This paper describes the application of new Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in engineering education. It demonstrates how VLEs improve student learning in two engineering concepts compared with the traditional classroom setting. Literature has conflicting studies on both the advantages and disadvantages of learning in VLEs. The application of…

In higher education, teacher empathy is a term that refers to the empathetic skills of teachers and has been researched since the 1980s. Multiple studies in fields such as medicine, nursing and psychology have shown that teacher empathy has reduced teacher burnout, improved teacher satisfaction and student performance. Within engineering…

Contributing to a competency model for engineering thermodynamics, we investigate the empirical competency structure of our exams in an attempt to answer the question: Do we test the competencies we want to convey to our students? We demonstrate that thermodynamic modeling and mathematical solution emerge as significant dimensions of thermodynamic…

The purpose of this dissertation work is to investigate sustainability incorporations in undergraduate mechanical engineering curricula. Engineering decisions have deep impacts on people and the planet. Therefore, it is important for all engineers to learn engineering that integrates these important factors. This work starts with an evaluation of…

Extant literature has emphasized the importance of education research being theory-based. To this end, many research articles have a distinct "theoretical framework" section describing the theoretical underpinnings that inform the research. Nevertheless, there is large variation in how explicit articles are regarding their use of…

Mathematics is traditionally considered necessary for engineering courses. Over the last three decades, the mathematics requirements for entry into engineering programmes has steadily weakened in Australia. Further, the mathematics component of engineering programmes has progressively decreased. This research aims to investigate the following two…

High school outreach activities in the engineering context aim to attract high school students to join a university engineering programme. Oftentimes, high school outreach activities are organised and conducted by university representatives, for instance, teachers and students, who employ different engagement strategies during their interaction…

Global developments ask for 21st-century skills. Creativity is one of those and can be defined as the production of novel ideas by connecting entities that have not been connected before and whose connection is useful in a certain domain. The growth of rhizomes is an example where unconnected entities become connected in an unpredictable way, and…

This article describes central tenets for design thinking and entrepreneurial thinking individually, then examines their intersection to analyze a product's feasibility in the market. The conceptual framework of combining design and entrepreneurial thinking can foster novelty in design, and also provides a means of extending instruction in the…

Purpose: In the current labour context, employability is an important tool for recently graduated who are entering the labour market and must face major challenges that include a decrease in job opportunities, the rapid evolution of technology, and the need for lifelong learning. Design/methodology/approach: This study analyses the impact of the…

Peer feedback via CMC modalities has become an alternative to conventional in-class peer feedback due to the rapid rise of educational technology and the widespread use of computer-mediated communication in L2 education. Despite the fact that much research has been published on the benefits of CMC tools for enhancing L2 proficiency, the number of…

This paper examines the potential uses of ChatGPT in generating assessment tasks that can be used across different disciplines in higher education. To illustrate this, we provide examples from three courses in the disciplines of industrial engineering and applied linguistics: Project Analysis and Control, Manufacturing Processes, and Introduction…

Students' perceptions towards synchronous and asynchronous online delivery modes of three engineering courses, in a large UK university is conceptualised, inspired by the Community of Inquiry theoretical framework. Using a qualitative methodology, 76 written student narratives were analysed. An overwhelming focus on the elements that helped them…

Objective: Transfer student capital (TSC) helps community college students realize the potential for the transfer pathway to serve as a lower-cost option to a bachelor's degree. However, students' accrual of TSC depends on the quality and quantity of information networks and infrastructure; information asymmetry in these networks can impede…

The discrepancy between competence and real work in engineering graduates can be resolved with cooperation by the construction industry. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the appropriate and required architectural engineering competencies with the current demands and conditions of the construction industry. So, this study aims to analyze the…