Summarizes the activities, contents, and overall outcomes of an international seminar organized jointly by two working groups of SEFI--the Working Group on Women in Engineering and the Working Group on Information and Communication Technologies. Replaces traditional teaching methods and concentration on narrow technical contents with a more…

Describes the Distance Educational Network of Europe (DUNE) project that aims at enhancing the development of distance education in an international context. Highlights issues relating to the delivery of distance-learning courses in a transnational forum. Describes the genetic engineering course that aims at explaining the core techniques of…

Discusses two reports that focus upon the imperative to improve undergraduate education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology: (1) the National Research Council's "From Analysis to Action: Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology"; and (2) the National Science Foundation's "Shaping the Future: New…

The example of Alcoa and North Carolina State University shows that partnerships in course design, development, and delivery can result in an engineering curriculum that bridges theory and practice and makes students aware of industry expectations. (SK)

Examines computer based simulations of practical laboratory experiments in engineering. Discusses the aims and achievements of lab work (cognitive, process, psychomotor, and affective); types of simulations (model building and behavioral); and the strengths and weaknesses of simulations. Describes the development of a centrifugal pump simulation,…

Describes the development of a test designed to allow meaningful and widespread computerized testing of various spatial factors. Examines the differences between traditional paper and pencil and computerized versions of the same test. Compares an interactive test designed to measure a working memory factor to the computerized version of…

Compares results of Successive Perception Test I (SPT) for the study population of freshman engineering students to their results on the group-administered Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Visualization of Rotations (PSVT) and the individually administered Haptic Visual Discrimination Test (HVDT). Concludes that either visual and haptic…

Reviews concerns with the current educational environment in higher education science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), such as the sheer size of the enterprise and the focus on research to the detriment of student learning. Calls for a visible and persistent national commitment to educational reform and renewal. (EV)

Discusses why science and mathematics should be a central part of liberal education. Also asserts that in addition to learning the habits of mind and forms of expression and inquiry of science and mathematics, students majoring in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field should be expected to acquire the qualities of a…

Discusses the central role grants officers have in promoting institutional progress in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. (EV)

In a capstone course, graduate students from two universities participated in collaborative design in the architectural, engineering, and construction industries in multidisciplinary teams via the Internet. Students also developed process designs to integrate technology into multidisciplinary teamwork, combining active and reflective learning.…

Examines achievement-related beliefs among a group of (n=238) college students in engineering (38 female, 104 male) and non-engineering majors (57 female, 39 male) to understand why women enter engineering majors at a lower rate and are more likely than men to leave such majors. (Contains 41 references.) (Author/YDS)

Introduces an evaluation method for the assessment of a single exam which also generates feedback for teachers. Provides a grade and identifies weaknesses in a student's knowledge and teaching. (YDS)

Presents strategies for improving the quality of student learning in the context of a final undergraduate project in mechanical engineering. Assesses outcomes of changing practice and shows that careful selection of project topics, good balanced groups, and individual tutorials stimulating peer interaction can foster a deep approach to learning.…

Describes an engineering design course that is taught at the postsecondary level but can be adapted for secondary education. It presents the steps in the design process and illustrates, using a matrix, the tradeoffs necessary in design. (JOW)