International Engineering Education Research Articles

Factors Affecting Sustainability-Related Career Expectations among Engineering Undergraduates in China: An Empirical Study Based on a Modified College Impact Model.

The international engineering education community has reached a consensus regarding the need to enhance engineering students' awareness of and capability to provide sustainable services in their future careers. Based on a modified college impact model, this study analyzed the impacts of curricular emphasis, curricular instruction, and sustainability-related career self-efficacy on the sustainability-related career expectations of engineering students and investigated the moderating effects of gender on the relationships among the research variables. The results show that both curricular emphasis and curricular instruction have direct positive effects on the sustainability-related career expectations of engineering students; sustainability-related career self-efficacy plays a partial mediating role in this process; and gender significantly moderates the influence of curricular emphasis and curricular instruction on sustainability-related career expectations. The findings of this study provide empirical evidence that can be used by higher education institutions and engineering educators to enhance the belief of engineering students in their ability to solve sustainability-related issues in their future careers and promote the diversification of engineering education.

International Engineering Education Accreditation for Sustainable Career Development: A Comparative Study of Ship Engineering Curricula between China and UK

Higher education accreditation within the Washington Accord has played a crucial role in advancing the global recognition of engineering training, greatly benefiting the professional sustainability of graduates. However, the existence of substantial disparities in higher engineering education systems among countries poses challenges for international engineering education accreditation, primarily due to information asymmetry. To address this issue, this study focuses on a comparative analysis of representative undergraduate programs in the field of ship engineering from the Ocean University of China in China and the University of Southampton in the UK. By examining the curriculum systems in the field of ship engineering in both countries, this study aims to shed light on the variations and similarities between the two. Moreover, the study delves into the specific example of the “Marine Engineering English” module to illustrate how an independent module can effectively fulfill the requirements for international recognition in higher engineering education accreditation while also serving the curriculum system. Serving as a significant practical case within the framework of the Washington Accord, this research provides valuable insights for the establishment of engineering education curriculum systems that are aligned with international standards. Ultimately, its findings hold considerable significance for promoting the international recognition of engineering education and fostering sustainable professional development for graduates.

Research trends in international science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education conference series: An analysis of a decade of proceedings

This paper reports on the results of a descriptive analysis of 675 publications included in the proceedings of five editions of the International Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in Education Conferences held in Australia, Canada, and China over 9 years between 2012 and 2021. Peer-reviewed academic journals are traditional sources of high quality and established research. Yet these papers might take months and sometimes years to get published. On the other hand, an analysis of research foci represented at international STEM conferences can be used as a source of the most recent trends in the field, and the developments of STEM education research across time and by national origins. In this analysis, 675 abstracts from five editions of the International STEM in Education Conference were coded into eight topics, followed by a descriptive analysis of the results. Four countries were consistently the top four contributors: Australia, Canada, China, and the United States. Thus, the study conducted a descriptive analysis and discussion of the trends among these countries. The results revealed trends in STEM education research, among which policy, curriculum, assessment; K-12 teaching and learning, are dominant topics of research investigation, while postsecondary STEM teaching and learning are less investigated. The results also demonstrated the dominance of some topics over others among the countries that most contributed to the conferences. For instance, Canada dominated in the studies of culture, gender, and social issues and in postsecondary STEM education. China paid much less attention to these topics, while putting more emphasis on historical and epistemological perspectives on STEM, policy and curriculum, and K-12 teaching and learning. Australian research focused on policy and curriculum; K-12 teaching and learning; and industry. Meanwhile, the United States showed the least difference in percentages between topics. Overall the analysis indicates a relatively low interest in postsecondary STEM education research, despite the growing demand for STEM professionals. This highlights the need for STEM education research focused on institutions of higher education. This analysis interprets the trend results in light of the issues in STEM education confronting various national jurisdictions.

Improving Student Learning of Impulse and Momentum in Particle Dynamics Through Computer Simulation and Animation

Computer simulation and animation (CSA) is educational technology in which computer programs are employed to simulate and animate real-world physical phenomena and processes. CSA has attracted growing attention and received an increasing number of applications in the international science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education community in recent years. The present study focuses on developing and assessing two CSA learning modules for improving student learning and problem-solving related to impulse and momentum in particle dynamics. Both CSA learning modules integrate mathematical problem-solving procedures into computer simulation and animation. They have interactive computer graphical user interfaces, which enable students to change input variables and visualize how output variables change accordingly. A quasi-experimental, quantitative research study was performed, involving 285 undergraduate engineering students divided into a comparison group that did not use CSA and an intervention group that used CSA. The results of statistical non-parametric analysis on the data collected from pre- and post-tests on the two groups show that, on average, the intervention group achieved more learning gains than the comparison group by 44% and 40% from two CSA learning modules, respectively. The difference in learning gains between the two groups of student participants was statistically significant.

