University education is a significant factor in the socio-economic development of a nation and as such is expected to improve the employability capacity of the graduates. Achieving this goal, however, depends on various factors. The present study investigated the factors affecting the employability of engineering graduates of Iranian universities.…

While the study of science subjects at school is essential for the development of science and technology in society, it is a recognized fact that a large number of students show reluctance to study science and mathematics. Thus, it is of great significance to deliberate on ways to increase their interest in science subjects and enhance…

In this paper, we examined students' engagement in an implementation of a Workplace Simulation Project (WSP). The WSP was designed to actively engage students in learning disciplinary content by inviting engineers from industry to have a physical presence within the school building to collaborate with teachers and students to complete projects…

Too frequently, representations of disciplinary writing foreground static notions of knowledge creation and literate practice in science and engineering. Rooted in discourse community theory, such representations present normative tropes of scientific practice that background notions of disciplinarity and obscure people's lived experience and…

Context: Discovering visual languages across professions is a complex task since it entails discovering a communication system composed of information in image or textual form called representations and also including various kinds of annotations such as notes. Such a task has been previously scarcely considered within research, and basically only…

An engineering professor of a first-year thermodynamics course and a PhD student with a focus in engineering education in a large research university in Canada participated in an ethnographic action research study with the intention of increasing active learning in the classroom to enhance student engagement and learning. Unexpected findings…

Purpose: This paper aims to present a literature review to examine the career development outcomes on practicing engineering novices who are being mentored at work, and factors of mentoring that contribute to those career development outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: Through a meta-synthesis, the research premises and findings of 12 articles…

Children are natural engineers. Engineering design activities for preschoolers introduce practices and encourage scientific habits of mind. The "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013) highlight that crosscutting concepts and disciplinary core ideas can not be mastered without engaging in scientific investigations and…

Background: Diverse perspectives, including those of Native Americans, are needed to drive innovation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Tribes such as the Navajo Nation are seeking to strengthen their communities, create economic opportunities, and improve the lives of their peoples by encouraging members of their tribe to…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Design Based Science Education (DBSE) applications on the perceptions of science teacher candidates about engineering education and engineers. In the quantitative part of the study in which the mixed method was involved, a semi-experimental design with single group pre-test post-test was…

This paper is positioned at the junction between the requirements of the manufacturing industry for a significantly increased number of professionally registered engineers in the UK employment pool and the excellent work which is ongoing in and around the education sector to encourage more young people to follow a career in this field. Higher…

"Employers want individuals who are self-motivated, are driven, and can effectively communicate this to their work groups and supervisors" (Pence & Rowe, 2012, p. 50). Projects assigned by teachers or bosses can seem monumental, but by breaking them down into individual parts they can be managed to completion. There are many jobs…

Clair J. Sullivan is an assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Her research interests include radiation detection and measurements; gamma-ray spectroscopy; automated isotope identification algorithms; nuclear forensics; nuclear security;…

Background: Under Washington Accord or ABET accreditation requirements, faculty must envision, collectively articulate, and prioritize the competencies that students should gain from their educational program to prepare for life and myriad career paths. Purpose: When faculty create specifications for designing a curriculum, they need to answer…

A "crisis account" of shortages of well-qualified scientists, engineers, mathematicians and technologists has shaped education policy in the UK and the USA for decades. The apparent poor quality of school science education along with insufficient numbers of well-qualified teachers have been linked to skills shortages by government and…