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The pedagogical development (PD) for educators in higher engineering education is indispensable to the promotion of educational changes and high-quality teaching and learning necessary to train twenty-first century engineering talents. With the expansion of various PD activities in engineering education in recent decades, there is a growing need to understand the characteristics and impact of current PD activities and to develop strategies for their further development. This study reviews 116 articles to provide an overview of current PD activity designs and the challenges reported in research on engineering education. The selected papers' frameworks, duration and organizational formats, evaluation methods, teachers' learning outcomes, research methods, and reported challenges are summarized. The findings of this study call for additional research on theory-driven designs for future PD activities as well as additional empirical PD studies using multiple data sources, a variety of research methods, and various analytical tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enabling theory-practice bridging in engineering education is essential for developing twenty-first century graduate capabilities. Massification, resource constraints, and technological development have resulted in significant shifts to alternative forms of practical engagement, such as the use of online laboratories, but how do these contribute to learning? Based on three illustrative case studies at a research-intensive institution in the Global South, this paper offers a conceptualisation of the degrees of complexity entailed in multimodal approaches to teaching Fluid Mechanics, Finite Element Analysis and Control Systems at different stages of their respective programmes The paper examines the different levels of abstract-concrete learning when students engage with verbal, symbolic, graphic and physical representational artefacts designed to enable cumulative learning. The conceptual instruments are theoretically and methodologically drawn from Legitimation Code Theory dimensions, which lend themselves to the graphic analysis of knowledge practices. It is suggested that the explicit integration of and shifting between levels of abstraction and complexity with different kinds of technologies enables the kind of cumulative learning necessary to prepare technically-equipped graduates for complex twenty-first century engineering contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce 'Concept Questions,' a weekly writing assignment that has been incorporated into multiple upper-level engineering courses at a single university with the intent of enhancing students' conceptual understanding of the course content. To explore the influence of this activity on students in these courses, we compared students' scores on the Concept Question assignments with their final exam scores, analysed students' open-ended responses to questions regarding their learning in the course, and surveyed students who had taken these courses in previous semesters to understand how the Concept Question assignments may have influenced their learning approaches in subsequent courses. Our analysis revealed that students highlighted a variety of learning outcomes from the Concept Questions assignments and their performance on the assignments was correlated with their final exam scores. However, most students did not report that these assignments had changed their learning approaches overall. This paper supports prior work suggesting that such assignments can be helpful in individual engineering courses, but further work is needed to explore student learning across courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Society is in strong need to change the way in which energy is produced and consumed. To cope with this complex challenge, integration of knowledge from different disciplines is needed. This paper shows how an interdisciplinary educational approach called networked learning combined with sustainability transition theories can help groups of engineering students to address pressing societal challenges such as the energy transition. A series of 8 workshops was held with an interdisciplinary engineering student team of a University of Technology. Networked learning within the student team showed an ad-hoc character, mainly caused by shifting student constellations during workshops. Workshops focusing on short-term goals resulted in more concrete output. The team showed a high level of equality amongst members and actively reflected on organisational aspects of their learning process. Sustainability transitions concepts and theories that integrate multiple disciplinary perspectives further supported the learning process and helped to guide strategic decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing digitisation of engineering and social practices has altered the relationship between formal schooling and development of expertise for professional engineering work. What does the development of expertise look like when knowledge is generated and shared at an accelerated pace due to shifts in technology? In this paper, I present case studies of two early career software engineers. Using methodological insights from digital ethnography, I trace their professional journeys over two decades. I empirically demonstrate how the development of engineering expertise is a continuous and perpetual endeavour and engineers learn throughout their lives (lifelong) and across all the different spaces they inhabit at any given time (lifewide). I argue for extending engineering work practices research and research in engineering education more broadly to take larger timescales of learning into account to build a comprehensive understanding of engineering expertise development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The laboratory is an integral component of engineering education, resulting in a multitude of studies. Generally, the research focus is on the laboratory innovation, rather than learning itself. It is observed that empirical evidence is strongly built around student perceptions of their learning or experience via survey instruments; and in some cases, complimented with limited quantitative measures including assessments. With the laboratory being a multifaceted, multi-domain learning environment also covering the psychomotor and affective domains, such observations suggest that the empirical data being collected is providing an incomplete analysis. Therefore, this paper undertakes a systematic literature review exploring remote, simulation and traditional laboratory studies that explicitly include assessment analysis. Explored are the types of assessments used and assessment innovations. The study 1) confirms that assessments concentrate on the cognitive domain, underselling the learning being achieved; 2) Student