Exploring the Experiences and Perceptions of 21st Century Leadership Academy Participants

The 21st Century Leadership Academy grew out of an effort by the Council of Technology Teacher Education’s (CTTE) Leadership Development Committee to prepare future leaders for the field of Technology & Engineering Education (TEE). Efforts by Drs. Roger Hill (University of Georgia) and Bill Havice (Clemson University) led to the creation, and subsequent implementation, of this leadership academy with support from CTTE (later renamed the Council on Technology & Engineering Teacher Education [CTETE]) and the International Technology & Engineering Education Association (ITEEA). Initially, participation in the leadership academy was focused on early-career university faculty but recruitment was later expanded to include individuals with related professional experience (e.g., graduate students, tenured faculty members, etc.) and, as of January 2021, more than 80 individuals have participated in the academy. This study reports an investigation into the experiences and perceptions of the academy alums with an additional focus on their professional involvement, how participation may have influenced these activities, and suggestions they had for future cohorts. In addition, our investigation provides suggestions for future similar leadership training efforts that could be applied in a variety of fields. Our efforts, as researchers, aim to present the shared experience as navigated by the cohort participants. Although individual takeaways vary, overall themes such as networking and collaboration underscore the experience of participants in each cohort year. While participants consider themselves active in the field of Technology & Engineering Education, few of them are serving in leadership roles within CTETE or ITEEA.

In-Depth Reform and Practice of Theory-Practice Integration in Core Curriculum of Electrical Majors in New Engineering and Technical Disciplines

By studying the international mainstream advanced engineering education concepts and modes for the undergraduate training of top talents, this article explores and proposes a research teaching reform that integrates theory and practice in the core course of electrical majors. Relying on the course of "Analog Electronic Technology Fundamentals", a research-based project-driven class teaching integrated with training and competition was carried out. Through 7 rounds of teaching for 5 years, positive results have been achieved, verifying its radiation and promotion effects in terms of teaching mode and implementation measures.

Discussion on Practice of Intelligent Manufacturing in Engineering Training Teaching

In recent years, in the teaching process of Engineering specialty in colleges and universities, the main goal of engineering practice teaching is to adhere to the consensus concept of international engineering education and cultivate high-quality talents with innovation and entrepreneurship ability. As a new technology and concept, intelligent manufacturing technology plays an important role in engineering construction. This paper focuses on the application of Intelligent manufacturing in engineering practice teaching.

The Idea and Realization of Higher Vocational Teaching Reform Based on Outcome-oriented Education

Higher vocational education requires reform and innovation. It is necessary to attach importance to the process and results of higher vocational education and obtain the international engineering education professional certification. Outcome Oriented Education (OBE) is based on the premise that all students can be successful, clarifies the learning outcomes of students after the education process, and emphasizes the ability of students to apply what they have learned to practice through action learning. Soon after the birth of OBE in the United States, it set off a huge wave of education reform. The transformation and promotion of OBE’s localization will surely develop a new normal of vocational education with distinctive features, outstanding advantages, and outstanding results. In the final analysis, the OBE model puts students at the center of the classroom. As a successful teaching model exploration institution, the school takes the learning achievements as the starting point to carry out the behavior process of students’ various practical application skills training. When implementing OBE, only a deep understanding of the connotation structure of the outcome-oriented pyramid can prevent misunderstanding or distortion of the original meaning.

The Design of the College English Curriculum from the Perspective of International Engineering Education Accreditation—A Case Study from the Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology

A scientific curriculum system is of vital importance for an institution’s professional accreditation. This paper seeks to improve the previous College English curriculum by resolving certain recalcitrant problems impeding both teaching and learning; furthermore, it takes into account the demands of international society. By embracing an outcome-based, student-centered approach for International Engineering education accreditation, the paper emphasizes teaching targets of a College English curriculum for future engineers based on knowledge, capacity and quality. In addition, it provides a graduation requirement index matrix and, a differentiated curriculum system, which specifies a clear relationship between the system and students’ outcomes. Finally, four characteristics of the system are elaborated: compulsory courses and optional courses are compared; English for General Purpose (EGP) and English for Special Purpose (ESP) are correlated; classroom teaching and extracurricular context are integrated; and formative assessment and summative assessment are combined.

