Prospective Engineering Students Research Articles

A Survey on Issues Faced by Prospective Engineering Students in Contextual Usage

A Survey on Issues Faced by Prospective Engineering Students in Contextual Usage

Benchmarking higher education institutes using data envelopment analysis: capturing perceptions of prospective engineering students

In today’s exceptionally demanding education domain, there is a critical need for higher education institutes to continuously improve their credibility and skill offerings for prospective students. More specifically, institutes need to know how they are evaluated and perceived by the prospective students. Though there are plethora of rating agencies that perform an independent evaluation, their assessment is primarily focused on internal institute practices rather than how students’ needs and perceptions be captured. The objective of this study is to evaluate how students rank a higher education institute for taking admission that is the most crucial decision while starting their long-term career. Academic experts and prospective engineering students are surveyed using interviews and convenience sampling method. As a result, the problem evolves as a multi-criteria decision-making problem that considers numerous criteria simultaneously. Considering the relevant criteria as inputs and outputs, the Data Envelopment Analysis is employed to evaluate the weights corresponding to each criterion/factor. The model is then deployed as a linear programming formulation that is tackled using professional linear programming solver. The engineering stream, fees, location, and perceptions of employment opportunities are found as the top parameters that drive the decision of a prospective engineering student. The identified important factors, interests, and capabilities of the student are amalgamated for the selection of the appropriate engineering stream and institute, optimally. The insights are important for engineering institutes to strategize and align their offerings and marketing approach as per the needs and perceptions of prospective students. The study will also be helpful for international universities looking ahead for collaborative and individual opportunities in the Indian education sector.

Introduction to Electrical Safety in High School: Information for Prospective Engineering Students

This article introduces electrical safety to high school students enrolled in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program called Project Lead the Way (PLTW). PLTW is a nonprofit organization that has developed programs that teach skills such as critical and creative thinking, collaboration, and problem solving based on the development of technical knowledge. The program taught at the Appoquinimink High School in Delaware is the PLTW Engineering pathway. In discussions with the program teacher, the offer of providing a basic introduction to electrical safety was introduced. The plan was to present electrical safety basics to students in the program during the month of May. Topics covered were standardswriting organizations, engineering societies, Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), electrical engineering with a focus on the power/industrial side (that is, the hazards), and electrical safety around the home. Planned homework assignments were provided. The intention of this program was to create interest in electrical engineering with a focus on electrical safety.

Measuring Disciplinary Perceptions of Engineering from a Cultural Lens: A Validation of an Instrument in a Research Technical University

Engineering culture is a complex phenomenon that needs to be understood to promote the value of professional skills and not only the technical skills that have been traditionally valued in engineering. This study investigates ways to identify patterns of cultural traits in undergraduate engineering students, by using and validating an instrument originally developed to measure national culture. This study was conducted in three phases: in Phase 1, we validated an instrument to measure engineering culture based on Hofstede’s model of national culture. In this phase, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis and a reliability analysis with responses of 1261 undergraduate students. In phase 2, we identified how the dimensions in Hofstede’s model mapped and differed between academic engineering disciplines. To accomplish that goal, we conducted descriptive statistics and an analysis of the variance of responses of 794 engineering students. In phase 3, we analyzed if some of Hofstede’s dimensions are inherent to prospective engineering students or if they were influenced by their specific engineering programs. In phase 3, we collected data from 1,330 first-year engineering students and compared them with data from the same students at the end of their first year. Moreover, for three specific majors, we compared them with data of 261 senior students. Results demonstrated the validity of the instrument in academic disciplines and showed that the uncertainty avoidance dimension of Hofstede’s model differed between three engineering majors (i.e., ECE, ISE, and CS). This dimension did not differ after the first year but changed in the senior year.

