This study explores engineering design students' perceptions of their agency for sustainability in a Danish problem- and project-based learning (PBL) context. A conceptual framework is proposed with three dimensions: personal, action, and contextual. Q methodology was adopted to investigate the subjective views of 24 first-year undergraduate…

Undergraduate engineering students are commonly introduced to design in their first year and tackle a more authentic design challenge during senior year, with intervening courses focused on technical problem solving. Along this trajectory, students should acquire skills related to the development of engineering requirements, which are important to…

Background: Real-world engineering problems are ill-defined and complex, and solving them may arouse negative epistemic affect (feelings experienced within problem-solving). These feelings fall into sequenced patterns (affective pathways). Over time, these patterns can alter students' attitudes toward engineering. Meta-affect (affect or cognition…

Contribution: In this article, integrated problem-based learning and critical reflection are shown to contribute to significant learning experiences, without needing to increase course hours and course assignments. Background: With the advances in technology, such as artificial intelligence, there is a shift in teaching and learning paradigms,…

In a sample of 323 engineering students, structural equation modeling was used to test hypothesized relationships between beliefs about the nature of knowledge in science, beliefs about the process of justification for knowing in science, and argumentative reasoning about an ill-structured social-scientific issue. Beliefs about justification for…

Challenge: Health equity is rarely included in traditional biomedical engineering curricula, leaving students unprepared to design inclusive healthcare solutions. Novel Initiative: To address this critical gap, we developed "Health Equity in Engineering Design," the first course at our institution for undergraduate biomedical engineering…

Background/purpose. One of the current problems facing mathematics students, graduates in mathematics, and engineering is the disconnection between the meanings, symbolic representations, and graphics of derivatives when solving problems, which hinders their understanding. This article analyzes engineering students' understanding activated by…

Purpose: This study aims, from the perspective of the recovery of sustainability, to develop a framework on sustainability and innovation in the formation of engineers in the courses of Engineering in the Brazilian Amazon. Design/methodology/approach: For this work, a quantitative approach was adopted in the research process. A survey instrument…

Metacognitive strategies play a crucial role in Computer-Based Learning Environments (CBLEs). However, students often struggle to apply these strategies spontaneously during learning. Research demonstrates that metacognitive prompts can effectively guide students' awareness and help them monitor their learning progress, leading to improved…

Contribution: The proposed operational model offers a detailed framework for understanding the complexities of design thinking. It helps instructors evaluate each stage, promoting the development of high-quality designs. This model emphasizes the link between the various stages and the final design quality, steering students toward achieving…

Background: Evidence exists that some aspects of engineering as a disciplinary culture are problematic for students' mental health and help-seeking attitude (HSAs). In order to promote positive cultural change, it is critical to further characterize those problematic aspects of engineering culture. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to expand…

Background: Civil engineers design systems that have the potential to impact existing oppressive societal conditions. Critical action--the ability to recognize and act against oppressive conditions--is an obligation for civil engineers committed to building a more just world. Purpose/Hypothesis: History reveals that civil engineers often do not…

Recent advances in teaching, many of which incorporate elements of active learning, seek to provide students with learning experiences indicative of real-world problem solving. Problem-based learning (PBL) is one form of active learning that challenges students to address open-ended problems. In this work, we evaluate the efficacy of PBL in…

A newly-developed online laboratory experiment in immersive virtual reality (VR) is used for process engineering students. A digital twin (DT) of a jet pump was realised using the game engine Unreal Engine 4. The chance was taken for an instructional redesign deviating from the conventional cookbook-experiment to better integrate the changing…

Background: Problem-oriented project work, also known as problem and project-based learning (PBL), is a popular educational approach in engineering education. However, the focus of the literature on the implementation of PBL has been at the course and institutional levels. Scant attention has been paid to the student experience, especially…