Recent years have seen widespread adoption of automatic grading of physics homework problems. Although first-generation homework management systems provide feedback and assign scores based only on the answers, problem-solving performance on exams seems to be no worse for students using these systems than for those who receive detailed comments…

A graduate-level computational chemistry course was designed and developed and carried out in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the Fall of 2005. The thrust of the course was a reaction assignment that led students through a series of steps, beginning with energetic predictions based upon fundamental…

The demonstration of a simple viscosity experiment for high school classes was conducted and assessed. The purpose of the demonstration was to elicit the interest of high school juniors and seniors in the field of chemical engineering. The demonstration consisted of a discussion on both engineering and the concept of viscosity as well as a…

For many engineers, writing skills have proven to be almost as important as technical background. Many prominent engineers have found that writing often consumes one-fourth of their time; they are expected to submit reports and proposals and give presentations. Many engineering schools now require either additional writing courses or integrate…

Minorities are a growing proportion of Americans, and the nation can no longer afford to leave any fraction of its population uneducated and unable to participate in a wide variety of professional fields and to function appropriately as taxpaying citizens. This paper examines present minority participation in engineering and science through the…

This statistical report summarizes data on enrollment and graduation of minority students in engineering degree programs from 1974 to 1985. First, an introduction identifies major trends and briefly describes the Incentive Grants Program (IGP), the nation's largest privately supported source of scholarship funds available to minority engineering…

The purpose of this six-part booklet is to review the current status of genetically-based biologic technologies and to suggest how information about these technologies can be inserted into existing educational programs. Topic areas included in the six parts are: (1) genetically-based technologies in the curriculum; (2) genetic technologies…

A consumer viewpoint on the use of technology by disabled persons is presented. Reasons for not solving the problem of technological underutilization are proposed. Goals for evaluating the appropriateness of a technology should not be rigidly defined; persons who do this actually set limitations in the guise of being "realistic." At present there…

This report summarizes the results of the work of the Panel on Support Organizations for the Engineering Community, which was one of the subcommittees of the National Research Council's Committee on the Education and Utilization of the Engineer. The panel found that many engineering support needs were common to all of the sectors investigated and,…

This paper describes the evolution and development of an intelligent information system, i.e., a knowledge base for steel structures being undertaken as part of the Technical Information Center for Steel Structures at Lehigh University's Center of Advanced Technology for Large Structural Systems (ATLSS). The initial development of the Technical…

This courseware evaluation rates the Hi-Res Electronic Design program developed by Avant-Garde Creations. (The program--not contained in this document--is designed to determine closure and area of a survey.) Part A describes the program in terms of subject area (schematic diagrams and symbols) and hardware requirements (Apple II, color monitor,…

A number of variables may affect the ability of students to perceive, and learn from, instructional materials. The objectives of the study presented here were to determine the projected color that provided the best visual acuity for the viewer, and the necessary minimum exposure time for achieving maximum visual acuity. Fifty…

Engineering in higher education has the lowest proportion of women students when compared with other fields of study. This book discusses the issues and problems that face the training and promotion of women at the university level. Part one discusses the background and trends of female participation in different regions and disciplines of higher…

This basic instructional guide for the first two years of instruction in agricultural education is one in a series of such guides. It is useful in developing and selecting instructional material and implementing competency-based education for two courses: agricultural science and basic plant science and agricultural science and basic animal…

The early intellectual development in mathematics and science for boys and girls, as determined by test scores, is discussed in this conference presentation. Factors that might account for differences between female and male students' performance, such as course experiences, are explored. The problem of female students often being shortchanged in…