Undergraduate Engineering Students Research Articles

Data science knowledge integration: Affordances of a computational cognitive apprenticeship on student conceptual understanding

AbstractThis study implements a computational cognitive apprenticeship framework for knowledge integration of Data Science (DS) concepts delivered via computational notebooks. This study also explores students' conceptual understanding of the unsupervised Machine Learning algorithm of K‐means after being exposed to this method. The learning of DS methods and techniques has become paramount for the new generations of undergraduate engineering students. However, little is known about effective strategies to support student learning of DS and machine learning (ML) algorithms. The research questions are: How do students conceptualize their understanding of an unsupervised ML method after engaging with interactive visualizations designed using the computational cognitive apprenticeship approach? How do the affordances of the interactive visualizations support or hinder student knowledge integration of an unsupervised machine learning method? Design‐based research allowed for the iterative design, implementation, and validation of the pedagogy in the context of a working classroom. For this, data collection methods often take the form of student artifacts. We performed a qualitative content analysis of students' written responses and reflections elicited during the learning process. Results suggest that the computational cognitive apprenticeship promoted knowledge integration. After interacting with the computational notebooks, most students had accurate conceptions of the goal and the nature of the method and identified factors affecting the output of the algorithm. Students found it useful to have a concrete representation of the method, which supported its conceptual understanding and showcased the acquisition of strategic knowledge for its appropriate execution. However, we also identified important misconceptions students held about the algorithm.

Using a web-based and stand-alone oscilloscope for physics experiment during Covid-19 pandemic

Teaching alternating currents, ac or sound waves, is incomplete without an introduction to the oscilloscope. An oscilloscope is a tool that graphically displays electrical signals and shows their time dependence. However, due to the pandemic, triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, many students do not have the opportunity to master the use of an oscilloscope. Face-to-face teaching activity has been interrupted in both schools and higher institutions. The sudden change to online teaching created problems among educators, especially for laboratory activities. The central issue is creating laboratory activities without going into the labs for the students to acquire the required skills, especially the basics of how to operate an oscilloscope. In order to create an opportunity and engaging environment, we suggested the use of the ‘web-based and stand-alone oscilloscope’. The software consists of a low-frequency (signal) generator (LFG), a direct current power supply, and an oscilloscope. The LFG is capable of producing several types of signal and the software is designed to aid the undergraduate engineering and physics students in learning the operation and functions of a digital storage oscilloscope. It can be used as an alternative to face-to-face laboratory activity for physics experiments. It is free and easy to use. The experiments enable students to develop the experimental and measurement skills related to signal generators and oscilloscopes. Hence it opens the opportunity of ‘doing’ virtual physics investigations individually at home.

An analysis of engineering students' risk perception to support process safety learning process

Multidisciplinary teams often undertake engineering projects beyond their original discipline involving different kinds of risks. Risk perception is an inherent and embedded part of the decision-making process, which depends on the personal background and instinctive attitudes or behaviors. Process safety and risk analysis training for engineers, and education for engineering students, provide valuable tools seeking safer workplaces; however, personnel’s risk perception is commonly neglected. This paper analyzes the risk perception and appetite of undergraduate engineering students in Colombia based on a survey strategy and a weighted-approach following a Factor Analysis. The survey considered financial, social, physical, and professional risks, and four main reasons for risk-taking or risk-avoiding actions. The Factor Analysis allows us to classify the students tendency as risk-averse o risk-prone, and propose didactic teaching planning using a modular toolbox for process safety education, based on skills identified for junior engineers in Colombian Oil & Gas Industry. A total of 465 engineering students from 12 Colombian universities completed the survey in 2016. The results suggest that risk perception depends on the location, possible risk training, and accessible information. The obtained factors allow describing the students’ overall risk profiles, which can serve as an input for refining the content and curriculum content of current engineering programs regarding process safety. Improving the training of risk management in the engineering curriculum will benefit upcoming multidisciplinary teams in high-risk industries.

THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE STUDENTS’ HABIT TO WATCH ENGLISH YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND THEIR SPEAKING SKILL

THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE STUDENTS’ HABIT TO WATCH ENGLISH YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND THEIR SPEAKING SKILL

The kinematics and static equilibria of a Slinky

A Slinky is a loose helical coil spring and is a well-known educational toy. In this paper a model for a Slinky is presented. The Slinky is represented as a sequence of rigid half coils connected by torsional springs. A range of Slinky configurations in static equilibrium are calculated. Where possible the torsion spring model is compared with the much simpler point mass model of a Slinky, and a more sophisticated model that includes axial and shear deformation. The torsional spring model is shown for the most part to produce similar qualitative behaviour as the more complex model. The simplicity of the torsional spring model makes it a candidate for a discrete stair walking dynamic model of a Slinky, The point mass model is straightforward to derive and solve and makes it possible for an undergraduate engineering student in the early part of their degree course to understand. The torsional spring model is a useful tool for showing what can be done in a more advanced mechanics course to model a system that most students would have previous experience of.

Lived Experiences of Former STEM Undergraduate Mentors of an Afterschool Mentoring Program: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Studies have identified gaps in the development of undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Students lack communication and problem-solving, impeding employment opportunities post-graduation. It is essential to prepare students for employment in STEM fields, as these fields remain in high demand and offer competitive wages for economic stability. Research has revealed that students gain critical thinking and problem-solving skills through students mentoring experiences. Evidence surrounding the inclusion of active learning strategies for in-classroom pedagogy has expanded in recent years, but the support mechanisms beyond the classroom remain unclear. Herein, we followed students for a decade after participation in our mentoring pre-professional training program, Nebraska STEM for You (NE STEM 4U). This phenomenological study utilized interviewing techniques and descriptive statistics to demonstrate how a midsized, metropolitan university STEM mentoring program supported the development of NE STEM 4U participants. We found that engagement in an after-school mentoring program provided participants with a model of mentorship. Participants also developed transferable professional and personal skill sets, including communication, perspectives, conflict resolution, and professional development.

Working on Critical Thinking skills using the computer lab works of an Engineering subject

A practical intervention was devised in order to promote and to assess Critical Thinking in undergraduate students of Engineering. First, in collaboration with specialists in education, the concept of Critical Thinking, and its skills and dispositions on which to focus on, was determined. Second, a teaching strategy was designed in order to be as effective as possible, considering the limitations of the intervention. This strategy took advantage of the computer lab sessions where discussion and questioning encouraged the development of Critical Thinking. Then, the instruments to assess the acquired skills and attitudes of the students were developed. Finally, a quantitative analysis of the results was conducted in order to evaluate the validity and reliability of the strategy. This paper presents a full description of the intervention carried on for two years. Besides the desired effects on the students’ performance, some conclusions regarding the development of appropriate instruments to deal with a large group of students are drawn. This intervention has proven to be effective in order to help the students to develop their Critical Thinking skills, and it is particularly suitable for large groups.

Effect of interdependence on team effectiveness during design problem-solving in first-year engineering

ABSTRACT This quasi-experimental study presents the integration of cooperative learning pedagogy with the tasks of the engineering design process at a first-year interdisciplinary design course for undergraduate engineering students at a private engineering university in India. With a sample of 118 students, 59 each in the experimental group and control group, the integration presented as four interventions were tested for their effectiveness in two aspects: performance in the three tasks of the engineering design process: problem definition, concept generation and detailed design, and satisfaction with team interpersonal processes and, individual wellbeing and learning. The performance was measured using rubrics-based assessment, and satisfaction was measured using two subscales of a team diagnostic survey after demonstrating its validity and reliability. Results revealed significant differences in performance between the two groups with large to medium effect sizes. While cooperative learning brings members together at a level that increases interdependencies, often leading to arguments and conflicts, the proposed interventions yielded contrary results. Despite increased interdependence, the interventions did not lead to statistically significant between-group differences in team interpersonal processes and individual wellbeing and learning. Thus, this study has important implications for how engineering educators structure interdependencies between students in courses focusing on design problem-solving.

