An Intervention to Address Gender Issues in a Course on Design,Engineering, and Technology for Science Educators

A course on design, engineering, and technology based on Bandura's theory of self‐efficacy was taught to nine science education graduate students who were also practicing teachers. The interpretive analysis method was used to code and analyze qualitative data from focus groups, weekly reflections on classes and readings, and pre‐, post‐, and delayed‐post course questions. The improvement in tinkering and technical self‐efficacies for five males was limited because of initially higher self‐efficacies while that for four females was moderate to high, especially when working in same‐sex teams in a non‐competitive environment. All students also increased their understanding of the societal relevance of engineering and their ability to transfer engineering concepts to pre‐college classrooms. Implementing the principles employed in this intervention in pre‐college science and university engineering classrooms could help recruit students into engineering as well as help retain both male and female undergraduate engineering students.     

A K‐12/University Partnership: Creating Tomorrow's Engineers*

Supported by the National Science Foundation, the GK‐12 Fellows program at the University of Colorado at Boulder explores innovative ways for engineering graduate students to use engineering as the vehicle to provide K‐12 classroom instruction and hands‐on experiences that integrate physical sciences, mathematics, engineering and technology. Engineering “Fellows” fill a crucial gap in the two‐way exchange of content and pedagogy between the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the K‐12 community of learners. The active presence of real world, engineering role models in K‐12 classrooms improves the quality of math and science content, and introduces engineering to teachers and young students as a potential career path. Working through the University's graduate program legitimizes K‐12 outreach as a valid, and satisfying, academic endeavor for graduate students.     

Beliefs and Expectations about Engineering Preparation Exhibited by High School STEM Teachers

Background If we are to effect change in teacher practices and decision making regarding instruction, college preparation, and career success in engineering, then knowledge of teachers' beliefs and expectations about engineering needs to be understood. Purpose (Hypothesis ) The primary purpose was to develop a statistically reliable survey instrument to document teachers' beliefs and expectations about pre‐college engineering instruction, college preparation, and career success in engineering, called the Engineering Education Beliefs and Expectations Instrument (EEBEI), and to compare teachers' views. Design /Method Using two samples of teachers, EEBEI was established as a statistically reliable survey and was used to examine the beliefs and expectations of Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and non‐PLTW teachers. The results were used to further examine teachers' decisions in advising fictional students (described in vignettes) with varying academic and socioeconomic profiles. Results High school STEM teachers report their instruction was influenced by students' interests, family background, and prior academic achievement. Comparisons between PLTW and non‐PLTW teachers revealed that non‐PLTW teachers agreed more strongly that an engineer must demonstrate high scholastic achievement in math and science whereas PLTW teachers were more likely to report that science and math content was integrated into engineering activities. Although teachers report that students' socioeconomic status was not influential when asked explicitly, it did influence situated decision‐making tasks using fictional student vignettes. Conclusions Findings address challenges of STEM integration and reveal conflicting purposes of K‐12 engineering education as being for a select few or to promote technological literacy for all students, which affects recruitment, instruction, and assessment practices.     

A Method for Identifying Variables for Predicting STEM Enrollment

This research examines demographic, academic, attitudinal, and experiential data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) for over 12,000 students at two universities to test a methodology for identifying variables showing significant differences between students intending to major in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) versus non‐STEM subjects. The methodology utilizes basic statistical techniques to identify significant differences between STEM and non‐STEM students within seven population subgroups based upon school attended, race/ethnicity, and gender. The value of individual variables is assessed by how consistently significant differences are found across the subgroups. The variables found to be most valuable in identifying STEM students reflect both quantitative and qualitative measures. Quantitative measures of academic ability such as SAT mathematics score, high school grade point average, and to a lesser extent SAT verbal score are all indicators. Qualitative measures including self‐ratings of mathematical ability, computer skills, and academic ability are also good indicators.     

