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Higher education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines has been in a turbulent period for several decades. Pressures for reform include declining STEM student enrollments, high attrition rates from STEM curricula, and the rise of powerful alternative teaching strategies shown by cognitive science and educational research to promote learning and curricular retention better than traditional teaching methods do. In addition, research has shown that online and face-to-face courses on average produce comparable learning outcomes, and hybrid courses that combine the best features of both are more effective than either face-to-face or online courses by themselves. Motivated by these and other pressures, many faculty members have adopted the new teaching methods, and distance education had become widespread well before the 2020 coronavirus pandemic forced most educators at all levels to teach online. As might be expected, however, many faculty members and administrators have resisted change, arguing that the traditional approach has always worked well and needs no major revision. Before the pandemic, most STEM courses were still being taught using the traditional methods, and many course instructors are eager to return to them. These different responses to calls for education reform have led to heated debates among university instructors and administrators regarding how STEM curricula and courses should be designed, delivered, and assessed, and the role technology should play in all three functions. This essay outlines two competing paradigms on each of these issues--the traditional paradigm, which has long dominated STEM education, and the emerging paradigm, which has become increasingly common in the last 30 years but is still not predominant at most universities and colleges. The essay concludes with speculation about the eventual outcome of the competition.

This two-part series describes the structure of the stoichiometry course at North Carolina State University. The course had a variety of learning objectives, and several nontraditional pedagogies were used in the course delivery. The first paper outlined the course structure and policies, the preparation given to the teaching assistants who played an integral part in the course delivery, and the course assignments. This paper summarizes the methods used in the course instruction and assessment. (For Part 1, see EJ829445.) (Contains 1 table.)

This two-part series describes the structure of the stoichiometry course at North Carolina State University. The course had a variety of learning objectives, and several nontraditional pedagogies were used in the course delivery. This first paper outlines the course structure and policies, the preparation given to the teaching assistants who played an integral part in the course delivery, and the course assignments. The next one describes the methods used for classroom instruction and assessment. (For Part 2, see EJ829453.)

An experienced faculty member and a relatively new one describe a semester spent in a mentoring partnership in which each taught a section of the same course. They reflect on the lessons the experience might hold for other mentor-mentee pairs. (SLD)

Discusses the quality of instruction for communication skills and creative thinking skills in engineering education and the difficulties caused by the single-subject approach in different engineering majors. Provides alternative solutions to the problem such as irrelevant teaching methods, difficulties in implementing technology in classrooms, and the use of theoretical-based literature in engineering education. (Contains 79 references.) (YDS)

Describes the changes in teaching methods in engineering classrooms over the last 60 years and implementations by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in curriculum not only of mathematics, science, and engineering fundamentals, but also communication and lifelong learning skills. Lists ABET Engineering Criteria required skills. (Contains 52 references.) (YDS)

This article discusses college-level writing assignments designed to stimulate students to (1) explore initial student attitudes, (2) activate prior knowledge, (3) increase subject relevance, (4) clarify and organize course material, (5) connect new and previously known material, (6) improve critical thinking skills, and (7) develop and strengthen creativity. (MSE)

Describes the successful aspects of a three-day workshop on teaching effectiveness for engineering professors. Discusses participants' comments and suggestions about administrative support, communication of fresh insights and perspectives, establishment of a participatory structure, and teaching/learning mismatches. (JJK)

A teamwork survey was conducted at Oakland University, Rochester, MI, in 533 engineering and computer science courses over a two-year period. Of the 6435 student respondents, 4349 (68%) reported working in teams. Relative to the students who only worked individually, the students who worked in teams were significantly more likely to agree that the course had achieved its stated learning objectives (p < 0.001). Regression analysis showed that roughly one-quarter of the variance in belief about whether the objectives were met could be explained by four factors: 1) student satisfaction with the team experience; 2) the presence of instructor guidance related to teamwork; 3) the presence of slackers on teams; and 4) team size. Pearson product-moment correlations revealed statistically significant associations between agreement that the course objectives had been fulfilled and the use of student teams and between satisfaction with teams and the occurrence of instructor guidance on teamwork skills. These and other results suggest that assigning work to student teams can lead to learning benefits and student satisfaction, provided that the instructor pays attention to how the teams and the assignments are set up. Index Terms--Correlation, evaluation, instructor, satisfaction, student, team, teamwork.