Analysing student interactions in a flipped engineering course


 
 
 Flipped classrooms can support more open, flexible and collaborative student-centred learning. There is evidence that flipping learning can result in more effective learning processes and outcomes. However, not much is known about students’ learning process in terms of their interactions while working collaboratively in a flipped class context. This understanding is essential to inform lecturers’ timely and relevant facilitation of student learning. This paper reports on the findings from a study focused on the interactions, specifically types of talk, first- year undergraduate engineering students engaged in while collaboratively solving problem tasks in their practical lab sessions as part of a flipped class learning approach in a New Zealand university. Data were collected from a six-week video observation of student interactions. Herrington and Oliver’s (1999) analytical framework on higher order, lower order, procedural, and social talk was used to analyse the video data. Findings revealed that the highest proportion of student interactions were procedural in nature followed by higher order, lower order, and finally, social talk types. These indicate the potential of the flipped class approach in fostering higher order talk in support of learning. Implications for practice are offered.
 
 

A Survey of Undergraduate Engineering Students' Personal Information Management Practices

ABSTRACTPersonal information management (PIM) includes the activities and preferences that support future information use. PIM is especially important in the context of engineering education, where learners are expected to engage with a substantial amount of information. This paper builds on the findings of a research project on the information practices of undergraduate engineering students, examined through multiple qualitative and quantitative methods (Dodson, 2021). This paper reports on one aspect of the project, an online questionnaire (n = 103). Findings suggest learners regularly engage in PIM activities, and experience different degrees of challenge when managing multiple types of information.

Student Engagement, Learning Environments and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison between Psychology and Engineering Undergraduate Students in the UK

This study compared student learning engagement from two UK departments exploring their participation in face-to-face and synchronous online learning environments. Overall, 446 undergraduate students from Psychology (soft/non-Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) discipline) and Electrical Engineering and Electronics (EEE) (hard/STEM discipline) completed an online questionnaire over the second semester of the 2020–2021 academic year, where the teaching was mainly online. The questionnaire included validated scales regarding teaching and students’ characteristics and an open-ended question regarding the role of learning environments. There was a significant difference between the two learning environments in both departments, with most of the students believing that they were better engaged with their learning process in face-to-face environments (quantitative analysis). Additionally, the thematic analysis of student qualitative responses revealed that online student engagement was influenced by (1) Behaviour, (2) Affective, and (3) Cognitive challenges (i.e., additional workload, lack of communication and distractions in the home environment) and opportunities (i.e., the effective use of study time and online content through interactive learning environments). This study could assist academics, university policymakers, and researchers to understand student engagement alongside learning environments, reconsidering the opportunities and challenges that were gained from online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Undergraduate Engineering and Education Students Reflect on Their Interdisciplinary Teamwork Experiences Following Transition to Virtual Instruction Caused by COVID-19

This study explores undergraduate engineering and education students’ perspectives on their interdisciplinary teams throughout the rapid transition to online learning and instruction from a face-to-face to a virtual format. In this qualitative study, students’ reflections and focus groups from three interdisciplinary collaborations were analyzed using the lens of Social Cognitive Theory. COVID-19 created a dramatic change in the environment such that the most immediate and direct impact on students’ experiences was on the environmental aspects of Bandura’s triadic reciprocal determinism model, which then triggered behavioral and personal responses to adapt to the new environment. Subsequent evidence of reciprocal effects between environmental, behavioral, and personal factors took place as students continued to adapt. Results suggest that the modifications made to transition the project fully online were meaningful experiences for students’ learning and teaching of engineering through teams. This interdisciplinary partnership provided both pre-service teachers and undergraduate engineering students with the opportunity to learn and practice content and professional skills that will be essential for success in future work environments.

