Undergraduate Engineering Research Articles

The Mediating Role of Self-Regulation and Cognitive Styles in the Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Job Placement

The present study explores the mediating role of self-regulation and cognitive styles (i.e., rational and intuitive style) on the relationship between emotional intelligence and job placement. A descriptive survey was conducted among 267 final year undergraduate engineering students of which 124 were males (46.5%) and 143 were females (53.5%) aged between 20 to 23 years with a M age of 21.32 and SD of 0.96 selected from the Salem district of Tamil Nadu state in India. The data was collected using the Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale (BEIS 10), Short Self-Regulation Scale (SSRQ-22), and Personal Style Inventory (PSI). The findings indicated that emotional intelligence has a significant positive correlation with self-regulation and rational style. Similarly, self-regulation positively correlated with both rational and intuitive styles. In addition, job-placed students have higher levels of emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and rational style than job-unplaced students. The mediation analysis showed significant direct and indirect effects of emotional intelligence on job placement through self-regulation and rational style. Findings suggest that emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and rational style can foster employability skills that may help job placement. The study has practical implications for educational institutions, academic faculties and placement trainers who are seeking to maximise their student’s job placement and increase the credibility of their institution. Further, the proposed model examines the variables affecting job placement and whereas the relationship with emotional intelligence has theoretical implications that are discussed.

Overlap of Ethics and Sustainability for Responsibility Mindset: Insights for an Educational Approach Change in Ethics of Engineering

The mandate of universities and higher education institutes is to shape students' ethical wisdom and catalyze sustainable development. However, everyone does not have equal access to higher education which drives the above mindsets, leading to unequal quality of education. Today, most ethics teaching in engineering schools is narrowly micro-ethics and does not attempt to define macro-ethics’ special challenges. Micro-ethics concentrates on concerns related to the individual and the innermost workings of the profession. However, macro-ethics encompasses sustainable development with a focus on the collective social responsibility of the profession and public concerns about technology. This study examined undergraduate engineering programs in 25 major Canadian universities to see if they are adequately prepared to navigate both the micro and macro aspects of ethics education. The curricula of the programs show many courses focusing on micro-ethical concepts. The lack of explicit macro-ethical agendas for advancing society invites further work on curricula to enhance the efficacy of the content and delivery modes. This inadequate commitment to socially responsible engineering is conceptualized as a “culture of disengagement”. The study introduces important moments of change to strengthen ethics education. These include twinning engineering and computing ethics; embedding overlapped ethics, sustainability, and responsibility mindsets; and promoting the scholarship of integration through research, synthesis, practice, and teaching. By adopting these approaches to curriculum and pedagogy, the students will effectively cultivate a critical understanding of and obligation to the profession’s collective responsibility and the well-being of the greater society. These changes provide crucial insights into broadening sociotechnical-minded prospects of engineering ethics education.

Initiating language engagement with multimodal learning tasks

Engaging students in meaningful learning is currently a significant challenge for many teachers and those who observe daily how students’ attention spans are affected by a variety of distractions in the classroom. In fact, engagement has become one of the most fashionable research topics in educational psychology. The present study explores the engagement among five engineering undergraduates for one semester while working on L2 tasks, which entailed the multimodal analysis of 8 technology-related TED Talks and was purposefully designed to initiate them into multimodal literacy and foster their language learning. A narrative qualitative analysis of an open-ended questionnaire that the students completed at the end of the semester shows that the students were working on the task and engaged in the process. All five students acknowledged that they found L2 task completion meaningful because it could lead to positive academic outcomes and help them see the relevance of L2 in the real world. The multimodal L2 task presented in this study may offer a pedagogical scenario that can be replicated by other L2 lecturers across different contexts and communities to develop students’ multimodal competence while initiating their language engagement.

The multiple, unique perspectives of mechanical engineering undergraduates about their program of study and their persistence

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to uncover and describe the multiple, divergent student viewpoints about an undergraduate mechanical engineering program at a public university in the US Midwest and their persistence in that program. This study uses Q methodology which mixes qualitative and quantitative research aspects to reveal and describe the multiple, unique viewpoints about any topic. Four unique views emerged from the study: ‘Smart, successful, but unhappy with program,’ ‘Faculty, scholarships, and co-ops are key,’ ‘Excited about engineering but discouraged by curving and grades,’ and ‘Well prepared but there’s a belonging problem.’ Consensus across these views indicates a shared desire of these students to have a successful career as a reason to choose engineering as a degree program and to persist in that program. This study demonstrates the diversity of perspectives regarding an undergraduate engineering program and has implications for all engineering undergraduate programs, regardless of their geographic location.