An unstructured mechanical model explains substrate utilization, bacterial growth and lactic acid generation by Lactobacillus plantarum in cucumber juice. Lactic acid formation depends on NaCl concentrations and an equation linking specific death rate of bacterial cells and NaCl levels is derived. Mathematical simulations estimate the effects of changes in proton concentration death rate and buffer capacity of cucumber juice on fermentation.

Science educators must adopt unconventional teaching methods to prevent college students who initially intended to major in science from shifting to nonscientific fields. In general, science teachers employ the traditional teaching technique which favors reflective learners. Thus, active learners often find it hard to catch up with the lessons. Teachers must make sure that their lectures are appropriate to both types of learners. They can do this by using visual aids in explaining abstract concepts, providing lessons that would enable students to visualize, pointing out the practical application of concepts and encouraging groupwork.

Papers comparing technology-based and traditional course offerings are appearing with regularity and technology looks better all the time. Universities that specialize in distance education are using multimedia courseware and the Internet effectively, and the quality of their offerings is gaining increased recognition. Speculates on the future of technology in higher education and the continuing need for gifted professors. (PVD)

A way in which to shift the focus away from lecture and the professor during class time to student-centered discussion groups is presented. An exercise used in a course on chemical process analysis that uses the group discussion method is included. (KR)

The article describes the structure of the stoichiometry course offered at the North Carolina State University. The methods used for classroom instruction and assessment are discussed. It outlines several features of the course implementation which promoted mutual reliance of team members on one another. It also explains an approach used to encourage face-to-face interaction among team members.

The article describes the structure of a course on a material and energy balances, historically designated the stoichiometry course, at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. It notes that instructional technology played a significant role in the curriculum. Also mentioned are prerequisites for the course, including two semesters of calculus. It outlines features of the course structure that distinguished it from traditional approach.

Provides information on teaching engineering in the 21st-century. Description of a model of teaching engineering at the University of Bologna in Italy; Difference of U.S. engineering education from the model.

The Index of Learning Styles© (ILS) is an instrument designed to assess preferences on the four dimensions of the Felder-Silverman learning style model. The Web-based version of the ILS is taken hundreds of thousands of times per year and has been used in a number of published studies, some of which include data reflecting on the reliability and validity of the instrument. This paper seeks to provide the first comprehensive examination of the ILS, including answers to several questions: (1) What are the dimensions and underlying assumptions of the model upon which the ILS is based? (2) How should the ILS be used and what misuses should be avoided? (3) What research studies have been conducted using the ILS and what conclusions regarding its reliability and validity may be inferred from the data? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an article on a mentoring partnership in educating college students in the U.S. Significance of establishing expectations from a mentoring partnership; Benefits of a mentoring relationship; Recommendations for mentors and mentees.

Presents advice for teachers who teach a course in a quantitative discipline. Tips on giving tests; Importance of giving a study guide one to two weeks before each test; Precautions to assure that the grading is consistent and fair.

The article offers the teaching method which uses handouts with gaps when catching up the class schedule that have fall behind for a week and the three things to remember such as the lecturing on the material, the using of active learning to fill in the gap, and giving it as an homework exercise.

The article discusses the flipping approach in a classroom in which students who encounter new material outside class applies them later in class, as compared to the opposite order in the traditional method. Topics covered include the good and bad ways of using flipping in a classroom, and insights for consideration before flipping one's class. Also noted is the importance of keeping students actively engaged in the applied learning approach.

The article discusses several powerful teaching strategies for chemical engineering educators. Topics covered include asking students to brainstorm, troubleshoot in courses, and training students to critically think about possibilities that expert scientists and engineers think about. Also mentioned is urging students to send links to videos and pictures that show course-related concepts.

The article discusses a number of academic myths. A total of five myths are discussed including myths about evaluation of teaching, about curriculum design and pedagogy, and evaluation of students, about research and teaching, and about faculty recruitment. The importance for engineering professors to make assumptions is mentioned.