Although critical thinking and developing student confidence are common objectives of courses in laboratory experimentation, a study of one Australian engineering course showed little progress toward these goals and that efforts to develop critical thinking conflicted with development of confidence. More attention to these objectives within course…

The World Bank loaned China $200 million in 1980 to help increase the output and quality of education and research in science and engineering. The effects of this program on the expansion of science and engineering enrollments, graduate programs, improvement of teacher and research quality, and educational management are discussed. (IS)

The United States has long been known as a world leader in scientific and technological innovation. To help maintain this advantage, the federal government has spent billions of dollars on education programs in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields for many years. However, concerns have been raised about the nation's…

We noticed that when workers try to explain their mathematical practices to inquisitive outsiders, breakdowns in communication arise. We present here an example in which a worker spontaneously uses metaphors and models to facilitate explanation and communication. We analyse these, drawing on Lakoff & Johnson (1999) and Lakoff & Nunez…

This document introduces science center educators to a new partnership model based on lessons learned during a 3-year national pilot project to support collaboration between six urban science centers and over 30 community-based after-school programs. The collaboration tested and refined an innovative curriculum challenging children to build…

The researchers are developing a new curriculum which integrates ongoing research efforts in the Center for Smart Sensors and Integrated Devices into a cooperative educational and traineeship program. A forerunner to this program was initiated with funding by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Combined Research and Curriculum Development (CRCD)…

This paper presents a report of research on the evaluation of systemic reform of education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET), focusing on the Statewide Systemic Initiatives (SSIs) that have been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) since 1991. The main purpose of the study was to develop recommendations for the…

The is the first report from a study of a structured active learning approach to an analytical chemistry course. The purpose of the study is to assess the longitudinal outcomes of this approach and to provide feedback to curriculum developers about the effects of the changes being made in the chemistry curriculum. The data, collected from a cohort…

This paper reports on a unique assessment of a structured active learning approach to a freshman chemistry course. Faculty members (N=25) from 11 departments outside the chemistry department served as assessors interviewing approximately 200 students from the experimental and a comparison version of the course. The experimental section of the…

A study examined Chiat/Day inc. Advertising's team-based virtual office in which work could occur at any location inside or outside the office at any time. Three sites used three workplace strategies: full virtual (FV), modified virtual (MV), and conventional (C). Interviews, observations, and archival data were used to assess project teams doing…

Despite receiving over 50% of associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees in the United States in 1990, women earned only 15% of engineering bachelor's degrees. Polynesian and Filipino women compose an almost vanishing percentage of these engineering graduates. To make visible the social obstacles minority women engineers experience, this paper…

In the past 5 years, National Science Foundation (NSF) support for two-year colleges has risen from approximately $1 million per year to the current level of approximately $23 million per year. This report on the NSF's two-year college related activities in fiscal year 1994 (FY94) begins with letters of transmittal, and a brief introduction and…

This study used Super's theory of vocational development and choice as the basis for looking at implementation of the self concept in an occupation. Focus groups were used with 123 women enrolled in science and science-related programs in Alberta colleges, technical institutes, and universities. Proceedings of each group were type recorded,…

This Public Law (PL-105-255) lays out the reasons for establishing the Commission; the duties of the Commission; membership, directorship, and powers of the commission; and expectations for the Commission's report. (WRM)

The current curricular structure in engineering education does not allow for developing students' creativity, flexibility, capacity to work in a group, or ability to initiate work opportunities. This paper explores the concepts of "field of professional performance" and "knowledge area" as they relate to modern engineering…