Este trabalho tem como principal objetivo observar e analisar qual a influência dos estilos de aprendizagem, ou seja, as diferentes preferências por perceber e processar as informações, na formação de equipes de alto-desempenho (todos os membros integrantes da equipe estão comprometidos com a aprendizagem do outro visando alcançar índices elevados de desempenho em uma disciplina ou atividade proposta). Com intuito de atingir o objetivo proposto foram aplicados os inventários de Felder e Silverman (1988) e o de Keirsey e Bates (1984) em uma amostra de 53 alunos de alunos do primeiro e do quinto anos de graduação do curso de engenharia de produção mecânica, da Universidade de São Paulo - USP/São Carlos. A partir da análise dos dados coletados buscou-se traçar um perfil dos estilos de aprendizagem (dominantes) desses estudantes e correlacioná-los com a utilização do trabalho em equipe em três diferentes formações (aleatória, homogênea e heterogênea) como estratégia educacional objetivando melhorias no ensino/aprendizagem de graduação, segundo os preceitos estabelecidos pela teoria. Além disso, foi realizada revisão bibliográfica que abrangeu estudos sobre os estilos de aprendizagem e as técnicas do trabalho em equipe, seus benefícios e dificuldades. Com isso, foi possível observar e analisar as influências do conhecimento dos estilos de aprendizagem na formação das equipes tendo como parâmetro o desempenho dos alunos na disciplina abordagens para a identificação e solução de problemas em engenharia de produção. A pesquisa é caracterizada como exploratória e descritiva, por realizar descrições da situação, visando descobrir as relações (influências) existentes entre os elementos componentes da mesma, e por explorar o assunto anteriormente citado. Para a pesquisa teórico-empírica, aplicou-se na coleta de dados alguns questionários, os quais buscou verificar a percepção dos integrantes em relação a formação das equipes e a delegação de papéis. Com base nesses resultados foi possível realizar a análise e correlação entre as variáveis investigadas. De modo geral, observou-se nos resultados que, o conhecimento dos estilos de aprendizagem facilitou a formação das equipes uma vez que o auto-conhecimento propiciado pelos testes permitiram maior compreensão das dificuldades de algumas equipes e uma conseqüente intervenção de discentes e docentes visando maior aproveitamento e maior desempenho na respectiva disciplina. / This assignment has as main aim to remark and analyse what is the influence of the learning styles, in other words, the different preferences by noticing and processing the information, in the high-performance teams formation (all the integrated members of the team are committed to the other´s learning, aiming to reach high levels of performance in a subject or proposed activity). With the sense of reaching the proposed aim Felder and Soloman (1988)´s inventories were put into practice and the Keirsey and Bates (1984)´s in a sample of 53 students from the first and fifth grades students of the mechanical production engineering course, from USP- Sao Carlos. From the collected data analysis on, there was an attempt to draw up a profile of the learning styles (dominant) of these students and to correlate them with the usage of the team work in three different formations (randomly, homogeneous and heterogeneous) with educational strategy aiming improvements on teaching/learning, according to the rules established by the theory. Besides, a wide bibliographical review was carried out which included studies about the learning styles and the team work techniques, their benefits and difficulties. So, it was possible to observe and analyze the influences of the knowledge of the learning styles in the teams formation using as a parameter the students´performance on the subject approaches to the problems identification in mechanical production engineering. The research is characterized as exploratory and descriptive, by doing situation descriptions, aiming to find out the existing relations (influences) among the component members of it, and by exploring the previously quoted matter. For the theoretical-empirical research, some questions were put into practice in the data collection, where there was an attempt to check the participants perception in relation to the teams formation and roles delegation. Considering these results it was possible to do the analysis and correlation among the researched variables. As a general rule, it was noticed in the results that, the knowledge of the learning styles eased the teams formation once the self- knowledge given by tests allowed bigger difficulties comprehension of some teams and a consequent pupil and docent intervention aiming a wider use and higher performance in the respective subject.