survey instruments play an important role in measuring laboratory success; 3) Background information of the learning objectives are not clearly stated and/or not clearly linked to the associated assessment; 4) There are several research opportunities available to improve understanding of laboratory assessments. A roadmap and recommendations to overcome these weaknesses is outlined, providing a platform for future researchers to incorporate in their studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CSU Engineering is the new civil engineering school at Charles Sturt University in Australia. Established at an institution that has not previously offered Engineering, CSU Engineering has taken the opportunity to design and implement a radically different model for its degree, drawing upon the frontier trends and themes in engineering education globally. The degree commences with a sequence of campus Problem-Based Learning which is followed by a sequence of industry located Workplace Learning. The underpinning technical curriculum is delivered online, on demand in a Netflix-style 'Topic Tree'. This approach allows for Student Engineers (not Engineering Students) to develop their professional identity from the first day of the degree, and to situate their learning in authentic and then actual learning environments. This paper will enumerate the key dimensions of the program, outline how it is implemented, and present early evidence of the success of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teamwork is an important aspect of software engineering education. This paper presents ASEST (Agile Software Engineers Stick Together), a teaching framework whose aim is to improve teamwork in terms of team performance and team learning by developing team cohesion at the graduate level of software engineering student teams. The basis of ASEST was established by identifying the most current trends in teamwork in software engineering education. The framework itself combines these approaches in a procedure consisting of eight steps through which students are expected to go through. A study of one group of students that applied the ASEST framework indicated that their perceptions of team cohesion, team performance and team learning increased significantly compared with the perceptions of the students in a group that did not use the framework. Also, a survey showed students' acceptance of our proposal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last 40 years, problem- and project-based learning (PBL) has been widely adopted in engineering education because of its expected effectiveness in developing students' professional knowledge and transferable skills. With a growing number of PBL researches and practices in engineering education, systematic or meta-analysis reviews were conducted regarding the definitions, history and development of PBL, and benefits for student learning outcomes. However, challenges in PBL implementation was little addressed in the current review works, and even less attention has been paid on how these challenges in implementation are related to the diverse PBL practices. This paper reviewed 108 research articles to explore the levels at which the currently reported PBL practice is being implemented, and what challenges in PBL practices are being addressed. This research illustrates the variety of PBL implementation at the course level, cross-course level, curriculum level, and project level. Across these four levels, similar challenges are reported at the individual level for teachers and students, as well as at the institutional level and the culture level. Recommendations on future research directions for engineering educational researchers and suggestions for engineering faculty and staff are proposed to optimise PBL curriculum design and inform future PBL implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem-based learning (PBL) has a history of producing strong educational results in engineering; however, global society is challenged by highly complex environmental, socio-political and technical problems summarised in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This obliges us to explore educational approaches that address complexity. Yet, confronting complexity is sometimes constrained within PBL structures. This conceptual paper posits practice-based education (PBE) as a whole-of-education approach embracing complexity. We present a PBE framework with three elements: (1) the context of an authentic engineering practice, (2) supporting learners' agency in the process of becoming professionals, and (3) opportunities to work and learn simultaneously. We make the case for innovative engineering education through the implementation of PBE using the case of the Engineering Practice Academy at Swinburne University of Technology. We detail innovations in student experience as a process of becoming, curriculum and assessment, and provide advice on the application of PBE elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocational disciplines such as engineering provide an ideal opportunity for contextualising the curriculum. The provision of co-curricular activities can stimulate students to assimilate their prior knowledge and skills whilst enhancing employability attributes. Team-based co-curricular activities linked to problem-based learning can offer students a quasi-authentic experience of engineering practice. In this paper, we provide a case study of a successful co-curricular initiative supported by local civil engineering employers. Civil Engineering 4 Real (CE4R) are evening workshops facilitated by practicing engineers, where student attendance is voluntary. Students use authentic documentation and collaborate in peer learning to solve industrial problems. CE4R has assisted student's anticipatory socialisation into their disciplinary profession. However, further research is required to establish the cognitive legacy that students gain from attending CE4R. There is also a need to explore the synergy that could be prompted through understanding the boundaries between CE4R and the programme curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Challenge-based learning (CBL) is a multidisciplinary approach that encourages students to work actively with peers, teachers and stakeholders in society to identify complex challenges, formulate relevant questions and take action for sustainable development. In this paper, it is argued that CBL can be viewed as an evolution of the Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate concept, expanding as well as deepening the learning experience. The study reported on investigates the multiple aims of a particular CBL environment (the Challenge Lab at Chalmers University of Technology), which are to combine significant student learning and societal transformation. The results show that the students perceive that they have developed deep