This chapter highlights some specific differences encountered between K-12 and higher education settings as a way to provide context for several research studies under way in engineering education. Specifically, this chapter highlights differences in three aspects of an academic learning environment: faculty, students, and subject matter.

The challenge of preparing engineering graduates for a fast-changing work environment calls for the development of thinking programmes. A psychological basis was used to develop the tenets of the approach. The Cognitive Modifiability Intervention (CMI) was rationalized and conceived as a corollary of observations of learning scenarios and an…

This article describes the Gironacel[R] project--a virtual learning environment produced by the University of Girona. The purpose of this tool is to make it easier for students studying quality management courses within engineering schools to understand what the "quality culture" is and how to implement the ISO 9001:2000 standard in a…

It is generally accepted that the ability to visualize is an important tool for engineers and technologists especially in engineering graphics. Enhancing the spatial visualization abilities of engineering students has long been a focus of engineering graphics educators. Over the years a variety of test and procedures have been developed to…

The prospects for colleges and universities becoming places where Hispanic students are engaged and integrated into the life of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are enhanced if college faculties become more diverse. For colleges and universities to become more diverse, a larger number of Hispanic students must enter…

This paper reviews many of the observed characteristics and study habits of first-year students in Iowa State University's electrical engineering programme (Ames, Iowa, USA). The studying and problem-solving practices of the students are discussed to identify salient traits, strengths and weaknesses, and critical symptoms thereof, which can affect…

Despite the best attempts of academic staff to teach students the mechanics of citation, the rules of referencing continue to be broken, particularly by those new to Western university systems (either first-year undergraduate students or international students from different cultural backgrounds). In late 2003, 16 postgraduate international…

After centuries of protectionism in international trade, the course is inexorably set for trade amongst nations without borders. More and more countries are joining the World Trade Organization and companies are repositioning themselves for the conduct of their activities in an environment free from physical borders and national legislative…

The paper focuses on educational projects developed in the ETSII (Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales) of the Polytechnic University of Madrid during the past few years. These projects were developed as new tools for enhancing the active role of students, for improving practical teaching, especially by means of virtual laboratories…

Learning objects and learning content management systems are considered to be "the next wave in engineering education". The results of experiments with these new trends in ICT in engineering education are described in this paper. The prospects were examined and the concepts of reusability of content for teachers and for personalized…

Seven years of industrial experience followed by 30 years of academic research and teaching in structural engineering have led the author to believe that the prime objective of a university design course is not the design project itself but to train students to solve problems, as this will last them throughout their careers. It is shown how design…

This study investigates the effectiveness of computer-mediated Engineering Drawing instruction in improving spatial ability namely spatial visualisation and mental rotation. A multi factorial quasi experimental design study was employed involving a cohort of 138, 20 year old average undergraduates. Three interventional treatments were…

This article presents a brief history of the National Science Foundation's involvement in education evaluation, reviews the program evaluations that NSF's Division of Research, Evaluation, and Communication (REC) has conducted in recent years, and describes future directions. The evaluations have reflected the field-driven nature of NSF's…

The assumption that technology and engineering is for boys is reinforced by the reality of the severe under-representation of women as both practitioners and teachers of engineering and technology. The secret to increasing the number of females in technology is not to "fix" the girls but to make the technology classroom and profession more…

The urgency to enhance the quality of science education for all of the nation's children and youth increases as we approach the next century. To address some of the issues and to obtain insight from a variety of sources regarding the problems facing educators in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education, a Summer Symposium was…