The engineering technology department at ETSU currently lacks a modern method to teach digital circuits. The aim of this thesis is to convert our current digital circuits labs to equivalent labs suited to run on the Basys 3. The Basys has several advantages over the aging NI Elvis boards (and now just breadboards) currently in use. The first advantage is that the Basys gives students a taste of FPGA programming without being overwhelmingly; like the systems currently in place for the digital signal processing class. The Basys is also a more modern system; our current integrated circuit and breadboard system is from the 70’s and has little to do with the modern world of electronics. There are several major difficulties with moving towards the Basys 3. It requires several tweaks to the current computer security setting of the lab computers. The other issue to be solved is that very few people in the department have even an inkling of how to program in VHDL and most of them are outgoing students. This lack of skills could be a threat to the class but I have included an appendix and a few recommendations for books on the subject to ensure that system development can continue. The other objective of this project was to see if there were ways to incorporate new educational techniques into the engineering technology curriculum. While there have been no actual tests on students, the groundwork has been laid to use some new ideas in the classroom. All of these new systems are designed to get students to think about how devices actually work and develop models to help them fully understand what is being taught.

Considering the significant investment of higher education made by students and their families, graduating in a timely manner is of the utmost importance. Delay attributed to drop out or the retaking of a course adds cost and negatively affects a student’s academic progression. Considering this, it becomes paramount for institutions to focus on student success in relation to term scheduling. Often overlooked, complexity of a course schedule may be one of the most important factors in whether or not a student successfully completes his or her degree. More often than not students entering an institution as a first time full time (FSFT) freshman follow the advised and published schedule given by administrators. Providing the optimal schedule that gives the student the highest probability of success is critical. In efforts to create this optimal schedule, this thesis introduces a novel optimization algorithm with the objective to separate courses which when taken together hurt students’ pass rates. Inversely, we combine synergistic relationships that improve a students probability for success when the courses are taken in the same semester. Using actual student data at the University of Kentucky, we categorically find these positive and negative combinations by analyzing recorded pass rates. Using Julia language on top of the Gurobi solver, we solve for the optimal degree plan of a student in the electrical engineering program using a linear and non-linear multi-objective optimization. A user interface is created for administrators to optimize their curricula at main.optimizeplans.com.

Career prospects are a motivating factor for entry and retention of doctoral students, especially in the discipline of engineering. While doctoral student training provides them with highly specialized skills to be an independent researcher, they may not have the requisite skills or guidance to secure the job position of their choice. Therefore, it is important to provide doctoral students with opportunities, training, and information (i.e., resources) about different types of careers to not only ensure they are productive contributors of teaching and research, but also equip them for future career prospects. Research techniques based upon in-depth narrative interviews and combining research with action were used to explain how doctoral students develop and fit in with their intended careers and was used to explore what supports and challenges contribute to their intended career paths. Analysis of the data revealed three themes: (1) Engineering Doctoral Identity; (2) Engineering Doctoral Skill Development; and (3) Time. Research emerged as central to engineering doctoral identity and was reinforced by ‘Insiders’, or people who had a Ph.D. in engineering. Insiders’ and doctoral students’ value of research came at the cost of relatively devaluing other skills (e.g., teaching) and associated career resources. These students had to consider and compromise how they fit within an engineering doctoral identity that is premised on research. This negotiation influenced the skills they developed and how they crafted tactics to acquire necessary skills for future careers. At the same time, participants were struggling to cope with immediate demands of their study while also working towards future career goals. Participants struggled to optimize their time, and in response utilized “Time Adaptive Tactics” such as flexibility, networking, and leveraging career resources. Engineering doctoral student and university staff perceptions of career resources were compared against each other which revealed that students utilize resources based upon a hierarchy that considers how specific and close in time and location those resources are. Whereas staff believed their resources were beneficial regardless of these factors. Additionally, the career resources that participants used were influenced by Insiders and how they implicitly showed they valued those resources.