skills in problem formulation and sustainable development, as well as working across disciplines and with different stakeholders. Moreover, the study shows that although few student projects reach implementation stage, there is a potential for societal impact both during and after the Challenge Lab learning experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research shows that many students find it difficult to learn computer programming. To learn computer programming includes both gaining theoretical understanding and learning to develop programmes in practice. To this end, teachers commonly design programming exercises for the students in the computer laboratory. To be able to improve the process of designing such exercises, there is a need of a more detailed understanding of the interaction between learning of theory and learning of practice in laboratory sessions. In this paper, an approach for investigating this interaction is proposed. Theoretically, the approach is based on phenomenography and variation theory. To illustrate the approach, it is demonstrated in detail how it was applied to a small but rich case of empirical data from a computer laboratory session. The main result presented here is the new approach for analysing data. In addition, the results of the case study shed preliminary light on the interaction between learning of practice and learning of theory when students work with programming assignments in the laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the authors draw on three sequential keynote addresses that they gave at Active Learning in Engineering Education (ALE) workshops in Copenhagen (2012), Caxias do Sol (2014) and San Sebastian (2015). Active Learning in Engineering Education is an informal international network of engineering educators dedicated to improving engineering education through active learning (http://www.ale-net.org/). The paper reiterates themes from those keynotes, namely, the philosophical and pedagogical underpinnings of Active Learning in Engineering Education, the scholarly questions that inspire engineering educators to go on improving their practice and exemplary models designed to activate the learning of engineering students. This paper aims to uncover the bedrock of established educational philosophies and theories that define and support active learning. The paper does not claim to present any new or innovative educational theory. There is already a surfeit of them. Rather, the aim is to assist Engineering Educators who wish to research how they can best activate the learning of their students by providing a readable, reasonable and solid underpinning for best practice in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modelling is a central activity in practical engineering and something that is also useful in engineering education research (EER). Additionally, qualitative research methods have found important applications in engineering research, although their use in EER has not always been widely accepted. Design science research is a qualitative research approach in which the object of study is the design process, i.e. it simultaneously generates knowledge about the method used to design an artefact and the design or the artefact itself. This paper uses techniques from design science research to analyse the method used when deriving the 'learning of a complex concept' (LCC) model, which we developed while designing teaching sequences for a course on electrical engineering. Our results demonstrate the value of design science research in EER and suggest that the LCC model is generally applicable in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of Capability Maturity Models (CMM's) is recognised throughout diverse organisations in different domains as a route to achieve strategic schemes and continuously improve organisational competitiveness of the implementing entity. This paper shall look into the development and implementation of a specific Project Based Learning Capability Maturity Model (PBLCMM) for the systematic evaluation and improvement of the capability of an institutional Project Based Learning (PBL) model to enhance the learning of students. It shall also highlight the development phases of the model to improve the students’ experience and education in a Higher Education Institution, based on a literature review, expert interviews and two case studies to verify the model's ability to incrementally enhance the capability of the utilised PBL model. The case studies prove the validity and effectiveness of the PBLCMM in identifying the potential for improvement, and educators and educational institutions may want to consider using the presented approach to optimise the effectiveness of their PBL model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approaches to learning have been shown to have a significant impact on student success in technical units. This paper reports on an action research study that applied the principles of constructive alignment to improve student learning outcomes in programming units. The proposed model uses frequent formative feedback to engage students with unit material, and encourage them to adopt deep approaches to learning. Our results provide a set of guiding principles and a structured teaching approach that focuses students on meeting unit learning objectives, the goal of constructive alignment. The results are demonstrated via descriptions of the resulting teaching and learning environment, student results, and staff and student reflections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is changing significantly, and it is becoming increasingly globalised. This means that countries, businesses, and professionals must think and act globally to be successful. Many individuals, however, are not prepared with the global competency skills needed to communicate and perform effectively in a globalised system. To address this need, higher education institutions are looking for ways to instil these skills in their students. This paper explains one promising approach using current learning principles: transnational interactive online environments in engineering education. In 2011, the TU Dortmund and the University of Virginia initiated a collaboration in which engineering students from both universities took part in one online synchronous course and worked together on global topics. This paper describes how the course was designed and discusses specific research results regarding how interactive online role-playing simulations support students in gaining the global competency skills required to actively participate in today's international workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents the experienced difficulties of students participating in the multidisciplinary, remote collaborating engineering design course challenge-based innovation at CERN. This is with the aim to identify learning