Background: The higher education literature is replete with deficit-based studies of first-generation college students. By thinking of students' social relationships as embedded assets, our research adds to an anti-deficit, or asset-based, framing of first-generation students majoring in engineering. Our multi-institution study qualitatively…

It is common to use anthropomorphic labels when talking about technology, for example describing some robots and phones as smart, thinking and talking. This article describes a workshop in which students considered ways that words such as 'hearing', 'smart' and 'intelligence' might change in meaning when they are used in the context of robotics…

This article presents the design of a pedagogical method to produce interactive learning objects that allow users to learn about new statistical process control techniques, such as Data Mining, in order to address the curricular needs of college students enrolled in academic programs related to quality engineering. Acquiring skills in this type of…

Over the past decade the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET) has changed the general chemistry requirements to include a single introductory course for most engineering majors. There is a focus on outcomes that equip students with the ability to pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam and to work in…

This paper presents an experimental lab designed for undergraduate students which focuses on soil science and chemistry. Students perform a series of tests to classify soil's phosphate retaining characteristics, texture, pH, organic matter content, and permeability with the addition of a novel soil amendment, Al Mg biochar. This lab has minimal…

Direct and indirect assessments of student learning, motivation and course experience were completed for a two-semester online chemical engineering graduate bridging course. Both direct and indirect assessments showed students better accomplished learning objectives associated with material and energy balances, momentum/heat/mass transport,…

The paper presents results of two case studies with undergraduate students majoring in applied mathematics and engineering. The first case study deals with students' preferences for and difficulties with application problems and pure mathematics questions in their courses. The students were majoring in applied mathematics and taking a second-year…

Purpose: This paper aims to analyze the presence of sustainability in 16 Spanish higher education curricula in the fields of education and engineering. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology uses two instruments: sustainability map and sustainability presence map. These instruments enable analysis of the number of subjects that develop…

How to cultivate students' engineering practice ability in the digital manufacturing period is a difficult problem. This paper presents a finite element analysis experiment project for undergraduate students. The goals of implementing finite element modeling in this project are to enhance students' understanding of theoretical mechanics and to…

Contribution: This article shares the learning ecosystem of a project-based embedded systems course, identifying course elements that support self-directed learning and how assignments guide students toward becoming adaptive experts. Background: The technology advances while the fundamentals of electrical engineering remain static. Educators can…

Background: Research on gender differences and practical initiatives to attract girls to engineering are often carried out at the macro level where science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are aggregated into an entity called STEM. Purpose/Hypothesis: This article challenges the aggregated approach, analyzes gender differences among…

Studies show that spatial skills are essential to engineering success, and particularly in engineering graphics courses. Research also shows that sketching is important in developing spatial skills. Aimed at improving the spatial skills of engineering students, an intervention was developed consisting of a workbook and software (Sorby et al.,…

Educating engineers should be for the benefit of students and their aspirations, whether that is helping their communities and/or environment, achieving financial stability, or achieving the goal of earning a degree in a lucrative field. Obtaining an engineering degree positions students as capable agents for societal change, which are not limited…

Teacher talk is a major way in which instructors support and provide scaffolding for their students, frame their pedagogies, model ways of thinking, and convey ideas. Effective teacher talk about engineering design at all levels of students' educational experiences has the potential to better prepare students for success in engineering and…

Teacher-student conversations are central to student learning within the science classroom. Educational literature recommends teachers aim to build a common scientific language and, through dialog, develop shared meanings with students. This study examines teacher-student conversations in the specific situation of an integrated science and…