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Practical engagement, which can be conducted in real, virtual, and simulated modes, is well known to support the cementing of conceptual knowledge in engineering education. This paper proposes integrating the benefits of the different modes in the context of control system learning in a mechatronics engineering course. A low‐cost ball‐on‐beal demonstrator with a Matlab/Simulink software interface is used to bridge the theory‐practice divide in teaching state space control theory. The paper examines the contribution of each mode of learning to highlight how student learning is supported across cognitive, affective and systemic domains. Drawing on student feedback, performance data and lecturer observation, the analysis demonstrates that the virtual system supported cognitive and conceptual learning, while the simulated system presented significant systemic challenges. The lack of access to the real system as a result of emergency remote teaching challenges assumptions about the scope of learning possible in only virtual and simulated modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The techniques presented in introductory engineering textbooks for modeling and analysis of experimental data nowadays are essentially the same as the ones that were presented over 35 years ago. Considerable potential now exists for dramatic improvements in data correlation and analysis because of the introduction of personal computers along with user-friendly interactive software which performs linear and nonlinear regressions and yields standard statistical results. This article presents some basic statistical concepts which are required to understand the results obtained from a regression package and demonstrates, using an example of vapor pressure correlation the proper technique for modeling and analysis of experimental data. Our experience and student performance has indicated that a 1st-year course for engineering students can effectively introduce students to the correlation and the modeling of experimental data. This capability can be given to students during two lectures and a 1-hour computer laboratory period plus an appropriate assignment, provided that an interactive regression package (Polymath or EZfit, for example) or a spreadsheet program with multiple linear regression capabilities is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational games are increasingly used to teach Agile development approaches to practitioners. Most of these training modules simplify the development environment, for example, by using LEGO bricks or playing cards. This oversimplification has been shown to result in limited transferability of learning to industrial practice. Furthermore, there is a lack of teaching modules that specifically address the challenges of applying Agile to physical products. In this paper, we present an open‐source educational game that realistically simulates a hardware development project to teach Agile principles. Over 2 days, participants design, manufacture, and test modifications for a physical wire bending machine within an authentic engineering and production setting. The training mimics the typical roles, processes, and tools of industrial engineering teams to reflect the challenges of Agile hardware development. The module was evaluated with 44 industry professionals regarding perceived learning and user reaction. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used for the experimental evaluation. The results showed a positive learning effect as the participants' average agreement with Agile principles increased through the training. Concerning user reaction, respondents reported a high degree of relevance, interaction, and confidence, indicating that the realistic simulation of the hardware development appropriately balanced the degree of realism with simplicity. The study showcases the opportunities of properly aligning game components to provoke learning situations targeted by the instructors. It contributes to the extant literature by providing a design framework (product, process, setting, and instruction) and open‐source access to the tools used for implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blended Learning (BL) is defined as a combination of face‐to‐face and digital activities that, in recent years, has been adopted more and more frequently by Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs). In the engineering field, the adoption of BL allows creating challenging situations for students with industry‐like problems to foster the acquisition of advanced problem‐solving skills. Thus, it can be used to enhance traditional learning by enriching it with new aspects, allowing to update the Intended Learning Outcomes traditionally defined by teachers. Although prior coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) teachers had the time to prepare and programme the transition to BL, during the pandemic they had to abruptly move to the full digital delivery of the content, requiring technological and organizational adaptation, as well as change in the content teaching and assessment methods. Through a systematic literature review, this paper aims to understand how BL has been implemented in the engineering field by HEIs, discussing if and how the learning expectations of teachers (evaluated through Bloom's Taxonomy) change when using different mixes of face‐to‐face and digital activities and when the target audience changes. More specifically, the investigation addresses how content and learning expectations are split and set in face‐to‐face and digital settings. Additionally, the interest is towards understanding how COVID‐19 impacted the adoption of BL, not only during the pandemic but also after. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Programming is one of the most fundamental initial skills for engineering students. Institutions that offer engineering courses have the challenge of deciding how to deliver this subject since it requires unique thinking from students. This paper addresses the impact of adopting C and Python programming languages in introductory programming courses for engineering students. A case study was conducted in the university's introductory programming course, analyzing student data. This approach divides the students into two groups according to the programming language: C and Python. Data were gathered and analyzed about their learning experiences through questionnaires, assignment scores, and students' questions posted in the class online forums. The experiment was repeated in two consecutive semesters. The main results favor Python regarding learning confidence, motivation, and general programming design decisions while favoring C for the easiness of learning data structures. This study may be helpful for institutions considering designing a new introductory programming course or redesigning existing ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a distributed wind power virtual simulation experiment system for cultivating students' ability to solve complex engineering problems. The experiment system was designed with complex engineering problems of real wind farms, both in a steady state and transient process. On the basis of the system, comprehensive practical contents were developed. According to engineering education certification, the virtual simulation practical contents provide support for improving students' ability to solve complex engineering problems. The system has been applied to a comprehensive practical course of renewable energy. From the designed assessment, the experiment system helped students to master the advanced technologies applied to real wind farms visually and enhanced their ability to solve complex engineering problems. After practical learning on the system, students' performance has been improved in graduation projects. It is proved that the virtual simulation experiment system is effective in cultivating students' ability to solve complex engineering problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper steps down into the interatomic space‐time domain where the steady state, boundary and dynamic phenomena are taking root yet are still obeying classical physics principles. By not offloading these phenomena to Schrödinger quantum mechanics and Maxwell electro‐magnetism it is hoped that many engineering practitioners and even high school students could become comfortable with boundary conditions of space time phenomena without resorting to the Partial Differential Calculus. The proposed method is based on calculus of differences in the plain algebraic domain with simultaneous spatial and temporal dependencies. As such these may be also welcomed by seekers of deeper understanding of some natural phenomena. The proposed approach is being tested on transmission lines with a variety of boundary conditions and is also employed to understanding the observed capacitive and inductive behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces three interactive virtual laboratory modules for undergraduate and graduate level education on the behavior and design of reinforced concrete structures using the World Wide Web (WWW). Users can select and configure module parameters (such as reinforcement) to investigate the design and behavior of a reinforced concrete member or section. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 10: 167–181, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.10030 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT It is not hard to find that the forms of traditional education have limitations. The Virtual Laboratory is to provide a virtual experimental environment to the users via computers in controlling engineering by resorting to the virtual reality technology. It was famous for helping students study the complex process of experiments as well as saving time and cost. Therefore, in the new century, it has become more popular as a means of education. In this paper, we present a virtual geophysical laboratory system (VGLS) based on C#, Viustools, and database technology which can make geophysical education more efficient and effective. Besides, practice has proved that VGLS is a kind of flexible, convenient, and interactive system which can help the users understand and master the laboratory equipment and experimental procedures as well as enhance the efficiency of teaching and learning. In general, it was a practical platform that can be an alternative means of traditional experiments in education which can also meet the requirements of geophysical education. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 25:335-344, 2017; View this article online at ; DOI [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Spreadsheets have come a long way and have become a universal computational tool and a powerful platform for performing scientific and engineering calculations. Their inherent strength lies in integrated storage and manipulation of data, together with a wide range of calculations, charting, and graphics presentation capabilities. These facilities make them ideal tools for prototyping mathematical equations and algorithms that can be adapted for instructional purposes to improve the quality of engineering education. This paper presents a set of spreadsheets that help in understanding the mathematical details behind the Zoeppritz equations and their various approximations that describe the partitioning of seismic wave energy at a planar interface between two homogeneous isotropic and elastic layers of rock. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 25:441-448, 2017; View this article online at ; DOI [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fostering of computational thinking (CT) skills has become an essential goal for engineering courses. This paper provides and discusses a teaching approach based on model-eliciting activity (MEA) for enhancing students' CT in existing engineering courses. To verify the proposed approach, experimental studies were performed with students in the practicum unit of a computer-aided engineering course. First, we investigated the feasibility of integrating CT training into the engineering courses through guiding students to perform a topicspecific design task. Second, we compared the influences of the MEA-based approach and conventional lecture-based approach on students' learning effect with respect to course objectives and CT skills. Results show the CT-integrated teaching did not at least weaken the teaching effect of the engineering course, and the MEA-based approach seems to be more conducive to strengthening students' skills of identifying and solving problems, as well as team cooperation. Results also show the learning effect of the MEA group has apparent advantages for enhancing CT skills. These findings suggest that using MEA in engineering courses is beneficial to promote students' CT skills in terms of simplification, embedding, transformation, and simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offers observation on the first International Conference on Engineering and Computer Education (ICECE) held on August 11-14, 1999 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Number of conference papers included in the 2000 issue of "Computer Applications in Engineering Education"; Organizers of the international conference; Objective of ICECE; Conference theme.