Spanish for STEM in US Higher Education: A Historical Review and Future Perspectives

This article examines the long tradition of Spanish-language learning for scientific and technological purposes in the United States. It provides a review of some of the historical approaches for designing course offerings and programs of Spanish for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) at the college level. These historical approaches help us better understand the unique challenges Spanish for STEM educators and scholars have faced at different times and the perspectives that have shaped the current state of the field. The author also describes current pedagogical models within the field of Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) but also International Engineering Education (IEE) and Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC). Finally, the author articulates future perspectives and possible directions of the field, including more emphasis on needs-analysis curriculum design and more active engagement with developments in other geographies, language traditions, and areas of LSP. This article seeks to encourage the growth of Spanish for STEM at institutions of higher education, whether in language departments or science and engineering programs.

Government Engineering Colleges in Assam: Current Status and Steps for Improvement

The State Government has well understood the demand of technical education in the state and attention is focused on rapid development in this field, with global professional standards and international accreditation being recognised as the benchmarks for quality assurance. In this regard, it is important to understand an accord called “The Washington Accord”. This is an international agreement to ensure consistent quality of undergraduate engineering program across the World. Programs recognised by accrediting authorities in countries that are signatories are considered to be equivalent in terms of quality and the graduate attributes. In 2014, the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) India joined as a signatory for programs accredited by NBA offered by education providers accepted by NBA as Tier 1 institutions. In February 2015, the Government of Assam appointed an expert team from the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Curtin University Australia to conduct an audit of technical education in the public sector. The purpose of the audit was to find the gaps that may exist in governance, curriculum, policies, guidelines and community engagement in relation to those to be required and found in a Washington Accord approved programme. This paper summarises some of the gaps. This is followed by recommendations to improve the technical education sector in Assam. The findings in the gap analysis are the first in a series of steps toward the long-awaited restructuring of the technical higher education sector in the state of Assam. It is now up to the Government of Assam to take the necessary steps in addressing the issues to re-energise the technical higher education sector and bring the public technical colleges to the forefront of quality Indian institutions offering international standard engineering education and infrastructure.

Exploration and Practice of International Collaborative Teaching Mode for Innovation Talents

In order to enrich the training modes for internationalized and innovative talents, universities from China, Japan and Korea have cooperated each other since 2012, and established a consortium named Innovative Research & Education of Asia (IRE). The consortium proposed the “student-centered, innovation-oriented and multiple cooperation” teaching concept. To achieve the objective of innovation talent education, an international interdisciplinary teaching team has been formed and three international innovation engineering education projects have been created. Furthermore, an international collaborative training system for innovation talents has been designed. Up to now, more than 20 colleges and universities joins the IRE consortium and 2000 Asian students participated in the training system. The successful cases demonstrate that the proposed teaching system is effective and has become a famous example of interdisciplinary engineering innovation education for talents. 

Construction and Practice of Undergraduate Teaching Quality Assurance System Based on International Engineering Education Concept

Aimed at the problems such as old talents training concept, single assessment and lack of long-term continuous improvement mechanism, the undergraduate teaching quality assurance system was constructed and practised. Several crucial aspects such as the quality control of teaching process, the assessment mechanism for curriculum aim and graduation requirements, the teaching quality feedback mechanism, as well as the continuous improvement mechanism were explored. Based on the above research, the undergraduate teaching quality assurance system is formed, which is easy to operate and contains the OBE international advanced concept. Practical application shows that the teaching quality assurance system constructed in this paper can improve our teaching quality effectively.

