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This paper describes an experience based on the use of an active method in which students of a basic physics course prepare multiple choice questions (MCQs) to prepare for exams in the subject. The objective of the research was to provide the students with a method that would enhance their desire to learn physics, and consequently lead to an improvement in their meaningful learning. The participants were 57 first-year students from various engineering degrees. The quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-tests and a control group is described. The results showed that students who use the method of generating MCQs to prepare exams sometimes improve their learning significantly in comparison with the control group. The method also provides a new way to detect students' misconceptions about the concepts covered in class, which thus allows the evolution of their knowledge to be evaluated. Finally, it should be noted that the students valued the method used positively.

The growing integration of technology into education, particularly in the STEM fields, has tended to focus on its objective advantages, ignoring its affective potential. To explore this potential, based on some principles of "Kansei/Affective Engineering," an initial analysis was conducted considering 501 interventions in a conversation among six students about a previous e-learning experience. The analysis revealed the need for personalized feedback, a self-adapted pace, and the possibility to express. Based on the identified needs, three activities ("applets" based on "dynamic reasoning" and contextualized in the movement of the Sun) were designed to explore the "affective value" of the tool through the feedback it provided. Thirteen engineering students at a Japanese university participated in the experiment and the results were analyzed considering the type ("task-focus/constructivist," "self-focus/motivational") and purpose of the feedback, as well as some indicators based on the Instructional Feedback Orientation Scale. The model constructed for each student revealed that those who attributed a higher value to feedback showed a greater relation between the purpose of the feedback received and the reaction selected ("completion"-positive, "correction"-negative). Furthermore, it was found that the proposed model can inform future designs based on the potential of the feedback to promote positive reactions.

The study aimed at identifying the core language skills regarded as most significant in the academe and eventually in the workplace among engineering graduates. The study surveyed tertiary students to identify their perception of the skills needed upon graduation, together with the kind of instruction that would improve and progress the said skills. An interview among chosen professors was also conducted, together with in-class observations to provide more insights on the prerequisites that engineering graduates need to succeed, starting from job applications to full immersion in the field. The qualitative method applied showed that the most significant skills an engineering student/practitioner must acquire according to the survey among students are a) above-average writing and writing laboratory instructions and b) above-average listening skills that lead to an active speaking dialogue. The classroom observation shows that students are not inclined to participate in discussions and the interviews with the professors reveal that engineering students are not very competent orally and thus, speaking in their native language Taglish (Tagalog + English) should be allowed at the beginning until they become proficient in English. A pedagogical implication was provided together with a recommendation in addressing the possible gaps in the curriculum and methodologies.

This study examined the effectiveness of guided data-driven learning (DDL) activities on helping technological university students with a lower-intermediate proficiency level to learn grammar and vocabulary topics for the TOEIC test. The question of whether inductive learners make more progress than deductive learners was also addressed. A total of fifty-one non-English majors in a freshman English class participated in the study. Five computer-based and four paper-based DDL lessons were developed to increase students' awareness of the usage of particular grammar items and the distinction between three sets of synonyms. In order to determine the effects of the treatments, all the participants took pre-tests and immediate posttests. The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference between pre- and post-tests on grammar and vocabulary. However, inductive learners did not outperform deductive learners. As for students' perception of the treatments, it is noteworthy that they tended to take a neutral to less than positive attitude towards this DDL experience even though such an experience helped them significantly improve. The results suggested the existence of a gap between students' perceived satisfaction and their actual achievement. Pedagogical implications of these findings were discussed to improve the efficacy of DDL in Taiwan's EFL context.

This work describes an international collaboration experience carried out between our process design and petroleum property evaluation courses. This collaboration was developed as part of a partnership between the American University of Ras Al Khaimah (AURAK) in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, and Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, United States of America, using a program called Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) from the State University of New York (SUNY) system. The COIL program provides training to faculty on engaging students in international and cross-disciplinary projects to promote skills needed in the current work force. The COIL training meetings facilitated pairing faculty of different disciplines in different parts of the world and provided a structure for developing a collaborative project. The collaborative project that we undertook in fall 2021, and which we detail throughout this article, was titled Upstream and Downstream of Petroleum Economics.

This study aimed to investigate the distance education satisfaction during COVID-19 Pandemic from engineering students' opinion according to the six thinking hats technique. The study sample consists of 209 students from the faculties of engineering in Turkey. A qualitative analysis was performed using the Nvivo12 software upon taking opinions with a questionnaire administered in the online environment. Considering the prominent themes in the six hats, students feel incompetent for their future career; exams are not conducted fairly in distance education; yet students have had the opportunity to improve themselves during this period. Furthermore, while proposing suggestions on the improvement of distance education, students also drew negative conclusions regarding the distance education delivered during the pandemic. With this study, a multidimensional investigation of the distance education received by students from the faculty of engineering in a situation such as a pandemic has been carried out.