ABSTRACT This paper presents a new simulation-based computer program that provides an interactive and visual environment for teaching and learning of mining engineering related subjects. An actual open pit magnesite mine was selected and whole simulation data were obtained from this mine in order to create a simulation application. The program represents this open pit mine in detail using more than hundred variables, 14 windows, and several modules. It is believed that, with its all components, this educational tool can be used for several mining-related subjects such as drilling and blasting, excavation and haulage, size reduction and magnetic separation at universities to provide fundamental information to the students and anyone dealing with mining engineering related subjects. It may also be used for mining related departments such as geology and geophysics for giving brief information about mining. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 23:286-293, 2015; View this article online at ; DOI [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The concept of web laboratories with remotely controlled laboratory set ups or virtual laboratories with different simulations have an important role in engineering education and training. This paper presents an evaluation of the fundamental objectives of laboratories for distance education, comparing the effectiveness of a remotely controlled approach versus simulations. The results and analysis show that students prefer remotely controlled laboratories compared to simulation labs. The results show that remotely controlled laboratories better fulfill objectives important for laboratory exercises. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 23:191-202, 2015; View this article online at ; DOI [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This proposal is concerned with a new methodology named Tecnology and Electronics—Do It Yourself (TECDIY) with the aim to motivate students of the first course of systems and multimedia engineering grade to prepare the practical laboratories and the exams of Physics and Electronics subject. The methodology consists in integrating projects‐based learning (‐) and the motivation for the practical laboratories and exams using preprepared videos, models adaptation of the theory, exercises, and problems preparation Gymkana. In addition, TECDIY methodology is supported by an attendance registration system, which allows the students assistance to class to be verified and controlled. The study is performed by comparing indicators, namely the predelivery of the laboratories theoretic calculations, the problems delivery, and assistance to class, performed in three academic years (2013–2014, 2014–2015, and 2015–2016). The results of applying this method demonstrate a significant increase of these indicators, which means the efficiency of TECDIY method in motivating the students to prepare the exam and the practical laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the use of MATLAB for teaching the fundamental constructs of programming languages to engineering and science students. It was found that the time taken for students to learn programming can be reduced by up to 50%, paving the way for using the language to solve problems. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 14: 20–30, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20064 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past 3 years, the Basic Engineering Department at the University of Missouri, Rolla has been developing a second-generation suite of instructional software called MecMovies for the Mechanics of Materials course. The MecMovies suite consists of over 110 animated example problems, drill-and-practice games, and interactive exercises. Students generally respond favorably to software of this type; however, much of the data that has been gathered to assess the effectiveness of similar software has been anecdotal. The method by which instructional software is incorporated into the engineering class is partly responsible for this lack of systematic evaluation. Often, software packages have been implemented in the classroom as supplemental material—recommended but not required. In the Fall 2003 semester, MecMovies was integrated thoroughly into the course assignments for one of the six UMR Mechanics of Materials sections. Four professors were involved in the study, and student performance in the experimental MecMovies section was compared to performance in the five control sections through a common final exam. At the end of the semester, students who used the MecMovies software also completed a survey questionnaire consisting of a number of subjective rating items. This paper presents a comparison of student performance in the experimental and control sections along with discussion of student qualitative ratings and comments. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 14: 31–43, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20065 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internet is dramatically changing the ways we learn and teach, as well as the way we interact as a society. The “same time, same place, only some people” traditional instructional method is giving way to “anytime, anyplace, anybody” educational models. This paper deals with the development of a Web-based integrated manufacturing laboratory (WIML), which represents a virtual mini-manufacturing corporation, whose aim is to support core manufacturing curriculum and to provide students with hands-on experience on various manufacturing functions and effective use of manufacturing software tools. Key components of the WIML include a manufacturing tutor, a data repository, message boards, customization pages, and links to the world-wide web. The WIML not only can stimulate students' interest in related manufacturing courses but also allow them to strengthen their computer skills and develop ability to work as a team. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 9: 228–237, 2001; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com.); DOI 10.1002/cae.10006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the structure and use of Dr. Layer, a computer program designed to provide students a simulation/visualization environment for studying linear and nonlinear wave propagation behavior in layered soil media. To support student-based exploration, Dr. Layer uses “live” modeling, i.e., modeling in which computation, interaction, and visualization occur simultaneously. