It is well accepted that many mechanical engineering (ME) design processes are complex. We believe that many ME design approaches include unnecessary complexity, intended to assist the teaching of engineering knowledge. This technical complexity has contributed to many critical issues in ME education, including decreased enrolments in many…

Virtual learning environments have the potential to support students' development of design skills in engineering education. However, few approaches exist for modeling and measuring design learning as it emerges in authentic practices, which often includes collaboration. This study merges learning sciences research with engineering design…

The benefits of using Microsoft Excel built-in functions in an undergraduate Multistage Separations course are analyzed based on 15 years of experience teaching mass transfer in Chemical Engineering programs at both the Bachelor's and Master's levels. Eight reasons for using spreadsheets in a Mass Transfer virtual course are given. Through the…

This grounded theory research examined the actions mentors take to help student teams. We interviewed nine mentors from an engineering competition using semi-structured interviews. We studied the interactions between mentors and student teams and identified nine mentoring actions: initiating the relationship, strategies to develop thinking, active…

While new cohorts of students, with an increasing awareness of the importance of foreign languages, especially English, are arriving at the universities, English-medium instruction (EMI) is one of the main instruments to internationalise universities. However, research on attitudes of teachers and students towards EMI programmes is scarce in…

Cognitive styles affect the learning process positively if tasks are matched to the cognitive style of learners. This effect becomes more pronounced in complex education, such as in engineering. We attempted to critically assess the effect of cognitive styles and gender on students' academic performance in eight engineering majors to understand…

Background: Accreditation organizations broadened program assessment criteria in ways that present challenges for the evaluation of learning outcomes. This is especially the case in courses where there are not narrowly defined questions or definitive solutions, such as engineering ethics. While protocols for learning assessment exist, there is…

Background: Many engineering education researchers acknowledge that their positionality impacts their research. Practices for reporting positionality vary widely and rarely incorporate a nuanced discussion of the impact of demographic identities on research. Researchers holding marginalized or relatively hidden identities must navigate additional…

The didactic strategy of this study consisted of the implementation of virtual practices for learning Mathematics at the university level. The objectives established to evaluate the impact of the strategy were to determine the contribution of these virtual practices and identify their effect on students' academic performance. The strategy was…

An in-depth ethnography of Black engineering students at a historically White institution, "Black Campus Life" examines the intersection of two crises, up close: the limited number of college graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, and the state of race relations in higher education. Antar Tichavakunda…

A novel pre-doctoral program is presented that combines (1) immersive observation in the surgical/interventional theatre and (2) thought-provoking exposition activities focused on answering clinically provocative questions. While the long-term goal is to train engineers to conduct clinical translational research in human systems, in this paper,…

The current vision for science education is to improve learning for all students by enacting teaching practices that make rigorous science content accessible to diverse learners. Science education, as a field, is shifting focus to be practice-based and equity-centered as students and their ideas become the focal point of the profession. The…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the primary characteristics of engineering college students' involvement in out-of-class activities (OA) at one private college in China through the use of the translated and culturally adapted Chinese version of the Postsecondary Student Engagement Survey (PosSES 2.1). This study provides the…

To characterize the professional interests, motivations, aspirations and demographics of chemical engineering (CHE) students, we surveyed almost 600 sophomores and seniors at Georgia Tech during the 1996-1997 and 2018-2019 academic years. Our objective was to study the evolution over two decades of: influences on student decision to study CHE,…

Education is considered to be the most effective tool that people can use to lift themselves out of poor socioeconomic backgrounds and lead to professional success, which in turn improves society. Since an education system often supports individuals with a higher socioeconomic status (SES), it may not resolve the issue of socioeconomic background…