A study of problems encountered by British engineering tutors in assessing core skills required for General National Vocational Qualifications revealed the following: tutors had to assume responsibility for students' skill development; better communication of expectations was needed; and students welcomed a more active approach to learning and the…

A discussion of academic advising provides general advice for faculty advisors and looks at distinctive elements in academic advising for technical subjects, particularly those encountered with transfer students who have technical credits to transfer. Use of computer-based information systems in this context is also examined briefly. (Author/MSE)

Describes the successful aspects of a three-day workshop on teaching effectiveness for engineering professors. Discusses participants' comments and suggestions about administrative support, communication of fresh insights and perspectives, establishment of a participatory structure, and teaching/learning mismatches. (JJK)

Discusses the use of computer-assisted programs that allow chemical engineering students to study textbook thermodynamics problems from different perspectives, including the classical graphical method, while utilizing more than one property correlation and/or operation model so that comparisons can be made and sensitivities determined more…

Discusses several options for the incorporation of minimal coursework involving engineering ethics into an already tightly packed curriculum. Topics include integration versus the stand-alone approach; timeliness of course addition; outline of course content and instructional format; students' reflections and instructor's musings; and an annotated…

The creative solutions found by four colleges and universities to specific student recruitment dilemmas are described. Two dilemmas involved clarification of the campus' geographic location, one addressed recruitment of minority group engineering students, and the fourth concerned recruitment of exceptionally gifted 13- to 16-year-old girls to an…

Urges the internationalization of the engineering curriculum to prepare students for the rigors of global competition in the international marketplace. Lists accreditation pressures and market incentives as barriers to needed diversity. Discusses engineering programs at several schools. Concludes that interdisciplinary inquiry is needed to provide…

The development of a computer program, called UC SIGNAL, that permits a student to develop a diagram of a control system configuration using an IBM AT or a PS/2 computer is described. The features of UC SIGNAL and its contribution to process control instruction are discussed. (KR)

An activity in which students obtain a growth curve for algae, identify the exponential and linear growth phases, and calculate the parameters which characterize both phases is described. The procedure, a list of required materials, experimental conditions, analytical technique, and a discussion of the interpretations of individual results are…

Describes reform of a Chinese vocational teaching program. Emphasizes a teaching structure combining theoretical and practical teaching. Lists prerequisites for an independent teaching system as suitable instructors (usually engineers), equipment for practice, and a transformation of the students' views toward study. Urges revision of teaching…

Addresses the impact of computing on engineering education and the gradual infusion of computing work into the engineering curriculum since the early 1960s. This lecture discusses the academic computing environment in terms of initial developments, what students should know, how to build a network infrastructure, the "first" computing course, the…

Discussed are expert systems development and teaching, the representation and processing of knowledge, knowledge representation in chemical engineering, and expert systems in chemical engineering. The seven phases of expert system development are illustrated. (CW)

Describes the organization of a regional symposium to provide a learning environment that promotes professional development of graduate engineering students and the interactive exchange of ideas among regional industries and universities. Includes a brief history of the event, goals and guidelines for hosting such a symposium, and an illustration…

Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) was created by Purdue University (Indiana) School of Electrical and Computer Engineering to broaden the education of engineering students by the use of an extended service-learning experience integrated into the engineering curriculum. EPICS provides local community service organizations with…

Proposes a framework to evaluate Ph.D. supervision requirements from a student's perspective. The evaluation documents perceived shortfalls between expected and provided supervision for personal, indirect research-related, and direct research-related help. Finds that the biggest discrepancy between expected and provided supervision was in direct…