Distinguishing textual features characterizing structural variation in research articles across three engineering sub-discipline corpora

Genre analysis has provided insights into the textual organization of different genres. In the research article (RA) genre, previous studies demonstrate that disciplinary variation is discernible. To raise the investigation to the level of sub-disciplines, this study addresses two research questions: (1) What is the textual organization of individual RA sections in corpora from three engineering sub-disciplines? and (2) What are the significant statistical variations in textual organization that distinguish one engineering sub-discipline from another? Initially, three corpora were compiled, consisting of 180 full length high quality RAs representing three sub-disciplines of engineering (civil, software, and biomedical). Then, the corpora were analyzed using genre analysis to identify the textual organization prevalent in individual RA sections of each engineering sub-discipline. Subsequently, units of textual analysis called ‘move’ and ‘step’ were quantified and statistically analyzed to capture significant statistical variations in each section. The analysis reveals the influence of the sub-disciplines on the textual organization variations across the corpora, highlighting the unique characteristics and perspectives of each sub-discipline. The findings contribute to enhanced quality professional communication by creating and raising awareness and sensitivity among prospective engineering students and practitioners when they are involved in the task of reading and/or writing RAs.

Engineering Student Outcomes for Infusion into Technological Literacy Programs: Grades 9 -12

Introduction In 2004, the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) secured funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to infuse engineering design into the schools through technology education. In order to reach this goal the researchers, in cooperation with NCETE, conducted a two phase study to identify outcomes for high-school students studying engineering. The first study (referred to as a Phase I) focused on students who intended to enter an engineering program after high school, answering the question: What are the engineering student outcomes that prospective engineering students in grades 9 through 12 should know and be able to do and prior to entering into a post-secondary engineering program? This initial study by Childress & Rhodes (2008) started with preexisting items selected from ten sources, including focus groups and national standards projects. At the end of the Delphi Round 3, very few of these items had been dropped since the consensus on all of them was high. Therefore, the researchers decided to have selected engineers categorize the outcome items into groups of conceptual likeness and to assign categorical names to the groupings. These groups then formed the basis of the instruments for the remaining Delphi rounds. This resultant baseline of achievement outcomes for prospective engineering students was then used to design a modified Delphi instrument for the second study (Phase II) reported herein. This study focused on students who were enrolled in technology education for general education purposes and sought input from technology education teachers, teacher educators, and supervisors regarding the following question: What are those engineering outcomes that should be taught in a high school technology education program in which the focus is general technological literacy and not pre-engineering?

Attracting Prospective Engineering Students in the Emerging European Space for Higher Education

A set of outreach activities implemented by the College of Engineering of the Public University of Navarra, Spain, is described. They represent different initiatives aimed to improve recruitment of young engineers in the difficult context of declining interest in engineering and the educational changes Europe is facing nowadays. The initiatives include didactic materials and activities specifically targeted to high schools and other events aimed to increase awareness about the relevance of science and engineering in the society. During the three years the outreach program has been applied, an increase in the number of engineering students of 12.5% has been experienced, which is in contrast to the decrease of 1.6% in the number of new university students during the same period.

Research Report: Students' knowledge of abnormal psychology

The present study aims to compare whether final year psychology students (n = 26) could answer more items on a multiple choice questionnaire (MCQ) correctly on abnormal psychology than prospective psychology candidates (n = 77) and final year engineering students (n = 26). The three groups of students completed MCQs in five different fields of abnormal psychology namely; eating disorders, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and depression, sexual disorders, and personality and compulsive disorders, respectively. They were also asked to indicate their confidence level in relation to the accuracy of the answers they had given. The results showed that final year psychology students scored higher on levels of accuracy, as well as confidence on all measures compared to the two other groups. On the subject of sexual disorders, engineering students scored higher than prospective psychology students. Implications of the present findings are discussed.

A new undergraduate degree in control engineering

In December 1994, the Brazilian government regulated three new engineering undergraduate degrees. One such degree was in control and automation engineering. The paper discusses how, in Brazil, control engineering moved from a relatively small group of courses within electrical engineering curricula to an undergraduate degree in its own right. It presents a short review of undergraduate control education in countries around the world. The authors also present an overview of the control engineering profession, real-life applications, and state-of-the-art in Brazilian industries. Finally, the paper describes the major issues taken into account during the conception of this new engineering degree at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. In 1998 and 1999 academic years, 40 students were admitted each year for this degree. In view of the high demand of the Control and Automation Engineering degree by the prospective engineering students, since February 2000, the number of places has been increased to 80 students per year.