Proceedings of the Symposium on International Science and Engineering Education: An Overview

Proceedings of the Symposium on International Science and Engineering Education: An Overview

Learning from Competition: An Outcome-Based Introductory Activity for First-Year Biotechnology Undergraduates

In recent years, accreditation standards for international engineering education have led to a dramatic rise in the use of outcome-based education at universities. In this system, enticing new undergraduate students to science and engineering, although challenging, is the first important step toward building students' career competencies. An ongoing effort to attract students to biotechnology was initiated 13 years ago in the School of Biotechnology at the East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai. We describe the design and organization of the Microbe Competition, a program attracting a total of nearly 6,500 students as of 2018. In the competition, students need to pass the microbiology knowledge test, provide a practical experiment proposal related to the topic of competition, and finish the experiment under the supervision of teachers before getting final prizes. The competition develops students' competencies in acquiring and applying knowledge, problem solving, teamwork, communication, and experimental skills. By investigating students' feedback, we have been continuously improving the quality of competition to attract more students from the biotechnology major. We hope that by sharing our experience, we can help educators at other universities organize similar introductory activities on their own campuses.

OBE Directed Teaching Strategy and Practice of Software Application Specialization

To address challenges of software technology and society, the applied software higher education reform is urgently demanded. We used OBE (Outcome Based Education), the international advanced engineering education concept, as guidance to carry out reverse design in the determination of outcomes, curriculum design, and practice teaching, switching from attention on discipline to attention on student acquisition, and set the goal of training according to the industrial needs with the construction of a professional curriculum system. As a result, we made new changes in mode, switching from teaching as the center to learning as the center; and strengthened the multi-level progressive practice teaching, switching from single subject to multiple subject.

"Trinity" KPI Evaluation Method for Innovation Ability Under CDIO+ Concept

Faced with the international engineering education and the training of innovative talents, CDIO's education mode is an engineering training idea aiming at the cultivation of ability.Based on the problem of multivariate evaluation of the cultivation effect of innovation ability, this paper puts forward the KPI evaluation method of innovation ability under the concept of CDIO+ from the reform of the current teaching evaluation method in colleges and universities in China. This method establishes the KPI competence evaluation matrix based on the content evaluation of knowledge points, adopts the "Trinity" diversified curriculum evaluation system, and uses the content of proposition quality assessment to strengthen the contribution and achievement of curriculum indicators.Through the course practice of "universal design method and innovative design method", the results show: under the curriculum coordinate system of "Double creation", this method pays attention to the cultivation of students' innovative consciousness and engineering practice ability, forms the benign internal incentive mechanism of students' curriculum theory and engineering practice of innovation learning, effectively inspires students' enthusiasm and initiative, and promotes the improvement of students' innovation ability.

The Annual Colloquium on International Engineering Education: How It All Began

As director emeritus of the International Engineering Program at the University of Rhode Island, John Grandin was in a good position to provide an overview of the evolution of the Colloquium on International Engineering Education at its twenty-year celebration at the University of Northern Arizona in 2017. This article is based on Grandin’s keynote address at the Arizona Colloquium in which he recalled how the Colloquium began, who the key stakeholders and driving forces were, how other programs got started nation-wide and how the momentum grew and led to the 2008 joint NSF sponsored workshop and the Newport Declaration to Globalize Engineering Education.

Comparison of Engineering Education in Norway and China

The Washington Accord is an internationally recognized agreement in engineering education of undergraduates. China joined the agreement as the 18th member country in 2016. The exploration technology and engineering major of China University of Petroleum has obtained the professional certification from international engineering education system and will adopt the international standards of personnel training that is substantially equivalent to the Washington Accord to train students. Based on the personal experience of two years of study abroad combining with the major, the author compares the difference of engineering education at home and abroad. At the same time, according to the domestic actual situation of education and the overall situation of students, the author gives corresponding opinions and improvement methods.

Perspectives for International Engineering Education: Sustainable-oriented and Transnational Teaching and Learning

A global transformation from an economic towards a sustainable development is promoted by current policies from the United Nations and the European Union. Young engineers must be trained to anticipate the sustainability challenges for contributing bottom-up to a global sustainable development. Besides, they must be capable of performing in a more and more dynamic, transnational, and intercultural global working environment. Consequently, new perspectives for teaching and learning in higher engineering education are required, providing the competencies for coping with the sustainability challenges and for working within the dynamic global society. A transnational and project-oriented teaching and learning framework is outlined, which provides the future key competencies for young engineers. Based on this framework, the inter-university master course “European Engineering Team” is presented. The master course fosters the development of sustainable and entrepreneurial initiatives by leading the students through the development phases of a start-up company grounding on a sustainable innovation. A first evaluation of the master course shows, that most of the students’ key competencies have been improved significantly.