A longitudinal study of the effects of instructional technology on learning and knowledge retention was conducted in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech. Instructional technology has been promoted as a means of improving knowledge retention among engineering students. The practical, long-term effects of such technology use were assessed at numerous times over a period of twenty-five weeks. Students in various sections of an undergraduate mechanics course used two different software titles, a structural analysis tool and an electronic textbook, in their studies of trusses and truss analysis. Two other sections of the same course used no software in their classes but spent class time solving problems by hand in teams. All sections were taught truss analysis by the same guest lecturer who also facilitated in the intervention. Demographic data, including gender, ethnicity, grade point average, and course load, were gathered from each of the sections and compared to assure group equality. Pretests were completed by students in each of the sections and also compared among treatment groups to assure that all sections had equivalent levels of prior knowledge. All students were tested immediately after the intervention to assess their learning of the material. Students were again tested ten and twenty-five weeks after the intervention to assess their long-term retention of the material. Results indicated that technology use increased students’ problem solving efficiency. The results of the assessments further indicated that all students had high levels of knowledge retention, but that there were no differential levels of learning or retention among the different groups. It was thus concluded that instructional technology can make the educational process more efficient without hindering long-term knowledge retention. It was further concluded that solving problems by hand in teams was just as effective at leading to high levels of performance over time as using instructional technology.

This report documents the experiences and applications to practice of a secondary science teacher, instructional coach, and educational consultant performing academic research on surface tension in thin films and self-diffusion in nanocomposites in a chemical engineering lab setting. Throughout this experience, the author developed knowledge for and of engineering teaching through authentic learning experiences. These learning experiences will be used as a model to assist mentee teachers in developing authentic learning experiences for students that create an awareness of engineering while fostering engineering habits of mind and an understanding of the engineering design process. / text

This study compares engineering expert problem-solving on a highly constrained routine problem and an ill-defined complex problem. The participants (n=7) were recruited from two large public Research I institutions. Using a think aloud methodology, the experts solved both routine and non-routine problems. The protocols were transcribed and coded in Atlas ti. The first round of coding followed a grounded theory methodology, yielding interesting findings. Unprompted, the experts revealed a strong belief that the ill-defined problems are developmentally appropriate for PhD students while routine problems are more appropriate for undergraduate students. Additional rounds of coding were informed by previous problem solving studies in math and engineering. In general, this study confirmed the 5 Step Problem Solving Method used in previous challenged based instruction studies. There were observed differences based on problem type and background knowledge. The routine problem was more automatic and took significantly less time. The experts with higher amounts of background knowledge and experience were more likely to categorize the problems. The level of background knowledge was most apparent in the steps between conducting an overall energy balance and writing more problem specific relationships between the variables. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for improving undergraduate engineering education. / text

This thesis contributes to the quality of engineering education and the accessibility of education worldwide by promoting computer-enhanced teaching and learning. It uses the epistemology of John Dewey (1859-1952) and the action research methodology first advanced by Kurt Lewin (1890-1947). A mixed methods approach that combines qualitative case studies with quantitative research methods is used. In the first of three case studies engineering students working on their final degree projects participated. To elicit interaction, a learning management system (LMS) was used and the students were strongly encouraged to discuss various aspects of their work. The second case focused on the barriers to a wider utilization of educational software in engineering education. The case is delimited to lecturers at the School of Engineering at the University of Borås. The investigation focuses on the lecturers’ reluctance to use educational technology and the slow uptake of new pedagogical methods in engineering education. The third case study covers three subsets of participants. A course intended to improve lecturers handling skills and motivation to utilize educational software in a pedagogically sound manner was given in Cuba, Guatemala and Peru. The first case demonstrated that computer-enhanced collaborative learning can improve the learning experience and performance of engineering students. The second case showed that LMS tools that facilitate traditional methods are used routinely, whereas lecturers often refrain from using features intended to facilitate collaboration and the creation of communities of learners. The third case study investigated the use of a complete course package, with all course material and software contained on the same USB drive (LiveUSB Mediated Education, LUME). It is asserted that LUME can facilitate constructivist pedagogical methods and help overcome the reluctance of lecturers to utilize educational software in a pedagogical sound way.

