A Study with undergraduate engineering students was conducted in order to evaluate whether cognitive and comprehending ability can be improved by incorporating the tool based learning. The simulator tools and virtual labs were used to represent tool based learning. The study was conducted on three different years of students. In the first stage…

The laboratory is an integral component of engineering education, resulting in a multitude of studies. Generally, the research focus is on the laboratory innovation, rather than learning itself. It is observed that empirical evidence is strongly built around student perceptions of their learning or experience via survey instruments; and in some…

Traditional teaching approaches are generally teacher-directed, where students are taught in a manner that is conducive to sitting and listening. It is often argued that these approaches may not provide students with valuable learning skills, and rather that non-traditional approaches to teaching and learning might better endow students with such…

Many university-level electrical engineering courses continue to use textbooks as curriculum scaffolds, prescribed texts, and/or reference volumes. Textbook reliance is even more pronounced in courses that teach foundational principles of the discipline, such as introductory circuit theory. This paper reports on the conceptual coverage of…

Academic writing, particularly writing research articles, is an indispensable part of every major in higher education. Hyland (2004) argued that a valuable means of exploring academic writing, and comparing the rhetorical features and preferences of different discourse communities, is through the metadiscourse analysis of the text. The present…

Gaps between science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and required workplace skills have been identified in industry, academia, and government. Educators acknowledge the need to reform STEM education to better prepare students for their future careers. We pursue this growing interest in the skills needed for STEM…

Analyzing 36,000 strings of instructional data from fifteen faculty teaching twenty-eight courses over five semesters, the authors conducted a research study exploring differences in the pedagogical practices of pretenured and tenured faculty teaching innovative courses designed around the principles of the "How People Learn" (HPL)…

This report contains analyses of key aspects of the scope, quality, and vitality of the Nation's science and engineering enterprise and global science and technology. The report presents information on science, mathematics, and engineering education at all levels; the scientific and engineering workforce; U.S. and international and development…

Examined are the number and distribution of persons engaged in research and development in the U.S.S.R. Quantitative comparisons are made between Soviet and U.S. research and development employment. Data indicate that the estimated number of scientists and engineers in the U.S.S.R. substantially exceeds the number in the U.S. (Author/CS)

Two techniques for determining a straight line fit to data are compared. This article reviews two simple techniques for fitting a straight line to a set of data, namely the method of averages and the method of least squares. These methods are compared by showing the results of a simple analysis, together with a number of tests based on randomized…

Compares the five classic graphic design principles used to construct visual messages--proportion, sequence, emphasis, unity, and balance--with relevant human factors research findings. Compiled by Williges and Williges (1981) these findings focus on the structuring of information for visual displays in interactive environments. (MBR)

Differences in the kinds of knowledge validation processes, truth criteria, and other factors associated with knowledge production are presented for five disciplines (physics, engineering, psychology, education, and English literature), and implications for improving instruction are examined. It is concluded that faculty must understand the…

Data concerning the funding and productivity of teacher education divisions in major state universities and land-grant colleges in the United States are presented. Section I discusses concepts of funding adequacy and equity in public elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Data are included on differential weighing of academic…

This report presents survey data from the Survey of Federal Support to Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit Institutions for Fiscal Year 1991. This is a survey of the 15 Federal agencies that provide virtually all of the Federal funding for science and engineering research and development (R & D) at universities and colleges. Amounts for tuition…

This report presents survey data from the Survey of Federal Support to Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit Institutions for Fiscal Year 1992. This is a survey of the 15 federal agencies that provide virtually all of the federal funding for science and engineering research and development (R & D) at universities and colleges. Data tables list…