Introductory Engineering Research Articles

Gendered Interests in Electrical, Computer, and Biomedical Engineering: Intersections With Career Outcome Expectations

Contribution: The current study finds that female-identified students report stronger associations between “helping others” and interest in bioengineering/biomedical engineering than non-females, while they report less interest in electrical and computer engineering overall, with similar associations to factors such as “inventing/designing things” than non-females. Background: While women have made gains in STEM, electrical and computer engineering programs award 13% of their Bachelor’s degrees to women while bioengineering/biomedical engineering programs award over 40%. Prior work suggests that women’s persistent under-representation in electrical and computer engingeering may be due to them being drawn into other disciplines. Women persist in engineering at similar rates as men, so a better understanding of early college attitudes is needed. Research Questions: 1) How are career outcome expectations associated to electrical engineering, computer engineering, and bioengineering/biomedical engineering? 2) What are females’ interests in electrical engineering, computer engineering, and bioengineering/biomedical engineering? 3) Are outcome expectations and major interests distinct for female-identified students? Methodology: Regression analyses were conducted on multiply-imputed data of introductory engineering students at four public universities in the U.S. Findings: Students associate inventing/designing things and “developing new knowledge and skills” to electrical engineering, and associate inventing/designing things and “working with people” (negative) to computer engineering. Students associate helping others and “supervising others” (negative) to bioengineering/biomedical engineering. Female-identified students are less interested in electrical and computer engineering, more interested in bioengineering/biomedical engineering, and associate helping others to bioengineering/biomedical engineering more strongly.

Incorporating industrial design pedagogy into a mechanical engineering graphics course: a discipline-based education research (DBER) approach

BackgroundA redesigned curriculum for teaching engineering graphics was adopted in an introductory mechanical engineering course. The rollout of this curriculum was staggered, allowing for comparisons of student perceptions across the newly revised and previous instructional approaches. The new curriculum borrows from content and pedagogy traditionally employed in industrial design courses. The discipline-based education research (DBER) framework was used to investigate the manner in which the new curriculum was implemented and student reactions to this change. By using this approach, the researchers were able to incorporate and emphasize the unique aspects of the subject matter itself, as well as the attributes of the engineering discipline in which the course was embedded.ResultsResults indicated that students exhibited positive reactions to the sketching instruction, as well as various other aspects of the course, and that reactions were generally more positive among students in the redesigned course.ConclusionsThe contributions of this paper are twofold: illustrating the application of a specific research framework and providing results of an investigation of a redesigned curriculum. The redesigned curriculum was generally received well by students, and the partnership between the education researchers and faculty proved fruitful in allowing for nuanced investigation of the course redesign. Practical considerations for undertaking this type of research are also outlined.

Students’ Task Understanding during Engineering Problem Solving in an Introductory Thermodynamics Course

Understanding problems or tasks is a critical step in any problem-solving activity and the heart of self-regulated learning. When encountering a problem, students draw upon information available in the environment, along with knowledge, concepts, and perceptions derived from prior learning experiences, to interpret the demands of the task. Interpretation of tasks is, therefore, a key determinant of the goals set while learning, strategies selected to achieve those goals, and the criteria used to self-assess and evaluate outcomes. The purpose of this study is to better understand engineering students’ self-regulation in task interpretation processes while engaged in problem solving in an introductory engineering thermodynamics course. Two research questions guided the study: (1) What are the gaps, if any, between the instructor’s and students’ interpretation (explicit and implicit task features) of a problem-solving task?; and (2) How do students’ task interpretation (explicit and implicit) change after engaging in self-evaluation of their problem-solving processes? One hundred twelve (112) second year engineering undergraduates voluntarily participated in the study. Analysis of the data collected revealed a significant difference between the instructor’s and students’ task interpretation of the assigned problems. Furthermore, the analysis showed that students’ had a higher ability to identify the explicit parts of problem tasks than implicit ones. Students were able to grasp 63 to 77 percent and 39 to 49 percent, respectively, of the explicit and implicit information that was presented to them while engaged in problem-solving activities.

How students read an e‐textbook in an engineering course

AbstractTime on task has been recognized as an important variable in academic learning, but self‐report measures of study time are problematic. Therefore, this study employs an automated system for recording time spent reading a course textbook. College students in an introductory engineering course accessed their textbook online. The book contained pages of instructional text, worked examples, homework problems, and answers to homework problems. An instrumented document reader program called “STL Reader” recorded the time each student spent on each page, thus providing detailed measures of reading habits. Across the 10‐week course, students spent an average of 1.9 hr reading instructional text, 1.4 hr on worked examples, 22.1 hr on homework problems, and 0.9 hr on homework answers, indicating a preference for practicing to solve test problems (i.e., self‐testing) rather than being told (i.e., receiving direct instruction). Furthermore, course grade (based largely on solving problems on exams and quizzes) correlated significantly and positively with time viewing homework problems, but not with time viewing either instructional text or worked examples, indicating that achievement was related to time spent practicing for solving test problems but not to time spent being instructed. Results suggest a revision of the time‐on‐task hypothesis to include the value of spending time on tasks aligned to test requirements.

