A professor entered a four-year engineering program together with student volunteers to obtain information on their problem-solving skills. This information as well as information on student characteristics and characteristics of freshmen and sophomore years are discussed in terms of curriculum modification, available resources, and needed changes…

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University Technology Malaysia is currently moving towards a Problem-Based Laboratory implementation rather than the conventional instructional-based laboratory for final year students. The laboratory has commenced session with about 500 students' registration in the 2007/08/1. The Problem-Based Laboratory…

As the result of a qualitative investigation into spatial ability, a teaching technique called mentored sketching was found to be effective for teaching visualization skills to freshman engineering students. This contribution describes the technique, how it evolved, and comments made by students as to its effectiveness. While mentored sketching…

Launching new or improved products to the market typically involves extensive collaboration within and beyond the enterprise. Succeeding in a customer-driven market economy demands the practice of simultaneous engineering. The standard engineering or engineering technology curricula continue to make efforts in providing students with opportunities…

A need has emerged in the curriculum for more teamwork experience, for the development of better communication and critical thinking skills, and for the acquisition of specialized knowledge. A focus on the processes by which problems are solved has served our discipline well and can continue to serve us if in the classroom we make appropriate…

Summarizes a simple design algorithm which identifies nested loops of equations which must be solved by trial-and-error methods. The algorithm is designed to minimize such loops, provides guidance to the selection of variables, and delineates the order in which systems of equations are to be solved. Examples are included. (TW)

Use of problem-solving skills in various classroom situations are discussed. Demonstrates that the thinking level of assigned problems, type of examination questions, example-type problems in class, time factor in examinations, grading, help outside of classroom, and behavioral objectives are all areas where problem-solving skills of students can…

Rapidly changing engineering designs and business scenarios make it essential for engineers and technical personnel to be trained to be effective team players and project managers. This paper reports the experiences gained in developing and implementing a workshop to train engineers at a steel manufacturing plant. The objective of the workshop was…

The universities and faculties which educate teachers of mathematics for teaching pupils/students of any age group from pre-school age to higher education carefully monitor and compare valuable results of this research, detect the areas in which the mathematical achievements of pupils should be improved at the national level and propose the ways…

In this important resource, Dr. Fleming (a noted expert in the field of minority retention) draws on educational evaluations she has developed in the course of her distinguished career. This book analyzes the common factors and the role institutional characteristics play in minority student retention to show what really works in increasing…

For decades, every chemical engineer has been asked to have a background in separations. The required separations course can, however, be uninspiring and superficial because understanding many separation processes involves conventional graphical methods and commercial process simulators. We utilize simple, user-­friendly mathematical software,…

The transportation field has for many years been dominated by engineers and other technical specialists. This article describes the Sustainable Mobility Learning Lab (SMLL), a Web-based tool designed to support classroom and university outreach activities to help initiate a more inclusive, nontechnical discussion about the role of transportation…

Students have used Cogito.org to pose and/or solve math problems and brain teasers, share their experiences in academic competitions, debate the pros and cons of using biofuels for energy, design an alien world based on sound scientific principles, and expand their cultural understanding by connecting with students from around the world.…

Examines some of the assumptions associated with attempts to define the "engineering method." Critiques a previously stated definition of this method, and offers an alternative definition that attempts to include the ideas put forth in the previous definition. Discusses the use of engineering heuristics in both definitions. (TW)

Discusses the use of computer-assisted programs that allow chemical engineering students to study textbook thermodynamics problems from different perspectives, including the classical graphical method, while utilizing more than one property correlation and/or operation model so that comparisons can be made and sensitivities determined more…