“What's to keep you from dropping out?” Student Immigration into and within Engineering

Nearly one‐half of the industrial engineering undergraduate interviewees in an investigation of their degree program indicated they previously had been enrolled in another major. Understanding why these students chose to remain in or enter a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) major when their previous choice lost its appeal is an important piece of the STEM participation puzzle. Our data indicate effective formal and informal recruiting, contact with dynamic individuals who conveyed commitment to and excitement about the department and program, and a department that welcomed immigrants and promoted a clear, relevant image of its discipline's identity, influenced student decisions to relocate within STEM rather than attrite. The high proportion of females within the immigrant students is one factor contributing to the department's attainment of sex parity. Our students' stories offer lessons to other departments for attracting and retaining students who enter the higher education STEM pipeline.     

A formative evaluation of a Southeast High School Integrative science,technology, engineering,and mathematics (STEM) academy

A study was conducted to investigate to what extent an integrative science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education program had an impact to high school students in a South East region of the United States of America (US). The program was a brainchild of three teachers in physics, mathematics, and engineering and technology who teamed up to offer an integrative STEM program within their high schools' STEM Academy. The teachers structured their curriculum content in themes of same topics studied in theory (Physics) and practice (Engineering and Technology) using timely Mathematical tools. A cohort of students within the STEM academy signed to participate. This paper presents findings of the student cohort participation through a trilogy lens, and teacher reflections. Twenty students participated in this study. The mean scores for the trilogy levels of engagement for STEM disciplines and STEM careers ranged from 4.10 to 6.21 on a seven-point scale indicating high levels of engagement. Capacity mean scores were 4.30 on Information and 4.35 on Knowledge and for the group. In this category White students had the highest mean scores in both Knowledge and Information. Further, female students were higher on Knowledge. The mean scores ranged from 2.50 to 4.00 on a five-point scale for continuity.     

A Systems Model of Innovation Processes in University STEM Education

Drawing upon understanding of innovation processes in other domains, we construct a model of the innovation system for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The model suggests that higher educational innovation in research universities is severely disadvantaged in many regards. Paramount is the lack of a “natural” innovator who, analogous to the engineer in an industrial research and development lab, has professional training and incentives to perform a significant professional role—teaching. The model suggests a number of organizational and structural factors that must be addressed, systemically, to bolster prospects of educational improvement at research universities. Changing single factors, without attention to the interactive systems nature of STEM educational processes, is unlikely to prove effective in improving undergraduate education.     

Engineering Education Research: Discipline,Community, or Field?

Engineering education research has experienced a notable scale‐up in recent years through the development of departments and degree programs, high‐profile publication outlets, research agendas, and meetings. We begin by reviewing these developments, contextualizing them historically, and clarifying some relevant terminology. We then use observational data collected at the 2007 inaugural International Conference on Research in Engineering Education (ICREE) to examine how engineering education is variously conceptualized as a discipline, community of practice, and/or field. We also examine how ICREE participants engaged with questions about the infrastructure and major goals of engineering education research. Our data reveals both an overall lack of clarity and continued sense of ambiguity about the identity and status of engineering education research. We conclude by recommending that participants and stakeholders work to clarify the goals and objectives of engineering education research, especially to inform the continued development of the field's identity and supporting infrastructures.     

Predicting STEM Degree Outcomes Based on Eighth Grade Data and Standard Test Scores

Background Early identification of students who are potential candidates for achieving a degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) major would enable educators to offer programs designed to better enhance student interests and capabilities in those areas. Purpose (Hypothesis ) This study uses an integrated model leveraging the strengths of multiple statistical techniques to analyze the educational process from pre‐high school through college and predict which students will achieve a STEM education. Design /Method The probability of earning a STEM degree is modeled using variables available as of the eighth grade as well as standardized test scores from high school. These include demographic, attitudinal, experiential, and academic performance measures derived from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) dataset. The integrated model combines logistic regression, survival analysis, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis to predict whether an individual is likely to obtain a STEM degree. Results Predicted results of the integrated model were compared to actual outcomes and those of a separate logistic regression model. The modeling process identified a set of significant predictive variables and achieved very good predictive accuracy. The integrated model and logistic regression model performed with comparable precision. Conclusions The modeling process was adept at identifying STEM students and a large pool of other degree students that might have been capable of pursuing a STEM degree. The results suggest that it is quite feasible to identify good STEM candidates for a pro‐STEM intervention to engage their interest in STEM and support stronger quantitative skill development.     

