The training of non-specialists, particularly engineers, in mathematics requires designing specific didactic proposals that make the importance of mathematics evident. One approach to creating such proposals consists in analyzing the mathematics used in authentic contexts of engineering research and then effectuating a didactic transposition to…

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) and mobile technologies have been identified as important in reimaging information delivery and pedagogy. This, coupled with evolving research in single (SUVR) and multiuser (MUVR) IVR environments, may enhance educational practice. However, there is limited research on the impact of such technologies on the…

For the past 15 years, pine forests across the United States have experienced devastating mountain and southern pine beetle outbreaks (Rosner 2015). These outbreaks are not uncommon but have become increasingly severe. Due to the effects of global warming, pine beetles have been able to survive warmer winters in their native habitats, producing…

Computer simulation and animation (CSA) has been receiving growing attention and wide application in engineering education in recent years. A new interactive CSA module was developed in the present study to improve student learning of particle kinetics in an undergraduate engineering dynamics course. The unique feature of this CSA module is that…

Preparing students for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is one of the United States' K-12 educational concerns (Gandhi et al., 2016). Despite the National Science Foundation's (NSF) report that the number of students participating in STEM fields continues to increase, the number of underrepresented students…

Research on self-efficacy has provided evidence that it is a moderating factor that positively impacts students' choices to pursue and persist in engineering. Engineering graphics is seen as the preferred method of communication for the profession, yet to date no instrument is available that measures students' self-efficacy as it relates to…

This study aims to determine if "technology optimism" and "technology innovativeness" can explain and predict the use of augmented reality in the scope of engineering education. An Augmented Reality app to analyze digital current (DC) in resistive circuits was developed was developed to enhance students' understanding of…

Part of a more extensive National Science Foundation-funded study, this study presents the findings and analysis of the effect on three-dimensional modeling self-efficacy (3DSE) by the inclusion of online active learning modules (ALM). Using multiple datasets, we found that the use of ALM in an introductory engineering graphics course, closed a…

Background: Modeling and simulation practices have become commonplace in modern engineering, but in-depth research on the development of modeling and simulation expertise is needed to identify the learning processes involved in successfully acquiring these skills. Purpose: This study investigated student dimensions of expertise when engaged in…

Imagine a microscopic world filled with tiny motors, ratchets, switches, and pumps controlled by complex signaling and feedback systems. Now imagine that these parts can assemble themselves. This is the world presented to students in the protein structure unit of a genetic engineering course. Students learn how protein folding gives rise to the…

As BIM (Building information modeling) comprehensive advantages in the field of engineering, it develops rapidly in the international building industry including China. In the face of new technology and new methods of innovation, architecture teaching also needs to adjust. BIM as new design tool is very necessary. But how to perfectly combine BIM…

Safety training and assessment programs play a key role in inducing safe behavior on construction sites. The traditional training methods are fraught with limitations. The advent of visualization technologies such as building information modeling (BIM) and virtual reality (VR) lay a great promise in imbuing vigor in the training and assessment…

Many engineering and technology education classrooms incorporate simulation modeling as part of curricula to teach engineering and STEM-based concepts. The traditional method of the learning process has students first learn the content from the classroom teacher and then may have the opportunity to apply the learned content through simulation…

Technological innovation in science provides complementary tools for exploring new teaching strategies within a pedagogical framework that promotes interaction between the teacher and the learner. This work is based on the implementation of a computer application modeling crystallographic material structures, in order to identify and study the…

This research aimed to explore the effects of a virtual lab (VL) and a Microcomputer-based Lab (MBL) on students' performance in scientific modeling. A web-based virtual lab and a low-cost MBL were proposed to help first-year engineering students build scientific models. Empirical research was done in a slope motion experiment. The participants…