Describes an introductory course required of all engineering students at the Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal (Canada). Discusses the design of the course, including its emphasis upon the facets of engineering careers, direct experience, and written and spoken communication. (TW)

Presented is a discussion of the state of undergraduate education in science and engineering based on the interviews with a number of college students. Discussed are the underlying issues: recruitment, motivation, retention, curriculum, teaching incentives, role models and mentoring, hands-on experience, the nerd image, and quality of life. (KR)

This description of a laboratory experience for engineering students emphasizes guided design, a slow-motion experience in decision making of an open-ended problem. (SA)

Describes reform of a Chinese vocational teaching program. Emphasizes a teaching structure combining theoretical and practical teaching. Lists prerequisites for an independent teaching system as suitable instructors (usually engineers), equipment for practice, and a transformation of the students' views toward study. Urges revision of teaching…

Reports on a study which investigated the effects of having students analyze circuits in the laboratory compared with troubleshooting from homework problems. Results indicated that laboratory experiences provide a richer learning experience than lecture and homework alone. (TW)

Discusses the importance of laboratory experiments in which students were given a few guidelines and small groups had to design the experiments. Describes the old and new orders of laboratory projects and the effects of change. (CW)

Discusses some recent research dealing with the enhancement of an individual's capacity for acquiring and using information through direct instruction and training in appropriate information processing strategies. Describes a learning strategy system known as MURDER, and relates its use to the learning of scientific and technical material. (TW)

Describes an experiential lab program for a two-year college's chemical technology program. Discusses student experiences in six miniature pilot plants that represent the essential instrumentation and chemical processes found in the chemical industry. Recognizes the industries that helped implement the program. (TW)

Describes interdisciplinary activities with real-world applications ranging from science to mathematics to technology. Cites the study and construction of model bridges as a way for students to learn about engineering concepts and some of their relationships. States that the exercise enhanced teacher cooperation between the different fields. (RT)

This report describes a project at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (New York) to develop a curriculum that focuses on the social construction and use of science and technology in diverse cultural contexts. The program consists of both a minor and a three-course concentration on cross-cultural studies of science and technology. Courses covered…

Describes a self-managed learning approach designed to help engineering students take charge of their own learning. Discusses marker events, exploratory learning versus linear instruction, knowledge through self-discovery, information retrieval, production through writing and speaking, and promoting a mature response. (TW)

Describes the learning style inventory and learning cycle developed by David Kolb. Discusses the learning cycle's four stages as concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. Offers an example from a chemical engineering class in which Kolb's ideas are used in an effort to improve instruction.…

Discusses how, in two three-week sessions, the Terre Haute (Indiana) college offers selected students a hands-on approach to all aspects of engineering from design and lab work to technical writing. Describes a group project requiring students to study and experiment with simple research problems. Lists 20 project ideas. (MVL)

Describes the Rising Senior Program at the Georgia Institute of Technology, which is a cooperative education program designed to provide student interns with an opportunity to apply engineering principles to real problems related to the business interests of the Milliken textile manufacturing company. (TW)

Promotes the use of a practicum technique in which senior engineering level students work on typical company problems in a laboratory setting. Offers suggestions on how to solicit and organize such a university-industry course. (RT)