Undergraduate Engineering Students Research Articles

Implementation and Feasibility of a Group Mindfulness Intervention for Undergraduate Engineering Students

Students’ mental health and well-being are increasingly recognized as urgent and important needs in engineering education. Mindfulness-based interventions, in which students learn and practice present-focused techniques such as meditation and deep breathing, have been demonstrated to positively affect college students’ well-being. The use of such interventions for engineering students specifically, however, has not been […]

Online Distance Learning (odl) Behavior During Covid-19: Socio-economy Perspective of Civil Engineering Undergraduate in A Malaysian Public University

Abstract: This study examined the entrepreneurial knowledge and skills of engineering graduates and the entrepreneurial mindset of engineers. It also examined how entrepreneurial knowledge and skills affect the mindset of the entrepreneurial engineer. The study population consists of twenty-five Jordanian public and private universities that offer engineering programs. Based on the results of an overview of the engineering study plans of these universities, four universities were selected (The University of Jordan, Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Al- Hussein Technical University, Al-Hussein Technical University, Al-Ahliyya Amman University). The total number of engineering graduates participating in this study and whose responses were valid for the analysis was 65 students who graduated between 2016 and 2022. The results of this study indicated that the average entrepreneurial knowledge and skills of engineering graduates ranged between average and good. The findings also indicated that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between the entrepreneurial knowledge and skills of engineering graduates and their entrepreneurialmindset. The study concluded that it is essential for undergraduate engineering students to acquire entrepreneurial knowledge and skills that support their engineering major, and lead them to think broadly about their future careers and opportunities. Thus, entrepreneurial knowledge and skills enhance their competitiveness in innovative and rapidly emerging engineering industries. The study recommended the inclusion of entrepreneurship knowledge and skills in all engineering curricula and courses in universities. Keywords: civil engineering undergraduate, Covid- 19, movement control order (MCO), online distance learning (ODL), socio-economy

Effectiveness of Video Lessons Using Mobile Learning Technology

Electronics and communication and manufacturing technology are gaining much importance in the new millennium. The advents in electronics and communication technologies have been offering inexpensive, more convenient and more functionality in a single device. The engineering students and teachers can access data and communicate with each other anytime, anywhere, on any device, and any data and network. The researcher has to implement new technology, new ideas, and innovations in the research area of wireless communication and wireless networks. In wireless and mobile communication, to develop these engineering laboratories into virtual labs and study materials in hand (within a Pocket). This research is focused on and related to engineering education research. The quasi-experimental design has been used in this research study to measure the effectiveness of mobile learning using video lessons in engineering education. The questionnaire is used to evaluate the effectiveness of mobile learning for undergraduate engineering students. This paper describes the main study of the research results shows that 506 students of second year engineering students of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE), Electronics and Communication (ECE), and Bio- Medical Engineering (BME) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India their usage of wireless communication technology in mobile learning using video lessons. The video lessons used for this study are Electromagnetism which is common for EEE and ECE and Electrocardiography is common for BME and ECE. During the study smart phones, mobile phones and wireless devices, tablet pc, personal digital assistants, etc are used and the duration of the video lesson is 30 minutes. These video lessons can be transmitted using Bluetooth technology in the classroom, library, and corridors during the free hours. Keywords: E-learning, m-learning,

Analysis of Barriers in Conduct of Lab Based Courses in Remote Teaching Learning Paradigm

Many countries are implementing distance learning in response to the Covid19 pandemic. Distance learning helped learners continue their studies as schools and universities were closed due to the pandemic. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of Covid-19 lockdown on learners' academic performance. This research focuses on the challenges faced by distance learning learners. The purpose of this study is to identify barriers to distance learning. This study applies the DEMATEL (Decision Making Test and Evaluation Institute) approach to assess the barriers faced by learners in distance learning. The DEMATEL strategy is being used to identify the key factors by identifying the interrelationships between the various factors. A quantitative survey method using a structured questionnaire was carried out. The questionnaire was administered to a cohort of 54 undergraduate engineering students of third semester (2nd year) pursuing Bachelor of Technology (Information Technology) in India. This study found that motivation, social interaction, and resource costs were assessed in causal groups with RiCi scores of 0.332, 0.1774, and 0.113, respectively. Technical concerns and administrative issues are categorized in the effect group with Ri-Ci values of -0.333 and -0.287 respectively and are the most important criteria based on first and second highest Ri+Ci values of 0.646524 and 0.59817, respectively. Our findings reveal that motivation is the most important barrier in remote teaching learning. A sense of self-motivation can be induced by organizing workshops, practical sessions and grooming sessions. The study would benefit academic institutions and learners as it would help them to enrich the remote teaching learning process.