In the trend of innovating university teaching methods in the direction of student-centered learning, this article proposes the application of problem-based learning (PBL) in teaching English communication skills to engineering students at University of Engineering and Technology, Vietnam National University. With a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, the research showed that PBL was an ideal teaching method since it enabled engineering students not only to improve their communication skills but also to apply the content knowledge in the English course. In addition, the study identified the main challenges faced by students in implementing group projects. It is hoped that this study can provide researchers and teachers with useful implications for using English as a medium of instruction in science-related subjects.

Many engineering courses rely on in-person lectures and textbooks for content delivery, with homework sets and exams for evaluating and reinforcing student progress. Yet some research studies have shown that exams--high-pressure, time-limited assessments--are detrimental to the learning process and unnecessarily increase students' stress. We describe a new student centered teaching approach based on four pedagogical domains: scaffolded, universally-designed, mastery-based, and gameful learning. The approach was implemented in an engineering course by first chunking the content into small, easily digestible topics. Next, multiple modalities were used to deliver this content, including textbook references, virtual lectures, condensed presentation slides, summary sheets, and two-minute videos. Finally, the typical grading system was replaced by a point system using multiple 10- and 20-point quizzes, all of which could be attempted multiple times through unique versions for each student. Several findings emerged from our examination of this overall instructional strategy. The flexibility in learning and assessment enhanced students' mastery of content and maximized their sense of ownership in the learning process. The multiple attempts on quizzes provided the students with more freedom to fail and resulted in a more supportive learning environment. Last, the multimodal delivery and self-controlled assessment process promoted inclusive and equitable learning. This course structure can be translated to many other engineering courses, with spreadsheets and a web-based quiz making program developed to assist in the process.

Student preferences for digital learning and the COVID-19 pandemic have increased demand for asynchronous learning activities, including pre-recorded video lectures. However, there are varying recommendations and a lack of data-driven results for how long video lectures should be. This study has two purposes: (1) To determine and understand student preferences for video length in a flipped, software-intensive modeling course for engineering undergraduate students; (2) To generate data-driven evidence of actual video coverage and video length preferences. This study examined video coverage over three consecutive semesters in a software intensive industrial engineering simulation modeling course. The first semester utilized medium-length videos (30-60 minutes) and the second semester used a mini-series of short-length (4-12 minutes) videos. In the third semester, students could choose or alternate freely between the two options. Data was collected on video coverage, student video preferences pre- and post experiment, and learning outcomes. Students expressed preferences for the mini-series of short-length videos in a pre-assessment, but data-driven evidence and post-assessment surveys confirmed that the medium-length videos were utilized significantly more. An emergent themes analysis revealed this trend was primarily because students wanted to watch the video in one sitting. Evidence of better learning outcomes based on video length was inconclusive. Results may be limited to higher education settings where modeling and programming skills are required. More investigation is needed in other educational settings.

At a small, private school in the southern US, an elective first-year design (FYD) course is offered in addition to the required capstone design course; both courses challenge student teams to tackle real-world problems. In FYD, positive team member effectiveness is cultivated through teaming instruction, demonstrations, and practice. In this study, we hypothesize whether teaming skills gained in FYD are evident in capstone design. Using a linear mixed effects model, we measure the impact of participation in FYD on teaming performance of 431 students in capstone design. Values of specific teaming skills and values of overall team member effectiveness of individuals on teams are captured using the on-line peer-evaluation tool CATME (www.catme.org). Students who participate in FYD have statistically significantly higher scores in three (of five) basic teaming skills evaluated through CATME: interacting with teammates; expecting quality; and having related knowledge, skills, and abilities. Students who participate in FYD have statistically significantly higher values for overall team member effectiveness and higher overall team member effectiveness during the first, but not the second, semester in capstone design. This longitudinal study is the first to evaluate the long-term impact of a first-year design experience regarding teaming skills, and these results add to a body of literature supporting the call for intensive early teaming experiences needed later in professional settings.

Current diversity and sexual harassment trainings often take an informative approach that results in a gap between theoretical knowledge and practical resolutions of ethical dilemmas. Available research suggests that diversity training programs often elicit the greatest amount of change among people with a minority identity and can result in hostility from majority group members. To better prepare all engineering students for modern-day organizations, it's imperative that universities develop effective approaches at the student level to mitigate these discrepancies. We propose that our novel ethics-based training will elicit positive diversity-related outcomes overall. We inductively explore the differential impact of diversity training across majority and minority identities. Longitudinal quantitative data were collected to examine changes in participant attitudes and behaviors in response to the diversity module. Undergraduate engineering students enrolled in an introductory engineering ethics course at a large Southwestern university were presented with a week-long teaching module on diversity. Survey results were evaluated to measure differences in effectiveness among majority and minority students. The diversity training successfully decreased levels of sexism, acceptance of sexual harassment myths, and increased intentions to confront discrimination. Differences in outcome variables between majority and minority members were found with regard to political orientation, race, and physical and mental disability status. Overall, this study presents a promising new avenue for diversity training scholarship. Specifically, we find that an ethics-based approach to diversity training may be particularly effective for majority group students.

