Engineering design skills coverage in K-12 engineering program curriculum materials in the USA

ABSTRACT

The current K-12 Science Education framework and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in the United States emphasise the integration of engineering design in science instruction to promote scientific literacy and engineering design skills among students. As such, many engineering education programmes have developed curriculum materials that are being used in K-12 settings. However, little is known about the nature and extent to which engineering design skills outlined in NGSS are addressed in these K-12 engineering education programme curriculum materials. We analysed nine K-12 engineering education programmes for the nature and extent of engineering design skills coverage. Results show that developing possible solutions and actual designing of prototypes were the highly covered engineering design skills; specification of clear goals, criteria, and constraints received medium coverage; defining and identifying an engineering problem; optimising the design solution; and demonstrating how a prototype works, and making iterations to improve designs were lowly covered. These trends were similar across grade levels and across discipline-specific curriculum materials. These results have implications on engineering design-integrated science teaching and learning in K-12 settings.     

大学工科教师专业化策略探微——基于“卓越工程师教育培养计划”的视角

大学工科教师的专业化程度如何,直接影响着"卓越工程师教育培养计划"的成败,因而有必要结合工科教师所处的成长环境,从教师职业特性、政府和教师个人这几个方面来制定促进大学工科类教师专业化的策略,如:树立终身学习理念,构建终身学习教育体系;政府因势利导,搭建立体式成长平台;面向高等工程教育国际化,主动融入工程教育国际合作;投身工程实践,提升工程教育的实践性。     

Identifying the challenging factors in the transition from colleges of engineering to employment

The transition from university to a career in engineering is a challenging process. This study examined the perceptions of engineering graduates regarding the difficulties they encountered in their transition from the university to the workplace. Lebanese practising engineers (n=217), living around the world, were surveyed to identify their current employment situations and their attitudes toward their academic preparation. Factor analysis revealed three main challenges facing engineering graduates: communication; responsibility; self-confidence. Seventeen interviews were conducted to gather information on ways to facilitate this transition. Comments reflected the need for better collaboration between engineering schools and engineering firms. The results will provide insight for engineering colleges, faculty members and administrators into the challenges faced by graduates and their aspirations for a smoother transition into employment.     

基于《悉尼协议》视角的我国高职工程教育发展与专业认证分析

当前,我国高职院校工程教育蓬勃发展,但仍存在教育界与工业界脱节、工程教育体系不符合产业界需求、专业教师的工程背景不够等问题。 在《悉尼协议》背景下,高职院校积极参加工程教育认证能够推动专业建设,上海、福建、广东等地的高职院校已先行先试。高职院校通过与工业界建立长效合作机制,合作开发课程体系、建立内部专业评估机制、提升师资队伍的工程经历,加强 与其他地区的合作是推动我国高职工程教育发展与国际认证的重要措施。     

Making Sense of Space: Distributed Spatial Sensemaking in a Middle School Summer Engineering Camp

Spatial thinking is important for success in engineering. However, little is known about how students learn and apply spatial skills, particularly in kindergarten to Grade 12 engineering learning. The present study investigated the role of spatial thinking in engineering learning at a middle school summer camp. Participants were 26 students (13 female, 13 male), predominantly from underrepresented groups. We took a cognitive ethnographic approach, using observations of hands-on engineering learning activities to identify moments when spatial problems arose and how learners made sense of these problems. We describe these processes as distributed spatial sensemaking because they involved both internal (cognitive) processes and also interactions with other learners, materials, and representations. We identified 90 distributed spatial sensemaking episodes in our data set. These episodes facilitated important engineering practices such as hypothesis testing and design iteration. We also found that different activities elicited different types of distributed spatial sensemaking episodes. Our results demonstrate how spatial thinking matters in everyday engineering learning and speaks to the types of engineering learning activities that scaffold particular spatial processes and practices. Our research also shows how cognitive, situated, and distributed theories can be used in tandem to make sense of a complex phenomenon like engineering learning.     