Many high school students are unable to consider engineering as an undergraduate program of study because they have not taken the prerequisite courses required for university entrance. In order to provide the opportunity for capable students to pursue an engineering degree and subsequently enter the engineering profession, they should be more aware of the profession of engineering prior to entering high school to enable them to select appropriate courses from the very start of their post elementary education. The focus of this study is to understand how students in grade 7 perceive the profession of engineering in two example regions across Canada. Recent literature suggests that action is underway in some areas of the United States in order to create awareness and encourage students to pursue an engineering program. These initiatives range from integrating engineering concepts into the K-12 curriculum to providing outreach and design challenge opportunities outside of school. In Canada, such initiatives are only present in isolated cases, with limited reach and impact. To better understand the perspectives on engineering of pre-high school students in Canada, grade 7 students were provided with surveys incorporating a variety of questions pertaining to the engineering profession. All questions were open ended in order to promote individualized answers from the students. Survey questions were analyzed with NVIVO software to determine common themes in the understanding and perception of engineering from the perspective of the students. After the completion of the survey, select students in each location were interviewed in order to further explore their perception of the engineering profession. The questions asked during these interviews built on the themes of the written survey. In general, it was found that participants had varied and mostly inaccurate perception of what engineers do, and lacked a clear understanding of the profession. After analyzing the data, the subsequent suggested recommendations are to develop a better public perception of the engineering profession, develop programs to help teachers better relate math and science to engineering in school, and to consider further investigation of best practices from the United States and how they might be implemented in Canada. / Thesis (Master, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-28 18:12:53.158

abstract: From the instructional perspective, the scope of "active learning" in the literature is very broad and includes all sorts of classroom activities that engage students with the learning experience. However, classifying all classroom activities as a mode of "active learning" simply ignores the unique cognitive processes associated with the type of activity. The lack of an extensive framework and taxonomy regarding the relative effectiveness of these "active" activities makes it difficult to compare and contrast the value of conditions in different studies in terms of student learning. Recently, Chi (2009) proposed a framework of differentiated overt learning activities (DOLA) as active, constructive, and interactive based on their underlying cognitive principles and their effectiveness on students' learning outcomes. The motivating question behind this framework is whether some types of engagement affect learning outcomes more than the others. This work evaluated the effectiveness and applicability of the DOLA framework to learning activities for STEM classes. After classification of overt learning activities as being active, constructive or interactive, I then tested the ICAP hypothesis, which states that student learning is more effective in interactive activities than constructive activities, which are more effective than active activities, which are more effective than passive activities. I conducted two studies (Study 1 and Study 2) to determine how and to what degree differentiated activities affected students' learning outcomes. For both studies, I measured students' knowledge of materials science and engineering concepts. Results for Study 1 showed that students scored higher on all post-class quiz questions after participating in interactive and constructive activities than after the active activities. However, student scores on more difficult, inference questions suggested that interactive activities provided significantly deeper learning than either constructive or active activities. Results for Study 2 showed that students' learning, in terms of gain scores, increased systematically from passive to active to constructive to interactive, as predicted by ICAP. All the increases, from condition to condition, were significant. Verbal analysis of the students' dialogue in interactive condition indicated a strong correlation between the co-construction of knowledge and learning gains. When the statements and responses of each student build upon those of the other, both students benefit from the collaboration. Also, the linear combination of discourse moves was significantly related to the adjusted gain scores with a very high correlation coefficient. Specifically, the elaborate type discourse moves were positively correlated with learning outcomes; whereas the accept type moves were negatively correlated with learning outcomes. Analyses of authentic activities in a STEM classroom showed that they fit within the taxonomy of the DOLA framework. The results of the two studies provided evidence to support the predictions of the ICAP hypothesis. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction 2012