The aim of this study was to explore knowledge in the context of creating a shared curriculum between research-intensive and vocationally oriented universities of applied sciences. Curriculum knowledge was explored from the accounts of 26 teachers from four institutions in Finland. Shared curriculum initiatives created an environment in which…

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has changed the way many civil engineers organise and execute their job in recent years. Many universities around the world have been adapting their curricula to include BIM education. However, this adaptation has been incomplete, occurring only in a small number of subjects. To fill this gap, this paper…

Most science curricular reform efforts are designed by administrators or science education experts. It is less common for teachers to work collaboratively across disciplines to create, implement, and disseminate an integrated STEM curriculum developed for noncollege-bound students that ended up being popular across student populations at the…

Contribution: This paper analyzes reflective thinking within organizational structures in higher education and draws parallels between the challenges faced by educators developing interdisciplinary courses and their students working in ill-structured projects. Background: Interdisciplinarity as a learning goal is prevalent across engineering…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of applying sustainability to the engineering curriculum at a university in China. Design/methodology/approach: A new curriculum, "ethics, involvement and sustainability," was designed and presented to engineering students from an undergraduate major in quality…

Given the current emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and its key attributes, middle school is an optimal time to implement STEM-based curricula. However, the interdisciplinary and open-ended nature of STEM projects often makes implementation difficult. In this article, we describe a professional development…

The field of nanotechnology has outgrown the discovery phase into the application and even commercial production phases. Consequently, the need for a workforce capable of supporting this growth is more than ever. However, because of the different challenges associated with nanotechnology education, specific courses are required to be developed and…

This paper describes a case study of an innovative approach to teaching at an engineering school. The postgraduate course "Project Work and Communication in Research and Development (R&D)" was developed at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. The main aim of the course was to make…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on a number of initiatives in civil engineering undergraduate programmes at the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) that allow students to complete engineering projects in the community, enabling them to learn by doing. Design/methodology/approach: A formal commitment to civic engagement was…

The rapid evolution of System-on-Chip (SoC) challenges academic curricula to keep pace with multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary system thinking. This paper presents a curricular prototype that cuts across artificial course boundaries and provides a meaningful exploration of diverse facets of SoC design. Specifically, experimental contents of a…

Mechatronic systems that couple mechanical and electrical systems with the help of computer control are forcing a paradigm shift in the design, manufacture, and implementation of mechanical devices. The inherently interdisciplinary nature of these systems generates exciting new opportunities for developing a hands-on, inventive, and…

Equipping engineering students with the skills and knowledge required to be successful global engineers in the 21st century is one of the primary objectives of undergraduate educators. Enabling students to practice self-directed learning, to find solutions to design problems that are sustainable and to recognize that they are part of a global…