Virtual labs offer the promise of increasing and expanding learning opportunities, yet more needs to be understood about pedagogical implementation in higher education settings particularly within engineering technology (ET), vocational education and training (VET), and related sub-baccalaureate programmes. There is little empirical research on…

Self and peer assessments have been identified as effective strategies to develop a deeper understanding of complex concepts, enhance meta-cognitive capacity, and support learner self-efficacy. This study examines data related to peer and self-assessment exercises completed within a university engineering programme (n=61). Data related to…

The importance of soft skills in the professional work of an engineer is becoming increasingly important, even more so since the emergence of COVID-19 boosted the digitization of all professional sectors. In order for future engineers to acquire this type of skills, it is necessary for engineering professors to have an optimal level of technical…

Graphic interpretation is as critical in physics education as problem-solving. However, we know that today's classes focus more on problem-solving. This study uses a survey to determine college students' graphic interpretation skills. The study consists of two phases. The first phase includes the development and statistical analysis of the survey.…

This paper describes the application of new Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in engineering education. It demonstrates how VLEs improve student learning in two engineering concepts compared with the traditional classroom setting. Literature has conflicting studies on both the advantages and disadvantages of learning in VLEs. The application of…

In higher education, teacher empathy is a term that refers to the empathetic skills of teachers and has been researched since the 1980s. Multiple studies in fields such as medicine, nursing and psychology have shown that teacher empathy has reduced teacher burnout, improved teacher satisfaction and student performance. Within engineering…

Contributing to a competency model for engineering thermodynamics, we investigate the empirical competency structure of our exams in an attempt to answer the question: Do we test the competencies we want to convey to our students? We demonstrate that thermodynamic modeling and mathematical solution emerge as significant dimensions of thermodynamic…

The purpose of this dissertation work is to investigate sustainability incorporations in undergraduate mechanical engineering curricula. Engineering decisions have deep impacts on people and the planet. Therefore, it is important for all engineers to learn engineering that integrates these important factors. This work starts with an evaluation of…

Extant literature has emphasized the importance of education research being theory-based. To this end, many research articles have a distinct "theoretical framework" section describing the theoretical underpinnings that inform the research. Nevertheless, there is large variation in how explicit articles are regarding their use of…

Mathematics is traditionally considered necessary for engineering courses. Over the last three decades, the mathematics requirements for entry into engineering programmes has steadily weakened in Australia. Further, the mathematics component of engineering programmes has progressively decreased. This research aims to investigate the following two…

High school outreach activities in the engineering context aim to attract high school students to join a university engineering programme. Oftentimes, high school outreach activities are organised and conducted by university representatives, for instance, teachers and students, who employ different engagement strategies during their interaction…

Global developments ask for 21st-century skills. Creativity is one of those and can be defined as the production of novel ideas by connecting entities that have not been connected before and whose connection is useful in a certain domain. The growth of rhizomes is an example where unconnected entities become connected in an unpredictable way, and…

Purpose: This study aims to analyse how the materials selection courses of engineering undergraduate programmes can be better aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Design/methodology/approach: Initially, a content analysis was performed in 39 materials selection course descriptions from 40 engineering undergraduate…

Building Information Modelling (BIM) enables the Civil engineers professional to accomplish the digital requirements and also the integration and collaboration on the elaboration of projects and maintenance of buildings. BIM methodology is currently the main subject of investigation and application in the construction industry and the education…

Background: One facet of motivation relevant to students' learning is their perceptions of the future, including future career goals and how those perceptions influence their present actions; this is collectively referred to as their future time perspective (FTP). Purpose/Hypothesis: This study describes the different FTPs of engineering students.…