A key instructional change recommended by the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") is for teachers to be more explicit and systematic in teaching students science and engineering practices in addition to crosscutting concepts because the NGSS include a stronger focus on seamless teaching in three integrated dimensions…

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explain the development of preservice agriculture teachers' PCK [Pedagogical Content Knowledge] for the concept of plant fertilizers within a content-focused methods course. The emergent central phenomenon was an overall lack of PCK development for plant fertilizers, highlighted by five main…

A pressing concern in all agricultural mechanics courses is safety. Lab activities have an inherent propensity to cause serious injury. The safety practices which are taught by teachers are largely dependent on the equipment in the laboratory and the resources available to the program. Various researchers have indicated that problems have existed…

Students often confuse the functional differences between motion "transmission" and "transformation" systems. Students find it difficult to conceptualize differences between the specific systems. In this article, the author describes a technology and engineering unit that incorporates problem-based learning (PBL) to assist…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the conceptions of integrated STEM education held by in-service science teachers through the use of Photo Elicitation Interviews (PEIs) and to examine how, if at all, those conceptions were reflected in teacher-created integrated STEM curricula that include an engineering design challenge.…

The United States is competing on a global level for jobs in the STEM fields but retention and graduation rates in the engineering disciplines are lower than desired. African American males make up 5 % of the population of American colleges and universities (Strayhorn, 2010) and many of those pursuing an engineering degree often are not…

Producing quality digital educational content is the goal of any teaching/learning system, including the teaching/learning technologies contexts. This paper introduces how the Quantitative Evaluation Framework may be used to accurately evaluate the digital content produced throughout the development process of an inclusive and integrative MOOC in…

One of the problematic features of the increasingly influential discourse of student employability in higher education is the widespread conception of "skills" as de-contextualized bits of knowledge, ability, and disposition. Instead, how particular competencies are valued, defined, and utilized in practice is deeply shaped by…

This study examined different approaches to integrating engineering practices in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum units. These various approaches were correlated with student outcomes on engineering assessment items. There are numerous reform documents in the USA and around the world that emphasize the need to…

Cybersecurity is a worldwide issue and concern. Prior studies indicate that many people do not use cybersecurity best practices. Although these prior studies used large-scale surveys or interviews, this study used Q methodology [Q] because Q provides greater insight than Likert-format surveys. In fact, Q was created to scientifically study…

This paper presents a design project and its assessment in an undergraduate control theory course. In the project, students mathematically modeled the thermal dynamics of a glass incubator and its heat source. Based on these models, they designed a lag compensator to keep the incubator temperature in a safe range when the external temperature…

This paper discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic can shift the conversation of paid and unpaid placements from an economic to a pedagogical and goodwill perspective. During the pandemic lockdown many placements were cancelled or postponed. Some continued as agreed but with students working from home, while other placements became unpaid. We build on…

This study determined the challenging learning experiences of engineering students while completing their degree program as factor that might influence to their changing attitude towards achieving higher academic performance. Mixed method of research was utilised in the study considering the total population of 75 graduating students for…

In this study we investigated teachers' beliefs about innovation competence relevance and their creative self-efficacy and compared teachers' and students' perceptions of the learning environment in the Built Environment engineering education domain. In total, 94 teachers participated in this study by completing a questionnaire. Teachers perceived…

The current industrial revolution demands a revolution on teaching methodologies at all levels, particularly for higher education. Here, we present an efficient model to teach technologies associated with Industry 4.0 (I4.0) in undergraduate engineering courses. The first step was identifying the main skills required for an I4.0 practitioner and…