Engineering ethics education in the USA: Content,pedagogy and curriculum

Interest in engineering ethics education developed significant momentum in the USA as the 20th century drew to a close. Nevertheless, nearly 80% of engineering graduates are not required to take ethics-related courses. The content of engineering ethics education consists of 'microethical' issues focusing on individual professional responsibility and 'macroethical' issues dealing with the development of technology. The pedagogical framework of engineering ethics education has evolved primarily toward utilization of case studies and codes of ethics, in some instances supplemented by an introduction to moral theory. Substantial progress has been made in the development of case materials, including highprofile cases, everyday cases, quantitative cases and cases highlighting 'good works'. Cases are widely disseminated in textbooks and online. Online resources include interactive case studies and a rich variety of other ethics-related materials. Prominent curriculum models in the USA include a required course in engineering ethics, ethics-across-the-curriculum projects, and integration of engineering ethics and science, technology and society material. Changes in accreditation criteria for US engineering schools will potentially elevate the prominence of instruction in engineering ethics and the societal context of engineering. Many challenges remain, most notably the need for US engineering faculty to accept greater responsibility for engineering ethics education.     

人机工程技术研究的现状及发展趋势

本文首先介绍了人机工程学的概念,回顾了人机工程技术国内外的研究状况,指出了人机工程技术研究的应用领域;其次通过对人机界面技术及视觉-目标拾取认知技术研究的规律研究的分析,对当前人机工程技术研究的发展趋势进行了探讨;最后对人机工程技术的应用前景进行了分析。     

化工原理教学中工程观念的培养与强化

文章通过化工原理各个教学环节课堂教学的讲授、例题与习题的训练、考试阶段的检验、实验环节的巩固、化工单元过程的课程设计、产学研相结合的实践学习与应用等方面,充分探讨和论证该课程对培养与强化学生的化工工程观念的重要作用,以期为培养化工类学生工程素质提供有效途径.     

Design-based research to broaden participation in pre-college engineering: research and practice of an interest-based engineering challenges framework

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a design-based research project undertaken to test and implement an interest-based engineering challenges framework for pre-college students. This work is motivated by the need for innovative engineering education practices in pre-college settings, and making engineering more inclusive for people from diverse backgrounds. The design-based research methodology can be challenging to implement as it comprises of multiple, cyclical research activities that provide challenges in documenting and communicating the larger study’s progress. This paper presents findings from this continuously evolving study, and also the design and implementation of this design-based research at roughly the halfway point for a four-year study. Each of the consequent versions scaffold to answer the broader research questions of the study pertaining to: engineering appealing to students’ personal interests, empowering underrepresented groups to find meaningful connections to engineering, leading more authentic engagement in engineering and design practices, and improving students’ attitudes and perception of engineering.     

工科专业本科生学习性投入的性别差异分析

本研究使用华中地区一所理工科院校的调查数据,分析工科专业本科生在学习性投入和学业收获中存在的性别差异,检验工科专业本科生学习性投入对其学业收获的影响是否因性别而存在不同。研究发现：工科专业女生在学习努力程度、课外拓展学习、学习意义感、学习动力及感知到的学术环境和人际关系等因素上均显著高于男生,但在生师交流互动、专业兴趣上显著低于男生;工科专业女生在校期间学习性投入程度更高,学习成绩更好,但对自我学习收获的评价相对较低;学习性投入各因素对工科专业男女生学业收获的正向促进作用也有所不同。对此,本文提出工程教育改革应重视工科专业女生的专业自信心和归属感的建立,以消除单一的男性主导的工科学习环境对女生学习及发展的潜在影响。     

A model for the development of university curricula in nanoelectronics

Nanotechnology is having an increasing impact on university curricula in electrical engineering and in physics. Major influencers affecting developments in university programmes related to nanoelectronics are discussed and a model for university programme development is described. The model takes into account that nanotechnology affects not only physics but also electrical engineering and computer engineering because of the advent of new nanoelectronics devices. The model suggests that curriculum development tends to follow one of three major tracks: physics; electrical engineering; computer engineering. Examples of European curricula following this framework are identified and described. These examples may serve as sources of inspiration for future developments and the model presented may provide guidelines for a systematic selection of topics in the university programmes.     

Projects in Undergraduate Engineering Education in America

A survey of engineering educators in the US was conducted to ascertain actual practice regarding the delivery of engineering projects in the curriculum. The survey focused only on project experiences carrying significant academic credit that are free-standing elements of the curriculum; that is, they are not associated with or part of a course. Inquiries covered: the degree to which such activities meet requirements for graduation, accreditation and/or professional licensure; the extent of involvement of off-campus professionals in the conduct of the project, and in its support and its evaluation and assessment; the size and make-up of student teams in such activities, and the preparation and evaluation techniques used for team efforts; and the degree to which faculty members act as advisors or teachers. This paper briefly describes what is meant generally by the project mode of instruction in engineering education in the US, and describes the breadth of pedagogy in the current delivery of engineering projects represented by the survey responses, and by the engineering education literature discussing project education. The paper is intended to provide a basis for the international exchange of ideas on how engineering project education is being presented in various nations. Current trends in US engineering education that affect project education are also highlighted for comparison with those in other countries.     

