Postgraduate Engineering Students Research Articles

WID approach in teaching research writing to engineering postgraduate students

Academic (research) writing in the English language is a key professional skill, in particular, in engineering sciences. However, most Russian-speaking researchers have challenges in choosing rhetoric that would comply with the norms and traditions of a disciplinary discourse community. Therefore, the most relevant approach in teaching research writing to postgraduate students is «writing in the discipline» (WID) that focuses on the rhetoric conventions of a discipline. In this paper, we present the experience of using the results and implications of the analyses of scientific-engineering discourse in teaching research writing to postgraduate engineering students and the verification of the efficiency of such teaching experience. To verify the efficiency, we employed the comparative analysis of two types of writing: of international researchers and of postgraduates who completed the course. The results show that, postgraduate writing does not differ from the writing of international researchers in 20 out of 41 text features and demonstrate a successful acquisition of the new knowledge and skills, especially from the zone of proximal development. However, the remaining features illustrate considerable difference between the two types of writing. The totality of possible reasons proves the complexity of the research writing phenomenon and implies that the improvement of disciplinary skills in academic writing require continuous and systematic practice not only in the postgraduate program but throughout the university studies as well.

Development of pilot plants for engineering education

The rapid changes in social interactions and the easy access to information brought by technological advances require that professors rethink and rebuild teaching to maintain its quality. Active methodologies have been used to ensure the development of essential skills in professionals to deal with the current challenges and demands of the job market. This study presents the use of active project-based methodologies with undergraduate and postgraduate engineering students at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. This study aims to report on the implementation of a pilot plant for the causticizing stage of the pulp and paper Kraft Process and the development of two prototypes of industrial sludge drying equipment using solar energy and to evaluate the impact of the activities on the professional training of the people involved and the development of skills and competencies expected of engineering professionals according to the National Curriculum Guidelines, such as the ability to work in teams. The students could apply their technical knowledge in real situations in an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaborative environment that encourages the resolution of complex engineering problems innovatively, with a holistic and humanistic vision that also considers social and sustainable aspects. They also demonstrated increased motivation and experienced the connection between industry and academia, which is essential to demonstrate the applicability of the techniques learned during the courses.

A Multicentric study of sleep patterns and electronic media usage in adolescents

Introduction: Adequate healthy sleep is essential for adolescents’ optimal cognitive, and emotional functions and physical health. With media overload and stimuli from electronic gadgets, multitasking and academic stress, students are sleeping for fewer hours, making them one of society's most sleep-deprived age groups. Association of Adolescent and Child Care in India (AACCI) conducts multicentric studies to survey the lifestyles of children and adolescents in India, which include the use of electronic media and sleep patterns. These results are shared with the management, teachers and parents and programs are held for them and the students to make them aware of the importance of improving sleep patterns and proper sleep hygiene and the risks of poor sleep habits. Methods: This paper shows the results of a multicentric college study. This data was collected from participants of AACCI Life Skills Education (LSE) workshops conducted in six different colleges in India during the period 2008 and 2010. A standardized and validated Questionnaire on Life style has been created by AACCI for use in these multicentric surveys The sample comprised 289 college students from six groups – A) and B) 62 First year Junior college from Mumbai (age range 16-18 years; 32 students of high socioeconomic status from an elite college and 30 students from middle socio-economic status), C) 113 First-year medical students from Pune (age range 18-19 years), D) 32 students from Vocational college from Mumbai (age range 19-21 years), E) 40 Final year nursing college From Delhi (age range 19-24) and F) 42 M.Tech Post Graduate (PG) Engineering Hyderabad (age range 20-25 years). Ethical clearance: Ethics approval was obtained from AACCI Institutional ethics committee. Permission and consents: Prior permissions were taken from the college Principals to conduct the workshop, including parental permission for the participants below 18 years of age. Written assent (16-17 years) consent (>18 years) was obtained from the students by including it in the questionnaire form. Statistical analysis: The data has not been analysed statistically, as the sample size at each centre was small and their backgrounds were different. Descriptive comparisons have been made across students’ sleep patterns and electronic usage. Results: Results indicated that students from the younger age group slept longer than those from the older group. Nursing and medical students had less sleep hours due to erratic schedules. PG engineering students had the most regular sleep hours. Regarding electronic devices, PG Engineering students used the computer and internet for >6 hours daily; nurses used the computer internet and mobile the least. Mumbai students watched Television the most while engineering students watched it the least. AACCI conducted workshops for these students to inculcate in them, a healthy lifestyle.