The dropout rate is the most significant disadvantage in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC); most of the time, it exceeds 90%. This research compares the effect of cognitive bias, gamification, monetary compensation, and student characteristics (gender, age, years of education, student geographical location, and interest in the course certificate) on dropout. We use survival analysis to identify the predictors of dropout and its related factors. The results showed the lowest dropout (74.2%) for cognitive bias and gamification. The results showed that the Peanut effect bias favors the lowest risk of drop up. Likewise, the findings showed the interest in the final certificate as a predictor of retention to complete a four-week MOOC.

In this study, an in-person simulated role play as a worthwhile approach in preparation for work-integrated learning (WIL) through a theater and reality of the board (TROB) pedagogical model is explored. Students participated in a twelve week, in-semester TROB program, acting out in-person board room positions, such as Chair and Secretary before observing a real boardroom meeting. One hundred and seventy pre- and post-survey responses were elicited from international business and engineering postgraduate students to ascertain perceived employability skill growth when undertaking a TROB program. Based on the findings, two recommendations are highlighted. The first, to consider in-person simulated work-integrated learning role play (SWILRP) as a viable approach in preparation for WIL that includes industry stakeholder engagement and second, to teach and assess self-reflection through a TROB pedagogical model as a key employability skill outcome.

Graphic interpretation is as critical in physics education as problem-solving. However, we know that today's classes focus more on problem-solving. This study uses a survey to determine college students' graphic interpretation skills. The study consists of two phases. The first phase includes the development and statistical analysis of the survey. The second phase includes comparing and discussing the data resulting from the application of the developed survey. The research data were analyzed using both exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis techniques. The survey on graphic interpretation skills, including the understanding and analysis processes, consisted of 17 items based on analysis results. The survey data were collected using purposive sampling from 113 college volunteers during the fall semester of 2022-2023 at Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey. The participants consisted of 57 geoscience students and 56 mining students. The survey results showed that the kinematic interpretation skills of mining engineering students were higher than those of geoscience students. These differences between geoscience and mining engineering students in cognitive, affective, and psychomotor behaviors were discussed.

The scope and versatile nature of engineering and technology education as a discipline provide a platform for the integration of computational thinking (CT) into STEM education, accomplishing the goal of bringing not only computer science principles into the K-12 education but also the fundamentals of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) into the curriculum. Today, it is commonplace to say that artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies impact the workplace and continue to revolutionize as well as create new demands for solving daily world challenges. This article discusses the integration of computational thinking practices of decomposition, pattern recognition, algorithmic thinking, and abstraction as key to problem-solving practices that may enhance the development of AI and ML capabilities in high school students. The intent of this article is to contribute to ongoing discussions among educators, employers, parents, and all those concerned with how best to prepare a citizenry that is digitally revolutionized. Implications are offered for the assessment of CT integrated within STEM, curriculum, pedagogy, and professional development for STEM teachers.

This paper examines a PBL project module "Sustainable Urban Transformation" in an Urban Design master's education. The module combines urban design and hydrology engineering. Within the module, students are supported by lectures and study circles on various dimensions of sustainability, especially vis-a-vis climate change. However, they are left with the freedom to choose how they balance between design and engineering approaches when they give a physical form for sustainability in the site transformation projects with which they work through the semester. This paper discusses the development of their skills building on three Aristotelean concepts: techne (engineering), poiesis (aesthetic form-giving), and phronesis (making of ethical judgments). The last two concepts, the paper argues, are especially important when at issue is design education. Based on an analysis of the student projects in Fall 2022, the paper examines whether and how the students manage to find a balance between engineering skills, on the one hand, and aesthetic creativity and ethical judgement, on the other hand, in their project work.

This paper presents a reflective analysis of a novel approach to Problem-Based Learning (PBL) to teach abstract concepts in a large-class setting, specifically tailored for a third-year required undergraduate course, "Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering." The primary objective is to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes by employing forensic case studies-based learning, also known as murder mysteries. This unique adaptation of PBL offers a fresh perspective on teaching abstract concepts by introducing real-world engineering failures relevant to the topic. Students then identify potential reasons for failure, rank them, and cooperatively explore them. By progressing from the known to the unknown, students develop a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles they later encounter. by progressing from the known to the unknown This approach overcomes the limitations of traditional teaching methods that introduce abstract concepts before presenting real-world examples. The murder mysteries capture students' attention and interest, allowing them to experience the process of doing real-world engineering. Consequently, the course rating improved significantly, achieving the highest score in the last twenty years - 4.9 out of 5.0, well above the average course rating of 3.8 during the same period. The paper delves into the background, methodology, challenges, and reflections on implementing and evaluating this engaging and effective PBL adaptation in a large-class setting for teaching abstract concepts in engineering.