barriers and improve future learning experiences. We statistically analyse the rated differences between distinct design activities, educational background and remote vs. co-located collaboration. The analysis is based on a quantitative and qualitative questionnaire (N = 37). Our analysis found significant ranking differences between remote and co-located activities. This questions whether the remote factor might be a barrier for the originally intended learning goals. Further a correlation between analytical and converging design phases was identified. Hence, future facilitators are suggested to help students in the transition from one design phase to the next rather than only teaching methods in the individual design phases. Finally, we discuss how educators address the identified learning barriers when designing future courses including multidisciplinary or remote collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study trialled the introduction of a student-response system (Top Hat) in a third-year engineering Fluid Mechanics course (n = 44) to improve student engagement, motivation and cognition. It was recognised that for the potential benefits of student-response systems (SRSs) to be fully realised, more time must be allocated for student engagement and the active learning components of the course. In order to allow sufficient time to fully engage with the SRSs and other classroom activities, traditional lectures were revised and the classroom format was flipped. This paper presents the initial case study results focusing on the use of SRSs. Overall, the new flipped lecture and SRS teaching format demonstrated a substantial increase in the level of student engagement, motivation, active learning and attendance compared to previous cohorts. However, the increased levels of engagement did not appear to reflect on any large increase in students’ individual grades. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores the hypothesis that embedding a laboratory activity into a virtual environment can provide a richer experimental context and hence improve the understanding of the relationship between a theoretical model and the real world, particularly in terms of the model's strengths and weaknesses. While an identified learning objective of laboratories is to support the understanding of the relationship between models and reality, the paper illustrates that this understanding is hindered by inherently limited experiments and that there is scope for improvement. Despite the contextualisation of learning activities having been shown to support learning objectives in many fields, there is traditionally little contextual information presented during laboratory experimentation. The paper argues that the enhancing laboratory activity with contextual information affords an opportunity to improve students’ understanding of the relationship between the theoretical model and the experiment (which is effectively a proxy for the complex real world), thereby improving their understanding of the relationship between the model and reality. The authors propose that these improvements can be achieved by setting remote laboratories within context-rich virtual worlds. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Experiential learning pedagogy is taking a lead in the development of graduate attributes and educational aims as these are of prime importance for society. This paper shows a community service experiential project conducted in China. The project enabled students to serve the affected community in a post-earthquake area by applying their knowledge and skills. This paper documented the students’ learning process from their project goals, pre-trip preparations, work progress, obstacles encountered to the final results and reflections. Using the data gathered from a focus group interview approach, the four components of Kolb's learning cycle, the concrete experience, reflection observation, abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation, have been shown to transform and internalise student's learning experience, achieving a variety of learning outcomes. The author will also explore how this community service type of experiential learning in the engineering discipline allowed students to experience deep learning and develop their graduate attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Critical thinking is a graduate attribute that many courses, including engineering courses, claim to produce in students. As a graduate attribute it is seen by academics as a particularly desirable outcome of student learning and is said by researchers to be a defining characteristic of university education. However, how critical thinking is understood and defined varies quite significantly between disciplines. The paper describes a series of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with academics involved in teaching and learning in a number of disciplines, including engineering. The objective of these interviews is to look at how different disciplines define critical thinking and how they teach critical thinking in their courses. The paper also describes how an analysis of student work and module descriptors has led to the development of a model of critical thinking that can be used across disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the concept and results of the research project 'Engineer Your Sound!' (2008-2009). It aimed at exploring whether interdisciplinary, innovative teaching/learning settings in the fields of technology and digital media can be used to give pupils the opportunities to experiment and discover their technical potential, skills, interests and talents and if music technology could offer such an appealing context. The paper explains how technology and why gender need to be addressed when planning to raise young people's interest in technology but questions if interest in technology is mainly influenced by gender. The paper explores through ethnographic research how pupils' technological competencies and interests have developed during the course of a technology-related project. Results of the analysis explain how music technology can serve as a suitable theme with the potential to increase both males' and females' interest in technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of design and engineering education, the fast and expansive evolution of information and communication technologies is steadily converting traditional learning approaches into more advanced ones. Facilitated by Broadband (high bandwidth) personal computers, distance learning has developed into web-hosted electronic learning. The emergence of portable communication devices, wireless, and ad hoc networks has enabled electronic learning to develop into mobile and ubiquitous learning. In the literature there is a fuzziness in terms of the concepts and goals of these advanced learning solutions, mainly