIn the ever‐evolving landscape of 21st‐century education, this research seeks to understand the challenges of on‐time graduation for students in two related computing majors. In particular, we focus on the Universidad Católica del Norte computing engineering programs in Chile, specifically the “Computing and Informatics Civil Engineering” (ICCI) and “Computing and Informatics Execution Engineering” (IECI) programs. We developed a machine‐learning‐based model using random forests to predict delays in submissions of the final report of graduation projects, the key step in the graduation pipeline of the analyzed students. We had access to a data set comprised of 209 students in the period from 2013 to 2017, out of these students, only 111 completed all their graduation requirements. Thus, we focused on this subset of students for the analysis. Our analyses of results indicate that individual advisors minimally contribute to predicting timely or late submissions, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach. In contrast, the specific major, graduation modality, and time in the program play crucial roles, with GPA emerging as the most influential factor (24.06%). Notably, the “Professional Work” modality exhibits a moderate positive correlation with late submissions, contextualized by students' employment commitments. The study's predictive model offers actionable insights for educators and administrators, identifying at‐risk students and advocating for personalized support strategies. This research contributes to the ongoing dialogue on enhancing educational outcomes by integrating data‐driven approaches tailored to diverse student profiles.

Investigating the Impact of the Entrepreneurial Passion on Entrepreneurial Intentions: A Parallel Mediation Approach

ABSTRACT The present study aims to examine college students’ entrepreneurial intentions enrolled in engineering and management programs. The study mainly focuses on exploring the role of entrepreneurial passion in stimulating favorable intentions to start a business venture. Ajzen’s “Theory of planned behavior” was used as a conceptual model, and entrepreneurial passion was added to the basic framework of the model as a contextual variable. Moreover, to offset the confounding effect of extraneous variables, gender, and family business exposure were taken as control variables. Data were collected from 376 college students using a structured questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data in Amos 22.0. The analysis of the data revealed that attitude toward entrepreneurship emerged as the most important determinant of entrepreneurial intentions, followed by subjective norms, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial passion. Moreover, the results of the parallel mediation analysis revealed that the three basic constructs of the theory of planned behavior model were partially mediating the effect of passion on entrepreneurial intentions. The study presents implications for policymakers and governments for boosting entrepreneurship among students so that higher economic growth can be achieved.

A framework for integrating additive manufacturing into engineering education: perspectives of students and educators

ABSTRACT Additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing (3DP) offer unique opportunities for experiential learning and practical application in engineering education. In developed countries, AM is integrated into engineering education to train mechanical engineers. However, existing research has not investigated the integration of AM and 3DP into higher education in developing countries. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with students and educators from mechanical engineering programmes in Vietnam to examine AM usage in engineering education. Our study revealed that no curricula or policies to integrate AM into classrooms exist in the participating institutions. Engineering schools are attempting to introduce 3DP to students through short courses, but educators have inadequate training. The lack of consistent communication among institutions has hindered the growth of 3DP education. Therefore, to meet the standards of Industry 4.0, it is crucial to have policies and funding in place to promote AM growth among first-year engineering students.

To Test or Not to Test? The Graduate Record Examinations: Predictive Validity toward Graduate Study Success on Research Masters’ Programs in a Large European University

Graduate admissions committees in Europe have a challenging task of selecting students from an increasingly large pool of candidates with diverse application files. Graduate standardized testing can ease the comparison of application files. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is predictive of several dimensions of graduate success on English-taught research masters’ programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at a large European university. The data from 167 masters’ students were collected. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. All GRE scales predicted Graduate Grade Point Average. Individual GRE scales predicted internship grade and supervisors’ assessments of students’ research performance and the content of their research report. None of the individual GRE scales predicted supervisors’ assessments of students’ practical skills, but the three GRE scales taken together improved the explanatory power of the model. The structure and style of students’ research reports was not predicted by the GRE. All relationships were held after accounting for socioeconomic status. Overall, the GRE appeared as a reasonable predictor of graduate study success. Both the benefits and drawbacks of the implementation of the GRE in European masters’ programs are discussed, as well as the legal limitations.

A journey from nuclear engineer to higher education: A conversation with Pingchien Neo

Pingchien Neo is the director of international engineering programs at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida. Previously, she taught nuclear engineering courses as a lecturer at UF. Neo discusses what inspired her to pursue nuclear engineering and how that led her toward higher education.

Genome-wide characterization of the glutathione S-transferase gene family in Phaseolus vulgaris reveals insight into the roles of their members in responses to multiple abiotic stresses

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a class of multifunctional enzymatic antioxidants that play a significant role in several aspects of plant physiology, including growth, development, and cellular protection from biotic and abiotic stressors. A total of 59 GST genes were found in Phaseolus vulgaris genome, which were categorized into 11 distinct classes according to their evolutionary connection and the existence of conserved structural domains and motifs. Gene duplication analysis revealed that the evolution of the members of the GST gene family in P. vulgaris was driven by both segmental and tandem duplication events. Analysis of the expression profiles of identified PvGST genes using the available transcriptome data demonstrated notable expression patterns and organ specificity of many genes throughout several developmental stages and under drought or salinity. Subsequent RT-qPCR analysis of several drought-responsive or salinity-responsive candidate genes showed that PvGSTF4 was up-regulated solely by drought, PvGSTU11 was up-regulated only by salinity, and PvGSTU3, PvGSTU12, PvGSTU13, PvGSTU14, PvGSTU16, PvGSTT1, and PvGSTZ2 were up-regulated by both salt and drought. The up-regulated PvGSTs under drought and/or salinity might enable P. vulgaris to adapt to stressful environments. These candidate genes could be explored in genetic engineering programs for development of stress-tolerant P. vulgaris varieties.