Lectures on science and technology constitute one of the most noteworthy activities used to promote STEM-related degrees (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). This research seeks to identify the factors that pose an obstacle to promoting science and engineering via scientific and technical lectures to secondary school students, as well as their positive aspects, based on the experiences of teaching staff who conduct such lectures. An exploratory study consisting of 16 interviews was conducted with lecturers of different ages, qualifications and academic profiles at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM). The software ATLAS.ti was used to perform the qualitative analysis. The results of the interviews reveal obstacles related to secondary schools, the speakers, and the university environment, mainly focusing on organisational aspects. Similarly, positive aspects have been found with regard to students, speakers, the University and society in general, all of which are geared towards promoting these studies and communicating scientific knowledge. The main conclusion drawn from this study is that science and technology lectures may be a good outreach tool, but they require greater organisational and institutional support.

Superhero themes have been increasingly used in the teaching of a range of topics including business, humanities and science in recent years. Typically, characters from existing popular media are adopted for the teaching activities. On the other hand, customised characters that are developed from scratch allow the educator to have more control of the characters' features so that the learning objectives can be achieved more effectively. In this work, new fictitious characters have been created as cases for students to perform their engineering materials selection assignment. The motivation for using the superhero theme was to increase the students' excitement in the assignment. This paper shares the approach taken and the teaching experience after running the superhero theme with two cohorts of students.

This research discusses the use of a gamified web platform for studying software modeling with Unified Modeling Language (UML). Although UML is constantly being improved and studied, many works show that there is difficulty in teaching and learning the subject, due to the complexity of its concepts and the students' cognitive difficulties with abstraction. There are challenges for instructors to find different pedagogical strategies to teach modeling. The platform proposed allowed students to complement their UML knowledge in an environment with game elements. From the results, it can be concluded that the platform obtained great acceptance and satisfaction of use. Most of the students participating in the research were satisfied with the usability of the platform, reporting a feeling of contribution of the tool to studying the content, in addition to pointing out the satisfaction of using gamification as a pedagogical strategy.

Nowadays, the rapid development of ICT has brought more flexible forms that push the boundaries of classic teaching methodology. This paper is an analysis of online teaching and learning forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, as compared with traditional education approaches. In this regard, we assessed the performance of students studying in the face-to-face, online and hybrid mode for an engineering degree in Computer Science at the Lublin University of Technology during the years 2019-2022. A total of 1827 final test scores were examined using machine learning models and the Shapley additive explanations method. The results show an average increase in performance on final tests scores for students using online and hybrid modes, but the difference did not exceed 10% of the point maximum. Moreover, the students' work had a much higher impact on the final test scores than did the study system and their profile features.

Some degree programs require students to complete self-sourced work placements as a condition for graduation, which is challenging for many international students as they face significant contextual constraints. The literature has indicated typical contextual challenges international students face while attempting to strengthen organizational socialization (OS) during placements in a host country. Despite this, there is still a need for further research on how international students develop perceptions of their workplace context and how these perceptions impact their OS. The current study addressed this gap in the literature, adopting a grounded approach. Data was collected through 27 in-depth interviews with nine international undergraduate engineering students from an Australian university. Findings feature a perception-response model of OS, which helps inform research and practice to enhance international students' placement experiences.

Dissertation introductions (DIs) have received on-going attention because they are considered to be the most challenging and difficult part of an academic text for graduate students, particularly for non-native English speakers (NNES). However, research that has investigated DIs written by native English speakers (NES) and by NNES, particularly Indonesian (IND) PhD students across various disciplines, is lacking. This paper presents an analysis of moves in the introductory section of 200 dissertations written by NES and IND PhD students in terms of move organization based on Bunton's (2002) adaptation of the CARS framework. The corpus consisted of 200 DIs from the disciplines of physics, linguistics, engineering, and education that were published online on the ProQuest Dissertation and Theses Database. The findings revealed that both NES and IND PhD students followed the moves and steps presented in the framework to create their introduction sections. However, it was also found that only 13 DIs (7%) followed Bunton's CARS in this research, but most of them were not constructed in the way assumed in CARS because a number of move reversals and recursives were found. There were both similarities and differences between NNES and NES writers in the introduction sections with regard to the frequency of move-step occurrences, move-step classifications, patterns, and new steps. Similar findings between the NNES and NES writers appeal for the need to make teachers and L2 learners as well as L1 Ph.D. writers aware of methods for writing precise and concise DIs.