Case study on community-based learning: toy design project for children in Egyptian squatter community

ABSTRACTIntroduction to Engineering is the first engineering course American University in Cairo students take upon admission to the engineering program. It is required of students in all disciplines of engineering. It is a one-credit-hour course that covers topics including history of engineering, engineering fields of specializations, the engineering profession, engineering communications, engineering ethics, and societal obligations. Community-based learning (CBL) was introduced into the course via the required course project. The project was to design toys for children at a school in a disadvantaged squatter community in Old Cairo, Egypt, where infrastructure is poor and education and social mobility can be very limited. The project was carried out in partnership with a non-governmental organization based in Old Cairo. This paper shows how the introductory engineering course was redesigned to integrate CBL while meeting the stated ABET course outcomes. Included are detailed instructions on the tools and structure of the project to provide an example for others wishing to adapt some of these tools to other courses. The paper presents the outcome assessments and survey results to evaluate the project’s success at meeting the stated outcomes and includes a discussion on the benefits to the students and the community partner.

DESIGN OF AN INTRODUCTORY ENGINEERING DESIGN AND COMMUNICATION COURSE WHICH INTEGRATES FIRST SEMESTER COURSES


 Abstract - In their first semester at UWaterloo, Mechatronics Engineering students take a course which introduces them to their chosen discipline, and which has a focus on communication skills (MTE 100 – Mechatronics Engineering). In 2010, a multi-year refresh of MTE 100 was initiated to address shortcomings in both the course, and the semester as a whole. The first semester instructors have now completed the refresh of MTE 100. Multiple hands-on, integrative activities that connect the other first semester courses to MTE 100 were added throughout the first semester. The introduction of these integrative activities has improved the first semester of the Mechatronics program. Survey data and feedback from end of term course critiques show an increased appreciation of foundational courses like Chemistry. From focus groups conducted with upper year students, there is a strong desire for similar experiences in upper years.

Techne Odyssey: An Introductory Engineering Course based on Soft Engineering

We propose and execute an introductory engineering course for investigating the history of technology and the philosophy of technology. Soft...

Practical Example of Introductory Engineering Education Based on the Design Process and Teaching Methodology Using a Gyro Bicycle

This report describes a workshop on the Dynamics of Machinery based on the fabrication of a gyro- bicycle in a summer school program for junior high school students. The workshop was conducted by engineering students who had completed “Creative Research”, an engineering design course at the National Institute of Technology, Okinawa College (Okinawa KOSEN). The paper reports on the approximately one month run-up to the workshop and describes the classroom scene on the day of presentation. At the close of the workshop, participants were asked to complete an evaluative questionnaire. Responses were quite positive with respect to the lecture slides, guidance and workshop content. On the instructor side, it was confirmed that to promote student understanding, communications and teaching skills are crucial, although it has a passive impression for the achievement level of the workshop.

Impact of the Flipped Classroom on Learner Achievement and Satisfaction in an Undergraduate Technology Literacy Course

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the flipped classroom model on learner achievement and satisfaction for undergraduate learners Background: The context for this research on the flipped classroom was an introductory technology literacy course at a public, research university. Methodology: This study employed a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design consisting of two groups: the treatment condition (sections in which instructors implemented the flipped classroom model for the module that was the focus of the study) and control condition (sections in which instructors lectured in the face-to-face meeting, then learners completed the practice online as homework). Learners in each group received their form of instruction and completed the same instructional activities, tests, and surveys. These data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and Analysis of Covariance (ANACOVA) models. Contribution: This research adds to a growing base of literature on the flipped classroom, a special instantiation of blended learning. Findings: Results indicated that there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of learner achievement. In terms of learner satisfaction, however, there was a significant difference in which participants favored the control condition. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners should select situations that are appropriate for the flipped classroom context. This should be reflected in the implementation of curriculum that would benefit from the affordances of this approach. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should seek to replicate this study in longer durations and using rigorously developed and validated measures. Impact on Society: This study suggests the flipped classroom may not be perceived by learners in an introductory technology literacy course as beneficial to their satisfaction. Future Research: Future research should seek to replicate studies in technology literacy courses to identify the optimal learning situations for the blended learning environment.