Assessing benefits of computer-based video training and tools on learning outcomes and motivation in mechanical engineering education: digitalized intervention and approach

Traditionally, laboratory work has been a common approach to facilitate the acquisition of practical skills and familiarize the undergraduate students, particularly engineering students, with specialized tools and equipment. However, the conventional in-person labs often experience challenges such as limited resources and space, instructor availability, and inflexible schedules. The emergence of digital tools and the recent COVID-19 pandemic have prompted educators to reconsider their teaching methods. To this effect, this paper introduces an innovative approach and teaching methodology to address the challenges in traditional engineering education within the laboratory. It presents a methodology that combines cost-effective instructional videos and portable kits to promote autonomous development of practical skills in undergraduate engineering students. The proposed teaching methodology was grounded on the Descriptive Decision theory and Learning-Oriented Assessment (LOA), which are theoretical framework and type of students’ learning outcome (SLO) model that studies the rationality behind the decisions that the users are disposed to make, as well as level of outcome of the students’ learning process or performance. Motivation among the students was assessed using the Model of Academic Motivation Inventory (MUSIC Inventory) to evaluate the impact of the proposed teaching method and learning intervention on the interest of the students. The method was implemented in four independent courses at two different campuses of Tecnologico de Monterrey. The results show that the proposed learning approach was effective in helping students develop hard skills with reduced instructor intervention. Moreover, high levels of motivation was reported through the MUSIC methodology and test administered to the participating students at the end of the courses. The outcome of this study can be used to inform and support the curriculum design by the educators, promote effective policy and decision making by the university leaders, and encourage wide adoption of the digitalized-education.

Examining Instructional Approaches to Foster Soft Skills among Information Technology Undergraduates in Nairobi Metropolitan Area, Kenya

Abstract: This study examines the pedagogical methods meant to improve soft skill acquisition and development in information technology undergraduates in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area. Utilizing a sequential mixed-methods design, the research adopted a two-stage cluster sampling where 10 universities were selected from a total of 31 within the region, representing 5 private and 5 public institutions. Thereafter, 1,143 undergraduate IT students were randomly sampled from an overall population of 3,814 enrolled students, while professors and IT technicians were purposively selected for qualitative interviews. Quantitative data in this respect were collected by using semi-structured questionnaires, capturing the points of view of stakeholders on perceived improvement in soft skills. Although the modern-day job markets require graduates with soft and non-cognitive skills, employers have nonetheless complained about the lack of such competencies among university graduates concerning aspects such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership. This study was based on Vygotsky's social constructivism theory and investigated the development of soft skills among students taking a Bachelor of Information Technology at selected universities within the Nairobi Metropolitan Area. The results have indicated that modern learning methods support the development and acquisition of soft skills aptly. The programs for soft-skill are adequate and frequent training which impacts performance in other disciplines. Signs were proving that there was significant enhancement regarding interpersonal and cognitive competencies of the students as a result of collaborative projects, problem-solving in real life, and reflective practices. It also stresses that educational institutions need to orient themselves more toward interactive and practical teaching methods to better prepare IT graduates for the challenges of a modern workforce.

Asynchronous Literature Research Module for Undergraduate Engineering Research Program

This case study presents the development of an asynchronous online module for an engineering undergraduate research program. It includes an overview of the development of the literature research module in Qualtrics and its transition to the campus LMS, Canvas. Assessment of student learning is described. The benefits to librarians of this mode of instruction are also discussed. While aligning with the growing body of literature on asynchronous library instruction, this study demonstrates application of that modality through innovative instruction for a STEM extra-curricular program. It provides insights for instruction librarians looking to transition to asynchronous teaching.

