This paper reports on evaluation of a scheme to improve University teaching through action research over a five-year period in the science, engineering, and technology division of a large Australian dual sector University. Between 2002 to 2006 this scheme directly committed approximately A$210,000 in grants and involved over 130 teaching and other…

For the last three decades, the engineering higher education and professional environments have been completely transformed by the "electronic/digital information revolution" that has included the introduction of personal computer, the development of email and world wide web, and broadband Internet connections at home. Herein the writer compares…

This work proposes an approach to remote learning of robotic cells based on internet and simulation tools. The proposed approach, which integrates remote-learning and tele-operation into a generic scheme, is designed to enable students and developers to set-up and manipulate a robotic cell remotely. Its implementation is based on a dedicated…

International companies are recognised by equity between men and women as well as between other different groups (Diversity) as an economic factor and incorporate it into their company visions. Mixed teams are set up to design target group-oriented products, for example in automotive engineering. Therefore they need employees who represent the…

The principles, difficulties and challenges in control education are discussed and compared to the similar problems in the teaching of mathematics and systems science in general. The difficulties of today's students to appreciate the classical teaching of engineering disciplines, which are based on rigorous and scientifically sound grounds, are…

Faculty members at a large state university engaged in discussions of 21st century communication, new media, and the demands for new communication skills as they elected to establish a Communication across the Curriculum (CxC) program in 2005. Faculty leaders reviewed communication theory (e.g., from McLuhan to Kress), best practices from other…

The concept of student engagement and its relationship to successful student performance and learning outcomes has a long history in higher education (Kuh, 2007). Attention to faculty and student engagement has only recently become of interest to the engineering education community. This interest can be attributed to long-standing research by…

The Mission Statement of Thomas Nelson Community College contains the statement, "As a community-based institution, TNCC strives to be responsive to the educational and skill needs of area businesses, industries, and government agencies." This paper describes three programs initiated to support this aspect of the college mission. Adventures in…

This study investigated students' conceptual and procedural understanding of calculus within the context of an engineering mechanics course. Four traditional calculus students were compared with three students from one of the calculus reform projects, Calculus & Mathematica. Task-based interviews were conducted with each participant throughout…

This study analyzed data from the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) taken between 1977 and 1988 to study trends in the numbers, test scores, and other characteristics of high school seniors planning to major in math, science, or engineering, and to compare these data with comparable data from examinees planning to major in other fields. Results…

A study was done of faculty perceptions of the accuracy and validity of various time-related personnel activity and productivity reporting measures, and of faculty's willingness to participate in these measures. In the first stage of the study 1,000 randomly-selected faculty from 200 institutions of higher education that have the highest levels of…

This data brief features statistical data related to total science and engineering graduate enrollment in the United States for the year 1997. Featured are data on enrollment by enrollment status: 1975-1997; by sex, citizenship, and race/ethnicity: 1990-1997; and by field: 1990-1997. (DDR)

The programs developed by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Laboratories to lure an untapped well of students into scientific fields and to increase the number of qualified scientists coming into the research environment are described. The witnesses of this hearing are from the Department of Energy and the National Labs; the outside…

This Sourcebook is a compilation of information selected from that reviewed by the Expert Panel that had been appointed to review and assess Federal programs in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) education; it also contains information about the Expert Panel itself. The Sourcebook is organized in four sections. Section 1…

This handbook was developed to provide principal investigators and project evaluators with a basic understanding of selected approaches to evaluation. It is aimed at people who need to learn more about both what evaluation can do and how to do an evaluation, rather than those who already have a solid base of experience in the field. It builds on…