In this paper, we have combined a pragmatic and a sociocultural perspective on how artifacts are used in technical problem-solving. With these perspectives we explore how three mechanical engineering students build a plastic spider together, using instructions they found on the internet. Ten hours of video recordings were selected for a detailed…

This article introduces the development process of social presence-enabled augmented reality (SPEAR) tool, an innovative augmented reality (AR) based learning application tailored for online engineering education. SPEAR focuses on a learning module of structural beam-bending, empowering users to seamlessly integrate 3-D virtual beams into their…

Laboratory activities are central to undergraduate student learning in science and engineering. With advancements in computer technology, many laboratory activities have shifted from providing students experiments in a physical mode to providing them in a virtual mode. Further, physical and virtual modes can be combined to address a single topic,…

Background: Virtual laboratories are used to supplement or even replace physical laboratories in engineering education. Although these virtual laboratories allow students to learn foundational experimental skills, they do not provide the learners with the chance to develop higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). Computational thinking (CT) is an…

We have introduced a novel approach to competency-based education in mechatronics from the undergraduate to the postgraduate level. What distinguishes this approach is the integration of modeling and control of sampled systems right from the beginning of the undergraduate education. It is achieved by changing the structure of the first-semester…

Contribution: Our work focuses on building research capacity in engineering education research (EER). We operationalize enculturation of novice researchers into the EER community by studying temporal changes in the social networks of engineering faculty participating in a mentorship-based training grant. Background: The U.S. National Science…

Trust is an important aspect of learning. However, there is little published research on how students perceive its value. In this article, we report on engineering students' perceptions of the role of trust in their learning and their experiences of what teachers do in their courses that builds trust. Nine students participated in semi-structured…

Background: Students' identification with engineering is intertwined culturally with being smart. Broadly, engineering students are often considered to be smart by others and by themselves, and these beliefs about smartness--what it is and who has enough of it to be an engineer--are a fundamental and limiting aspect of students' experiences.…

Background: Despite the well-established positive effects of storytelling, narrative modes of thinking have neither been systematically assessed nor widely implemented in engineering education. Purpose: Recently, the idea of story-driven learning (SDL) as pedagogy has been applied in an engineering department at a public university. Our research…

Purpose: Internships are a common form of short-term employment for students seeking to demonstrate their value to employers and thereby improve their post-graduation career opportunities. As such, performance during the internship has been found to be positively related to post-graduation vocational outcomes. Yet, internships also serve a…

Stakeholder engagement activities are essential for guiding designers' decision-making throughout their design processes. In capstone courses, engineering student designers practice engaging with stakeholders in preparation for their professional careers. However, understandings of: (1) how engineering students engage stakeholders to inform design…

With the growth in engineering enrollments, faculty members may find themselves in relatively large classes where they may feel the need for extra teaching assistants, may desire methods and resources to provide more individualized or small group student contact time, and may want to employ more modern teaching methodologies to improve student…

This study sought to investigate university mathematics teachers' perceptions on their general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) while teaching an applied mathematics course tailored for pre-engineering students at a public university in Ethiopia. Using a case study approach, data were collected through a Likert-scale questionnaire and semi-structured…

Peer assessment has traditionally represented a key tool to enhance active learning and critical thinking. However, the success of this approach is governed by different factors, which have been accentuated in recent years. The implementation of peer assessment is consequently a challenging task in the current context. This work investigates peer…

Background: The study of emotions in engineering education (EEE) has increased in recent years, but this emerging, multidisciplinary body of research is dispersed and not well consolidated. This paper reports on the first systematic review of EEE research and scholarship. Purpose: The review aimed to critically assess how researchers and scholars…