Students’ achievement in an online course on technical writing and communication skills

PurposeThis study aims to investigate students’ satisfaction, self-efficacy and perceived competencies in a ‘technical writing and communication skills’ course after the switch of teaching the course from face to face to fully online during and after COVID-19. The study also measured the Achievement of Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology course learning outcomes (CLOs).Design/methodology/approachA descriptive cross-sectional survey design approach was adopted in this study. Students were asked to respond to an online survey after completion of the course to measure the target parameters. The data of 250 respondents, analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics 28, show high scores on all constructs.FindingsStatistically significant differences among gender, field of study, grade point average (GPA) level, type of school attended and attainment of English proficiency certificate were detected for students in terms of their baseline perceived competencies, achievement of CLOs and self-efficacy scores. In addition, gender, field of study, GPA and holding an international English proficiency certificate had statistically significant effect, whereas the academic level and type of school were insignificant.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the data had been collected through survey only. A limitation of this method is that there could be survey fraud. Second, as some respondents found the survey long, their responses might have been less reliable. Moreover, as the survey was entirely conducted online, this may have caused limited sampling, because some respondents are less likely to have internet access/disconnection and respond to online surveys. Furthermore, this research had focused on studying the impact of an online course on university students’ achievement in a Jordanian university, this limits the generalizability of the result to students of other levels and classes, or ones studying in other universities or living in different countries.Practical implicationsBecause of its impact on effective teaching and achievement, educators need to pay much attention to self-efficacy when designing new curricula for different environmental contexts. Furthermore, it is apparent that some courses, such as “technical writing” can be taught fully online without affecting students’ performance and achievement. Because educators always look for ways that make teaching effective, they may need to consider online platforms for teaching specific courses, hence save time, effort and resources.Originality/valueA course on technical writing and communication skills offered to undergraduate engineering and information technology students at Princess Sumaya University for Technology was switched from face to face to fully online modality during the COVID-19 pandemic in the period 2020–2021. The effect of such massive and sudden transformation on students’ achievement and satisfaction called for immediate scrutiny of the prospect and expectancy of online learning.

COVID-19 pandemic reveals challenges in engineering ethics education

Engineering ethics can be divided into three spheres, namely the technical, the professional, and the social. Ideally, engineering students should engage with all three spheres of ethics, but the literature suggests that this might not be the case. How do engineering students engage with the three spheres of engineering ethics during a global pandemic? The COVID-19 pandemic represents a dramatic and ongoing real-world challenge affecting many students personally. This research explores the extent to which engineering students engage with each sphere of engineering ethics by examining how engineering students understand their roles in addressing the pandemic and its implications. We conducted a survey with undergraduate engineering students (n = 410) at a university in the Midwest. Qualitative analysis suggests that there was low engagement with both social ethics and professional ethics among respondents, while there was higher engagement with technical ethics. Quantitative analysis suggests that non-conservative engineering students from less wealthy families in our study show higher engagement with technical ethics as compared to conservative engineering students from less wealthy families. Non-conservative engineering students from wealthy families, however, show similar engagement with technical ethics as compared to conservative engineering students from wealthy families. In addition, engineering students from both wealthy and less wealthy families show higher engagement with technical ethics if they reside in urban areas as compared to engineering students from both wealthy and less wealthy families in non-urban areas. In addition, the difference in terms of engagement with technical ethics between non-urban engineering students from less wealthy families and urban engineering students from less wealthy families is larger than the difference in terms of engagement with technical ethics between non-urban engineering students from wealthy families and urban engineering students from wealthy families. Further investigation will be needed to explain these findings. However, qualitative results confirm that, despite the potential for the pandemic to encourage engagement with all three spheres of ethics, there continues to be low engagement with ethics beyond the technical level.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40889-022-00156-4.

“I Think I Am Getting There” Understanding the Computational Identity of Engineering Students Participating in a Computationally Intensive Thermodynamics Course