Improved Behavioural Engagement of Students through Low-stakes Online Tests and Immediate Dialogic Feedback

The engagement of students is a recognised challenge for teachers. Technology offers some practical student engagement tools, and this paper examines the use of low-stakes online tests and immediate dialogic feedback to improve behavioural engagement. The academic exploration of low-stakes tests and dialogic feedback has been extensive, and they are credible teaching tools. In this study, we explore the learning benefit of their combination. Postgraduate engineering students' self-reported and learning analytics data shows conclusive evidence of improved behavioural engagement. We measured a 500% increase in the Learning Management System (LMS) page views on the days when we ran the low-stakes tests (each worth 2% of the marks for the subject) and engaged in immediate dialogic feedback. To interpret these results, we draw on theories of behavioural engagement, low-stakes tests, and feedback. We conclude that the combination of low-stakes tests and immediate feedback improves student behavioural engagement.

16th International Engineering and Computing Research Conference (16th EURECA)

The 16th EURECA 2021 is the outcome of the hard work and dedication of researchers, research groups, academic programmes and effort of academic and non-academic staff from the School of Computer Science and Engineering, Taylor’s University, Malaysia. 16th EURECA Conference was held on 24th November 2021 with the double edge objectives to assist in equipping the undergraduate and post-graduate with necessary research skills as well as providing an outlet channel for the students to creatively and efficiently share their research outcome. Due to travel restrictions during pandemic, the conference was conducted virtually using Zoom as the video conferencing platform throughout the conference period.With the ever-increasing expectations of graduates to be ready to address a variety of new world challenges, the requirements to equip the graduates, especially those in the field of Engineering, Computing, Science and Technology, with research skills are more pressing. Thus, the aim of the 16th EURECA 2021 conference is to provide the undergraduate Computing and Engineering students an opportunity to experience a research environment. This is expected to prepare them not only for careers in research but also to provide a precursor for them to use the developed research skills in their future endeavors. In addition, the 16th EURECA 2021 also serves as a platform for postgraduate Engineering and Computing students to expand their network with other researchers as well as gaining invaluable feedback with regards to their research project from both academicians and industrial experts.List of Organizing Committee, Committee Members Secretariat, Event Management and Finance are available in this pdf.

Explaining the Components of Reflective Thinking Based on Fuzzy Topsis Analysis

Reflective thinking paradigm contains a set of trainings based on the pattern of mental tools and it helps its users to be able to present the educational materials in a framework that embraces the nature of thinking, various learning activities and the learning based on reflective, creative and critical forms of thinking. Reviewing of the related literature shows that most of the challenges are due to learning and learning-related factors. Accordingly, the present study examines the thinking level of senior postgraduate engineering students of Shahre- Rey University. For this purpose, the Reflective Thinking Questionnaire (RTQ) developed by Kember et al. (2000) was used. TOPSIS method was used to evaluate the thinking level of the subjects. The results showed that habitual action, which is one of the skills of reflective thinking, is ranked first and perception is ranked last, which means that the senior postgraduate engineering students learn superficially. It is suggested to ask professors and teachers to hold classes that train reflective thinking skills, so that they can be a good and appropriate model of using reflective thinking skills for their students. So that students can improve their thinking levels and succeed in their math problems solving and these learners have good academic progress.

A multi-group assessment of safety culture among engineering students in the United Arab Emirates

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the factor structure of safety culture construct among engineering students at university context and to examine the measurement invariance of this instrument across different socio-demographic groups in a sample of engineering students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory online questionnaire was completed by 770 undergraduate and postgraduate engineering students across the UAE. Data were analyzed using a diversified multi-group and a robust and sophisticated cross-validation testing strategy. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test factor structures identified in previous studies. Multi-group invariance testing was conducted to determine the extent to which factor structure is comparable across groups (i.e. gender, educational and experiential background).FindingsThree-factor model was preferred for its parsimony. The results showed that the level of safety awareness and attitude is relatively satisfactory, whereas safety behaviour is inadequate. No significant difference was showed in multi-group invariance between demographic groups.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is a cross-sectional study and limited to the views of engineering students (informal group). The study would benefit from both informal and formal groups in assessing safety culture at university for a robust empirical evidence. The research highlights relevant implications for policy and program development, by pointing to the need to promote safety culture and mitigate safety-related accidents among engineering students.Originality/valueThis paper offers insight into benefit of understanding the level of safety culture among engineering students and extend knowledge of informal group involvement in safety-related accidents at university level.