Research on reform of practical teaching system for applied undergraduate engineering students

In response to the low quality of practical teaching in engineering majors, particularly in terms of the effectiveness of experimental teaching, lack of innovation, and other issues, this paper summarizes and analyzes the problems that exist in experimental teaching and innovative practices for cultivating applied undergraduate students, based on the requirements for graduate abilities and knowledge from corporate employers, as well as the situation of engineering practical teaching in China. It explores the composition of various elements in the practical teaching system, standardizes and innovates various elements of experimental teaching activities, and cultivates students' innovative thinking and practical abilities through a multilevel disciplinary competition system, thus constructing an innovative practical teaching system for cultivating applied undergraduate students. The practice has proved that students' practical and innovative abilities are significantly enhanced, their innovative abilities are significantly improved, the quality of graduates' employment is improved, and the social feedback is positive. A large number of high-quality applied undergraduate students have been cultivated for local economic construction.

A Phenomenological Inquiry of College Engineering Students with Low-Income and Economic Marginalization: Implications for High School Counselors

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological qualitative study was to describe the precollege interactions of undergraduate engineering students with low-income and economic marginalization (LIEM). Our analysis yielded three major themes regarding precollege interactions: (a) family and kinship as a source of motivation, (b) educators as encouragers, and (c) building bridges with professionals. We discuss the importance of these findings within the community cultural wealth framework, highlighting important considerations and implications for school counselors.

Developing Speaking Competence of Professional Undergraduate Students Through Socratic Questing Approach

Abstract : This research article primarily focuses on how speaking competence can be enhanced by Socratic Questioning Approach. There are several methods and approaches formulated and applied at different levels to enhance speaking skills, but critical thinking and questioning attitude is still lacking at undergraduate levels. 32 heterogeneous professional undergraduate students (Creswell, 2018, p.157) have participated in a five months twenty-one days intervention study (Yin,2009 & Stake,1995, p.123) to know the desired outcomes. The pre and post-tests results have considerably and possibly been recorded during the study. CEFR (Common European Framework of References) CAN DO descriptors (Council of Europe, 2018 p.171), are adopted to assess the speaking competence. The pre and post-tests have been assessed based on CAN DO Descriptors. After employing Qualitative Research Methodology (Creswell, 2018) to analyze the data obtained through both succeeding and preceding tests, significant results have possibly been founded and observed that professiona l unde rgradua te student s have considerably enhanced their speaking abilities and competences. CEFR levels of individual performance and variations have scrupulously been observed. This research article ontologically asserts that professional undergraduate engineering students can enhance speaking skills by thinking critically and applying Socratics Questioning Approach (Paul,2006) implicitly and explicitly. Keywords : CEFR, Critical Thinking, Intervention Program

Designing an EAP Course for Undergraduate Engineering Students

This case study specifies the academic English needs of English Medium Instruction (EMI) Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) students in a state university in Turkey. Curriculum design process of the project rested on Nation and Macalister’s (2010) framework. 33 students, five instructors in EEE department, and a language instructor took part in the need analysis (NA) stage. The data collection tools included checklists, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data gathered through the student and instructor questionnaires were analysed through SPSS Statistics v.22 software package programme. Codes, categories, and themes were generated to interpret the qualitative data. Based on the findings of the NA and environment analysis, we offered curriculum renewal for the English I-II courses by taking students’ learning needs and environmental constraints into account. The resulting data revealed that the existing English for General Purposes (EGP) course failed to satisfy both students and instructors. An English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course geared towards motivating students towards using English in their departmental courses and future work/studies was suggested. The results of the NA as well as the chosen principles were the main drivers and determinants of the goals, content, format, and proposed assessment procedures of the new course.

Investigation of virtual & augmented reality classroom learning environments in university STEM education

ABSTRACT This study investigates the use of virtual and augmented reality (VAR) in higher education on students’ self-efficacy in science and engineering, and academic performance. An innovative VAR classroom is set up as an immersive and interactive learning environment at Nanyang Technological University for curriculum-based learning. This classroom is equipped with 6 individual VR displays and headsets, where high-end computers are connected to each display providing the computational power required for VAR technology. 46 undergraduate engineering students experience the VAR lessons over the course of 5 weeks. The self-efficacy and academic performance of the students are measured for quantitative analysis with surveys and regular (pre-/post-) tests as they participated in the lessons. Post-lesson focus-group discussions and interviews are conducted for qualitative analysis. The data analysis shows a significant increase in students’ self-efficacy levels and academic performance after 5 weeks of VAR lessons. It is found that the collaborative, interactive and immersive nature of the VAR learning environment enriches students’ learning experiences and thus contributes to their learning effectiveness. The study provides insights into how the VAR learning environment affects undergraduate students’ learning, and how the VAR system can be deployed for effective STEM education