The findings reported in this paper are based on surveys of U.S. high school students who registered and managed their science and engineering fair (SEF) projects through the online Scienteer website over the three years 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22. Almost 2500 students completed surveys after finishing all their SEF competitions. We added a new question in 2019/20 to our on-going surveys asking the students whether their high school location was urban, suburban, or rural. We learned that overall, 74% of students participating in SEFs indicated that they were from suburban schools. Unexpectedly, very few SEF participants, less than 4%, indicated that they were from rural schools, even though national data show that more than 20% of high school students attend rural schools. Consistent with previous findings, Asian and Hispanic students indicated more successful SEF outcomes than Black and White students. However, whereas Asian students had the highest percentage of SEF participants from suburban vs. urban schools--81% vs. 18%, Hispanic students had the most balanced representation of participants from suburban vs. urban schools--55% vs. 39%. Differences in students' SEF experiences based on gender and ethnicity showed the same patterns regardless of school location. In the few items where we observed statistically significant (probability < 0.05) differences based on school location, students from suburban schools were marginally favored by only a few percentage points compared to students from urban schools. In conclusion, based on our surveys results most students participating in SEFs come from suburban schools, but students participating in SEFs and coming from urban schools have equivalent SEF experiences, and very few students participating in SEFs come from rural schools.

This study explores the perceptions of Chinese engineering-major students towards their English learning experience after taking a mandatory English composition course in an EMI college. The investigation centers on first-year students' perceptions of transitioning to EMI, with a focus on how the composition course has assisted students' transition as a primary language support. Data were collected through a metaphor elicitation technique in which students expressed their perceptions of English learning, complemented by a thematic analysis of 86 reflection essays on the composition class. An analysis of the 334 metaphors identified students' enhanced confidence in English, the importance of the English-using environment, positive views of learning communities, and increased agency in the learning process. It also revealed that many students were stressed and unaware of learning strategies, therefore suggesting institutional-level language support. One implication is to promote the culture of the learning community. The findings can be particularly useful for programs that are implementing language support for non-English major students.

The present study explores the needs for English meeting lessons for Thai undergraduate engineering students. The participants consisted of 5 groups: 443 engineering students, 150 novice engineers, 224 experienced engineers, 4 ESP teachers, and 5 engineering teachers. Data were collected using 3 sets of questionnaires and semi-interview. Data analysis was conducted using percentage, means, standard deviation, and thematic analysis. The findings revealed that both novice engineers and engineering students have a high degree of difficulty when conducting meetings in English. In addition, it was found that there are three stages of the meeting process: preparation, participation, and post-meeting. Regarding types of meetings, the most common regular type of meeting was the problem-solving meeting. Furthermore, the results imparted the language details for the meeting participation stage that were identified based on each language function. The study discusses the main issues concerning the difficulties that Thai engineering students encounter, how the target language is used, as well as practical implications for solving issues, and proposes suggestions for developing English for meeting lessons and teaching materials. Finally, analyzing meeting discourse is recommended for further research.

This paper describes a student-centered approach to teaching and learning physics in a high school classroom. The teacher designs and uses a 5E learning cycle to teach series and parallel electric circuits. This article provides an example of the implementation of 5E model for a physics lesson to address three-dimensional learning-science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts. In this lesson, students could make predictions, exchange ideas, and collect and analyze data to construct evidence-based explanations about electric circuits, Ohm's law. This type of lesson design is effective to enhance students' engagement in scientific practices and develop conceptual understanding.

The purpose of this study was to research the impact of classroom group rotation on student participation and collaboration during engineering activities. The action research plan was developed after identifying a need to increase group efficacy in a classroom setting that focuses on projects and problem-based learning and proved quite difficult to explore as social interactions and group dynamics tend to be fairly complex in nature. Student participant age and personal investment in the engineering academy supported their contributions as co-collaborators inspiring changes to group format and highlighted them as the primary source of both quantitative data from class surveys and qualitative observations based on interactions and comments. Comparisons were made between student beliefs before and after the group rotations based on survey results. Despite variations in group activities and structures, major findings supported small groups with frequent rotation, a variety of group structures based on individual classroom settings, and student choice to promote participation and collaboration during classroom activities.

Research on student support in the global North indicates possible benefits of life coaching interventions in improving students' persistence and well-being. There is emerging research on life coaching interventions and their potential benefits in the South African higher education context, but empirical evidence is scarce. We report results from a longitudinal study that investigated a life coaching intervention to support students. The objective of the intervention was to harness students' agency proactively by equipping them with skills to improve their academic and non-academic lives. Data were gathered through one-on-one semi-structured interviews with ten students who had participated in the intervention. We used Archer's social realist concepts of structure and agency as our theoretical framework. The results indicate that the life coaching intervention enabled students to mediate academic and non-academic constraints. Concerning academic constraints, it helped students manage the transition from high school, including adjusting to a new workload, time management, learning to collaborate with their peers, and dealing with experiences of failure. Concerning non-academic constraints, the life coaching intervention helped students clarify their goals, increase their self-awareness, cope with negative emotions, and boosted their self-confidence and resilience.

