Research shows that that children learn science and engineering subjects best by engaging from an early age in the kinds of practices used by real scientists and engineers. By doing science and engineering, children not only develop and refine their understanding of the core ideas and crosscutting concepts of these disciplines, but can also be…

The COVID-19 pandemic is resulting in widespread and ongoing changes to how the K-12 education system functions, including disruptions to science teaching and learning environments. Students and teachers are all figuring out how to do schooling differently, and districts and states are working overtime to reimagine systems and processes. This is…

Lists over 340 materials published in 1990 related to engineering technology education and grouped under the following headings: administration; architectural; computer-assisted design/management (CAD/CAM); civil; computers; curriculum; electrical/electronics; industrial; industry/government/employers; instructional technology; laboratories;…

Describes a course designed to: use approaches developed in the study of transport phenomena as a unifying foundation; provide students with an understanding of the design and operation of these proceses; and review particular advantages and limitations of the processes being studied. Course content and teaching methods are included. (JN)

Examines three broad areas related to the formal learning of engineering. These areas focus on: (1) approaches to learning; (2) developing engineering curricula; and (3) curriculum planning for the future. Also considers whether current engineering curricula can accommodate needed changes. (JN)

Suggests five ways to make college proposal-writing assignments correspond more closely to the proposal-writing situations faced by engineers. They include emphasizing sales proposals over in-house planning or research and development proposals, using actual or fictional cases as the basis for assignments, and requiring oral presentations of the…

Describes a course (given to junior/senior students with strong background in thermodynamics and transport phenomena) that covers the theoretical and practical aspects of properties estimation. An outline for the course is included. (JN)

Describes an activity in which undergraduate students read an international publication to help them have a broader vision of the subject being studied, encourage constructive criticism, promote discussion, and stimulate efforts toward better oral and written communication in the students' native language. (JN)

Presents two examples which illustrate the usefulness of ideas from cellular automata. First, Lee's algorithm is recalled and its cellular nature shown. Then a problem from digraphs, which has arisen from analyzing predecessing configurations in the famous Conway's "game of life," is considered. (Author/JN)

Describes the teaching of professional ethics in a senior-level course on process analysis and professional practice. Students pose ethical problems and discuss/report their solution to those problems in the context of the Ontario code of ethics. (JN)

The adoption and use of the lost-work concept has been strongly hindered by the existence in the literature of two different quantities which bear the name "lost work." These two different concepts are discussed, focusing on their similarities and differences. Also discussed are advantages of the lost-work approach over other approaches.…

Shows how a problem from engineering thermodynamics is used to teach process design. Advantages of using this method are noted. (JN)

Students in a senior engineering design course are given a routine design project typical of the first project given to a fledgling engineer in industry and a project more typical of what an experienced engineer does. Routine and nonroutine design approaches and instructional strategies used in the course are described. (JN)

A one-month graduate course on time series analysis is offered in the department of chemical engineering at the University of Queensland (Australia). Describes the course, which is based on an interactive graphics time series identification and modelling computer package (TSIM). Also describes time-series analysis procedure and the TSIM package.…

Reports results of a nationwide survey on undergraduate mechanics education. These results are compared with previous surveys to document trends in mechanics education. Areas addressed include degrees granted, courses required, teaching responsibility, quality of teachers and students, subject matter taught, evaluation methods, and teaching…