The World Bank loaned China $200 million in 1980 to help increase the output and quality of education and research in science and engineering. The effects of this program on the expansion of science and engineering enrollments, graduate programs, improvement of teacher and research quality, and educational management are discussed. (IS)

The United States has long been known as a world leader in scientific and technological innovation. To help maintain this advantage, the federal government has spent billions of dollars on education programs in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields for many years. However, concerns have been raised about the nation's…

The researchers are developing a new curriculum which integrates ongoing research efforts in the Center for Smart Sensors and Integrated Devices into a cooperative educational and traineeship program. A forerunner to this program was initiated with funding by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Combined Research and Curriculum Development (CRCD)…

The Polytechnic University of Valencia runs a number of mostly technician-level diploma courses in English for engineering students in Gandia (65 kms. away from Valencia). When facing the main difficulties in addressing these groups, the first step has always been a needs analysis. Over the past two years, the researcher studied the students'…

The is the first report from a study of a structured active learning approach to an analytical chemistry course. The purpose of the study is to assess the longitudinal outcomes of this approach and to provide feedback to curriculum developers about the effects of the changes being made in the chemistry curriculum. The data, collected from a cohort…

This paper reports on a unique assessment of a structured active learning approach to a freshman chemistry course. Faculty members (N=25) from 11 departments outside the chemistry department served as assessors interviewing approximately 200 students from the experimental and a comparison version of the course. The experimental section of the…

Despite receiving over 50% of associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees in the United States in 1990, women earned only 15% of engineering bachelor's degrees. Polynesian and Filipino women compose an almost vanishing percentage of these engineering graduates. To make visible the social obstacles minority women engineers experience, this paper…

The National Science Foundation Act of 1950 stipulates that the National Science Foundation (NSF) must maintain a program for determining the total amount of money for scientific and engineering research received from federal agencies by each educational institution and appropriate nonprofit organization, and to report these data annually to…

In the past 5 years, National Science Foundation (NSF) support for two-year colleges has risen from approximately $1 million per year to the current level of approximately $23 million per year. This report on the NSF's two-year college related activities in fiscal year 1994 (FY94) begins with letters of transmittal, and a brief introduction and…

This Public Law (PL-105-255) lays out the reasons for establishing the Commission; the duties of the Commission; membership, directorship, and powers of the commission; and expectations for the Commission's report. (WRM)

The current curricular structure in engineering education does not allow for developing students' creativity, flexibility, capacity to work in a group, or ability to initiate work opportunities. This paper explores the concepts of "field of professional performance" and "knowledge area" as they relate to modern engineering…

This paper presents an overview of the fundamental characteristics of the teaching and learning environment of a computer language class course designed for college-level engineering and computer science education. Characteristics include training teachers, student evaluation, learning environment, and integrating disciplines. (Contains 16…

In 1997, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research started an initiative to promote e-learning in Germany by installing an extensive research program. The Virtual University of Applied Sciences in Engineering, Computer Science and Economic Engineering is the most prominent and best-funded of the more than 100 projects in the field…

The candidates enrolled in one of three degree programs offered through the Greenfield Coalition (GC) have a unique learning situation where classroom exercises link with their job experience. Situated at the Focus: HOPE Center for Advanced Technologies, candidates work in a real manufacturing production environment by day and attend courses by…

This commentary focuses on reforms in undergraduate science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SME&T) education since 1986. A snapshot of these programs at the end of the 20th century is presented, and steps to take into the next decade are outlined. The report contains sections that discuss the status and desired directions for our…