This study documents how hegemonic masculinity is experienced through the lens of five female students registered in an engineering course using a single instrumental case study research contextualised in a national university in Mauritius. It analyses how these relations and interactions are interpreted and integrated in the ways the participants are choosing to 'do gender' reflecting critically on what this reveals about acceptance of and resistance to these gendered cultural norms by aspiring women engineers. Interpreted from the lens of gender regimes (Connell 2002), the findings indicate how male students legitimised their power by foregrounding the physical inadequacy of their female classmates, the cultural barriers associated with the rough vocabulary of builders which are certain to cause discomfort to female engineers, and the physically strenuous working environments, all of which are designed to assert a male reading of what engineering work is about. What is, however, also evident is the acceptance of these views by some female participants who feel compelled, to accept 'male help' designed to enforce some form of control and superiority. 'Beating the boys' on their own preferred terrain of abstract thinking appears to be a way for some participants to level the field despite against attempts to represent engineering knowledge as 'male', and only allowing privileged female students to access such understandings is a common gatekeeping exercise endorsed by male classmates. Contribution: This study shows the deep transformations that need to be brought about in higher education settings, particularly in small island contexts where the dominant culture is often silently resistant to progressive equality agenda.

Teamwork has been described as a leadership-coupled professional competency in postsecondary engineering education. It has been listed among the most critical professional skills by engineering industries and professional organizations. Here, a mixed-method case study is reported, which used Visual Thinking Strategies alongside a group project in an elective honors short course. Descriptive statistics and analysis are further supported by qualitative evaluation, which suggests that lower-stakes activities that provide team-building functions can, increase teamwork skills among undergraduate engineers. Implications for planning more team-building activities into engineering coursework are discussed. Effects for team-building are highlighted because it has been shown to foster collaboration, communication, and mutual trust among team members, leading to improved productivity, creativity, and innovation.

In many mechanical engineering undergraduate curriculums, there are topics that are vital to the students' future careers in the manufacturing and design workforce that are not taught in-depth. As one of those topics, Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, or GD&T, is vital to companies who develop and manufacture products because it allows one to communicate with other team members in order to produce and inspect manufactured parts. GD&T is filled with intricate concepts that are hard to grasp without repetition and practice. An active learning intervention was developed and deployed in a mechanical engineering undergraduate class at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The active learning interventions were developed to assist students in learning basic manual inspection methods and communicating through a part drawing. The goal was for the students to obtain a foundational, hands-on understanding of GD&T and implement their learnings onto a part drawing and inspection plan. The results of this intervention were based on a Knowledge Assessment, self-reported Self-Efficacy Survey, and an Exit Survey. These assessments revealed that the GD&T intervention had a significant impact on the students' knowledgebase of the topic and their ability to perform identification and inspection tasks used in the workforce. This paper discusses the intervention structure and its potential applications for engineering education in the workforce.

This paper describes the course design and evaluation results for an online continuing education program designed for working engineers. Engineering educators have long recognized the value of reducing the gap between the classroom and work environments. Implementing experiential learning in the undergraduate classroom brings much needed context to engineering students who may otherwise lack these real-world opportunities. Continuing education programs face the opposite challenge, where educators strive to bring the course content to working engineers who are already enmeshed in real-world contexts. This program was designed for busy working professionals and contextualizes theoretical concepts of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) with practical application of digital engineering tools. Online delivery enables engineers to learn while remaining in the context of their work environment. The authors describe their collaboration process in the design of this continuing education course. Course survey results provide data to evaluate the course design and to better understand how this nontraditional audience uses continuing professional development courses to stay abreast of technological change. Learners indicated through their survey responses that the course was a positive experience and met their learning goals. However, most students did not continue with the multi-course certificate program and left the program after only one course completion. Higher education institutions are uniquely positioned to create courses and programs that aid this nontraditional audience, the engineering workforce, in adapting to continuously changing technology and engineering practice. This paper presents lessons learned and recommendations for engaging with the community of working engineers as continuing education learners.

The purpose of this study was to examine any differences in test scores between three different online versions of the Mental Cutting Test (MCT). The MCT was developed to quantify a rotational and proportion construct of spatial ability and has been used extensively to assess spatial ability. This test was developed in 1938 as a paper-and-pencil test, where examinees are presented with a two-dimensional drawing of a 3D object containing a cutting plane passing through the object. The examinee must then determine the cross-sectional shape that would result from cutting along the imaginary cutting plane. This work explored three versions of this test (the original and two adapted versions), administered online, to see if there were any differences on the versions regarding student performance. Versions differed in the linework quality displayed as well as shading shown on the surfaces. This study analyzed statics students' scores on the three online versions of the MCT and on the original paper version of the MCT to identify which version of the test may be most optimal for administering to engineering students. Results showed that there was a statistically significant difference in students' scores between multiple versions. Understanding which representations of the MCT items are most clear to students will provide insights for educators looking to improve and understand the spatial ability of their students.

Technical writing skills allow prospective professionals to be competitive engineers, be effective at the workplace, reach high positions, and gain self-confidence in Agricultural Engineering. Therefore, technical writing is an integral part of English for Specific Purposes communication of prospective agricultural engineers. The current study aims to examine the influence of Online Writing Lab (OWL) resources on the development of students' technical writing skills. To achieve the outlined aim, a mixed research design was employed, which involved 58 Masters of Podillia State University. Two groups were formed based on students' preferences: experimental (n=28) and control (n=30). The Pearson criterion was used to process the results, which indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of their technical writing performances. The study has shown that using OWL resources positively influences the development of Master's technical writing skills. OWL can be considered an effective tool for teaching students technical writing. It engages and motivates the students in technical writing skills and further self-study. Additionally, the study revealed that the majority of the students have positive attitudes toward the use of OWL resources in the learning process.