Teaching three-phase half-wave power electronic rectifier with gamified augmented reality support

This paper presents a support tool designed for instructors in technical education within engineering programs, focusing specifically on power electronics and laboratory procedures related to the three-phase half-wave rectifier. The Augmented Reality (AR) application was developed for Android devices using Unity+Vuforia, employing a gamification-based approach. The application allows students to evaluate their knowledge and skills in real-time and offers an interactive learning environment. It provides learning diagnostics and sends each student's evaluation to a database stored on Google-Forms that is accessible by the instructor or assessor in question. It's important to note that this APP is freely accessible through the Android APP store. The learning strategy is around a game that tests players on their knowledge of measuring devices and theoretical concepts. Additionally, there is a puzzle task that encourages learners to correctly arrange the waveforms in a rectifier. Students can also connect the half-wave rectifier's essential connections and the transformer's delta-star connections through touch interaction. A comparison study between traditional teaching methods and the innovative AR-based approach has been conducted. This educational proposal itself is an innovative solution that will be especially helpful for laboratories lacking useful equipment in Mexican colleges. To test the effect of AR application on student success, an experimental study was conducted on two groups of students (a control group [non-using AR] and a test group [using AR]). To determine significant difference in acquired learning, an ANOVA statistical analysis was conducted using independent sample tests. According to tests result, there is a significant difference in the acquired knowledge for those who used the designed tool. The probability value (p = 1e-5 <0.05) for the use of AR is found. They increase their initial average grade from 27.08% to 72.3%, in contrast to the control group with no significant increasing learning, reporting an initial average grade of 28.75–43.33%. These results show that the use of AR in electronic practice makes a significant difference in student success.

Comparison of Intraoral Scanning Modes in Three Distinct Full- Arch Digital Implant Impression Scenarios: An In Vitro Study.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of scanning modes on the accuracy of the Trios for full-arch digital implant impressions. The trueness and precision of the intraoral scanning mode (IOSM) and the intraoral edentulous scanning mode (IOEM) of the Trios were evaluated in three edentulous models, each featuring 4, 6, and 8 implant analogues. Reference scanning data were obtained by scanning each model with a desktop scanner. Each model was scanned 10 times using the IOSM and IOEM modes of the Trios to establish the test groups. The scan bodies in the test and reference scans were isolated and exported in the reverse engineering program. The scan bodies in each group were superimposed with the corresponding reference scan (trueness) or with each other (precision). The overall 3D deviation between the aligned scan bodies was computed by the root-meansquare (RMS) values. As a result of the trueness and precision evaluation, no significant difference was found between scanning modes in any of the models. When comparing models, the 8-implant model showed significantly lower trueness than the 4-implant model. However, it also exhibited significantly higher precision when compared to both the 4-implant and 6-implant models. There were no significant differences in other pairwise comparisons between the models. Trueness and precision values were similar between the IOSM and IOEM groups across all the models. An increase in the number of implants in complete edentulous arches may have a negative impact on digital impression accuracy.

Immersive engineering instruction: Using Virtual Reality to enhance students’ experience in the classroom

With the growing complexity of construction projects, the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector increasingly requires a skilled workforce. This need is magnified by the challenge of less than ideal retention rates in engineering fields, prompting a search for methods to enhance the learning experience. Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as an effective tool in this context, offering immersive and interactive learning environments that improve the grasp and retention of complex concepts in engineering. This research assesses the benefits of implementing a VR solution for building inspections in an undergraduate civil engineering program. It compares the use of a VR system against traditional desktop-based inspection techniques and considers cognitive load, user experience, and usability aspects of this implementation. Additionally, it examines how students’ spatial abilities affect their performance with both methods. Results demonstrate that VR does not increase cognitive load and is often perceived as requiring less effort by student users. While both the desktop and VR options produced similar usability scores, the VR implementation provided a much more engaging user experience. These results were replicated and echoed in a second study with actual engineering instructors, who likewise held a strong positive attitude towards the VR system, consistent with student attitudes. Taken together, these results highlight the potential for VR to revolutionize educational opportunities, suggesting that its further adoption and exploration should be prioritized as a useful and viable academic tool. Specifically, these results suggest that VR can enhance the learning process in civil engineering and make collaborative virtual building inspections more efficient and engaging.

Exploring the Efficacy of Binary Surveys versus Likert Scales in Assessing Student Perspectives Using Bayesian Analysis

Likert-scale surveys are the undeniable protagonists of online evaluations. They ask the respondent to express their degree of agreement with a series of statements related to the development of a subject. In contrast, in social networks, dichotomous surveys are mostly used. They force respondents to polarize their opinions by selecting “like” or “dislike”. This study compares the efficacy of binary and Likert surveys in gathering student opinions on mechanical engineering program subjects. Using Bayesian analysis, it analyzes the similarity of responses obtained from both formats. For each question and scale, the ratio of “I like” among the total responses collected was calculated. The Bayesian factor method was used to compare the ratios obtained. The null hypothesis was equality between the ratios obtained by the different scales for the same question. This hypothesis was rejected in only 7 of the 49 questions evaluated—less than 15%. Finally, the students were surveyed on the preference for use of both scales. More than 80% stated a preference for the use of the dichotomous format. In view of the results obtained, we recommend more frequent use of the dichotomous scale to gather students’ opinions.