In 2011, the U.S. National Science Foundation created the Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program in a... more In 2011, the U.S. National Science Foundation created the Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program in an effort to explore ways to translate the results of the academic research the agency has funded into new products, processes, devices, or services and move them to the marketplace. The agency established a 3-tier structure to support the implementation of the I-Corps concept. Selected I-Corps teams consisting of the principal investigator, an entrepreneurial lead, and an industry mentor participate in a 7-week accelerated version of the Lean Launchpad methodology that was first developed by Steve Blank at Stanford University. Participating teams engage in talking to potential customers, partners, and competitors and address the challenges and the uncertainty of creating successful ventures. I-Corps sites were set up to promote selected aspects of innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems at the grantee institutions. I-Corps Regional Nodes were charged with recruiting I-Corps teams in a...
The use of Information Technology (IT) has been growing over the years in various human endeavour... more The use of Information Technology (IT) has been growing over the years in various human endeavours. It has also been adopted in education sector for teaching and learning. Various studies have been conducted to assess the effectiveness and acceptance of e-learning strategy by students. In particular, the current research is an attempt to obtain students’ and instructor’s perspective on the use of Blackboard software. The technology is a course management system used in a blended learning mode to deliver a third year mechanical engineering course at the University of Botswana (UB). In terms of students’ views, the study covered a period of nine years and the questionnaire survey was administered to each succeeding cohort of students. Whereas in terms of the instructor’s perspective the motivation and the challenges faced during the years of use of the platform were described. Results indicate that students were generally comfortable with the use of Blackboard as they highly embraced ...
Of the eight major programs mentioned in Thailand\u27s Eighth National Education Development Plan... more Of the eight major programs mentioned in Thailand\u27s Eighth National Education Development Plan (1997-2001), one is aimed at developing human capability in the areas of science and technology. This is to address the fact that the teaching of technology in Thailand is lagging behind the technological changes of the last decade. Part of this reform effort is the development of conceptual based learning activities in science and technology for 12 to 15-year old students. These concepts are being introduced through the offering of a subject at the high school level. de Klerk Wolters (1989) indicated learning the concepts of technology is necessary and should be required for all students of this age range. Cross and McCormick (1986) added that students in both primary and secondary schools need to learn to solve technological problems in creative ways. Students also should understand the nature of technology. Understanding technology is just as important for Thai students as it is for ...
Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 2015
Improving high school physics teaching and learning is important to the long-term success of scie... more Improving high school physics teaching and learning is important to the long-term success of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Increasing our national STEM literacy and workforce readiness includes intensifying and diversifying student participation in STEM learning experiences. Efforts are currently in place to develop an understanding of science among high school students through formal and informal educational experiences in engineering design activities emphasizing the science and engineering practices included in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) framework (NGSS Lead States, 2013).The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) framework has indicated the importance of the engineering design process in K-12 education. The framework was developed in an effort to produce K-12 science standards rich in content and practice and coherent across disciplines (NGSS Lead States, 2013). These standards have been divided into different areas and b...
The use of Information Technology (IT) has been growing over the years in various human endeavour... more The use of Information Technology (IT) has been growing over the years in various human endeavours. It has also been adopted in education sector for teaching and learning. Various studies have been conducted to assess the effectiveness and acceptance of e-learning strategy by students. In particular, the current research is an attempt to obtain students’ and instructor’s perspective on the use of Blackboard software. The technology is a course management system used in a blended learning mode to deliver a third year mechanical engineering course at the University of Botswana (UB). In terms of students’ views, the study covered a period of nine years and the questionnaire survey was administered to each succeeding cohort of students. Whereas in terms of the instructor’s perspective the motivation and the challenges faced during the years of use of the platform were described. Results indicate that students were generally comfortable with the use of Blackboard as they highly embraced ...
