This study presents a practical developed for an undergraduate geotechnical engineering course. The practical was designed to reduce systematic issues so that students could focus on cognitive and conceptual issues rather than practical minutiae. Compression tests were carried out on dry halite, enabling consistent specimen densities to be…

We report on the findings from an exploratory pilot study using the experience-sampling method (ESM) and interviews to examine learning in two undergraduate engineering technology courses designed to promote creativity. Results of the ESM analysis showed that students' positive experience decreased slightly in the first course and increased…

The authors describe a preliminary study to understand the attitude of engineering students regarding the use of design methods in projects to identify the factors either affecting or influencing the use of these methods by novice engineers. A senior undergraduate capstone design course at Clemson University, consisting of approximately fifty…

In the spring semester of 2010, a materials process course was selected as a means to perform a preferred learning style research study. This course was selected because it contained three groups of students: technology education, engineering technology, and industrial technology. The researchers believed that the differences in the students'…

Students in introductory engineering graphics courses at North Carolina State University (NCSU) were asked to complete surveys to help educators and administrators understand their attitudes toward learning and their motivation to learn. Analyses of the completed surveys provided the Graphic Communications Program at NCSU with an understanding of…

The present study was carried out to determine the motivating factors for enrolling in an engineering study programme in open and distance learning (ODL) and the factors that affect the students' performance. The study was conducted with two convenient samples of students following distance learning courses in engineering technology, conducted by…

Scientific literacy as a goal of a science education reform remains an important discourse in the research literature and is a key component of students' understanding and acceptance of emergent technologies like nanotechnology. This manuscript focuses on undergraduate engineering students' perceptions of the risks and benefits posed by…

This paper presents a case study in which the authors attempted to understand the impact, on student choice, of reforms in tertiary education in Australia, namely, a shift towards a demand-driven system and the blurring of the distinction between vocational education and training (VET) and higher education. The authors compared the advanced…

This qualitative case study examines the initial implementation of a problem-based version of an undergraduate course in materials science for the purpose of identifying areas of improvement to the curriculum prior to a planned second implementation. The course was designed around problems that students work in small teams to solve under the…

This study provides information for higher education leaders that have or are considering conducting Computer Aided Design (CAD) instruction using student owned notebook computers. Survey data were collected during the first 8 years of a pilot program requiring engineering technology students at a four year public university to acquire a notebook…

This work proposes an approach to remote learning of robotic cells based on internet and simulation tools. The proposed approach, which integrates remote-learning and tele-operation into a generic scheme, is designed to enable students and developers to set-up and manipulate a robotic cell remotely. Its implementation is based on a dedicated…

Surveyed engineering technology (ET) students (N=1306) to determine the percentage and characteristics of men and women enrolled in ET programs. Areas examined included: (1) recruitment; (2) family background; (3) academic background, attitudes, achievement, expectations, and goals; (4) extracurricular and cultural activities; and (5) choice of…

Electric Circuits 540-125 is the first course of a three-course sequence taken in the first year of the two-year program in Electrical-Electronic Engineering Technology at Cuyahoga Community College (Ohio). The conventional lecture method of instruction includes textbook and other reading assignments, lectures based on the readings and homework…

Provides data on recruitment, family, academic background, attitudes, and extracurricular/cultural interests of 1288 minority engineering technology students. Indicates that although their high school achievement was superior to average freshmen, their limited finances and low self-esteem remain as problems. Recommendations for addressing the…

Presents the results of statistical analyses and interpretations of data obtained from students in two engineering fundamentals courses on an attitudinal survey. Indicates positive and significant improvement in student attitudes toward their own drawing abilities and the importance of drawing in their lives and careers. (CW)