Problem solving is a critical feature of highly quantitative physical science topics, such as chemical kinetics. In order to solve a problem, students must cue into relevant features, ignore irrelevant features, and choose among potential problem-solving approaches. However, what is considered appropriate or productive for problem solving is…

This review identifies 20 studies pertaining to teacher professional development for STEM education. Using a mixture of content analysis with reference to the TPACK framework, and open and axial coding, a descriptive model was constructed. The model describes the connection of the various categories of variables associated with teacher…

The interpretation and reuse of previous design solutions, or precedents, is central to design. This paper describes qualitative research conducted over three years at two institutions, aimed at investigating the role of design knowledge re-use in project-based mechanical design courses. Research data were collected through participant…

Teaching about drawbridges allows students to apply skills they have learned in math and science, while also being creative with design and the use of available materials. Students can be exposed to current and ancient designs. Today's drawbridges are beginning to look their age and are in need of updating and modernization. New bridges are being…

Despite an increase in entrepreneurial activity at many universities, faculty perspectives on entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial mindsets are limited. To address this gap, we conducted a qualitative study exploring eighteen engineering faculty members' experiences with entrepreneurship, including why entrepreneurship is valuable to engineering…

Research has shown that once a potential solution to a problem has settled into one's mind, it can be difficult to break from the original idea and move in a different direction (Cardoso & BadkeSchaub, 2009; Jansson & Smith, 1991). When designers are given examples (whether as models, photographs, sketches, or drawings), they often fixate…

The article gives an overview of the basic principles and approaches to the matter of cooperative learning based on the use of interactive forms and methods of education. It is argued that in the conditions of the changing labor market, there will be a demand for such skills, abilities and competencies that are most effectively formed and…

Background: Chi and colleagues have argued that some of the most challenging engineering concepts exhibit properties of emergent systems. However, students often lack a mental framework, or schema, for understanding emergence. Slotta and Chi posited that helping students develop a schema for emergent systems, referred to as schema training, would…

The Arduino microcontroller enables ordinary people to perform professional tasks that only traditional engineering professionals could perform. Recently, several educational cases have been applied to primary and secondary schools, which is a desirable attempt to popularize engineering education. This study meta-analyzed the effects of…

The problem of the research is due to the need to create a special engineering style of thinking within the digital educational space, which implies readiness for research, creativity, responsibility, and supported by modern high-tech tools in order to provide resources for solving the problems of Industry 4.0. The purpose of the study is to…

Research around problem solving in collaborative groups has made progress, but several conceptual and methodological issues remain. These issues include the appropriate choices of units of analysis; the ability of current theoretical sets of macrocognition codes to capture group dynamics; detection and identification of potentially emergent…

Connecting theory and practice in teaching is sometimes difficult, as it requires expensive or delicate equipment, thus limiting the teacher to giving demonstrations in which students are passive participants. Numerical mathematics, as an applied discipline, should be taught on real world examples. By using inexpensive Arduino hardware, we can…

A "Study and Research Path" (SRP) is a model, based on the Anthropological Theory of the Didactic (ATD), which describes the inquiry processes that take place when a new, generating question (Q[subscript 0]) is considered. The investigation of the question through different study and inquiry approaches leads to a rooted tree sequence of…

This paper reports pedagogical experiences and educational techniques in the field of Mechanics of Structures (Mechanical Engineering degree), resorting to computational tools. Several aspects are addressed, covering CAD (Computer-Aided Design) modelling systems to CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering) solutions, in terms of analysis and validation of…

This paper reports a 6-year experience teaching building information modeling (BIM) methodology in the undergraduate/graduate architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) program at the Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Brazil. This work is part of the long-term goal of developing a new BIM AEC-based curriculum…