This article introduces the development process of social presence-enabled augmented reality (SPEAR) tool, an innovative augmented reality (AR) based learning application tailored for online engineering education. SPEAR focuses on a learning module of structural beam-bending, empowering users to seamlessly integrate 3-D virtual beams into their…

Academic Status Reports (ASRs) are submitted by an instructor to indicate that a student is succeeding in the course or, more commonly, that the instructor is concerned about their progress or participation in the course (e.g., not attending class or not submitting assignments). ASR notifications are sent to students and may also be shared with…

Laboratory activities are central to undergraduate student learning in science and engineering. With advancements in computer technology, many laboratory activities have shifted from providing students experiments in a physical mode to providing them in a virtual mode. Further, physical and virtual modes can be combined to address a single topic,…

Background: Virtual laboratories are used to supplement or even replace physical laboratories in engineering education. Although these virtual laboratories allow students to learn foundational experimental skills, they do not provide the learners with the chance to develop higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). Computational thinking (CT) is an…

We have introduced a novel approach to competency-based education in mechatronics from the undergraduate to the postgraduate level. What distinguishes this approach is the integration of modeling and control of sampled systems right from the beginning of the undergraduate education. It is achieved by changing the structure of the first-semester…

Contribution: Our work focuses on building research capacity in engineering education research (EER). We operationalize enculturation of novice researchers into the EER community by studying temporal changes in the social networks of engineering faculty participating in a mentorship-based training grant. Background: The U.S. National Science…

Trust is an important aspect of learning. However, there is little published research on how students perceive its value. In this article, we report on engineering students' perceptions of the role of trust in their learning and their experiences of what teachers do in their courses that builds trust. Nine students participated in semi-structured…

This study investigates the prevalence, physical complaints, and impacts of heavy backpack use among junior high school students, with a focus on understanding how the weight and design of backpacks affect students' physical well-being and academic efficiency. The study was underpinned by the ergonomic theory. Using a descriptive survey design,…

Background: Students' identification with engineering is intertwined culturally with being smart. Broadly, engineering students are often considered to be smart by others and by themselves, and these beliefs about smartness--what it is and who has enough of it to be an engineer--are a fundamental and limiting aspect of students' experiences.…

Background: Despite the well-established positive effects of storytelling, narrative modes of thinking have neither been systematically assessed nor widely implemented in engineering education. Purpose: Recently, the idea of story-driven learning (SDL) as pedagogy has been applied in an engineering department at a public university. Our research…

In 2013, the Next Generation Science Standards tasked science teachers to include more engineering processes in their instruction. Design thinking is one way this has been accomplished over the last decade, but other engineering characteristics might have an influence on how learners thinking through the design process. Using a pretest-posttest,…

Raman spectroscopy, a powerful vibrational spectroscopic technique widely used in chemistry, materials science, and environmental analysis, provides critical molecular insights through spectral fingerprints. However, undergraduate students often lack proficiency in optimizing experimental parameters, interpreting vibrational modes, and applying…

Purpose: Internships are a common form of short-term employment for students seeking to demonstrate their value to employers and thereby improve their post-graduation career opportunities. As such, performance during the internship has been found to be positively related to post-graduation vocational outcomes. Yet, internships also serve a…

Chemical engineering is a consolidated discipline in Spain with bachelor's degrees in 36 universities. An analysis of main indicators related to chemical engineering undergraduate enrolment has been performed, since the introduction of academic programs according to Bologna principles (2010-2011). Indicators present a wide variety of values across…

This study explored young children's perceptions of engineers and engineering through their drawings and narratives. Twenty-six children ranging from four-to eight-years-old participated. Results indicated that although children in this group had limited knowledge of engineers and engineering, most of them, regardless of gender, not only drew…