Value creation in the engineering enterprise: an educational perspective

ABSTRACT

This position paper sets out to examine value creation in the engineering enterprise, a process that has mostly been associated with innovation and entrepreneurs. An analysis of the literature on engineering value creation in business studies, engineering and engineering education publications shows that there has been surprisingly little empirical study and thus the means by which most engineers contribute value is unclear in the literature. Analysis of published data and data from studies by the authors in engineering workplaces in Australia, South East Asia and Portugal suggests that the work performed by most engineers has little to do with innovation. Based on these data the authors identify 14 ways in which engineers create value. An important finding is that routine engineering performances by a majority of engineers, not associated with innovation or entrepreneurial activities, not only can be shown to create value, but also to protect accumulated value from inadvertent destruction. The paper outlines the educational implications of these findings and proposes measures that engineering educators can adopt to improve the understanding of engineering graduates about engineering value creation.     

The Impact of Design-Based STEM Integration Curricula on Student Achievement in Engineering,Science, and Mathematics

The new science education reform documents call for integration of engineering into K-12 science classes. Engineering design and practices are new to most science teachers, meaning that implementing effective engineering instruction is likely to be challenging. This quasi-experimental study explored the influence of teacher-developed, engineering design-based science curriculum units on learning and achievement among grade 4–8 students of different races, gender, special education status, and limited English proficiency (LEP) status. Treatment and control students (n = 4450) completed pretest and posttest assessments in science, engineering, and mathematics as well as a state-mandated mathematics test. Single-level regression results for science outcomes favored the treatment for one science assessment (physical science, heat transfer), but multilevel analyses showed no significant treatment effect. We also found that engineering integration had different effects across race and gender and that teacher gender can reduce or exacerbate the gap in engineering achievement for student subgroups depending on the outcome. Other teacher factors such as the quality of engineering-focused science units and engineering instruction were predictive of student achievement in engineering. Implications for practice are discussed.     

“化工原理”教学中学生工程能力的培养

为了全方位培养学生的工程能力,文章提出了在化工原理的各个教学环节中,应该有侧重地培养学生的工程能力。在理论教学中应该侧重培养工程观念;在课程实验中应该引导学生理解实际问题的复杂多样性;在课程设计中应该注重培养学生的工程思维;在课程实习中应该着重培养学生的工程实践能力。     

发达国家继续工程教育经验及借鉴意义

自20世纪中期以来，发达国家把发展继续工程教育当做促进国民经济、参与国际竞争的强大支柱。积极推进继续工程教育，并积累了许多宝贵的经验：政府高度重视继续工程教育的立法工作；推行“有薪学习假”；办学主体多元化；确保继续工程教育经费；着重培养应用型人才。借鉴这些成功的经验。对我国继续工程教育的发展大有裨益。     

Mathematics in engineering - part I

In this two part article I try to convey some of the variety and excitement involved in the application of mathematics to engineering problems; to provide a taste of some actual mathematical calculations that engineers do; and finally, to make clear the distinctions between the applied subject of engineering and its purer parents, which include mathematics and the physical sciences. Two main points of this article are that in engineering it is approximation, and not truth, that reigns; and that an engineer carries a burden of responsibility that mathematicians and scientists are spared. In this first part, I present my views on how engineering differs from mathematics and the physical sciences, and describe what I consider the workhorses of engineering calculations.     

Common elements of capstone projects in the world's top-ranked engineering universities

‘Capstone’ is a metaphor used to describe a final achievement that builds upon previous works and encapsulates them. Capstone projects are included in engineering curricula to integrate multi-disciplinary subjects and teach professional skills that are difficult to impart in a traditional lectured course. Since these projects serve to transition students into professional engineers, they have a direct impact on a university's industry reputation and ranking. Therefore, it is worthwhile to study the capstone programmes implemented at the world's top-ranked engineering universities to discover common elements which characterise them. In this paper, common elements of the capstone programmes implemented in mechanical and aerospace engineering undergraduate programmes in the world's top-ranked engineering universities are identified and analysed to determine established best practices. These practices can be modelled and applied to the pedagogy of engineering programmes at universities around the world to improve the development of professional skills of future graduates.