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 9: 248–258, 2001; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com.); DOI 10.1002/cae.10003 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the way in which mathematics is taught has changed radically and there has been an increase in the percentage of online classes. One of the biggest challenges that teachers face in this type of online scenario is the need to motivate students so that they do not lose the thread and continue with their usual rhythm and seek methodologies that facilitate the teaching–learning process. The growth of educational technology has become a powerful ally in carrying out this study. This study presents the use of a digital Escape Room in an online scenario for teaching mathematics in the first course of engineering. To measure the results, a pretest–posttest experience has been considered with two different groups of the first course of engineering in an online university. Some comparison tests of the qualifications obtained by both groups shows that, despite they were homogeneous in terms of previous knowledge of calculus in the beginning, the differences obtained between those who have used the Escape Room instead of the traditional methodology are significative. In addition, the effect sizes obtained were intermediate and also considering the results of the survey allows us to conclude that the use of the digital Escape Room is a very good tool for teaching Calculus in Engineering. Finally, it is also important to highlight that the satisfaction of the student with respect to the experience has been very high and they asked for more experiences like this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today's job market is seeking engineers with competencies to design innovative solutions that meet sophisticated customer needs. Engineering education is then challenged to equip future engineers with holistic engineering design skills, especially functional ones. A powerful means to strengthen these skills is the use of reverse‐engineering‐based activities, which consist of examining, extracting information, and redesigning existing products. However, most current education endeavours, based on reverse engineering, consist only of practicing simple teardowns that have circumscribed impact on the acquisition of skills. Therefore, there is a need for more elaborated authentic hands‐on activities to gain a broad set of design skills. This study addresses this gap by the development of a concept of wide‐ranging engineering activities that start with the study of an existing product and ends with an improved redesigned three‐dimensional (3D) printed product. This concept of activities was developed to strengthen a conventional course on product design. Thus, a tailored comprehensive redesign process is proposed first, and expanded as a concept of a set of experiential activities, with associated measures for skills acquisition. This concept encompasses teardown, 3D digitizing and rapid prototyping, and aims mainly at facilitating the understanding of components' functionalities, the numerical reconstruction by 3D digitizing, the mechanical modelling and engineering analysis of parts and finally the 3D printing of the redesign output. To understand, experience, and weigh up the relevance of the proposed concept of activities, a preliminary implementation, and a case study are illustrated. Particularly, the relevance of the concept is demonstrated through the assessment of the activities' measures. In short, this study provides educators with an authentic education tool that leverages on a broader reverse engineering vision to boost the job's sought‐after design skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To respond to the digital building environment and Industry 4.0 in building information modeling (BIM)‐based mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems this study developed a new approach to engineering capstone projects. This article reports on a case study of the development of the innovative capstone project for engineering majors, which is based on team‐based learning (TBL) combined with the 360‐degree evaluation feedback method to cultivate students' BIM competency. The data collection and analysis involves a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, which aims to evaluate students' learning outcomes and their BIM competency. The results indicate that TBL, combined with the 360‐degree evaluation feedback in the capstone project, can be highly effective in improving graduates' BIM competency. This study discusses the interoperability of BIM software tools, problems in the process of data exchange, and provides suggestions for improving the course and BIM team collaboration. The research has identified how professional capabilities for students can be enhanced, enabled through a capstone project, and educators are able to deploy the BIM course to develop engineers that closely meet industry needs. The study provides the case for using the capstone project to improve and cultivate engineering students' BIM competency in MEP systems. This study has provided a new paradigm for applying TBL and 360‐degree evaluation feedback to engineering education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this current era of the fourth industrial revolution, the fifth generation of distance education has held out hopes of unique opportunities for engineering. With the aim of investigating the field of engineering through distance education, this study conducted a systematic review involving text‐mining and social network analysis to examine 120 publications on this topic. The time trend analysis found that there has been a steadily increasing interest in engineering through distance education. Analysis of subject areas revealed that a considerable amount of the publications on engineering through distance education falls under the social sciences subject area, suggesting that there is a need for more interdisciplinary studies. In examining the geographical distribution of the publications, it was observed that most contributions come from the United States, a developed country that has invested heavily in educating students through distance education. The research patterns identified through text‐mining and social network analysis revealed three major themes: (I) technology‐enhanced distance engineering education, (II) e‐learning and m‐learning, and (III) virtual and remote labs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The digitalization of education is a continuously developing process, aimed at the use of information and communication technologies. However, engineering education utilizes