Community engagement enhances undergraduate civil engineering capstone design projects

Abstract Over the past several decades numerous studies have shown the value of community engagement in global water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs. Engaging and collaborating with communities through the design process enables wider community acceptance and ownership of WASH interventions, ensures a more functional and impactful design, and opens the door for co-benefits of these systems. Accounting for a range of dimensions within a community is critical to creating WASH designs that provide the most benefits. Undergraduate engineering curriculums focus on design, but often do not explicitly account for the social, environmental, and economic elements that affect the success, efficacy, and sustainability of a design. There is increasing emphasis on educating engineers on sustainability and systems thinking so they are equipped to solve complex, multidisciplinary problems. To understand how social, environmental, and economic elements fit into engineering design and how to create sustainable WASH interventions, undergraduate engineering students benefit from participating in WASH design projects that engage and collaborate with communities. This perspective highlights the value of community engagement with partners in Uganda in teaching water resources and environmental engineering design to undergraduate civil engineering students.

Exploring the Utilisation of Generative AI Tools by Undergraduate First-Year Mechanical Engineering Students in Programming Assessments.

Integrating the fundamentals of computer science and programming skills into the undergraduate engineering curriculum has been a primary focus for many educational institutions worldwide. Learning the basics of programming from the beginning of undergraduate engineering education allows students to incorporate such skills into their future work easily. Therefore, an introductory programming course for first-year undergraduate students has been running since 2021 in the Mechanical Engineering Department at University College London intending to teach the fundamentals of Python programming language. However, it is well-known that generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) tools in higher education are moving so fast that a wait-and-see approach cannot be taken. These applications have received much global attention from academics on their impact and proper use within the teaching-learning process. This paper investigates first-year undergraduate mechanical engineering students' use of Gen AI tools in their programming assessment. The results show that 60% of the cohort used tools that helped mainly to check their code, improve their English language, and understand error messages. However, 40% abstained from using any. Based on these findings, recommendations on how Gen AI tools can be utilised by undergraduate students in ways that support their learning and enhance their ability to achieve learning outcomes are made.

Identifying what social emotional support first-year engineering students need to overcome setbacks in lab settings: a case study

ABSTRACT Engineering has high attrition rates in the United States, especially in underrepresented subpopulations in the first year of undergraduate study. An important component of combatting attrition is better understanding what social emotional supports are needed to retain students. In this case study, five first-year engineering students were interviewed across three semi-structured sessions. Transcripts were thematically analysed using the framework developed by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) to identify what social emotional learning (SEL) skills and forms of support are needed to overcome setbacks. Students shared that applying emotion regulation skills to manage frustration and relying on relationship skills to ask for help facilitated overcoming setbacks. Analysing the skills described and the desired supports students expressed within the context of the SEL framework provides a way to categorise and discuss how instructors can practically support their undergraduate engineering students in the classroom to better retain them.

The impact of gamification on meaningful learning and student performance in an undergraduate online engineering course

The impact of gamification on meaningful learning and student performance in an undergraduate online engineering course

“Never Met Them in Person, But We Help Each Other”: Black Women’s Experiences in Online Undergraduate Engineering Programs

In this empirical analysis, we provide a qualitative investigation of online learning among Black women engineering majors at one institution. Two research questions guide this analysis: (1) How do Black women describe their online program learning experiences? and (2) how do participants describe their interactions with other students and faculty in their online programs? We used an exploratory, qualitative case study research design to collect data for this project and we were guided by Harasim’s online collaborative learning framework. After conducting multiple rounds of qualitative coding, authors arrived at four major themes in response to these research questions. These themes were that participants: (1) experienced isolation, (2) witnessed varying impacts of COVID-19, (3) observed benefits and limitations of flexibility of online programs, and (4) engaged in virtual connection-building. We conclude our piece by discussing implications for faculty development and course designers. Key words: Black women, COVID-19, engineering, flexibility, online learning

Integrating smart manufacturing techniques into undergraduate education: A case study with heat exchanger