Innovation Level Amongst Engineering And Non-Engineering Undergraduate Students In One Of The University In Malaysia

Engineers of the future must be capable of working successfully in multidisciplinary teams. Consequently, to advance innovative endeavours, engineering education and training should be considered in economic policies. The purpose of this study was to determine the significance of differences in innovation capabilities between engineering and non-engineering students. The research design is quantitative, using a questionnaire as the research instrument. The population were undergraduate students at a Malaysian university. Only 223 out of 370 respondents provided feedback within two weeks of data collection. 117 were non-engineering students, and the other 106 were engineering students. To measure the differences between the two groups of students, an inferential t-test was used. The Rasch analysis approach was applied to analyse the profiles of the students. The results showed that the innovation level of engineering students was greater than that of non-engineering students. Nonengineering students demonstrate marginally more (n=105, 47.09%) than engineering students (n=99, 44.39%) in “Very High Levels” of innovation. As a result, engineering education has grown and increased demand to efficiently train a diverse group of engineers for these challenges.
 Keywords: innovation; independent sample t test; engineering students;nonengineering students; Rasch analysis; profile

Investigating student approaches to scenario-based assessments of systems thinking

The development of systems thinking is considered a critical skill set for addressing interdisciplinary problems. This skill set is particularly important in the field of engineering, where engineers are often tasked with solving socio-technical problems that often require knowledge beyond their original discipline and practice in unfamiliar contexts. However, existing assessments often fail to accurately measure teachable knowledge or skills that constitute systems thinking. To investigate this issue, we compared students’ performance on two previously and independently peer-reviewed scenario-based assessments for systems thinking: The Village of Abeesee and the Lake Urmia Vignette. Twenty undergraduate engineering students participated in a multi-phase case study utilizing think aloud protocols and semi-structured interview methods to elicit the approaches students took thinking across the two instruments and past experiences that they felt prepared them to solve these ill-structured problems. We found that the way a scenario is presented to students impacts their subsequent problem-solving approach, which complicates assessment of systems thinking. Additionally, students identified only limited opportunities for the development of ill-structured problem-solving skills necessary for systems thinking. Our findings inform future work on improving systems thinking assessments and emphasize the importance of more intentionally supplying opportunities for students to practice solving ill-structured problems throughout the curriculum.

Perceived Factors Contributing to the Subjective Wellbeing of Undergraduate Engineering Students: An Exploratory Study

Engineering education is perceived to be a tough field of study with detrimental effects on the mental health of undergraduate engineering students. High levels of anxiety and depression are reported among this population. Overall, mental health research is often biased toward looking at mental health from a deficit perspective and investigating mental health as a negative phenomenon. This trend also persists in engineering education research. The purpose of this exploratory study, therefore, is to investigate the condition of subjective wellbeing (SWB) of undergraduate engineering students to understand the factors that they perceive as positively contributing to their overall wellbeing in an engineering college environment. Qualitative data from eight undergraduate engineering students interviewed in fall 2021 in the college of engineering at a land grant public institution in the western USA were thematically analyzed. The resulting 11 themes were then re-grouped and conceptualized into 7 factors (faculty support, learning experiences, support environment, financial support, engineering practice opportunities, task organization, and task orientation) for clear mapping, understanding, and explanation. The outcomes from this research have positive implications for the SWB of undergraduate engineering students, with support from their educational institutions.

Predicting students' satisfaction with virtual education based on health-oriented lifestyle behaviors

The aim of this study was to investigate student satisfaction with virtual education based on their health-oriented lifestyle behaviours. The present study was a descriptive correlational study. The statistical population included all undergraduate students in engineering and psychological fields at Islamic Azad University of Shahre Rey during the second semester of 2020-2021. Of these students, 188 (93 engineering students and 95 psychology students) were randomly selected. To collect the data, an instrument for measuring satisfaction with virtual education as well as the measurement scale for health-oriented academic lifestyle behaviours (Salehzadeh et al., 2017) were used. Findings revealed that the components of a health-oriented lifestyle as a whole explain 37.4% of the variance in student satisfaction with virtual education. The relationship between health-oriented lifestyle facilitators (academic optimism, mastery goal orientation, and academic resilience) and student satisfaction with virtual education was positive and significant. The relationship between health-oriented lifestyle inhibitor components (learned helplessness and procrastination) and student satisfaction with virtual education was negative and significant. The relationship between effort withdrawal and student satisfaction with virtual education was not significant (p>0.05). There was no difference between the components of a health-oriented lifestyle and student satisfaction with virtual education according to educational groups. Accordingly, creating a resilient educational environment, trying to participate, and teaching towards meaningful and problem-based learning will prevent students from avoiding virtual education.