because the technological platforms and methodological approaches are not clearly distinguished. This paper attempts to demarcate them based on the level of flexibility in processing courseware and the extent of blending technological heterogeneity. These descriptors allowed us to highlight their differences, not only in terms of the types of interaction devices and communication platforms, but also in terms of the development and manner of using advanced learning solutions. What this paper goes on to illuminate is that by the process of the demarcation based upon the level of flexibility in processing courseware and the extent of blending technological heterogeneity, a more rational, useful and common understanding can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose that learning in engineering involves taking on the discourse of an engineering community, which is intimately bound up with the identity of being a member of that community. This leads to the notion of discursive identity, which emphasises that students' identities are constituted through engaging in discourse. This view of learning implies that success in engineering studies needs to be defined with particular reference to the sorts of identities that students develop and how these relate to identities in the world of work. In order to achieve successful learning in engineering, we need to recognise the multiple identities held by our students, provide an authentic range of engineering-related activities through which students can develop engineering identities and make more explicit key aspects of the discourse of engineering of which lecturers are tacitly aware. We include three vignettes to illustrate how some of the authors of this paper (from across three different institutions) have applied this perspective of learning in their teaching practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote and virtual laboratories are increasingly prevalent alternatives to the face-to-face laboratory experience; however, the question of their learning outcomes is yet to be fully investigated. There are many presumptions regarding the effectiveness of these approaches; foremost amongst these assumptions is that the experience must be 'real' to be effective. Embedding reality into a remote or virtual laboratory can be an expensive and time-consuming task. Significant efforts have been expended to create 3D VRML models of laboratory equipment, allowing students to pan, zoom and tilt their perspective as they see fit. Multiple camera angles have been embedded into remote interfaces to provide an increased sense of 'realness'. This paper draws upon the literature in the field to show that the necessary threshold for reality varies depending upon how the students are interacting with the equipment. There is one threshold for when they first interact - the establishment reality - which allows the students to familiarise themselves with the laboratory equipment, and to build their mental model of the experience. There is, however, a second, lower, threshold - the maintenance reality - that is necessary for the students' ongoing operation of the equipment. Students' usage patterns rely upon a limited subset of the available functionality, focusing upon only some aspects of the reality that has been originally established. The two threshold model presented in this paper provides a new insight for the development of virtual laboratories in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In interdisciplinary or intercultural groups, it is highly important that the members of the group are able to apply and share knowledge across the standard boundaries that exist around disciplines and practices. Often, a lot of effort is required to avoid pitfalls such as misunderstandings, judgemental discussions or just the inability to understand each other's professional, social or cultural way of thinking. This paper introduces the creative platform as a didactic approach for enabling a group to apply and share their knowledge without limitations coming from professional, social or cultural patterns of thinking and doing. In that sense, the creative platform is a mental meeting place where people with different professional, social and cultural backgrounds can meet and create new thoughts and actions together. The key in developing the creative platform as a learning environment is the use of 3D cases, which are learning exercises where the simultaneous use of brain, body and attitude constitutes a 3D access to learning. The core of a 3D case is an uncompromising use of three fundamental principles: parallel thinking, task focus and no judgement. At the end of the paper, we give examples of implementing the creative platform using 3D cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the role of engineering PhD education and its relationship to innovation and technology, and the need to reconsider how we educate PhD engineers. Much of the effort on engineering education in the last two decades focused on undergraduate education with a few exceptions that relate to masterdegree programs. Doctoral education in engineering prepares the next generation faculty, researchers, and technology leaders and warrants our attention. Whilst current education has been largely responsible for technological advances, there is a need for a new model of engineering PhD education that prepares renaissance engineers. This paper focuses on the doctoral education and its role in the USA; however, the issues addressed are universal among the countries that offer PhD degrees in engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1990s, courses on sustainable development (SD) were introduced in technological universities. After some years of practice, there is increased interest in the evaluation of the most effective ways for teaching SD. This paper introduces the use of conceptual maps as a tool to measure the knowledge acquired by students when taking a Sustainability course. Pilot measurements have been made to evaluate the concepts and their interrelations in order to evaluate the students' learning. These measurements were carried out using a sample of more than 700 European students. To measure the learning outcomes of courses, the evaluation is done twice. Before the course starts, the students' previous knowledge on sustainability is measured; once the students have completed the course they are evaluated again. By comparing conceptual maps drawn by each student, the improvement of the students' knowledge is evaluated. This paper shows the measuring process, and points out the suitability of using conceptual maps for research in education. Moreover, the correlation between the learning outcomes the pedagogical techniques used in each course may indicate the effectiveness of the pedagogical strategies in education for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the research and