The process systems domain is undergoing the fourth industrial revolution, which is helping industries digitize and optimize their production techniques. Concurrently, the field of data-based modeling has been expanding, leading to the proposal of many fault detection models. However, the rapid expansion has created gaps in the field. For instance, Smart Manufacturing (SM) methodologies have yet to be incorporated into undergraduate chemical engineering education. Additionally, only a few developed fault detection models have been deployed for real-time usage and practical applications. This study takes a crucial step toward bridging the two mentioned gaps by enabling undergraduate students to learn SM techniques and developing a safe and controlled academic environment for deploying fault detection models. The demonstration is implemented on a shell and tube heat exchanger, taught in a senior year laboratory course, using the Smart Manufacturing Innovation Platform (SMIP). The implementation provides an easily customizable pipeline for SM applications involving human-in-the-loop decision-making on a real-life hardware system. Actual data from heat exchanger equipment is used to train and compare the performances of several state-of-the-art fault detection models, including fully connected, convolutional, and recurrent neural networks. Current work also presents tutorials on deploying models for practical real-time applications using the SMIP. The overall architecture is a plug-and-play package that will motivate students to learn about SM and catalyze their interest in developing and deploying fault detection models using real-world data.

Enhancing EMI learning through L1 use and ESP: A mixed-methods study in a Chinese transnational education context

This paper employs a mixed-methods design to investigate the supportive roles of the translanguaging practice, specifically the use of students' First Language (L1), and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses within the context of English Medium Instruction (EMI) in a Transnational Education (TNE) program in China. It involved collecting questionnaire responses from 268 undergraduate Chemical Engineering students and conducting 17 follow-up semi-structured interviews. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed students' academic language-related challenges and ESP course performance were two statistically significant predictors of their EMI academic success; academic linguistic challenges and students' L1 use attitudes emerged as significant indicators of their EMI learning self-efficacy. Qualitative data analysis further uncovered students' positive beliefs regarding the bridging effects of L1 use on facilitating their EMI learning and the foundational role of ESP courses in linguistic preparation. These empirical findings lead to significant pedagogical implications, aiming to scaffold effective EMI learning in the investigated context.

One size doesn’t fit all: how different types of learning motivations influence engineering undergraduate students’ success outcomes

BackgroundMotivation is the inherent belief to guide students learning goals and behaviors to make continuous efforts and strengthen learning outcomes. Previous research reported the positive impacts of learning motivation on student success, but there have been limited efforts in systematically and structurally studying different types of motivations and their impacts on students’ success in engineering education. The current study contributes to the literature by systematically examining two important types of motivations and their influences on undergraduate engineering students in a theoretically grounded manner while using an advanced analytical approach.MethodsThe current study conducted a cross-sectional survey with undergraduate engineering students (n = 514) from 18 different schools across nine U.S. states. The survey assessed students’ self-report scores on six types of motivations to study developed based on formative research and the current literature and then collected students’ self-reported learning outcomes, current GPA, university satisfaction, engineering program satisfaction, and individual demographic factors. The data were then analyzed using structural equation modeling.ResultsThe results showed that motivations related to family, personality, and academic expectations were consistently positively associated with all measured students’ success outcomes; motivations related to educators were associated with all four outcomes but student GPA; motivations related to course contents were associated with learning outcomes and student GPA; and motivations related to peers did not predict any of the four measured students’ success outcomes.DiscussionWe explain some of the unexpected results with further literature that examines engineering culture and ecology. We also make recommendations related to cognitive training, tailored engineering education, peer culture interventions, and family orientation programs.

Digital Developmental Advising Systems for Engineering Students Based on Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology Student Outcome Evaluations

The purpose of this research is to examine the benefits and limitations of the implementation of novel digital academic advising systems based on the principles of authentic outcome-based education (OBE) using automated collection and reporting processes for Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) student outcomes data for effective developmental advising. We examine digital developmental advising models of undergraduate engineering programs in two universities that employ customized features of the web-based software EvalTools®, including an advising module based on assessment methodology incorporating the faculty course assessment report, performance indicators, and hybrid rubrics classified according to the affective, cognitive, and psychomotor domains of Bloom’s learning model. A case study approach over a six-year period is adopted for this research. The two case studies present results of samples of developmental advising activity employing sequential explanatory mixed methods models using a combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses of a) detailed students’ outcomes and performance indicator information and b) self-evaluation of their professional development and lifelong learning skills. The findings of this study show that digital advising systems employing the faculty course assessment report using performance indicators and hybrid rubrics can provide comprehensive and realistic outcome data to help both developmental advisors and students easily identify the specific cause of performance failures, implement practical recommendations for remedial actions, and track improvements. Inherent strong skills can also be identified in academically weak students by observing patterns or trends of relatively better-performing outcomes to reinforce their natural affinity for learning specialized competencies to help them pursue related and successful career paths.

Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Development and Acquisition of Soft Skills among Information Technology Undergraduate Students in Nairobi, Kenya

This study investigated stakeholders' perceptions of the development and acquisition of soft skills among IT undergraduate students among universities within the Nairobi Metropolitan area, using the mixed-methods approach. The study employed the two-stage cluster sampling procedure to select 10 out of 31 universities (five private and five public) in the Nairobi Metropolitan Region. The study selected 1,143 Information Technology undergraduate students from 3,814 enrolled students. A semi-structured questionnaire collected quantitative data, specifically capturing stakeholders' thoughts on soft skills. Data analysis encompassed quantitative techniques such as descriptive statistics and linear regression. The findings reveal a notable disparity between perceptions of stakeholders and actual development of soft skills among the IT undergraduates. Therefore, there is a need to enhance teaching methods, closely align curricula with stakeholders' expectations, and incorporate specialized modules to cultivate soft skills.

Impact of Ethical Awareness on Engineering Identity Formation Using Ordinary Least Squares Analysis

<p style="text-align:justify">The 21st century marks a world where scientific, humanistic, technological, and societal issues are integrated. The complexity caused by the reciprocal effects among technology, engineering, cultural, and social values raises new ethical problems. This study addresses recent increased attention to the relationship between ethical awareness and engineering identity factors. Participants in this study were 246 undergraduate engineering students enrolled in a research university located in the northeast U.S. Bivariate correlation and ordinary least squares regression were conducted. Bivariate correlations showed that ethical awareness was positively correlated to engineering interest, engineering recognition, and engineering performance/competence, which are the three factors of engineering identity. The OLS regression showed the r2 value for the computed regression equation indicated that there was a non-zero relationship between the set of all independent variables (engineering identity factors, gender, ethnicity, years in school, and first-generation status) and the dependent (ethical awareness) and that the final set of independent variables accounted for approximately 22% of the variation in the dependent variable, Ethical Awareness. Undergraduate engineering education is a key to ensuring engineers will uphold the ethical values of the profession. This study contributes to the practical value of engineering ethics awareness by affirming that engineering identity is sound and should be applied in practice.</p>

Design of a two‐degrees‐of‐freedom robotic arm for monitoring applications for teaching robotics and artificial intelligence technology

AbstractThis manuscript proposes a methodology for teaching undergraduate engineering students fundamental concepts of artificial intelligence and robotics applicable in Industry 4.0 using a project‐based learning strategy. A low‐cost prototype of a two‐degrees‐of‐freedom robotic arm was designed and implemented for monitoring applications, integrating the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence technology. Inverse and direct kinematics are applied in the robotic arm design, enabling the execution of desired trajectories by the robot's end effector. The robot, capable of following user‐programmed trajectories, uses two servo motors with a 180° mobility range, integrated into a 3D printed structure made from polylactic materials, whereas the programmable logic was accomplished using an ESP32 microcontroller. Furthermore, the robot is controlled through a MATLAB GUI (Graphical User Interface), designed to obtain detailed process information such as activity status, trajectory type, and quality. The results demonstrate the feasibility of integrating various cutting‐edge technologies to teach fundamental concepts of Industry 4.0. The proposed methodology could allow educators to design a robotics course where students are motivated by practical experience implementing impactful technologies beyond the academic realm.

Evaluating the Writing and Communication Skills Course: Insights from ESP Best Practices and Needs Analysis of Undergraduate Students and English Language Teachers

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Writing and Communication Skills (WCS) course at the Quaid-E-Awam University of Engineering, Science and Technology (QUEST) in Pakistan, assessing its alignment with the academic and professional needs of undergraduate engineering students and best practices in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). A descriptive and interpretative investigation using a small sample from 60 final-year male engineering students and four English lecturers at QUEST (English Language Centre). The data were gathered by an extensive questionnaire including a Likert scale (quantitative) and open-ended questions (qualitative) and related documents of QUEST and other similar engineering university curricula. SPSS was used to analyze quantitative data, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The results show a big discrepancy between the WCM as it is being practiced now and what engineering students require linguistically, reflecting inadequate ESP principles in curricular design accounting. This further reflects on the ESP courses claiming to be tailored for engineering students and suggests a need for modification in such a manner from future ESP course curriculum developers.