Vocabulary Needs of Engineering Students: A Survey

There is substantial amount of technical vocabulary that new engineering students at the tertiary level are required to read and understand in their field of study. Technical vocabulary refers not to a single word but to a group of terms used to explain scientific processes and relations. This means that in the field of engineering, a scientific field, many technical terms are used. These terms may pose some difficulties to the students when reading engineering textbooks, so here seems to be a need to familiarize them with engineering terms to facilitate reading of those textbooks. In order to develop this specialist list of engineering terms, a group of 7 engineering lecturers were interviewed to find out the students’ vocabulary needs through the seven subject matter expert perspectives. In addition, a survey was carried out on a group of 318 engineering students in a tertiary institution. The survey aims to find out the needs of engineering students for a list of introductory engineering terminology. This paper will therefore present the results of the survey.

Identifying and teaching target vocabulary in an ESP course

With an increasing need for teaching discipline‐specific language to second language (L2) learners, language instructors are tasked with a challenging objective to target the vocabulary that is necessary for students to understand and produce discipline‐specific discourse. To meet this objective, language corpora and corpus software have been used extensively to examine the vocabulary demands of commercial textbooks and research articles as well as to enhance students' language‐learning experiences (Hsu, ; Mudraya, ; Ward, ). This article describes how to develop teaching materials for L2 vocabulary instruction using corpus‐based techniques. Focusing on a case study from an introductory engineering course, the authors demonstrate how freely available software programs (e.g., AntConc, Range, Compleat Lexical Tutor) can be used to identify and select relevant vocabulary items. The authors discuss the three types of vocabulary that might be targeted in an English for specific purposes course (technical, semitechnical, and nontechnical words) and explain the principles employed to guide the vocabulary selection process (i.e., keyness and frequency of words and their distribution in the materials). Finally, drawing on Nation's () framework of word knowledge, the authors provide an overview of several corpus‐informed activities developed for teaching vocabulary in engineering.

Evaluation of an Adaptive Learning Technology in a First-year Extended Curriculum Programme Physics course

Personalised, adaptive online learning platforms that form part of web-based proficiency tests play a major role in the improvement of the quality of learning in physics and assist learners in building proficiency, preparing for tests and using their time more effectively. In this study, the effectiveness of an adaptive learning platform, Wiley Plus ORION, was evaluated using proficiency test scores compared to paper-based test scores in a first-year introductory engineering physics course. Learners’ performance activities on the adaptive learning platform as well as their performance on the proficiency tests and their impact on the paper-based midterm averaged test were investigated using both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. A comparison between learners’ performance on the proficiency tests and a paper-based midterm test was done to evaluate whether there was a correlation between their performance on the proficiency tests and the midterm test. Focus group interviews were carried out with three categories of learners to elicit their experiences. Results showed that there was a positive relationship between high-performing learners’ proficiency score in the midterm averaged test and that the proficiency test enhanced learners’ performance in the paper-based midterm averaged test.

PUZZLE-BASED LEARNING: AN APPROACH TO CREATIVITY, DESIGN THINKING & PROBLEM SOLVING. IMPLICATIONS FOR ENGINEERING EDUCATION.

This paper will explore research practices already being conducted in various institutions, strengthening this paper's position that puzzle-based learning is a foundational methodology which assists newly admitted undergraduate engineering students, how to best approach critical problem solving. Furthermore, this paper will provide recommendations for an introductory protocol to introduce the incorporation of puzzle-based learning into a seminar-style course for First Year Introductory Engineering, and as a component of the engineering degree. The paper results in an exploratory analysis of what could be a starting place for future studies or classes to be conducted.

The balance principle and the Reynolds transport theorem in introductory fluid mechanics

This paper traces the evolution of the use of the Reynolds transport theorem to derive finite control volume equations for mass, momentum, and energy in introductory engineering fluid mechanics textbooks used in the United States. The paper demonstrates the superior merits of an alternative approach using the balance principle. The balance principle is easier to teach, to understand, and to apply in more complex situations. It better prepares students to understand the derivation of the partial differential equations of fluid mechanics and the finite volume equations of computational fluid dynamics. For these reasons, instructors should consider using the balance principle instead of (or at minimum in addition to) the Reynolds transport theorem in introductory fluid mechanics courses.

Conceptual issues related to reversibility and reversible work produced in closed and open flow systems

The concepts of reversibility and reversible work are subtle and illusive. Students often face difficulties in understanding these concepts. The definitions of reversibility given in textbooks on thermodynamics are generally descriptive and qualitative, subject to interpretation. The reversible work often discussed in the textbooks is actually the work produced in a mechanically reversible process and not the work produced in a completely reversible process. Although the P−V work produced in a mechanically reversible process is a path-dependent quantity, the work produced in a completely reversible process (closed or open system) is not a path-dependent quantity. It is a state function provided that the system interacts with a single thermal energy reservoir. In this article, the precise definitions of reversibility which are unambiguous and quantitative are discussed. The work produced in a reversible process is analyzed and discussed in detail. Both closed and open systems are considered. The material described in this article is suitable for third year chemical engineering students who have completed an introductory engineering thermodynamics course in their second year.