Learning effect of active learning coursework in engineering acoustics course

This paper reports the learning effect achieved by a newly developed coursework for an engineering acoustics course offered to fourth year and postgraduate engineering students at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. The course teaches fundamental knowledge that acoustical engineers need and which underpins a variety of sub-disciplines in acoustics including: fundamental physics of wave propagation, building and room acoustics, electro-acoustics, audio signal processing, and the psychology of hearing. The coursework incorporated practical active learning activities and was developed in order to help students gain understanding of complex concepts related to the room acoustics measurement and analysis. The coursework also has the goal of providing students with an introduction to some of the practical tasks which are typical of a practising acoustical engineering in New Zealand. The learning effect was measured by comparing students' performance in a quiz that was run before students commenced working on the coursework and that in the final examination and by investigating common mistakes students made in the report which was the required deliverable of the coursework. Overall, the new coursework successfully improved students' understanding of the material which it covered.

The learning effect of an active-learning room-acoustics coursework

This paper investigates the learning effect of a developed coursework for an engineering acoustics course offered to fourth year and postgraduate engineering students at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. The coursework incorporated practical active-learning activities and was developed to help students gain understanding of complex concepts related to the room-acoustics measurement and analysis and also introduce students to some of the practical tasks that are typical of a practising acoustical engineer in New Zealand. The learning effect of the coursework was measured by comparing students' performance in two quizzes that were run before and after students worked on the coursework. Students' performance on the final examination was also analyzed. An analysis of the common mistakes made by students in the assignment report was also conducted. Overall, the analysis suggests that the coursework generally improved the students' understanding of the material that it covered.

Using head mounted display virtual reality simulations in large engineering classes: Operating vs observing

A barrier to using head mounted display (HMD) virtual reality (VR) in education is access to hardware for large classes. This paper compares students’ learning when engaging with an HMD VR simulation as the operator and as the observer, to evaluate whether benefits of HMD VR can be achieved without requiring all students to operate the equipment. Postgraduate engineering students (N = 117) completed a safety hazard identification exercise in a workshop. The performance of students who operated and observed was compared. Results showed that students performed similarly in the exercise that followed the simulation whether they operated HMD VR (n = 33) or observed (n = 84). The finding suggests that educators may be able to use HMD VR simulations in classes with a large enrolment, by reducing the need for investment and management of a large number of sets of HMD VR equipment.
 Implications for practice or policy:
 
 Engineering educators can use HMD VR simulations to teach students about safety in design.
 Engineering students are able to identify safety hazards in a HMD VR simulation effectively whether they are operating the equipment or observing another student in their group operating the VR equipment.
 One HMD VR set per student group is sufficient.
 HMD VR simulations can be used inclusively, even when some students are unable or unwilling to wear the headset.
 

Exploring the Prototypical Definitions of Intelligent Engineers Held by Irish and Swedish Higher Education Engineering Students.

Males are generally overrepresented in higher education engineering. However, the magnitude of this variance differs between countries and engineering fields. Evidence associated with the field-specific ability beliefs hypothesis suggests that perceptions of intelligence held by actors within engineering affects the engagement of underrepresented groups. This study examined perceptions of an intelligent engineer held by undergraduate and postgraduate engineering students in Ireland and Sweden, countries selected based on their levels of female representation in engineering education. It was hypothesised that there would be a significant difference in perceptions between countries. A survey methodology was employed in which a random sample of Irish and Swedish university students completed two surveys. The first asked respondents to list characteristics of an intelligent engineer, and the second asked for ratings of importance for each unique characteristic. The results indicate that an intelligent engineer was perceived to be described by seven factors; practical problem solving, conscientiousness, drive, discipline knowledge, reasoning, negative attributes, and inquisitiveness when the data was analysed collectively, but only the five factors of practical problem solving, conscientiousness, drive, discipline knowledge and negative attributes were theoretically interpretable when the data from each country was analysed independently. A gender × country interaction effect was observed for each of these five factors. The results suggest that the factors which denote intelligence in engineering between Irish and Swedish males and females are similar, but differences exist in terms of how important these factors are in terms group level definitions. Future work should consider the self-concepts held by underrepresented groups with respect to engineering relative to the factors observed in this study.

