Presents a corporate official's 12-point plan for the private sector to provide immediate support for public education in technology. Industry's role in stimulating parents, in curriculum development, and in providing financial support are considered. Other areas/issues considered are upgrading graduation requirements, basic building blocks of…

Compares a personalized system of instruction (PSI) to the lecture method and linear self-paced instruction (LSPI) of teaching stoichiometry to undergraduate students. Discusses the methods used to assess student achievement which includes: the use of common midterms and final examinations; and modules, mini-courses and mini-course final exams.…

Describes a project in which computer programs and textbooks explaining the theoretical basis and practical application of the programs have been developed. Also describes the computer programs and textbooks available and the role of these materials in chemical engineering education. (JN)

Thirty six senior students in chemical engineering were randomly assigned to three treatment groups in an experimental study that examined the impact of different instructional strategies for troubleshooting malfunctions in a computer-based simulation of a chemical processing plant. In two groups, different types of worked examples,…

Currently, there is little in-depth understanding of how individuals effectively orchestrate school and work-related experiences over time from high school through college and beyond to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). This appears important because, unlike societies such as Germany, youth in the U.S. face…

This report explores first year undergraduate mechanical engineering and mathematics students' conceptions of the derivative and the contribution that membership of different departments may have on these conceptions. Quantitative results suggest that mechanical engineering students develop a proclivity for rate of change aspects of the derivative…

Political measures are being taken to "democratize" access to universities in Brazil. A new State university recently created after a wide consultation to the population, has taken two important measures: (i) it reserves fifty per cent of its places to poor students and ten per cent to physically handicapped ones and (ii) has abolished…

The engineering profession still is a male domain. Many attempts to change this isolation and to call women into the profession failed. Neither the study conditions nor the social recognition were experienced as adequate for women. The focus on the development of deeper understanding, explicit connectedness, comprehension and social concern are…

This report is based on the analysis of initial interviews with the staff of the Freshmen Learning Community Program (FLCP). FLCP is a pilot program in engineering education that focuses on diversity and cultural change. The primary purpose of this evaluative study is to provide feedback while the learning community program is being implemented.…

This report provides data on the participation of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering education and employment. The data and analyses can be used to track progress, inform the development of policies to increase participation in science and engineering, and evaluate the effectiveness of such policies. The…

This paper describes a project that was an arena for learning through three years (six semesters) of engineering education in computer technology. Project work accounted for approximately 20% of student work in five semesters, and 50% in the last semester. There were three categories of projects. The first type, in the first semester, had as its…

The National Institute for Science Education (NISE) is an organization in which scholars from different disciplinary backgrounds work collaboratively to address the important issues in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (SMET) education. This document reports on NISE Fellows' experiences based on these questions: (1) How did you…

Recently, when employers of entry-level engineers were asked to prioritize the need for further instruction, over 60% of these employers identified communication skills as the primary curricular element needing increased emphasis. Two of the top 10 required skills ranked as important to engineering practice related to making oral presentations.…

This paper is a report on the teaching experiment conducted in the Introduction to Engineering I course at PUC-Rio's Technical-Scientific Center (CTC) during the two terms of 1997. The idea was to test and develop hands-on teaching methodology as set forth in "Hands-on Teaching and Concurrent Teaching: Relations and Difficulties" (Carmo…

This report examines the matrix of support patterns of science and engineering doctorates in 1995, showing the distribution of various modes of support to individuals. The data provided in this report are intended to be a source of contextual and background information for those interested in examining the various types of graduate support modes…