Skills tutorials for first year engineering students at the University of New South Wales, Australia, were introduced in order to develop an awareness of certain conceptual skills commonly exercised by practicing engineers. Particular skills include the manipulation of information in different forms, translation from one form to another,…

This publication was developed as a portion of a two-semester sequence commencing at either the sixth or seventh term of the undergraduate program in electrical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. The materials of the two courses, produced by a National Science Foundation grant, are concerned with power conversion systems comprising power…

The central research question in this study was whether structured active learning affects the abilities of science and engineering undergraduates to relate abstract concepts and realistic applications more than a relatively traditional instructional method. More specifically, the research was designed to determine whether differences in the…

An interdisciplinary robotics project undertaken by students is described. The students acted as designers, innovators, and the engineers in designing a dancing robot. The origin of the problem, designing of the mechanical frame, pneumatics, digitized sound, and problems with the design are discussed. (KR)

Reviews the use of MTutor, a virtual learning environment, in assisting final year engineering project students to adopt industry best practices for design in their projects and to improve their problem-solving skills. MTutor is designed to support problem-solving skill development in learners through Web-based virtual tutorials, which are…

In this study we created an environment for peer learning, where students teach students by making oral presentations in groups about solving mathematical problems and explaining the theoretical background in mathematics, during the first year of an undergraduate engineering programme at the Norrkoping campus of the Linkoping University. In order…

Recent research studies have reported on how novices and experts differ in storing, organizing, and retrieving subject matter knowledge and on how they apply their knowledge to solve new problems. These findings have been integrated and implemented in a computer environment to help novices improve their problem-solving skills. An outline of this…

The Eisenhower Leadership Development Program at Texas A&M University was created to provide students with an academic perspective on the issues facing leaders, particularly in the areas of health policy, economic development, education, and technology and innovation. Based on the work provided by leadership researchers and educators, the…

The concept of a collaborative math and science project grew out of the need expressed by Cleveland State University (Ohio) engineering faculty and junior and senior high school teachers. These groups sought to provide students with connections to "real world" situations that they will face as they transition into the workplace of the…

Several central ideas emerging from a systematic approach to teaching problem-solving in the quantitative sciences (chemistry, physics, engineering) are discussed. Areas addressed include: differences between teaching and performance, between naturalistic and effective functioning, and between detailed observations and gross statistical data;…

Minorities have for some time been underrepresented in the technical fields, such as engineering and computer science. This development is known to be caused by a variety of factors, but the primary purpose of this report is to help identify those factors that adversely affect the cognitive development of the technical bilingual student in terms…

PAPERS PRESENTED AT A 1957 CONFERENCE ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF CREATIVE SCIENTIFIC TALENT ARE INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT. RESEARCH STUDIES AND POSITION PAPERS DEAL WITH THE NATURE, MEASUREMENT, AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF SCIENTIFIC CREATIVITY. STUDIES THAT EXPLORE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN (1) UNDERGRADUATE GRADES AND RESEARCH ABILITY, (2) COMMUNICATIONS…

States that students who simultaneously acquire subject matter concepts and high-level thinking skills are more likely to learn, remember, and be able to apply the concepts. Provides an example for assisting faculty in developing better decision-makers. (RT)

This paper focuses on the human side of networking in education, emphasizing that people working together can create new solutions to old problems. Discussion includes increased links to information through the Internet and new resources entering the classroom; team-teaching, cooperative learning, and learner-centered instruction; and distance…

Reviews recent research on problem solving, summarizing differences between problem-solving styles of novices and experts. Also describes a text by Daniel Solow ("How to Read and Do Proofs"). Includes chapter titles for the text useful for students who wish to improve their understanding of mathematical reasoning. (JM)