practice on the reforming of the examination method of engineering graphics at Zhejiang University. Based on the theory of standardizing general examinations and emphasizing key examinations, a new combined examination method of multiple modes has been explored and practised. The examination modes include unified large-scale examination mode, interviewing mode, additional score mode by designing an object or writing a paper, and do-it-yourself mode, i.e. self-questioning, self-answering and self-evaluating. The method forms a good synergy between unified large-scale examination and free exertion. The final percentage score is given on the basis of the assessment mode reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional engineering courses at tertiary level have been traditionally theory-based, supported by laboratory work, but there is now a world-wide trend towards project-based learning. In product development education, project-based learning is essential in order to integrate the disciplines of design, marketing and manufacturing towards the common goal of creating a new product. The process of development consists of a set of activities, tools and methods that are themselves evolving and improving with practice. A successful active learning course in product development education is presented in this paper as part of undergraduate engineering education, within the context of a fourth year course in New Zealand. The industry sponsored individual projects support active real-life learning and reflection. The paper presents ways in which active learning can be enhanced within the learning outcomes of a project-based paper. These methods can be adopted in educating engineering students of any discipline to better prepare them for their future careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the preliminary work for developing guidelines to ensure that industry-sponsored projects in first-year courses aid, not hamper, retention of students. Specifically, the overall research plan includes the following steps: (1) investigating the appropriateness of industry projects in a required introduction to engineering design course (approximately 1000 students per year), (2) assessing the impact of industry-sponsored projects on first-year students' learning and retention, and (3) promoting an awareness of issues involved in successfully introducing industry projects in the first year. It is expected that the outcomes of this work will result in guidelines widely applicable by other institutions looking into or currently using industry projects in the first year, thereby addressing the recognized national need of increasing retention rates, especially amongst women and minorities.This paper covers a review of potential factors affecting industry-sponsored projects' appropriateness at the first year, and related preliminary data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators question whether performing a laboratory experiment as an observer (non-hands-on), such as conducted in a distance education context, can be as effective a learning tool as personally performing the experiment in a laboratory environment. The present paper investigates this issue by comparing the performance of distance education students with their on-campus counterparts in a junior-level fluid mechanics laboratory course over a three semester period. Using digital recording methods, the on-campus versions of the laboratory experiments were formatted to accommodate distance-education students who did not have access to campus facilities. This paper compares the assessment of student performance in demonstrating both learning of technical concepts and the ability to describe these in an effective written laboratory report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning objects and learning content management systems are considered to be ‘the next wave in engineering education’. The results of experiments with these new trends in ICT in engineering education are described in this paper. The prospects were examined and the concepts of reusability of content for teachers and for personalized education using learning objects delivered on demand to students were put to the test. The hurdles that need to be overcome and the benefits of using learning objects and learning content management systems are discussed. This paper is concluded with a discussion of the findings for future developments in engineering education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the procedures used to assess the extent that a team of students, and the individual students in it, has mastered the competencies set for a student team-based open-ended project. The paper addresses questions such as: why examine team-based project work? What and when to examine? What are the essential regulations and boundary conditions? Who examines whom? The discussion is based mainly on practices followed in the University of Twente (the Netherlands) and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper commences by briefly introducing the systems engineering programme, then focuses on the ‘systems’ module, which requires the first-year students to undertake a number of ‘open-ended’ projects. During the problem-based learning (PBL) based projects the students are expected to combine creativity and the knowledge they acquire during the theoretical sessions. The paper analyses cohort's overall first-year marks and the ‘systems’ marks together with other module marks in an anonymous fashion. The paper concludes by discussing the patterns and by providing evidence for strengthening factors in assessment methods in PBL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper begins with an overview of project-based learning (PBL) teaching and assessment methods that have been developed as an integral part of a 4-year undergraduate engineering degree programme in Galway, Ireland. The course described was first introduced as a 'solo-run' by the author in 1989. The paper goes on to describe comprehensive changes affecting higher educational establishments in Ireland and, in particular, those changes currently taking root in Galway. One such change is the encouragement to introduce a variety of teaching and assessment methods, including PBL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results from a qualitative longitudinal study of students' transition into higher education engineering. The study aims at comparing upper-secondary school students' expectations of engineering with their actual experiences when encountering the engineering programme. It explores how this encounter provides a platform for students to become integrated during first year. We find that students' expectations are poorly met by their first-year study programme. In their attempt to bridge the gap between their expectations and their experiences, the students apply three strategies: some endure