Engineering curricula for high schools has and will become increasingly important as STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) education matures and grows across the country. Active learning and hands-on pedagogies are critical to the development of these curricula, connecting students to the integrated topics using all senses and a commitment to self-learning. One approach to curriculum development for the Engineering, applied Science, and applied Mathematics in STEM is design-based learning (DBL). For this report, a particular methodology, known as Reverse Engineering and Redesign, is explored for DBL. The Reverse Engineering and Redesign process is used to redesign the current University of Texas’ UTeachEngineering reverse engineering curriculum. The UTeachEngineering curriculum is compared to the Engineering the Future, Ford PAS, The Infinity Project, and Project Lead the Way to determine the TEKS covered by each curriculum. The redesign focused on adding various writing and reflection exercises throughout the curriculum, and adding specification sheets and rubrics to all the student deliverables. The writing exercises are essential to allow the students to fully explore, comprehend, and appreciate the material. Specification sheets and rubrics are essential for the students to understand what is expected of them to attain mastery of the reverse engineering and redesign curriculum. / text

No description available.

<p dir="ltr">In response to the escalating demand for proficient programming skills in today's technological landscape, innovative educational strategies have emerged to mitigate the challenges inherent in mastering programming concepts. Contextualization, a pedagogical approach embedding learning within real-world contexts, has demonstrated efficacy in enhancing student engagement and understanding. However, its implementation in programming education encounters hurdles related to diverse student backgrounds and resource-intensive material preparation. To address these challenges, this paper proposes leveraging learnersourcing, a collaborative approach wherein students actively contribute to the creation of contextualized learning materials. Specifically, we investigate the viability of implementing a learnersourcing workflow in an advanced database programming class during the Spring semester of 2022 with a group of 23 students enrolled, where students are tasked with generating contextualized worked-out examples. The results reveal that students successfully incorporated diverse contexts into their WEs, demonstrating the potential of learnersourcing to enrich educational content. However, challenges such as vague problem descriptions and formatting errors were identified, emphasizing the need for structured support and guidance. Self-assessment ratings tended to overestimate clarity and educational value, while peer assessments exhibited variability among assessors. Ambiguities in evaluation criteria and limited granularity of rating scales contributed to inconsistencies in assessments. These findings underscore the importance of addressing challenges in learnersourcing implementation, including providing explicit guidance, scaffolding support, and integrating real-time feedback mechanisms. Additionally, efforts to enhance the reliability of self and peer assessments should consider standardization measures and clear evaluation criteria. Future research should explore alternative approaches to improve the validity and consistency of assessments in learnersourcing contexts.</p>

Becoming a software engineer can be a stressful process. Software engineers are required to have a broad skill set in order to first obtain a job and then thrive in that position. Job applications will list skills that may be required or recommended but many potential applicants, especially new college graduates, may not have experience with all of the skills that are listed in a position description. The field of software engineering is constantly changing and evolving. New skills are constantly needed in a software engineering position. Education cannot keep up with the constantly changing software engineering workplace. Designing courses takes lots of time and effort. Changing courses to meet the newer and more volatile industry standards could potentially harm existing education by causing a decrease in the quality of more foundation skills. For example, a more foundational skill like good testing practices could become muddled in different languages or frameworks due to a newer language potentially not being fully understood or by the intricacies of the language. This study aims to identify the current gaps that exist between software engineering education and industry. In order to address these gaps this study proposes a platform to provide students with resources related to identified gaps. Additionally, the platform will show the students the identified gaps to see if students are interested in exploring skills related to the identified gaps. The identified gaps are derived from a survey of professional software engineers and subsequent interviews. The results of the study show that students are not only interested in learning how people in industry rank their skills, but that students are overall interested in exploring more resources whether they are directly correlated with a gap or not. / Master of Science / Becoming a software engineer can be a stressful process. Software engineers are required to have a broad skill set in order to first obtain a job and then thrive in that position. Job applications will list skills that may be required or recommended but many potential applicants, especially new college graduates, may not have experience with all of the skills that are listed in a position description. For example, many applications will list that a specific programming language as a required skill or they may list a specific language framework that is necessary for the job. These skills may not line up with the languages or frameworks that students learn in school. The field of software engineering is constantly changing and evolving. Additionally, the field is so broad that the requirements for different positions can have great variations at different companies. New skills are constantly needed in a software engineering position. Education cannot keep up with the constantly changing software engineering workplace. Designing courses takes lots of time and effort. Changing courses to meet the newer and more volatile industry standards could potentially harm existing education by causing a decrease in the quality of more foundation skills. For example, a more foundational skill like good testing practices could become muddled in different languages or frameworks due to a newer language potentially not being fully understood or by the intricacies of the language. This study aims to identify the current gaps that exist between software engineering education and industry. In order to address these gaps this study proposes a platform to provide students with resources related to identified gaps. Additionally, the platform will show the students the identified gaps to see if students are interested in exploring skills related to the identified gaps. The identified gaps are derived from a survey of professional software engineers and subsequent interviews. The results of the study show that students are not only interested in learning how people in industry rank their skills, but that students are overall interested in exploring more resources whether they are directly correlated with a gap or not.