Assessing Ethical Sensitivity Development in Undergraduate Engineering Students

Canadian engineers are expected to uphold high ethical standards as part of their responsibility to the profession and society. This expectation is echoed in the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) graduate attributes and in the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer [1], [2]. Part of upholding high ethical standards as an engineer involves the essential skill of being able to detect and identify ethical issues. This refers to one’s Ethical Sensitivity (ES), which is often overlooked in Engineering Ethics Education (EEE) currently. EEE in North America primarily focuses on the action plans and justifications developed to address presented ethical dilemmas, not on how to identify ethical dilemmas. This then leads to the question, are students’ ES skills being developed over the course of their undergraduate career? While there is some existing research on ethical decision-making and the factors that influence it, there is markedly less research on ES, less on ES assessment, and even less on ES assessment in engineering students. Additionally, the majority of ES assessment tools currently used are either not designed to specifically assess ES, are not designed for engineering, and/or cue the participant in some way to the ethical dilemmas presented, which could misrepresent the participant’s actual ES abilities. This research will investigate current literature on ethical sensitivity and will also describe a research method to assess ES development in undergraduate engineering students. The focus of this paper will be on a pilot study currently in progress along with the next steps for this research. These results can provide insight to educators, ideally resulting in more effective teaching practices, and ultimately creating more ethically conscious engineering graduates.

Pedagogical Strategies for Enhancing the Outcomes of Weekly Readings

This study explores different pedagogical methods to understand what motivates undergraduate and graduate engineering students to read more thoroughly, deeply and with greater criticality. It analyzes three associated activities that were intended to encourage reading: a summary of the readings, an online discussion board and a student-led discussion. The study explores questions about the amount and depth of reading, and students’ perceptions of the value of the readings and associated activities. Data was collected using the following methods: student questionnaires and focus groups, TA and instructor reflections, end of course evaluations and student grades. The results indicate thatthe associated assignments encouraged students to read more and motivated the students to read with more depth and criticality. Overall, the students had a positive perception of the readings and assignments, but they also identified pedagogical improvements that would have encouraged them to be more engaged with the reading material. The results of this research show that the associated activities in all three iterations of the undergraduate course increased reading compliance. The online discussion activities increased the depth of reading more than the summary assignment, though the discussion students read less of the entire reading weekly. The overall student perception of the reading assignment was that the assignment was good but could be made more effective with some changes. Future iterations of the courses could include new pedagogical strategies with interactive components to increase depth and engagement.

Persistent mistakes in learning basic circuit analysis

Basic circuit analysis is a core course in most of the undergraduate engineering programs and is the prerequisite course for many other courses in the undergraduate electrical engineering program. Students enter into engineering schools with varying knowledge of the concepts of basic circuit analysis depending on whether they come from high school, CEGEP, or a technical college, etc. Many students from all engineering majors struggle to learn the concepts taught in these courses which creates challenges for both faculty members and students in courses when for which basic circuit analysis is a pre-requisite course. There is more research done in understanding the conceptual knowledge of physics of electricity and electric (and electronic) components and improving the instruction of basic circuit analysis concepts, but not enough work is done to understand the mistakes undergraduate electrical engineering students continue to make course after course. For this study, the authors look at the persistent problems in learning circuit analysis techniques by looking at students’ use of these techniques in three core courses in electrical engineering program namely electronics 1, electronics 2 and electromagnetic waves and guiding structures. Students’ responses to exam questions that specifically expected students to use these concepts are analyzed. The objective of the study was to analyze whether the understanding of the application of circuit analysis techniques get better as students continue to use these concepts in more courses and applications, or the problems persist. Results show that the students persistently make mistakes in applying KVL and KCL equations, nodal analysis, superposition theorem, voltage divider, and mesh analysis. Additionally, the results reveal that students persistently make mistakes in questions that involve the concepts of load and no load, open circuit, series components, parallel components, voltage drop across the current source, and voltage gain. It is noted that the mistakes made by students do not get much better as they continue taking more courses. The results of this study are important from many aspects. They are helpful to understand the continuing struggles of students and so are helpful to design pedagogy and assessment in a way that these concepts can be well explained. Thorough understanding of the concepts in a course that is as important as basic circuit analysis is important to achieve many engineering education goals including student retention, motivation, innovation, and inclusion.