In response to the growing computational intensity of the healthcare industry, biomedical engineering (BME) undergraduate education is placing increased emphasis on computation. The presence of substantial gender disparities in many computationally intensive disciplines suggests that the adoption of computational instruction approaches that lack intentionality may exacerbate gender disparities. Educational research suggests that the development of an engineering and computational identity is one factor that can support students’ decisions to enter and persist in an engineering major. Discipline-based identity research is used as a lens to understand retention and persistence of students in engineering. Our specific purpose is to apply discipline-based identity research to define and explore the computational identities of undergraduate engineering students who engage in computational environments. This work will inform future studies regarding retention and persistence of students who engage in computational courses. Twenty-eight undergraduate engineering students (20 women, 8 men) from three engineering majors (biomedical engineering, agricultural engineering, and biological engineering) participated in semi-structured interviews. The students discussed their experiences in a computationally-intensive thermodynamics course offered jointly by the Biomedical Engineering and Agricultural & Biological Engineering departments. The transcribed interviews were analyzed through thematic coding. The gender stereotypes associated with computer programming also come part and parcel with computer programming, possibly threatening a student's sense of belonging in engineering. The majority of the participants reported that their computational identity was “in the making.” Students’ responses also suggested that their engineering identity and their computational identity were in congruence, while some incongruence is found between their engineering identity and a creative identity as well as between computational identity and perceived feminine norms. Responses also indicate that students associate specific skills with having a computational identity. This study's findings present an emergent thematic definition of a computational person constructed from student perceptions and experiences. Instructors can support students’ nascent computational identities through intentional mitigation of the gender stereotypes and biases, and by framing assignments to focus on developing specific skills associated with the computational modeling processes.

Undergraduate Engineering Students’ Subjective Task Value Beliefs for Modeling Problems in Chemistry

Undergraduate Engineering Students’ Subjective Task Value Beliefs for Modeling Problems in Chemistry

Analysis of Team Member Evaluations Based on Gender

Using data collected from multiple teams of undergraduate engineering students, this study examines whether team members evaluate members of different perceived genders differently than they would a member of their own perceived gender. This was done using social relations modeling to analyze the dyadic differences within the teams over the course of several years. This research found that despite what was expected, gender only played a minor role in how different team members rated each other as time progressed. This lack of significance of gender in the model could be attributed to the high proportion of women in this major as well as how the teams were formed.

Assessment of Student Satisfaction with Online Learning: A Case of Undergraduate Engineering Students

The long-lasting and complicated pandemic situation has forced educational institutions to shift online. However, assessing learner satisfaction is extremely important for the effective implementation of online learning. This study examines factors that influence satisfaction regarding online classes during the pandemic period of COVID – 19. For this quantitative study, data were collected from 99 undergraduate engineering students of Tribhuvan University. A standardized structured questionnaire was designed to evaluate student satisfaction covering two significant predictors of students’ satisfaction; Instructor Performance and Interaction, and dissimilated through google forms. The research design embraced in the study consists of descriptive, relational, and casual research designs. And data were analyzed using SPSS using various tools such as mean, median, standard deviation, independent sample t-test, correlation, regression, etc. The findings revealed that instructor performance and interaction have a significant positive relationship and impact students’ satisfaction in an online learning environment. The study further revealed that students are not satisfied with present online learning tools and techniques. Additionally, they recommend using a new learning and problem-solving approach compared to traditional methods to make online learning less complex and more effective.

Instructional factors influencing conceptual understanding of signals and systems

ABSTRACT This paper investigates what instructional factors influence conceptual understanding (CU) of signals and systems for senior undergraduate engineering students. Previous results show students in signals and systems courses typically gain little CU, though evidence-based instructional practices, such as active learning, can increase gains in CU. However, few studies consider CU of senior students or other instructional practices that increase CU. To explore possible factors, we interviewed two faculty members, eight undergraduate seniors, five graduate students, and four practicing engineers then analyzed the transcribed interviews using a constant comparative method. Participants identified lectures presenting CU along-side mathematical expressions; lectures emphasising purpose and connections; hands-on activities where students have control, receive immediate feedback, or where they have to apply and synthesise concepts; and repetition of concepts across multiple courses as factors that helped build CU. Grades that emphasise procedural knowledge over CU and heavy workloads were noted as hindrances to CU. This paper relates these findings to theories on conceptual understanding and previous results on factors that influence student learning.

Studying transient heat transfer in a cylindrical pin fin with radiation and convection

A simple experimental fin device was used to develop a laboratory procedure for undergraduate engineering students, in order to enhance their understanding of the transfer of thermal energy. This experiment exposes the student to several important concepts, namely one-dimensional, time-dependent heat transfer in extended surfaces by conduction, convection and radiation. In a few simple steps, students have the opportunity to compare the measured to the predicted temperature profiles obtained at different times using an analytical complex solution and to calculate convective and radiative heat coefficients, such as the relative predominance of convection heat transfer with respect to radiation.