Long-term Practicals in Chemistry in the First-cycle Engineering Curriculum

In 1974–75 at the K.U.Leuven Project Work as Practicals was started in the first-cycle engineering curriculum aiming at (1) the integration of separate teaching items and 7lpar;2) the integration of theoretical and practical or numerical aspects of those items. After 4 years the evaluation of it was more than satisfactory. The teaching team of the Chemistry course has integrated this system of practicals into their normal chemistry practicals. In this way more students 7lpar;currently only 20%) would be able to profit from the new education curriculum, now called ‘Long-term Practicals’. About 20%of the sophomore student volunteers are working for about 15 hours spread over 5 weeks at a mini-research subject in close contact with the members of the teaching team, using the instruments of the Chemistry Division, reading the literature, writing a report after the practical work, with discussion and evaluation of the work with their team-leader. To make it possible that all the sophomore students (400 students in 1987)could profit from this new education system, the physics, mechanics, mathematics, etc. practicals have to adapt to the same integrated practical system.     

Computer based simulation of laboratory experiments

The author is currently developing computer based simulations of practical laboratory experiments in engineering. He takes the view that the aim of computer based simulations is to provide a learning experience as close to that of the lab as possible. This requires that the learning outcomes and methodology of practical work be established.
The paper starts with a review of published opinions on the intended learning outcomes of practical work. The views of staff and students of the School were established by conducting an internal survey. The paper then outlines the types of simulations possible on the computer before concentrating on the development of the operational simulations being used in the present context. The approach to obtaining fidelity in operation forms the main part of the paper.
The author is currently engaged in evaluating the effectiveness of one of the packages. He discusses the approach being taken and his views on the advantages and disadvantages of simulation. It is hoped that a subsequent paper will publish the results of the evaluation.     

Engineering students' understanding of the role of experimentation

Resource constraints have forced engineering schools to reduce laboratory provisions in undergraduate courses. In many instances hands-on experimentation has been replaced by demonstrations or computer simulations. Many engineering educators have cautioned against replacing experiments with simulations on the basis that this will lead to a misunderstanding of the role of experimentation in engineering practice. However, little is known about how students conceptualize the role of experimentation in developing engineering understanding. This study is based on interviews with third-year mechanical engineering students. Findings are presented on their perceptions in relation to the role of experimentation in developing engineering knowledge and practice.     

The Software Factory: An Undergraduate Computer Science Curriculum

Industry often complains that current academic curricula fail to address the practical issues of real software development. This paper outlines a proposal for an innovative core curriculum for a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. The proposed core curriculum contains elements of traditional computer science programs combined with software engineering via a team-oriented, hands-on approach to large-scale software development. In addition to traditional lecture/ project/exam courses, students are required to take an eight-semester sequence of ‘Software Factory’ courses. Software Factory courses put the students' newly acquired skills to work in a real software organization staffed and managed by all students in the program. Students from all courses in the Software Factory sequence meet simultaneously to fulfill their roles in the software organization. We expect that the students will be better prepared software engineering practitioners after completing a curriculum that combines traditional courses with practical Software Factory experience.     

“大学物理实验”课程教学改革策略探索

"大学物理实验"是面向理工科学院学生开授的通识必修基础课,该课程要求学生在学习了大学物理的基本知识后,能够借助物理实验室提供的实验仪器,通过自己动手操作,完成相应的物理实验项目,加深对物理理论的理解和融会贯通,同时增强学生的实践能力,对学生后续的专业实验和实践起到承前启后的引导作用。大学物理实验教学改革是本科教学发展的需求,重视学生独立自主学习、开拓创新,以学生为中心进行教育教学。学校"大学物理实验"教学改革中融入了课程思政,加入了虚拟仿真实验,实现了线上线下混合式的教学模式,做到推陈出新、虚实结合。     

Effects of Combined Hands-on Laboratory and Computer Modeling on Student Learning of Gas Laws: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Based on current theories of chemistry learning, this study intends to test a hypothesis that computer modeling enhanced hands-on chemistry laboratories are more effective than hands-on laboratories or computer modeling laboratories alone in facilitating high school students' understanding of chemistry concepts. Thirty-three high school chemistry students from a private all-girl high school in northeastern United States were divided into two groups to participate in a quasi-experimental study. Each group completed a particular sequence of computer modeling and hands-on laboratories plus pre-test and post-tests of conceptual understanding of gas laws. Each group also completed a survey of conceptions of scientific models. Non-parametric tests, i.e. Friedman's one-way analysis of ranks and Wilcoxon's signed ranks test, showed that the combined computer modeling and hands-on laboratories were more effective than either computer simulations or hands-on laboratory alone in promoting students' conceptual understanding of the gas law on the relationship between temperature and pressure. It was also found that student conception of scientific models as replicas is statistically significantly correlated with students' conceptual understanding of the particulate model of gases. The findings mentioned earlier support the recent call for model-based science teaching and learning in chemistry.     

