Discusses the career outlook for mechanical engineers. Explains that the number of bachelor degrees awarded yearly has reached a plateau, but salaries continue to rise. Suggests that the largest increase in demand for mechanical engineers will come from industries involved in automation, particularly those developing robotics. (TW)

Examines the effects on student performance in an undergraduate engineering design course of two techniques designed to engender professional attitudes among student engineers and shift learning responsibility toward the students. Neither the awarding of a prize for the best project work nor Socratic dialog in the classroom significantly affected…

Explains the context of the curriculum, a project designed to close the gap between the culture of liberal education and that of engineering and applied science. Describes the design and philosophical rationale given for development, including key assumptions regarding education in the information age, creation of renaissance teams, and…

Describes the use of role playing and creating videotapes as a technique for developing effective interpersonal communication skills in engineering students. Gives a procedure for instruction that includes integration of communication theory with the practical experience. Included in the appendices are several role-playing scenarios used in the…

Reports an evaluation of the Teddy Bear disc, an interactive videodisc developed at the Open University for a second-level course in metallurgy and materials technology. Findings from observation of students utilizing the videodisc are reviewed; successful design features and design problems are considered; and development costs are outlined. (MBR)

New government ventures in engineering research will build on previous successes and failures with industry/university programs, including Cooperative Research Centers established in 1972. Past projects, new Engineering Research Centers with cross-disciplinary efforts, and industry participation are discussed. Indicates that industrial financial…

Compares the educational system of the United States/Japan, looking at total time spent in mathematics and science preparation (as well as other subject areas) and out-of-school activities. Examines the structure of higher education in Japan and the origin of the Japanese university, as well as engineering education in the two countries. (JM)

Discusss studies (commissioned with the Office of Technology Assessment, Congressional Research Service, and General Accounting Office) which will inform the House Science and Technology Committee members and Congress of various issues related to science policy. Includes a list of questions which indicate the range of issues under consideration.…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) implemented the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program to strengthen the nation's technical workforce. ATE focuses on improving educational programs in science, mathematics, and engineering within community colleges. This book is one of several activities sponsored by an NSF grant to the American…

The central research question in this study was whether structured active learning affects the abilities of science and engineering undergraduates to relate abstract concepts and realistic applications more than a relatively traditional instructional method. More specifically, the research was designed to determine whether differences in the…

This publication reports on the rate at which minorities earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in science and engineering in the 12-month period ending June 1995. This report contains general notes, data highlights, technical charts, detailed statistical tables, and a classification of programs. Data is displayed by gender, geographic location,…

Web-based instruction provides a new medium for the presentation of instructional activities. The medium has the capability of addressing individual preferences and styles of learning through its structure and the use of multiple forms of media. Through careful design and adherence to the objectives of instruction and to learners' needs, Web-based…

The purpose of this study was to develop a systems engineering educational module that could easily fit within existing transportation engineering undergraduate or technical courses in other engineering disciplines. The module is based on analysis of specific job roles and tasks of staff at various transportation agencies in Texas, and has three…

This study examined the academic and affective growth of peer mentors in a minority engineering program which encouraged relationships between freshmen pre-engineering students and upperclass division mentors at a large, land-grant university in the Southeast. A total of 14 mentors in a newly established minority mentoring program, who were…

The most striking characteristic of technological as of other forms of education in the United States from the international standpoint is doubtless its extreme range of variation and the impossibility of framing general statements and definitions which shall be free from numerous exceptions. For the purposes of the present report a technological…