Background: Understanding the nature of engineering is important for shaping engineering education, especially precollege education. While much research has established the pedagogical benefits of teaching engineering in kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12), the philosophical foundations of engineering remain under-examined. Purpose: This…

Describes the use of programmable calculators in a linear algebra course at the University of Kansas. Reports that these calculators can exploit the opportunities of personal computing and allow students to concentrate on how to apply new mathematical principles to real-world applications. (JRH)

Analyzes the effectiveness of introducing practical design projects at an early stage within a civil engineering undergraduate program. Traces the success of this strategy at each stage from its introduction to the final evaluation. Findings indicate that the projects were successful in improving the understanding of basic concepts and encouraging…

Reports on the advances of one institution in integrating design across the undergraduate engineering curriculum. Design education is treated as a developmental process to be practiced during each year of the program. Presents examples of design work from courses in each year to illustrate the variety of design problems used to incorporate design…

A Research Experience for Undergraduates is an extracurricular opportunity for science and engineering undergraduate students to participate in academic research like graduate students. Describes an effort to incorporate professional ethics into such an experience. The basic premise--integrating explicit discussion of ethical considerations…

Proposes that the current highly impacted curriculum for baccalaureate degrees give way to a reduced program oriented toward engineering science that can be completed in four years. This curriculum must be based on a limited set of core educational outcomes and educate engineers within an integrated, liberal framework while preparing graduates for…

Describes a teaching method that provides instant assessment of student learning and allows instructors to take corrective measures in the same class period. The method is based on asking a multiple-choice question after every 10-20 minutes of lecture and getting responses from students. This methods allows all students to actively participate and…

Describes the Mathematical and Scientific Foundations of Engineering curriculum which emphasizes the mathematical and scientific concepts common to all engineering fields. Scientists and engineers together devised topics and experiments that emphasize the relevance of theory to real-world applications. Presents material efficiently while building…

Presents a multifaceted method for teaching engineering mechanics to satisfy several desiderata. This approach includes design projects, group work, basic competency exams, computational environments for simulating and visualizing phenomena, multimedia instructional tools, hands-on experiences, and student presentations. Describes the materials…