Current educational research demonstrates the importance of equipping students to be active participants in their own learning. However, more work is needed to provide students with the metacognitive skills necessary to engage in Self-Regulated Learning (SRL). Feedback is a crucial component of the learning process and can be used by students to develop these skills but remains a source of dissatisfaction for students and educators. We contend that this is a result of a gap in students' understanding of the feedback process and the lack of dialogue between students and educators. This paper presents a methodology to conduct a feedback workshop as a means to improve the feedback experience while equipping students with the metacognitive skills needed to facilitate SRL. The methodology was evaluated in four workshops conducted with students from engineering and business at a university in the United Kingdom. In each workshop (excluding the pilot) students were requested to complete pre and post-workshop questionnaires and there was also opportunity for group discussion and reflection. Results demonstrate the potential benefits of such workshops in deepening the student understanding of the process and use of feedback.

Some Canadian undergraduate engineering programs report 30-40% of enrolled students are women. Kanter's tipping point theory argues that women become less tokenized when they make up 30% of a group's population. Other scholars have found that in comparable situations, women continued to experience discrimination, hostility, and competition. This critical study provides further evidence against a tipping point for equity by centring the experiences of traditionally underrepresented undergraduate students studying at a faculty of engineering with 35% women undergraduates enrolled. Reflective thematic analysis of experiences shared by women, racialized students, 2SLGBTQ+ students, and students from lower socio-economic statuses found instances of discrimination, varying perceptions of capabilities, and inequitable access to support, community, and on-campus leadership roles. Therefore, institutions need to acknowledge the intersectional experiences of students and work toward changing campus culture in addition to diversity efforts.

How can we engage new engineering and computer science graduate students in meaningful conversations about research and publication ethics without establishing a common understanding of the issues and expectations? Most universities offer extensive responsible conduct of research (RCR) training programs, which are usually a semester-long. Absent a requirement, it is unlikely that engineering and computer graduate students and their advisors would prioritize a lengthy training during the student's first semester. Recognizing this, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering designed and implemented an introductory research ethics workshop for all graduate students entering engineering and computer science. We engaged an interdisciplinary team of faculty and staff in the workshop's design and implementation, and approached our design within the sensemaking framework for ethical decision-making. Each workshop included lecture content in four priority topic areas identified by the college faculty: research design and data ethics, publication ethics, computer coding ethics, and intellectual property. The workshops also included a face-to-face panel discussion with experts including engineering, computer science, and law professors; librarians; and technical writers. Our assessment showed that after completing the workshop, students demonstrated increased content knowledge, and their self-assessed expertise ratings were better aligned with their content knowledge.

Background: Through the human-centered design process (HCD), students, referred to as learners, can use a personal lens to contextualize engineering concepts and solve real-world problems (Goldman and Kabayadondo 2016). The Ignite program, created by the Center for Global Women's Health Technologies (GWHT) at Duke University, integrates the HCD process into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to advance social justice through an iterative research-topractice methodology. Ignite fosters secondary school students' ability to engineer viable solutions to pressing global issues outlined by the United Nations as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Purpose: This work evaluates the efficacy of the Ignite Water curriculum as a scalable and sustainable intervention for STEM opportunity gaps, SDG #4, and clean water, SDG #6. Ultimately, this work investigates the ability of a community-centered design thinking initiative to transform learners' behavioral indicators, including their knowledge, attitude, and awareness. Methods: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (K.A.P.) methodology was used to capture changes in three indicators of behavior change: (1) learners' relevant content knowledge, (2) their attitudes towards STEM and (3) awareness of healthy water management practices. The mixed methods research tabulated survey data and interviews to determine best practices for STEM intervention programs. Of the 697 participants, 523 learners across 6 schools served as a sample population for this study. Results: The innovative Ignite program engaged a diverse population in engineering solutions for water pollution in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. The intervention increased students' knowledge and awareness related to the local water contamination; especially, the causes of contamination and the treatment options. Female learners demonstrated an increase in self-efficacy in engineering careers, while male learners' self-efficacy for math and community problem-solving increased. Overall, learners' knowledge and awareness of water pollution and their attitudes towards STEM improved. Trainers echoed key findings in semi-structured interviews. Conclusions: Ignite, the sustainable and scalable intervention for social impact, integrated the HCD process with the SDGs to promote local problem solving, improve self-efficacy and broaden participation in engineering.