<p dir="ltr">This thesis investigates the impact of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) on student engagement in undergraduate STEM education. The study addresses the growing demand for innovative learning technologies, especially in response to the shift to remote education during the COVID-19 pandemic. IVR offers unique advantages by immersing students in fully interactive environments that reduce distractions and enhance experiential learning. The research explores how IVR compares to traditional methods in fostering student engagement and participation, particularly in STEM disciplines.</p><p dir="ltr">A comprehensive literature review reveals gaps in understanding how IVR impacts student motivation, agency, presence, and immersion. The Cognitive Affective Model of Immersive Learning (CAMIL) serves as the theoretical framework, suggesting that immersive environments can improve educational outcomes by enhancing learners’ control (agency) and emotional engagement (presence).</p><p dir="ltr">The study employed a cross-over experimental design involving undergraduate students who participated in both IVR and traditional PowerPoint (PPT) lessons. Data was collected using surveys based on validated scales for motivation, presence, agency, and immersion. The study also incorporated a Retrospective Post-Then-Pre (RPT) assessment to measure shifts in student perceptions of their learning experiences. The use of this design allowed for an in-depth comparison of the effects of IVR versus traditional instruction.</p><p dir="ltr">Results indicated that IVR significantly improved students’ sense of immersion, though no significant differences were observed in terms of motivation or presence compared to traditional methods. Interestingly, students reported higher levels of agency during PPT lessons, suggesting that the structured nature of traditional instruction made them feel more in control. These findings highlight the nuanced ways different implementations of IVR impact key dimensions of student engagement.</p><p dir="ltr">The discussion reflects on the broader implications of these results, particularly the technical limitations encountered with the Meta Quest 1 headsets, which may have hindered the full potential of the IVR experience. While IVR offers promising opportunities for enhancing engagement, technical challenges and students’ preference for familiar learning environments suggest a need for a balanced integration of immersive and traditional methods.</p><p dir="ltr">The conclusion proposes that hybrid learning models, which combine IVR's interactivity with traditional formats' structure, may offer the best path forward for integrating immersive technologies into STEM education. Practical recommendations for educators and policymakers are presented, emphasizing the importance of access to up-to-date equipment and training to maximize the benefits of IVR in academic settings.</p>

The purpose of this study was to examine belonging at classroom and academic domain levels, extending research that has primarily investigated general school and classroom-level belonging. This examination accounts for the context-specific, instructional, and domain experiences of students’ belonging. More specifically, the goals of the research were to investigate the relations between belonging in science class with engagement, and to contrast students’ perspectives of science classroom belonging in traditional compared to inquiry curricular contexts. Middle school students from traditional and inquiry science contexts completed self-reported measures of science classroom belonging and science engagement. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to evaluate students’ experiences of belonging in science class. Science classroom belonging was correlated with science engagement, with students from inquiry contexts reporting higher belonging and engagement quality. In both contexts, students reported common social, academic and contextual sources of belonging, with additional emphasis on content-based and interpersonal interactions. In comparing justifications between contexts on the role of competence for experienced belonging, students in traditional contexts reflected on self-focused, intrapersonal competence, while students in inquiry contexts reflected on interpersonal forms of competence. Students’ differentiated reports and conceptualization of belonging were related to contextual supports for involvement in authentic disciplinary practice and peer responsiveness.