A Multi-Year Study of Professional Skills Development among First Year Chemical Engineering Students

There is an increasing demand from employers and stakeholders for chemical engineering graduates to have a range of professional skills in addition to their chemical engineering knowledge. For chemical engineering to continuously flourish as a discipline, our graduates will need to demonstrate professional skills at a higher level. Chemical engineering graduates are expected to be good in communicating in various forms, able to work in teams, able to solve problems, able to manage time well and continue to learn (life-long learning). These professional skills are more likely to be developed within the students if the skills are embedded into the curriculum, rather than taught in separate classes. It is essential for engineering courses to implement teaching and learning approaches that can help students to not only learn the content and at the same time develop crucial professional skills. The Introduction to Engineering course is designed to stimulate students' passion and strengthen their motivation for further engineering studies as well as enhancing their technical knowledge and relevant professional skills. This 3-hour credit course is required for all first-year chemical engineering students in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. First year experience in the introductory engineering course was enhanced by competitive challenges, student-centred learning activities, problem solving and seminars that strengthen the development of students' technical knowledge and professional skills. The objective of this study is to determine the effect of an integrated teaching and learning approach on the professional skills development among first year chemical engineering students for three consecutive years. To study the impact of the course, the students were asked to write reflective journals on what they have learnt. The three years' data, Semester 2012/2013, Semester 2013/2014 and Semester 2014/2015 were collected from reflective journals written by students of different batch. Using thematic analysis, four main professional skills were identified from the reflective journals, namely team working, communication, problem solving and time management skills. The results consistently indicate that the introductory course allows students to engage in engineering practice and provide an early start to ensure engineering graduates are equipped with a broader set of professional skills and greater experience of addressing 'real' engineering problems. It was concluded that the integrated teaching and learning approach in Introduction to Engineering course is effective in promoting positive professional skills development among engineering students.

Use of the TRB Research Needs Statements Database in an Introductory Transportation Course

The literature recognizes that the initial stages of a research project, including identifying and selecting a research topic, are the most challenging steps of project development for college students in the United States. Nevertheless, very limited literature exists on topic identification and selection, especially for undergraduate studies. TRB has built and maintains an extensive research needs statements (RNS) database. There is great potential for using this database as a tool to assist undergraduate and graduate students in transportation-related disciplines in selecting a research topic. This paper presents a case for using the RNS database for topic identification and selection in an introductory transportation engineering course for undergraduates at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The students used the RNS database for the term design project. Data were collected through a survey distributed at the end of the course that aimed to solicit students’ feedback on their experiences using the database. The responses to the survey, along with other relevant information, were analyzed to explore the benefits of using the RNS database in a course. The findings of this study suggest that the students had a positive perception of the database. Both the instructor and the students found many benefits of using the database for finding topics for term projects. This paper provides recommendations based on the students’ feedback, the instructor’s experience, and the study findings. These recommendations should be considered by instructors who decide to use the RNS database for educational purposes, as well as by TRB staff tasked with maintaining the database.

It’s Critical

Critical thinking is an essential skill for achievement as an engineering student and for success in the engineering profession. Critical thinking can be defined as a mental process to responsibly form an unbiased conclusion that includes identification, skillful analysis, and evaluation of evidence to guide decision-making. This article evaluates a research project undertaken by students at the University of San Diego. In the investigators’ work, they analyzed the definitions of critical thinking and bias, what tools could be used to help in the critical thinking process, and how concepts such as bias and critical thinking affect engineers in their occupations. The team then presented this information to several introductory engineering classes in the form of a lecture and asked the students to assess their knowledge and understanding of critical thinking concepts before and after the presentation. The investigators evaluated the surveys and discovered that most students improved their definitions of bias and critical thinking after the lecture. The students also generally improved their self-rating of understanding critical thinking concepts.

Infusing Twenty-First-Century Skills into Engineering Education

Purpose The purpose of these studies was to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified introductory engineering class that used scrum practices to develop students’ twenty-first-century skills related to self-awareness, collaboration, and problem-solving.

Choosing Technology Majors: What You Don’t Know Can Influence You

ABSTRACTThis study explores high school graduates’ understanding of technology careers and reasons they choose not to major in technology fields. We employed two data collection methods (surveys and focus groups) in three data collection stages to explore student views in greater depth. Pre-survey and focus group results suggest that steps should be taken to provide a more enjoyable experience for high school students and teach them relevant skills that they will recognize as beneficial. Post-survey results demonstrate that introductory technology classes that introduce students to MIS careers can lead them to a more accurate understanding of MIS careers. The study offers insights into specific ways high school courses can be improved to increase understanding of MIS, resulting in a greater likelihood that students will consider and therefore choose technology careers. Findings suggest that increased understanding of technology careers can result in more consideration of these careers by high school students.