计算机网络基础课程实训开发

实训是计算机网络教学中不可缺少的部分。学生在实训中通过动手操作网络设备和软件获取的应用经验和能力,将有助于他们更好地消化吸收从课堂或书本中学到的概念和原理。网络实训项目的开发和设计是一项富有挑战性的工作,本文从作者多年来设计和开发适合应用型本科和高职学生的网络实训项目的经验出发,介绍了如何设计与计算机网络基础配套的实训项目,如何引入发现学习的方法来设计实训中的反思过程。最后通过学生的反馈信息,说明这种实训项目在提高学生学习网络兴趣方面的作用。     

When the black box springs open: practical work in schools and the nature of science

The aim of this paper is not to bury practical work in school science but to (once again) reconsider it. We draw on three main areas of discussion: accounts of science and ‘school science work'; teachers and others’ views of the nature of science; and our own data on teachers’ reactions to ‘critical incidents’ and practicals which go wrong. We use this as a basis for re‐thinking the role of practicals. An account of practical work is suggested which has as its main feature diversity rather than a single model or template. Within this diversity we believe that teachers should be open and honest with pupils about which type of practical work they are doing and why. We advocate that students should be made aware of the different kinds of practical work they do and the purposes of this practical work. In short, teachers should explain to students what type of practical work they are doing and why. Our second message is that teachers’ views about the nature of science both inform and are informed by their classroom practices and experiences‐‐especially during lab‐work. To encourage, promote and support critical reflection of these classroom practices and experiences is therefore a vital part of teacher professional development; this in time will promote science curriculum development.     

Student enthusiasm for engineering: charting changes in student aspirations and motivation

Many recent teaching initiatives in engineering education have the underlying premise of improving student engagement with global issues and providing first-hand experience of complex problems associated with sustainable development and production. A greater understanding of actual motivational drivers may help in student recruitment and retention, and address, e.g. gender disparity. In this work, student motivations and aspirations are explored through a cross-faculty survey of undergraduate engineering students. The results indicate that while many students start an engineering degree with an aspiration to ‘invent something new’ and ‘make a difference to the world’, these diminish with time to be dominated by issues such as financial security. Students who continue to aspire to the creative/high-impact notions of engineering also maintain an enthusiasm for engineering. However, all students desire more practical work and skills training. Based on these findings, some general recommendations are given for further inspiring students towards engineering.     

A teaching strategy for enhancement of physics learning in the first year of industrial engineering

The objective of this paper is to describe a teaching strategy for enhancement of physics learning among students in their first year of industrial engineering by using a conception of learning according with the scientific methodology. We describe very concisely the theoretical basis of our proposal, which takes into account the recent contribution of research into physics and engineering education. Four classes of first years were taught by the proposed strategy and during 4 years all students of each class (about 952 students in total) were tested on their understanding of the physics programme. The results of the innovation support the fact that there has been a remarkable improvement in teaching effectiveness.     

Introducing engineering into American secondary education

Media reports indicate the decline of the technological literacy of American youth, especially that students in other countries are better prepared in science and mathematics. Our active-learning program, which consists of numerous hands-on experiments, introduces engineering applications into science and math programs, that will demonstrate to students the usefulness of the theory that they currently do not see as useful. The program, when fully developed, will make optimum use of technology, especially computers and videotapes. The hands-on experiments allow students to discover fundamental principles through data analysis and then use the principles to synthesize a solution to a technological problem. This discovery-based education will help school systems better meet performance standards such as those in the Maryland School Performance Plan. The experimental approach to science education is especially important in a technology-oriented economy where children use the new technologies without understanding the principles on which they are based.     