Digital game-based examination for sensor placement in context of an Industry 4.0 lecture using the Unity 3D engine – a case study

Due to the many advantages that digital teaching and testing methods have over traditional ones, they are increasingly finding their way into everyday educational practice. The current events of the COVID-19 pandemic have given these approaches an additional boost. In this paper, a first version of digital game-based examination for sensor placement is presented, which can supplement parts of a classical exam for an Industry 4.0 lecture designed for postgraduate engineering students. For the development of the environment the Unity 3D Engine as well as freely available models and plugins for Unity are leveraged. By doing so, an immersive virtual scenario is created in which complex problems can be depicted and solved by the student. To ensure the suitability of this exam type and the coverage of the desired learning objectives, an evaluation of the game-based examination environment will subsequently be conducted and the results are discussed.

Development and delivery of a work experience week programme for mechanical engineering

This paper focuses on the development, delivery and preliminary impact analysis of an engineering Work Experience Week (WEW) programme for KS4 students in the School of Civil, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (CAME) at the University of Bristol, UK. Key stage 4, is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs in England, age 15–16. The programme aims to promote the engineering profession among secondary school pupils. During the WEW, participants worked as engineering researchers: working in teams, they had to tackle a challenging engineering design problem. The experience included hands-on activities and the use of state-of-the-art rapid prototyping and advanced testing equipment. The students were supervised by a group of team leaders, a diverse group of undergraduate and postgraduate engineering students, technical staff, and academics at the School of CAME. The vision of the WEW programme is to transmit the message that everybody can be an engineer, that there are plenty of different routes into engineering that can be taken depending on pupils’ strengths and interests and that there are a vast amount of different engineering careers and challenges to be tackled by the engineers of the future. Feedback from the participants in the scheme has been overwhelmingly positive.

On Mathematical Modelling by EEE, ECE, ME Civil Post Graduate Students a Case Study Report

Recently the engineering institutes in India and abroad ignored the importance of mathematical modeling techniques in engineering teaching process and gave no places in their curriculum. In the present study the investigator applied random sampling on 15 post graduate engineering students, formulated four hypotheses connecting the innovative (attitude, relative advantage) and implementation variablion (utilisatation, satisfaction) and examined the relationships between the two variables. By using regression analysis, the result demonstrated that the two variables were significantly related. This implies the implementation of mathematical modeling in the engineering discipline was not successful. The investigator tried to identify the factors that would determine the successful implementation of mathematical modeling in the engineering discipline. It is critically important that mathematically trained and technologically competent research experts should be appointed and utilized as resources in the engineering research making bodies. Engineering research institutes with mathematical modeling facility should be collaborated with those that lack them to provide all research activities and opportunity to witness, learn from successful modeling related experiments.

Information Use Behaviour of Engineering Students: A Case Study

Study of information use is an important aspect of understanding the end users’ behaviour. This study is aimed at understanding the information use behavior of postgraduate engineering students in an institute of technology. The data for this study was collected through an online survey of 130 postgraduate engineering students belonging to various disciplines. The study reveals the frequency of library visit, the purpose of visiting the library, types of facilities, services and library resources used by the students. Data on strategy for searching documents sources, user’s opinion, and user satisfaction with print and e-resources were also collected. The study shows that most of the students are satisfied with library facilities.

Business Student Perception Towards Ethics: An Exploratory Study

In regard to ethics and values, nowadays corporate scenario also demands business ethics which will guide the emerging professionals to exercise this ethical domain in their professional lives. The children of present generation do not know about their culture, traditions, values, ethics etc. This is one of the reasons why the content related to ethics and values is included in the curriculum of their professional studies. The objective of the present paper is to study the perception of business students regarding ethics and values. The role of ethics and values in a students life is very important as it strongly affects their future, career, growth, professional behaviour and helps them learn how to tackle ethical dilemmas in personal and professional life. The data for the study had been collected from the undergraduate (commerce, management, engineering, arts, and science) and postgraduate (commerce, management, engineering, arts, and science) students of the private university situated in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The collected data was analysed with the help of statistical technique such as factor analysis, T-test and regression analysis. The results revealed that awareness about ethics and values is an important factor accessed by all the respondents of the study.

