Background: Technology-enhanced classrooms now integrate a range of educational apps designed to improve student outcomes. The effectiveness of these applications is influenced by multiple factors related to the courses and the applications themselves. A critical factor is student engagement, which involves interacting with the course content…

With new technology tools available for educators and students, effectively using these tools to improve teaching and learning has become a constant theme for research and practice in the field of education. In this study, case-analysis was conducted on 305 published studies (from 140 peer-reviewed regional, national and international journals)…

Instruction in analog electronics is an integral component of many physics and engineering programs, and is typically covered in courses beyond the first year. While extensive research has been conducted on student understanding of introductory electric circuits, to date there has been relatively little research on student learning of analog…

Structured databases of chemical and physical properties play a central role in the everyday research activities of scientists and engineers. In materials science, researchers and engineers turn to these databases to quickly query, compare, and aggregate various properties, thereby allowing for the development or application of new materials. The…

Because rapid growth of nanotechnology is expected to lead to intentional and non-intentional releases, future engineers will need to minimize negative environmental and health impacts of nanomaterials. We developed two upper-level undergraduate courses centered on life-cycle assessment of nanomaterials. The first part of the course sequence…

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is a buzzword in America (Ames, 2013; Woodruff, 2013). With recent pushes from the federal government (Obama, 2013) the educational landscape is changing, with an increased emphasis on STEM (Noddings, 2013; Obama, 2013). However, a clear definition of who teaches each aspect of STEM does not exist…

In this article, the author proposes a methodology for the rhetorical analysis of scientific, technical, mathematical, and engineering (STEM) discourse based on the common topics (topoi) of this discourse. Beginning with work by Miller, Prelli, and other rhetoricians of STEM discourse--but factoring in related studies in cognitive linguistics--she…

Currently, unless a K-12 student elects to enroll in technology-focused schools or classes, exposure to engineering design and habits of mind is minimal. However, the "Framework for K-12 Science Education," published by the National Research Council in 2011, includes engineering design as a new and major component of the science content…

Discusses what high school students with an interest in engineering should know before pursuing a degree in engineering. Also provides implications for high school science teachers. (ZWH)

Discusses aims, objectives, and content of a safety course for chemical engineering students. Course emphasizes awareness of hazards, basic concepts and principles of safety engineering, and the ability to recognize, assess, and remedy specific risks occurring in chemical plants. Course implementation is also discussed. (JN)

Presents a detailed outline of topics and lectures and references for a survey course on process synthesis at Auburn University, Alabama. (JN)

Fracture mechanics is a multidisciplinary topic which is being introduced to undergraduate engineering students in such courses as materials engineering. At a recent Conference on Fracture held at the University of Waterloo, a session was devoted to fracture education. Some of the ideas presented at that session are included and discussed here.…

Describes a course, taught jointly by electrical/chemical engineering departments at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, designed to teach the fundamental science of plasma processing as well as to give an overview of the present state of industrial processes. Provides rationale for course development, texts used, class composition, and…

Following a brief introduction to the origin and nature of a course in polymer rheology and melt processing, discusses course objectives, detailed content, teaching strategies, and observations/experiences from its first offering. (SK)

This set of lecture notes is used as a supplemental text for the teaching of fluid dynamics, as one component of a thermodynamics course for engineering technologists. The major text for the course covered basic fluids concepts such as pressure, mass flow, and specific weight. The objective of this document was to present additional fluids…