the gap, some constantly try out different study strategies and some compromised their expectations and identities to become more aligned with the study programme. The findings show that even when students successfully manage to bridge the gap, their strategy may turn out to be counterproductive from a learning point of view. The implications of the study are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper outlines a novel approach to engineering education research that provides three dimensions of learning through an experiential class activity. A simulated decision activity brought current research into the classroom, explored the effect of experiential activity on learning outcomes and contributed to the research on innovation decision making. The ‘decision task’ was undertaken by more than 480 engineering students. It increased their reported measures of learning and retention by an average of 0.66 on a five-point Likert scale, and revealed positive correlations between attention, enjoyment, ongoing interest and learning and retention. The study also contributed to innovation management research by revealing the influence of different data visualisation methods on decision quality, providing an example of research-integrated education that forms part of the research process. Such a dovetailing of different research studies demonstrates how engineering educators can enhance educational impact while multiplying the outcomes from their research efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper focuses on the preliminary design of a multifaceted computer-based mathematics resource for undergraduate and pre-entry engineering students. Online maths resources, while attractive in their flexibility of delivery, have seen variable interest from students and teachers alike. Through student surveys and wide consultations, guidelines have been developed for effectively collating and integrating learning, support, application and diagnostic tools to produce an Engineer's Mathematics Gateway. Specific recommendations include: the development of a shared database of engineering discipline-specific problems and examples; the identification of, and resource development for, troublesome mathematics topics which encompass ideas of threshold concepts and mastery components; the use of motivational and promotional material to raise student interest in learning mathematics in an engineering context; the use of general and lecture-specific concept maps and matrices to identify the needs and relevance of mathematics to engineering topics; and further exploration of the facilitation of peer-based learning through online resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyse learning dynamics in the context of physics group work of the kind increasingly found in engineering education. We apply a phenomenographic perspective on learning, seeing the notion of variation as the basic mechanism of learning. Empirically, we base our analysis on data from first year engineering students discussing physics problems concerning force and friction while working in small groups of three or four. The discussions were captured on video and audio, and the subsequent analysis primarily relies on detailed transcriptions and the students' notes. The results illustrate how students relate different parts of the whole learning object (Newtonian mechanics) to one another and create a variation with respect to the parts and/or the whole; how the presence and experience of variation complemented by an experience of relevance may result in identifiable learning; and how tutor interventions may have a favourable impact on the learning dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have explored how students in a cross-disciplinary course on engineering and social justice approached the idea of using social justice as a lens for looking at engineering. We have used an adapted phenomenographic approach [Marton, F., and Booth, S., 1997. Learning and awareness. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum], together with Meyer and Land's [Meyer, J.H.F., and Land, R., 2003. Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge: linkages to ways of thinking and practising within the disciplines. ETL Project Occasional Report 4 [online]. Available from: http://www.tla.ed.ac.uk/etl/docs/ETLreport4.pdf [Accessed 1 January 2009]] threshold concept framework, to study the variation present among the students in the class as they attempt to pass through the threshold of this lens. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with students. We examine the liminal space that students hover in for several weeks, not knowing whether or if they will eventually pass through the portal into new territories. We found nine conceptions of increasing complexity present among the students in the class. We suggest that the students' collective experiences illustrate potential journeys along a spectrum of liminality and through the threshold. We conclude with some implications for what can be done to facilitate the students' transition through the threshold, thereby contributing to the development of this aspect of engineering education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding time-dependent responses, such as transients, is important in electric circuit theory and other branches of engineering. However, transient response is considered difficult to learn since familiarity with advanced mathematical tools such as Laplace transforms is required. Here, we analyse and describe a novel learning environment design, the problem-solving lab, for learning transient response. This design merges problem-solving classes and labs, allowing students to engage in deep learning through the integrated use of tools like paper and pencil, MATLAB®, simulations, and experiments. A key element in this design is the systematic use of variation in line with variation theory. We describe critical features for learning transient response, and ways to facilitate the establishment of links between the 'worlds' of theories/models and objects/events for students. We contend that an integrated use of tools, and systematic use of variation, is crucial for learning and establishing these links. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely accepted that assessment has a great influence on the quality of learning. Assessment can be a powerful tool for improving students' learning and motivation. It also helps in developing a positive and supportive learning environment. The present paper briefly outlines the original assessment arrangements for a cross-department programme at the University of Bristol, Faculty of Engineering before describing the process of reviewing these arrangements and designing a more developmental teaching, learning and assessment framework. The programme is called Professional Studies (PS) and has become compulsory for all six branches of Engineering taught at Bristol. The total Engineering undergraduate population of around 800 students attends the PS course every year. PS is crucial for Engineering degrees to be accredited by the respective professional bodies, such as I. Mech. E., Inst. Civil Eng. and Inst. Aero. Eng. In addition to teaching professional awareness, the PS course seeks to develop a range of transferable personal skills, which are highly sought after by employers. This dual objective has played a key part in shaping the way the PS course teaching, learning and assessment strategy has been developed. Over three years, input from students, academic staff across the six Engineering departments, the Engineering Council UK, external examiners and prospective employers, has helped to adapt the course to optimize the effectiveness of the learning outcomes and to control the heavy demand associated with large classes on teaching and assessment resources. Finally, a brief evaluation of the new method is provided with possible further improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the issue of teaching and learning engineering mathematics in order to support a future of life-long learning in the knowledge society, based on a form of understanding that goes beyond facts, theorems and algorithms. Drawing on three research studies, the importance is shown of students' experience of reflection on study, integration of mathematics into other aspects of an educational programme and into the world at large, and autonomy as a learner. Attention is then moved to implications for the processes of teaching, in order to support such understanding as a capability that students take with them from the university to the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All stakeholders are aware of the importance of measuring performance in higher education at the university/college level. Generally the performance indicators used for this purpose have focused on graduation rates and/or final examination scores, rather than the performance-enabling processes. Further, the most commonly used method for knowledge transfer is the traditional classroom teaching, which should be tracked/monitored continuously during its delivery process. It can help in the detection and correction of existing and impending problems, if any, in the teaching and learning processes. Further, the students' attitude towards learning, that is, their readiness/willingness and interest should also be taken into consideration while measuring the performance of classroom teaching. In the present paper, the model for measuring classroom performance illustrated by Grygoryev and Karapertrovic (2005) is used to measure the performance of under-graduate Engineering students in two BTech. (Mechanical) courses, namely, fluid mechaincs (FM) and experimental methods and analysis (EMA). Classroom assessment techniques (CATs) along with the statistical process control (SPC) have been used to analyse the learning performance. Further, the data for student's readiness and interest factors are collected and their positive influences on knowledge gain are established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an 'inverse' method to teach specialist manufacturing processes by identifying a focal representative product (RP) from which, key specialist manufacturing (KSM) processes are analysed and interrelated to assess the capability of integrated manufacturing routes. In this approach, RP should: comprise KSM processes; involve innovative designs; be a daily used and/or market successful product; appeal to the profile of the course. The 'inverse' teaching method was implemented to a new third year specialist manufacturing module, manufacturing process capability through two stages as follows. Knowledge transfer that involved detailed teaching/analysis of technical capabilities of KSM processes through the decomposition of a focal RP, i.e. vacuum cleaner. Then, analysis of how entities (parts of RP) interact/couple to enable the generation of complex entities (assemblies of RP) was brought to students' consideration. Knowledge exercise consisted of group/individual coursework assignments that were designed to stimulate students to use the RP approach for acquiring specialist manufacturing knowledge not discussed during the knowledge transfer stage. Furthermore, the KSM processes were exercised/coupled to generate new families of RPs. The evaluation and analysis of coursework assessments and the formal/informal feedback showed that this module helped students develop abilities to select and optimise capabilities of new manufacturing processes and then couple them to generate new RPs. However, it was found that students are less confident in dealing with inter-process/disciplinary topics that enable them to propose industrial viable manufacturing routes. Apart from individual circumstances, this might be due to previous engineering knowledge convened using by classical descriptive teaching approach. Additionally, the use of RP exercise offers an efficient method for 'probing' students' abilities to interrelate key manufacturing processes for the generation of successful products are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the effects of a continuous assessment process on mechanical engineering education at Kuwait University. This process has been in place for the last five academic years and is producing results. Efforts to educate faculty and students about the process are beginning to produce accurate and consistent measurements of student learning. Although another assessment cycle is needed to make a better judgement, there is evidence that assessment is effective in improving teaching and learning in the programme. There is also an increased constituent awareness of the utility of assessment, which helps in instilling an institutional culture and therefore assuring a sustainable process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper describes the design and development of a qualitative analysis course and an interactive web-based teaching and assessment tool called VSE (virtual structural environment). The widespread reliance on structural analysis programs requires engineers to be able to verify computer output by carrying out qualitative analyses. Qualitative analysis is also an important design skill. The course was developed using a problem-based learning approach. VSE offers a student-centred, active learning environment that supports students in becoming self-directed learners and effective problem-solvers. VSE allows students to construct simple structural models quickly and observe the response of their structures to changes in load in real time. VSE supplements the use of physical models, it can be used in conjunction with a library of predefined structures and it can be incorporated into assessment exercises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]