Evaluating Engineering Students' Perceptions

The focus of this research study is to evaluate engineering graduates' performance on team-based learning practices in engineering education course. Team based learning (TBL) is an effective approach, which emphasizes active learning in a collaborative task. In an engineering curriculum, students are encouraged to develop skills around TBL that helps to enhance graduate employability opportunities. This paper presents an exploratory analysis of evaluating engineering graduates' performance in practising TBL at a postgraduate study level. The cohort of students that participated in this study were primarily postgraduate engineering students at Deakin University.

Perceptions of Faculty about Information Literacy Skills of Postgraduate Engineering Students

Purpose: This study identifies perceptions of faculty about the current level of information literacy (IL) skills of engineering students in higher education in Pakistan. It may help to design better IL programs for the tertiary level students. Methodology: The study used ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Science and Engineering/Technology as the basis to assess these perceptions. Teachers of the National University of Science & Technology (NUST), who were teaching engineering students of postgraduate level, were selected as population. A structured questionnaire was sent to 113 faculty members and the response remained 80 percent. Paired samples t-test was used for data analysis through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings: Research indicates that faculty perceived IL skills of their PhD level students higher than those of MS level students. Originality: The term “Information literacy” is yet new on the Pakistani library scene. Regarding perceptions of faculty about information literacy skills of their students so far no study has been carried out in Pakistan. This study will help to identify existing IL skills of Pakistani students of university level, their requirements and how these requirements can be best fulfilled.

Behavioural Flexibility: The Use of Upward Impression Management Tactics by Subordinates for Good Performance Rating from Leader and Impact of Organizational & Leader’s Machiavellianism

In this changing organizational environment where people are more concerned about their image and growth, behavioural flexibility is not only common, but may be desirable as well. In order to meet their goals, people change their behaviour and this behavioural flexibility helps them to manage their image as per the demand of the situation. The use of impression management (IM) tactics is one form of behavioural flexibility. The present study explores the impact of the characteristics of the target and organizational culture on the use of different impression management tactics by subordinates for getting good performance rating (goal). This study specifically focuses on Machiavellian characteristics of a target (leader in this case) and Machiavellian organizational culture. This is a 2 × 2 experimental study where the target is the leader and the actor is subordinate, i.e., the subordinate tries to impress the leader. The independent variables in the study, as mentioned above, are high and low Machiavellian leader and organizational culture. The dependent variables are the use of different impression management tactics, like exemplification, intimidation, supplication, entitlements, self-enhancement, and blasting tactics. The experiment has been conducted on 102 graduate and postgraduate engineering students of a premier technology institute of India. The target Machiavellianism (Leader’s Mach) and organizational Machiavellianism (organizational Mach) were manipulated and performance rating was controlled through animation videos. We first checked for the internal validity of experimental manipulation through ANOVA, which provided strong support for the internal validity of this study. Two-way ANOVA was conducted to assess the independent and joint effects of target and organizational Machiavellianism on the use of specific impression management tactics to check the subordinate’s flexible behaviour in particular situations. Results indicate that both organizational and target Machiavellianism have an impact on the use of different impression management tactics. This shows that organizational and target’s characteristics both stimulate an individual towards behaviour flexibility. Results are further discussed for their theoretical and practical implications.

The learner-generated podcast: engaging postgraduate engineering students in a mathematics-intensive course

In this paper we discuss perceptions of the benefits of learner-generated podcasts for supporting postgraduate engineering students in a mathematics-intensive course. The course under study had previously been highlighted as one in which students had struggled to attain knowledge that formed an essential underpinning to their degree programme. Podcasts were used as a means of concretising abstract mathematical knowledge so that students could access and share such concepts in a meaningful way. The experiences of three students (in a single cohort) were examined qualitatively at every stage of the exercise: introduction, pre-test, podcast creation, podcast peer evaluation, post-test, and focus-group session. The data suggest that this specific technique led to improvements in mathematical learning through the analysis of podcasts rather than through the creation of them.