This study explored the utilisation of GeoGebra as a modelling tool to develop undergraduate engineering mathematics students' conceptual and procedural knowledge of complex numbers. This mission was accomplished by implementing GeoGebra-enriched activities, which provided carefully designed representational support to mediate between students' initially developed conceptual and procedural knowledge gains. The rectangular and polar forms of the complex number were connected and merged using GeoGebra's computer algebra systems and dynamic geometric systems platforms. Despite the centrality of complex numbers to the undergraduate mathematics curriculum, students tend to experience conceptual and procedural obstacles in mathematics-dependent physics engineering topics such as mechanical vector analysis and electric-circuit theory. The study adopted an exploratory sequential mixed methods design and involved purposively selected first-year engineering mathematics students at a South African university. The constructivist approach and Realistic Mathematical Education underpinned the empirical investigation. Data were collected from students' scripts. Implementing GeoGebra-enriched activities and providing carefully designed representational support sought to enhance students' conceptual and procedural knowledge of complex numbers and problem representational competence. The intervention additionally helped students to conceptualise and visualise a complex rectangular number. Implications for technology-enhanced pedagogy are discussed. Contribution: The article provides exploratory insights into the development of undergraduate engineering mathematics students' conceptual and procedural knowledge of complex numbers using GeoGebra as a dynamic digital tool. Key findings from the study demonstrated that GeoGebra appears to be an effective modelling tool that can be harnessed to demystify the complexity of mathematics students' conceptual and procedural knowledge of complex numbers.

This study provides a deeper understanding of the challenges facing community college transfer students in engineering and their faculty advisors at a 4-year research university. Using a phenomenological approach, data was analyzed from interviews with nine engineering transfers and seven faculty advisors. The findings unveiled nuanced barriers faced by engineering transfers and their faculty advisors, including transfers' academic unpreparedness and struggles with nonacademic responsibilities; advisors' heavy workload, disconnection with other student services, and lack of communication with community college advisors; and restrictions on course selection and program requirements in 4-year engineering programs. The findings provide meaningful insights into developing new policies and practices to improve the academic advising experience for engineering transfers.

This reflective article focuses on the Chemical Engineering Students Association (CESA) at a South African university, which was established as a voluntary student organisation to alleviate the problems of student isolation and inadequate orientation programmes by promoting student-centredness and development. The article aims to examine CESA's role in promoting student-centredness and to highlight CESA's role in community engagement. CESA was initiated by two lecturers in the chemical engineering department who served as departmental representatives. Following the Gibbs reflective cycle, data in the form of reflections were collected and analysed from the CESA departmental representatives to ascertain CESA's effectiveness in alleviating the problem of student isolation by creating a student-centred environment and engaging students in community service. The community engagement activities consisted of a Nelson Mandela Day stationery drive and a Women's Day sanitary towel drive to contribute to a local women's and children's shelter. The students actively participated in these activities, demonstrating their commitment to social responsibility and community service. CESA also organised various student development activities to equip students with essential skills and knowledge for their future careers. The students actively participated in these workshops, showing a keen interest in their personal and professional growth. Successfully implementing CESA was made possible through collaboration and support from other faculty members in the chemical engineering department, and the university's community engagement and marketing departments. The article emphasises CESA's practical contributions and presents it as a model for other institutions in establishing effective student organisations. Overall, the reflections indicated CESA's effectiveness in promoting student-centredness.

While project-based learning purportedly values student agency, supporting and managing this remains challenging. We conducted a design-based research study to understand how problem authenticity, and task and participant structures can contribute to students' framing agency, in which students make decisions that are consequential to their learning through ill-structured problem framing. We compared three semesters of an undergraduate engineering design project (cohort 1 n=70; cohort 2 n=70; cohort 3 n=66). Discourse analysis of team talk highlights how task and participant structures supported students in the first and third cohorts to display framing agency. In contrast, cohort 2 displayed high agency over task completion, which they had framed as well-structured. We discuss implications for designing ill-structured learning in terms of participant and task structure and problem authenticity.

A robust cybersecurity workforce is critical for protection against a range of malicious attacks. However, it has been noted that there are many vacancies and a shortage of individuals entering the cybersecurity workforce. This workforce shortage has partly been attributed to the lack of diversity in the cybersecurity field, with women, African Americans, and Hispanics remaining underrepresented in educational and professional settings. Using a qualitative approach, this work sought to investigate what led underrepresented minorities currently involved in cybersecurity to the industry, with the goal of determining methods to attract and diversify the workforce. A thematic analysis was conducted using data collected during interviews with 23 participants including underrepresented minority students, underrepresented minority professionals, college instructors, and a high school administrator. The interview questions aimed to address (a) what attracted minorities to the field, (b) how they overcame educational and professional roadblocks, (c) how they built non-technical knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and (d) how they maintained engagement. Findings revealed 17 themes that were related to characteristics of (a) the learner, (b) the instruction, and (c) the environment. Based on these findings, recommendations are presented to illustrate how these themes can be implemented by instructors with the goal of increasing the participation and involvement of underrepresented minorities and fostering diversity in the cybersecurity field.