In higher education, teacher empathy is a term that refers to the empathetic skills of teachers and has been researched since the 1980s. Multiple studies in fields such as medicine, nursing and psychology have shown that teacher empathy has reduced teacher burnout, improved teacher satisfaction and student performance. Within engineering…

Contributing to a competency model for engineering thermodynamics, we investigate the empirical competency structure of our exams in an attempt to answer the question: Do we test the competencies we want to convey to our students? We demonstrate that thermodynamic modeling and mathematical solution emerge as significant dimensions of thermodynamic…

Virtual Reality (VR) provides an immersive and engaging experience that facilitates the teaching and learning of abstract concepts. This paper describes the design and implementation of the VR 360° (VR360) component of the Virtual and Augmented Reality for Structures (VARS) mobile application. This study used VARS to teach basic structural systems…

This dissertation contains findings from two research projects. The first research area focused on assessing engineering students problem solving skills. Problem solving related to two material and energy balance topics--vapor liquid equilibrium and reacting systems with recycle - were examined first followed by a more holistic analysis across two…

The purpose of this dissertation work is to investigate sustainability incorporations in undergraduate mechanical engineering curricula. Engineering decisions have deep impacts on people and the planet. Therefore, it is important for all engineers to learn engineering that integrates these important factors. This work starts with an evaluation of…

Engineering Co-op Program at Midwestern Private University offers support for students seeking relevant work experience, yet only a small percentage of racially underrepresented undergraduate engineering students engage with the program. Understanding this inconsistency is important for progressing towards more equitable approaches. Prior research…

Extant literature has emphasized the importance of education research being theory-based. To this end, many research articles have a distinct "theoretical framework" section describing the theoretical underpinnings that inform the research. Nevertheless, there is large variation in how explicit articles are regarding their use of…

Mathematics is traditionally considered necessary for engineering courses. Over the last three decades, the mathematics requirements for entry into engineering programmes has steadily weakened in Australia. Further, the mathematics component of engineering programmes has progressively decreased. This research aims to investigate the following two…

High school outreach activities in the engineering context aim to attract high school students to join a university engineering programme. Oftentimes, high school outreach activities are organised and conducted by university representatives, for instance, teachers and students, who employ different engagement strategies during their interaction…

Global developments ask for 21st-century skills. Creativity is one of those and can be defined as the production of novel ideas by connecting entities that have not been connected before and whose connection is useful in a certain domain. The growth of rhizomes is an example where unconnected entities become connected in an unpredictable way, and…

While students can learn both chemistry content and inquiry practices by participating in course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), it is well documented that prior experiences shape perception. We conducted a case study to investigate students' first experiences with a CURE in an upper-division chemical engineering laboratory…

Since 2012, when triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) were first reported by Wang and co-workers, various applications have taken advantage of their ability to transform mechanical energy into electrical energy. TENG applications cover many fields, including electronics, physics, materials science, and engineering. The differences in the language…

This article describes central tenets for design thinking and entrepreneurial thinking individually, then examines their intersection to analyze a product's feasibility in the market. The conceptual framework of combining design and entrepreneurial thinking can foster novelty in design, and also provides a means of extending instruction in the…

The development of vital competencies and a mindset to rethink products, production, and business models in engineering and design students is presently of great importance. These future professionals will play a key role in the development of sustainable products. Within Eco-design and Eco-efficiency curricular unit, an assignment was developed…

Our exponentially increasing knowledge base creates many new technology challenges. Academia must therefore respond emphatically. Educating rising professionals to successfully confront these future difficulties requires innovative curricula challenges. A successful adaptation integrates STEM program protocols into core courses. Embracing…