Multi-Disciplinary Design Activity for Undergraduate and Graduate Engineering Students

This paper describes a project with common equipment that was adapted and offered to both an undergraduate and a graduate-level course with learning outcomes tailored specifically to each group of students. This project is an immersive, multi-disciplinary engineering design activity with a focus on materials, solid mechanics, and instrumentation. The activity incorporates aspects of fundamental engineering theory, virtual predictive simulation, as well as physical testing and data collection. All of this was done in the context of a material selection and failure analysis of a piece of furniture (cantilever chair) which is a simplistic and recognizable device by the students.
 The project focusses on structural analysis of the chair under a variety of loading conditions, coupled with a virtual simulation model using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). FEA is utilized to identify critical regions of the structure which are prone to failure. The complexity, constraints, and provided resources of the model varied, depending on the specific implementation of the course. Finally, a physical test apparatus was constructed and used to generate experimental responses that the students were able to use to calibrate their predictive model and theoretical hand calculations.
 This activity was created initially for in-person instruction but was adapted for remote delivery during the pandemic. Both qualitative and quantitative data collected from 2nd year and graduate students indicated that the activity was effective in improving several forms of knowledge acquisition. This paper will discuss in detail how a common project platform was adapted for the two academic levels with evidence of its efficacy

Problem-solving in biology vs. engineering: What can engineering educators learn from biology educators

Problem-solving (PS) is a universal skill inherent to nearly all disciplines. This study’s objective is to explore the types of PS assessments that engineering and biology undergraduate students are exposed to and what PS approaches they use to complete these assessments. Comparing PS assessments and approaches between the two disciplines will help reveal important lessons that engineering educators can apply when immersing their undergraduate students into PS. Qualitative data was obtained from focus groups with students in engineering (n = 6), and biology (n = 5). Notable differences were found across disciplines, with students mentioning different skill sets pertinent to PS, assessment features, and PS strategies. A posteriori analysis of students’ focus group responses revealed that an epistemic lens is an appropriate framework for interpreting students’ response. Schommer’s epistemic dimensions of knowledge (i.e., structure and stability of knowledge) are used to classify results and indicate that biology students are frequently exposed to the complex structure of knowledge through multi-factorial systems whereas engineering students are typically exposed to the instability of knowledge, particularly through design projects. Other interesting observations related to biology students’ tendency to engage in discussion as a helpful study approach, while engineering students may view group discourse as a hindrance. Our results can inform engineering educators of how they can incorporate PS practices used by biology educators into their classrooms to promote better learning outcomes and encourage deeper learning approaches in students, while cultivating more mature epistemic beliefs.

Towards forming learning communities - Understanding the role of collaborative work in an undergraduate engineering program

Learning communities may form in the engineering undergraduate programmes through meaningful teamwork activities and positive experiences working with peers. This research study was conducted as part of a programme evaluation to understand how students conceptualised the purpose of a learning community. Through a thematic analysis of six focus groups with students, we have a better understanding of how students find value in maintaining relationships with their peers that they may have worked within team-based work. Each focus group consisted of students studying at the same level of the undergraduate programme – ranging from first-year students to recently graduated students. We synthesized data from these groups to guide inferences about why and how students formed communities with their peers, the motivations to maintain those communities, and any curricular interventions that fostered the sense of community. The findings of this study allow us to understand how a learning community pedagogy can be integrated into the broader engineering curriculum to provide undergraduate engineering students with meaningful and coherent learning experiences.

First-year Undergraduate Engineering Student Beliefs About Teamwork: A Qualitative Analysis.

This paper discusses a comparative study of first-year engineering students’ beliefs around design-based teamwork. In this study, survey data was collected from first-year students at a large research-based university in 2014 and compared to those discussed in the present literature. Using qualitative analysis, these descriptive textual responses were used to identify themes that represented specific beliefs. These themes discussed individual accountability, seeing teamwork as a collection of individual work, challenges around team member motivation, and intra-team communication challenges. When compared to the literature, themes regarding teamwork as inefficient due to experiences around unequal divisions of work and perceived skill disparity emerged as reflective of the literature.
 An underlying value of optimization emerged in our analysis. Tapping into this core value could enable students to develop more effective teamworking strategies.