欧洲学生选举谷歌为最理想的雇主公司

互联网公司谷歌在对欧洲工程和IT学生的调查中成为了最理想的雇主公司。1月和4R间，在欧洲100所大学的8100名工程和IT学生中，有17％的人选谷歌作为梦想中的工作地点。在Universum要求毕业生在130所公司中选出他们最理想的工作地点的调查中，谷歌首次上榜就将电脑公司IBM从冠军位置上挤了下去。谷歌在去年才积极地在欧洲招募技术实习生和毕业生。     

A paperless course on structural engineering programming: investing in educational technology in the times of the Greek financial recession

This paper presents the structure of an undergraduate course entitled ‘programming techniques and the use of specialised software in structural engineering’ which is offered to the fifth (final) year students of the Civil Engineering Department of Aristotle University Thessaloniki in Greece. The aim of this course is to demonstrate the use of new information technologies in the field of structural engineering and to teach modern programming and finite element simulation techniques that the students can in turn apply in both research and everyday design of structures. The course also focuses on the physical interpretation of structural engineering problems, in a way that the students become familiar with the concept of computational tools without losing perspective from the engineering problem studied. For this purpose, a wide variety of structural engineering problems are studied in class, involving structural statics, dynamics, earthquake engineering, design of reinforced concrete and steel structures as well as data and information management. The main novelty of the course is that it is taught and examined solely in the computer laboratory ensuring that each student can accomplish the prescribed ‘hands-on’ training on a dedicated computer, strictly on a 1:1 student over hardware ratio. Significant effort has also been put so that modern educational techniques and tools are utilised to offer the course in an essentially paperless mode. This involves electronic educational material, video tutorials, student information in real time and exams given and assessed electronically through an ad hoc developed, personalised, electronic system. The positive feedback received from the students reveals that the concept of a paperless course is not only applicable in real academic conditions but is also a promising approach that significantly increases student productivity and engagement. The question, however, is whether such an investment in educational technology is indeed timely during economic recession, where the academic priorities are rapidly changing. In the light of this unfavourable and unstable financial environment, a critical overview of the strengths, the weaknesses, the opportunities and the threats of this effort is presented herein, hopefully contributing to the discussion on the future of higher education in the time of crisis.     

Are Virtual Labs as Effective as Hands-on Labs for Undergraduate Physics? A Comparative Study at Two Major Universities

Most physics professors would agree that the lab experiences students have in introductory physics are central to the learning of the concepts in the course. It is also true that these physics labs require time and money for upkeep, not to mention the hours spent setting up and taking down labs. Virtual physics lab experiences can provide an alternative or supplement to these traditional hands-on labs. However, physics professors may be very hesitant to give up the hands-on labs, which have been such a central part of their courses, for a more cost and time-saving virtual alternative. Thus, it is important to investigate how the learning from these virtual experiences compares to that acquired through a hands-on experience. This study evaluated a comprehensive set of virtual labs for introductory level college physics courses and compared them to a hands-on physics lab experience. Each of the virtual labs contains everything a student needs to conduct a physics laboratory experiment, including: objectives, background theory, 3D simulation, brief video, data collection tools, pre- and postlab questions, and postlab quiz. This research was conducted with 224 students from two large universities and investigated the learning that occurred with students using the virtual labs either in a lab setting or as a supplement to hands-on labs versus a control group of students using the traditional hands-on labs only. Findings from both university settings showed the virtual labs to be as effective as the traditional hands-on physics labs.     

Development of an engineering identity in the engineering curriculum in Dutch higher education: an exploratory study from the teaching staff perspective

How do engineering students develop a professional identity during the course of the curriculum? What are the development mechanisms and important conditions? In an exploratory study among teachers the authors tried to find out whether the development of engineering identity can be understood by using the theoretical models of Ibarra and Sullivan. The results showed that the development of engineering identity is boosted during the internship in industry in the third year. Furthermore, the theoretical models could be recognised in the findings and four interaction types in internships, with significant differences in effect on identity development, could be identified if two dimensions were used: (1) industry supervisors’ perception of students; (2) the professional responsibility awarded. Some recommendations for curriculum improvement could be made; for example, introducing projects into the curriculum to stimulate identity development from the start. Further research is required on students’ preparation for internships.     

Students Who Demonstrate Strong Talent and Interest in STEM Are Initially Attracted to STEM through Extracurricular Experiences

What early experiences attract students to pursue an education and career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)? Does hands-on research influence them to persevere and complete a major course of academic study in STEM? We evaluated survey responses from 149 high school and undergraduate students who gained hands-on research experience in the 2007–2013 Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Programs (ASSIP) at George Mason University. Participants demonstrated their strong interest in STEM by volunteering to participate in ASSIP and completing 300 h of summer research. The survey queried extracurricular experiences, classroom factors, and hands-on projects that first cultivated students’ interest in the STEM fields, and separately evaluated experiences that sustained their interest in pursuing a STEM degree. The majority of students (65.5%, p < 0.0001) reported extracurricular encounters, such as the influence of a relative or family member and childhood experiences, as the most significant factors that initially ignited their interest in STEM, while hands-on lab work was stated as sustaining their interest in STEM (92.6%). Based on these findings collected from a cohort of students who demonstrated a strong talent and interest in STEM, community-based programs that create awareness about STEM for both children and their family members may be key components for igniting long-term academic interest in STEM.     