The Automation and Control Engineering Bachelor Degree in Brazil

This paper discusses how, in Brazil, Control Engineering moved from a relatively small group of courses within Electrical Engineering curricula to an undergraduate degree in its own right. The paper describes the major issues taken into account during the conception of this new engineering degree at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The paper also presents the main characteristics of the new curriculum and discusses in what sense Control and Automation Engineers will be different from Electrical Engineers who have majored in Control Engineering. The degree is being offered since February 1998. Forty students were admitted for this degree, every academic year, in the first and second years. The degree is being highly demanded by the best prospective engineering students. Their grades in the Entrance Examination surely show their academic quality. For this very reason, University officials decided to double the number of places, since the year 2000.

Career‐Guidance Programs: Needs and Activities of ASCE Sections/Branches

In April 1991, ASCE adopted a policy statement encouraging career-guidance activities among its members. It was perceived by the Society that programs are needed that describe the challenges and rewards of a civil engineering career to prospective engineering students. In addition, activities that encourage and promote the study of mathematics and science at all levels are believed to be required. Recently, ASCE has been quite active in developing career-guidance information. Numerous sections and branches are also involved in career-guidance activities. Comprehensive programs have been developed, which include middle- and high-school visitations, involvement with career days, development of slides and videos showing local projects, and participation in various elementary-school/community-college activities. It was found that students are not only interested in specific engineering job characteristics. Questions often asked include salary, benefits, working conditions, engineering lifestyle, and interference with home life. The education of high-school teachers concerning civil engineering was also determined to be an important aspect and benefit of career-guidance programs.

Recruitment and Retention of Lower Division Metallurgy/Materials Students

ABSTRACTOpportunities in the materials science and engineering field appear quite plentiful into the next century. An increasing number of materials engineers will be needed by industry to develop new materials as well as adapt current ones to new needs. Is there a shortage of metallurgical/materials engineers? Academic institutions with existing or developing programs in materials may affect significant increases in enrollment by “marketing” materials high technology. The Department of Metallurgical Engineering at The University of Texas at El Paso has made exceptional progress in recruiting and retaining prospective engineering students into this technical area. What has been successful at UTEP may also benefit other academic programs.

Minority and Female Students in Engineering

It appears that the national demand for engineers will increase in future years. To meet this demand, besides traditional prospective engineering students, minorities and women have to be encouraged to accept engineering as a profession. The engineering summer institute is one possible way to expose the high school students to the broad area of engineering. Such a program at The University of Texas at El Paso is discussed here, including its potential for providing future engineering students.

The Dual Degree (3-2 Plan) Approach to Educating Minority Engineers

Dual degree programs or 3-2 plans as they are sometimes called have been in existence since the 1930' s. Only a few such plans, however, seemed to be productive. Since so many blacks attend the traditional Black liberal arts colleges, and since these colleges fulfill many of the needs of Black youth so effectively, it behooves the engineering educator to look to the Black liberal arts colleges as a source of well prepared prospective engineering students. In 1968 both the Atlanta University Center and Georgia Tech committed significant manpower to coordinating and improving their dual degree program. This paper describes the Georgia Tech approach to developing dual degree programs including both the progress and the promise of this approach to engineering education and particularly towards increasing the number of minority engineering graduates.

An Investigation of the Reliability and Validity of the Engineering and Physical Science Aptitude Test

Each year thousands of young people enter colleges of engin eering in the United States; but less than one-half of them suc cessfully complete engineering training at the school which they entered. The majority of the drop-outs occur before the begin ning of the sophomore year. Furthermore, most of these first year drop-outs have substandard grades. Educational guidance personnel and prospective engineering students alike would welcome the availability of a brief, inex pensive, dependable instrument for the prediction of scholastic performance in colleges of engineering. While several avail able instruments contribute to predictions in this area, none ad equately satisfies all of the above qualifications. Although the prospect of striking success in the development of a single in strument to fulfill these requirements coinciden tally is not au spicious, the worth of any improvement, however slight, just ifies efforts directed toward even a partial solution. The principal purpose of the investigation reported herein was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scores obtained in an administration of a predictive instrument in this area.