several forms of learning, with laboratory experiments being one of them. The use of digital learning materials (DLM) in labs is still limited due to numerous existing factors. This study investigates students' acceptance of using DLM during laboratory exercises in three universities located in Turkey, Poland, and Bulgaria. A questionnaire was prepared, and a survey was conducted among 625 learners. They were divided into eight categories, based on their engineering area and country. The survey results demonstrate that there is a strong correlation between the students' opinion on DLM and the use of DLM by their lab instructors, which means that their acceptance could be increased if more DLM are integrated in lab courses. The analysis of the questionnaire results also showed that there is a significant difference in the students' opinion on DLM, depending on the engineering area. Students of Food, Chemistry, and Electrical engineering rated the use of DLM quite high (above 4.0 out of 5), followed by the Civil engineering students with average results between 3.5 and 4.0. Respondents involved in Textile, Bio, and Machine engineering were the most skeptical (<3.5). Furthermore, their opinions covered a wide range from "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An innovative computer‐aided educational tool for structural dynamics entitled “SDET” is developed to help students understand the idealization of the physical structure into a single‐degree‐of‐freedom (SDOF) system with five predefined example templates. The SDOF system then can be analyzed for a different combination of initial conditions and loadings using SDET. This tool can enhance the teaching/learning process leading to increase in engineering judgment and physical understanding of mathematical concepts involved in the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The development of cross-curricular competences is one of the challenges European higher education is facing as consequence of the establishment of the European Higher Education Area (AHEA). One of these competences is the 'time management,' an instrumental ability related to manage personal and working time. Time management seems to be a significant competence for engineering professionals, but despite its importance, the empirical literature linking such competence with the engineering teach remains limited. By addressing this research gap, the main purpose of this research is to gain insights into whether Chronos, a computer-based game, proves efficient to train time management and change the perception of engineering students about the role played by this competence to improve productivity. In order to reach this goal, we perform an exploratory empirical study, based on data retrieved from 72 engineering students, which are analyzed by applying different statistical analysis (mainly mean test and regression analysis). Findings indicate that Chronos is a successful tool to develop time management competence in the context of engineering degrees. Thus, the present article promotes the reflection on the difficulties teachers face in the development of cross-curricular competences and proposes new areas requiring further investigation, which are also discussed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 25:79-89, 2017; View this article online at ; DOI [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is concerned with the presentation of consolidation of Industrial Engineering (IE) and Automation and Control Engineering (ACE) under Systems Engineering frame while demonstrating how Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) systems can be a sufficient for the proper perspective on the topic of concern, Systems Engineering practical example conforming to this integration. Systems Engineering involves with finding integrated solutions to problems that are of large scale and scope, which are in the nature of cross and inter-disciplinary. The article addresses to certain details, identity, and Systems Engineering program at Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey which consolidates IE, and ACE. CIM system can be considered as a typical Systems Engineering topic of concern since its hierarchical structure and sufficient complexity as well as being tangible and scalable for the purpose of education. CIM philosophy can be viewed as the peak of ongoing effort in the application of automation in the manufacturing and it encapsulates the total manufacturing enterprise through the use of integrated systems and data communications coupled with new managerial philosophies that improve organizational and personnel efficiency. The manufacturing of a simple toy car in the CIM lab is presented as a case study to demonstrate exploiting the concepts and notions given in the IE and ACE. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 18: 117–129, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20215 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a useful application for university courses in Engineering Graphics, and for manufacturing processes based on developing sheet metal. From the basis of a three-dimensional surface, the application can generate its development, as well as its area and perimeter that could be used by a conventional numerical control machine (CNC) to cut the sheet. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 17: 295–304, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20247 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An emerging change across the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curriculum is the implementation of online, or virtual laboratories as supplements or replacements to both homework assignments and laboratory exercises. To test the effectiveness of such labs, a web-based virtual laboratory on the topic of torsion of engineered and biological materials was developed. The lab contains extensive data sets, videos of experiments, narrated presentations on lab practice and theory and assignments. Flexibility of use is built into the lab by providing the capability for the web-pages to be tailored to the needs of a particular institution. The lab was implemented and evaluated in a standard, sophomore level statics, and strength of materials course. Results of the evaluation show that the virtual lab is clear, helped students with their understanding of torsion concepts, and offered a number of benefits. However students also rated hands-on labs to be more fun and more interesting. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 14: 1–8, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20061 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]