Occurrences and quality of teacher and student strategies for self-regulated learning in hands-on simulations

For many decades, teacher-structured hands-on simulations have been used in education mainly for developing procedural and technical skills. Stimulating contemporary learning outcomes suggests more constructivist approaches. The aim of this study is to examine how self-regulated learning (SRL), an important constructivist learning environment characteristic, is expressed in hands-on simulations. Via structured observations of teachers’ SRL promoting strategies and students’ SRL strategies in eight hands-on simulations, along the three phases of SRL, this study is the first to expose whether students and teachers use SRL in hands-on simulations, what these strategies look like and what their quality is. The results show that both students and teachers demonstrate SRL behaviour in the forethought, performance and reflection phase to some extent, but that they vary considerably in their occurrences, form and quality and provide opportunities for improvement. For example, teacher strategies ‘modelling’ and ‘scaffolding’ were often used, while ‘giving attribution feedback’ and ‘evaluation’ were lacking. The student strategy ‘proposing methods for task performance’ was used regularly, while ‘goal-setting’ and ‘self-monitoring’ were often absent. An overview shows exemplary teacher and student behaviours in the SRL phases with lower, medium and higher quality in hands-on simulations.     

Final year engineering projects in Australia and Europe

The paper starts by emphasising that final year engineering projects are regarded important in the training and education of professional engineers in Australia and Europe. The sources of projects available to students were also mentioned. Some Australian universities insist on individual projects but some not, each with their own reasons. However, it can be argued that all European universities run individual projects. In most cases, whether it is in Australia or Europe, the total load for final year engineering projects is about 6.25% of the load of engineering programmes. Assessment methods were also described. They were all different whether in Australia or Europe but not very significant. It was discovered that literature reviews, oral presentations and written reports or dissertations were important elements in the assessment schemes. Many university staff, in both continents, encouraged students to publish their work in international conferences and journals if the originality of the projects was high. It can be argued that the individual project is most effective in learning outcome; however, the cost involved is also very high and its sustainability in smaller universities in Australia is in doubt.     

Hands-on Activities and Their Influence on Students’ Interest

This study investigates the influence of hands-on activities on students’ interest. We researched whether students with experience in specific hands-on activities show higher interest in these activities than students without experience. Furthermore, the relationship between the quality of the hands-on experience and interest in the respective activity was examined. In total, 28 typical hands-on activities of biology education were considered. The activities were divided into the categories experimentation, dissection, work with microscopes, and classification. A total of 141 students from the 11th grade completed questionnaires on interest in the hands-on activities, their experience with each activity, and the quality of the respective experience. Students’ interest in experimenting, working with microscopes, dissecting and classifying tends to benefit from performing hands-on activities. However, findings indicated that the performance of various hands-on activities can influence students’ interest differently. For seven hands-on activities, we identified a positive effect of hands-on experience on interest, while in one case, practical work appeared to have influenced students’ interest negatively. However, for most hands-on activities, no effect of experience on interest was found. The quality of hands-on experiences showed positive correlations with interest in the respective hands-on activities. Therefore, this paper argues in favour of designing biology lessons that allow for experiences with hands-on activities that also interest students. Our findings underline the necessity of investigating the effects of various hands-on activities in a differentiated manner.     

First‐year university science and engineering students’ understanding of plagiarism

This paper is a case study of first‐year science and engineering students’ understandings of plagiarism. Students were surveyed for their views on scenarios illustrating instances of plagiarism in the context of the academic work and assessment of science and engineering students. The aim was to explore their understandings of plagiarism and their judgement about the seriousness of each incident, and to shed light on the decisions they might make in response to such situations. The data indicated that although students could provide sound definitions of plagiarism, they did not always appreciate the scope of class‐based activity that constitutes plagiarism. Some examples of plagiarism were regarded as less serious than others, and in contradiction with the institution’s policy. Students also generally favoured more lenient penalties than provided for by policy. The purpose of the study was to ascertain first‐year students’ developmental needs in relation to academic honesty, plagiarism and appropriate acknowledgement of others’ work.