First Steps in Understanding Engineering Students' Growth of Conceptual and Procedural Knowledge in an Interactive Learning Context

The development of procedural knowledge in students, i.e., the ability to effectively solve domain problems, is the goal of many instructional initiatives in engineering education. The present study examined learning in a rich learning environment in which students read text, listened to narrations, interacted with simulations, and solved problems using instructional software for thermodynamics. Twenty‐three engineering and science majors who had not taken a thermodynamics course provided verbal protocol data as they used this software. The data were analyzed for cognitive processes. There were three major findings: (1) students expressed significantly more cognitive activity on computer screens requiring interaction compared to text‐based screens; (2) there were striking individual differences in the extent to which students employed the materials; and (3) verbalizations revealed that students applied predominantly lower‐level cognitive processes when engaging these materials, and they failed to connect the conceptual and procedural knowledge in ways that would lead to deeper understanding. The results provide a baseline for additional studies of more advanced students in order to gain insight into how students develop skill in engineering.     

Project ExCEL: Web‐based Scanning Electron Microscopy for K‐12 Education

Project ExCEL (Extended Classroom for Enhanced Learning) brings the capabilities of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) into classrooms. University and industry personnel, working together, have developed a web‐based interface to allow schools to control a modern SEM. The interface allows a user control of the operating parameters of the microscope, stage movement, and chemical analysis. Such total control is not available on any other system. Since Iowa State University (ISU) pioneered the idea of remote SEM for education, researchers have learned that providing teachers access to sophisticated equipment does not ensure that it will be used. Teachers are busy, and structured curriculums are not conducive for incorporating the SEM into classes. A lack of teacher knowledge of SEMs also discourages their use. To overcome these problems, College of Engineering and College of Education faculty are working together to train future teachers in the SEM. The web‐based SEM is being used in education courses, and selected students (who receive additional training) prepare lesson plans and present their work to the class. In‐service teachers receive instruction in the web‐based SEM through workshops. By using this integrated approach, all science teachers in Iowa will eventually gain the confidence to use the SEM in their classrooms.     

Environmental Education Research: Implications for Engineering Education

Most environmental education in engineering has pertained to the development of technical environmental engineering skills. However, at the post‐secondary level, the spectrum of environmental education approaches is broad, and no consensus exists on the necessary curricular mix for forming effective environmental professionals. This paper examines the tension between the environmental education goals of knowing and caring: learning to scientifically describe how environmental processes work, and learning to value and feel concern for the environment. Literature on the development of environmental sensitivity is explored for insights into how the environmental sensitivity of engineering students could be assessed and nurtured.     

Qualitative Methods Used in the Assessment of Engineering Education

This article clarifies key concepts that undergird qualitative research, which is being used increasingly as engineering educators improve classrooms, programs, and institutions. The paper compares quantitative and qualitative research, describes some qualitative data collection strategies used in engineering education, addresses methods for establishing trustworthiness, and discusses strategies for analyzing qualitative data. Also included are illustrative examples of recent engineering education research that features qualitative data analysis and mixed‐method (quantitative and qualitative) approaches.     

生物医学工程研究生培养新模式探索

生物医学工程是一门整合物理、数学、工程技术、生物医学科技与临床应用的跨领域工程科学,培养能够适应生物医学工程发展需要、熟悉国际规则和惯例、对生物医学产业发展具有影响力的国际化研究型、具有实践能力和创新精神的高素质复合型人才不仅符合生物医学工程专业的特点,对于满足就业市场的需求也具有十分重要的意义。研究以东北大学生物医学工程专业为例,通过生物医学工程专业研究生培养新模式的探索,找出优化的研究生培养规律和教育教学模式,在此过程中,揭示创新型人才培养的机制、方法,从而提高研究生教育的理论水平,提高教学质量和人才培养质量。     