<p>The purpose of this study was to understand how urban entrepreneurship exposure programs can enable minoritized students to leverage their cultural capital and create an environment that affirms their inherent strengths and cultural identity. More specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions: (1) how, and in what ways, do minoritized youth (ages 14-18) leverage their cultural capital in entrepreneurial experiences and (2) how, and in what ways, can entrepreneurial experiences create an environment that affirms minoritized youth’s (ages 14-18) inherent strengths and cultural identity? To answer these questions, a qualitative descriptive approach was used and the lenses of the <i>Community Cultural Wealth Framework</i> were leveraged to conceptualize the findings. Purposeful sampling was employed to recruit participants for this investigation. Observations of the program implementation and in-depth semi-structured interviews with two high school-aged minoritized students and one program administrator at an urban entrepreneurship exposure program in a large Midwestern city were conducted. The findings from this study suggest that cultural capital is worthy of considerable attention as it is leveraged by minoritized youth and may contribute to affirming their cultural identity and inherent strengths. Therefore, the results obtained from this study can assist entrepreneurship exposure programs in the development and enhancement of programs specifically geared toward addressing the needs of this minoritized population segment. For example, recommendations include employing Critical Race Theory in research studies, utilizing counter-storytelling for the experiences of minoritized youth, and investigating culturally sustaining innovations created by minoritized youth. The results of this study, are important as it has significant implications for developing better methods to train and nurture talents of youth in becoming confident in their cultural identities and necessitating success in becoming entrepreneurially-minded which in turn may help to further diversify, fortify the STEM workforce, and break systemic barriers. As such, this study can contribute and supplement existing literature on minoritized youth in STEM educational contexts, specifically in entrepreneurship focused STEM learning environments. </p>

<p dir="ltr">The interactive computer-generated simulation, virtual reality (VR), is growing as an educational and training tool. The primary objective of this research is to explore the effectiveness of VR in teaching in-flight engine failures to beginner flight students, with the intention of integrating it for Purdue University’s curriculum. The methodology for this study is a quantitative descriptive data analysis method. Participant progression and test scores were monitored and translated to statistical data to represent the findings. From the nationwide Flight Academy program, 30 Purdue University JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps) and ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) cadets with little to no flight experience were selected to participate. The population flew a C172S at Purdue Aviation through the Flight Academy program and were tested on in-flight engine failure knowledge to measure student comprehension. Experimental participants practiced in the TakeFlight Interactive flight training program in a virtual C172R and were able to interact and control the simulated aircraft with the use of the HP Reverb G2 head mount display (HMD), Logitech joystick, and Logitech rudder pedals. The statistical analysis revealed no significant difference in comprehension between the VR and control groups, challenging the initial hypothesis.</p>

<p dir="ltr">As the world becomes increasingly reliant on technology, the role of software and systems in everyday life has increased exponentially. From mobile applications to critical infrastructure systems, software runs at the core of most modern systems. However, with this widespread usage comes the increased risk of cyber threats silently embedded in these systems. As software systems grow in complexity and scale, vulnerabilities become more difficult to detect and mitigate. The growing number of cyberattacks in recent years highlights the importance of not only building functional systems but also ensuring they are secure from the development stages. This emphasizes the need for a strong focus on secure coding practices as a vital component of both the software development process and education. Every computer engineering or computer science student is required to take programming courses as part of their curriculum. These courses teach fundamental programming aspects and skills, but lack the educational material about writing secure code. Many vulnerabilities that are present in software systems are caused by human error, and are introduced in code. This makes it imperative that students must be introduced to secure coding practices and general cybersecurity awareness while they are learning a new programming language. In this research we focus on the development of educational modules for secure software development and secure networking. A total of six secure coding modules were created, and a total of four secure networking modules were created. These modules provide clarity on a variety of vulnerabilities that may be introduced in code, such as lack of input validation, integer overflow, SQL injection, and SlowHTTP attacks. The module are designed as supplemental work that is performed concurrently with the regular curriculum, reinforcing the general information with security aspects. The goal of the modules are to increase the general cybersecurity awareness in students, and teach them how to mitigate to common vulnerabilities in code.</p>

<p dir="ltr">This research focuses on creating educational materials for secure software development and a visualization tool for a Computer Organization and Design (COD) course. The integration of digital technology in our lives has greatly increased in the last two decades, and the recent pandemic has sped this up even more. Cybercriminals are now able to target people and organizations to gain money and reputation. To protect against cybercriminals, cybersecurity has become crucial for all Internet users and is in high demand. However, the cybersecurity industry is struggling to meet this demand because there are more job openings than qualified professionals. Our goal is to raise cybersecurity awareness to encourage safe technology use and inspire students to consider careers in cybersecurity. Towards this, the first part of this research led to the creation of learning modules for secure programming in C++. These modules teach about various software vulnerabilities and their mitigation. The vulnerabilities covered include switch-case, functions, random numbers, integer overflow, and buffer overflow. Students will learn the importance of creating well-designed software that is also safe. COD is one of the most important courses in the Computer Engineering/Science (CE/CS) curriculum. A good understanding of computer functionality is extremely valuable for CE/CS students, but this course is challenging to learn. To help with this, the second part of this research developed a visualization-based learning tool for the COD course. The tool includes learning modules on standard microarchitecture and microarchitecture security, supporting the cybersecurity awareness initiative. So far, three visualization modules have been developed in this tool, covering memory access, CPU pipelining, and the Spectre attack.</p>