The Challenge to Change: On Realizing the New Paradigm for Engineering Education

The new paradigm for engineering education goes beyond the need to keep students at the cutting edge of technology and calls for a better balance in the various areas of engineering school scholarship. There is considerable concern that perpetuation of the old paradigm by engineering schools will all but assure minor roles for engineers in the future as well as difficulty in adapting to the exigencies of the fast‐paced global marketplace. However, the transition from the old to the new paradigm will not be easy since many of our research‐intensive universities are faced with financial pressures while the wherewithal to make the change rests mostly with those who oppose the change in the first place. This situation, coupled with the fact that there is no “one‐size‐fits‐all” transition paradigm, represents the challenge to change. Still, a number of engineering schools have made significant changes and have developed innovative approaches in their undergraduate programs. Taken together, the proven methodologies and knowledge gained should make it possible for most engineering schools to devise revitalization programs that fit the context of their institution, its student body, faculty, and objectives. This paper argues for a study to assess the impact of the tools and methodologies developed by pace‐setting engineering schools and the NSF Engineering Education Coalitions to lay the foundation for future reform initiatives.     

Becoming a Professional Engineering Educator: A New Role for a New Era

Engineering education faces significant challenges as it seeks to meet the demands on the engineering profession in the twenty‐first century. Engineering faculty will need to continue to learn new approaches to teaching and learning, which in turn will require effective professional development for both new and experienced instructors alike. This article explores approaches to effective professional development and provides a conceptual framework for responding to the challenge of becoming a professional engineering educator. The “cycle of professional practice” is introduced as a prelude for identifying what individual professors and their institutions can do to generate more powerful forms of engineering education. The article concludes with two case studies that illustrate the possibilities when faculty and academic leaders join together in addressing calls for change.     

Assessing Adaptive Expertise in Undergraduate Biomechanics

This paper describes the design, development, implementation, and assessment of a multimedia‐based learning module focused on biomechanics. The module is comprised of three challenges and is based on a model of learning and instruction known as the How People Learn (HPL) framework. Classroom assessment of the first challenge was undertaken to test the hypothesis that the HPL approach increases adaptive expertise in movement biomechanics. Student achievement was quantified using pre‐ and post‐test questionnaires designed to measure changes in three facets of adaptive expertise: factual and conceptual knowledge and transfer. The results showed that the HPL approach increased students' conceptual knowledge as well as their ability to transfer knowledge to new situations. These findings indicate that challenge‐based instruction, when combined with an intellectually engaging curriculum and principled instructional design, can accelerate the trajectory of novice to expert development in bioengineering education.     

Toward Customized Extracellular Niche Engineering: Progress in Cell‐Entrapment Technologies

The primary aim in tissue engineering is to repair, replace, and regenerate dysfunctional tissues to restore homeostasis. Cell delivery for repair and regeneration is gaining impetus with our understanding of constructing tissue‐like environments. However, the perpetual challenge is to identify innovative materials or re‐engineer natural materials to model cell‐specific tissue‐like 3D modules, which can seamlessly integrate and restore functions of the target organ. To devise an optimal functional microenvironment, it is essential to define how simple is complex enough to trigger tissue regeneration or restore cellular function. Here, the purposeful transition of cell immobilization from a cytoprotection point of view to that of a cell‐instructive approach is examined, with advances in the understanding of cell–material interactions in a 3D context, and with a view to further application of the knowledge for the development of newer and complex hierarchical tissue assemblies for better examination of cell behavior and offering customized cell‐based therapies for tissue engineering.     

Teaching Real-World Issues through Case Studies*

Engineering students are expected to be not only technically proficient, but, also to exhibit a sound awareness of real-world issues such as marketing, finance, communications, and interpersonal relations. We found that this is best learned by participating in a case study method of instruction. This paper describes the results of a research undertaken by the authors to develop a teaching methodology to bring real-world issues into engineering classrooms. It describes the steps taken in developing an engineering-management case study, administering this case study in a classroom, and results of evaluating the effectiveness of this method of instruction. In particular, it focuses on the students' and professional engineers' perceptions on the utility of the case study method of instruction in engineering classes. The results of the research lead to recommendations to funding agencies and educators on the need to develop interdisciplinary technical case studies so that the innovations happening in the engineering world can be communicated to the students in the classrooms.