The objective of this study was to describe the task interpretation of students engaged in a desi... more The objective of this study was to describe the task interpretation of students engaged in a design activity and determine the extent to which students translate their understanding of their design task to their planning and cognitive strategies. Twenty-nine students at one Colorado high school participated in this study. Students worked individually in the Architectural Design class (n=7), and in teams in the Robotics Design class (n=22). To capture students' perceptions of their understanding of the task, planning strategies, and cognitive strategies, the Engineering Design Questionnaire (EDQ) was used. The development of the EDQ was guided by Butler and Cartier's Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) model. Besides the EDQ, a Web-based Engineering Design Notebook was developed to facilitate students reporting planning activities and engineering design strategies. Graphical views are used to present quantitative and qualitative analysis of data collected in this study. In addition, the mean scores of design phases (i.e., SRL dimensions) were compared across SRL features (i.e., task interpretation, planning strategies, and cognitive strategies). From the analysis, the findings suggest that the level of understanding of the task were high in problem definition, conceptual design, and preliminary design. In contrast, students were found to be lacking on those three design process components in the area of planning strategies. Students performed well in cognitive strategies except for problem definition. Problem Definition Preliminary Design Co -Clarify objectives Emo -Establish metrics for objectives Ic -Identify constraints Rp -Revise client's problem statement Ma -Model and analyze chosen design Te -Test and evaluate chosen design Conceptual Design Detailed Design Ef -Establish functions Er -Establish requirements Emf -Establish means for functions Ga -Generate design alternatives Ram -Refine and apply metrics to design alternatives Cd -Choose a design Rod -Refine and optimize chosen design Afd -Assign and fix design details Design Communication Dfd -Document final design A central goal of this research is to describe the task interpretation of students engaged in a design activity and determine the extent to which students translate their understanding of their design task to their planning and cognitive strategies. As suggested by MacLeod and his colleagues , a mixed methods approach was used to address the research question because it would "build on the synergy and strength that exists between quantitative and qualitative research methods to understand a phenomenon more fully than is possible using either quantitative or qualitative methods alone" (Gay, Mills, Airasian, 2009, p. 462). Twenty-nine students at one Colorado high school participated in this study. The subjects for this project were students enrolled in classes in Architectural Design and Robotics Design. Students worked individually in the Architectural Design class, but worked in teams in the Robotics Design class. The requirements of the design projects were specified by the teacher of those classes. Descriptions of these two courses can be found below.
The authors investigated the differences in using problem decomposition and problem recomposition... more The authors investigated the differences in using problem decomposition and problem recomposition between dyads of engineering experts, engineering seniors, and engineering freshmen. Participants worked in dyads to complete an engineering design challenge within 1 hour. The entire design process was video and audio recorded. After the design session, members participated in a group interview. Video and audio data were transcribed, segmented, and coded to make comparisons. Results show differences between engineering experts, seniors, and freshman in design thinking. Students tend to use depth-first decomposition, and experts tend to use breadth-first decomposition in engineering design. The results also show that students spend less cognitive effort on the problem-definition stage than engineering experts.
. More specifically, technologically literate people must be knowledgeable, capable, critical thi... more . More specifically, technologically literate people must be knowledgeable, capable, critical thinkers, and decisions makers. The STL, published by ITEA, established a formal definition of technological literacy: "Technological literacy is the ability to use, manage, assess, and understand technology" (ITEA, 2000, p. 9). The uniform message is strongpeople need to be technologically literate in order to be active, functioning members of our modern society. Engineering, in general, and engineering design, specifically, are included in STL. Including engineering content in technology education curricula necessitates that the field identify successful approaches to teaching engineering at the high school level. Engineering design challenges include the application of engineering principles to solve real world problems with an active, hands-on approach. Incorporating engineering design challenges into formal coursework is one method of teaching the engineering process through practical application. "In brief, available research suggests that these kinds of courses appear to improve retention, student satisfaction, diversity, and student learning" (Dym, Agogino, Eris, Frey, & Leifer, 2005, p. 114). Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine if a student's academic success, measured by grade point average (GPA) in mathematics, science, and communication courses, is correlated with student change in achievement during an engineering design challenge. Engineering design challenges have been implemented and researched in K-16 environments where engineering principles are applied to solve real world problems. Research shows that engineering design challenges have successfully improved student achievement (Cantrell et al.
Of the eight major programs mentioned in Thailand's Eighth National Education Development Plan (1... more Of the eight major programs mentioned in Thailand's Eighth National Education Development Plan (1997Plan ( -2001)), one is aimed at developing human capability in the areas of science and technology. This is to address the fact that the teaching of technology in Thailand is lagging behind the technological changes of the last decade. Part of this reform effort is the development of conceptual based learning activities in science and technology for 12 to 15-year old students. These concepts are being introduced through the offering of a subject at the high school level. de Klerk Wolters (1989) indicated learning the concepts of technology is necessary and should be required for all students of this age range. added that students in both primary and secondary schools need to learn to solve technological problems in creative ways. Students also should understand the nature of technology. Understanding technology is just as important for Thai students as it is for students in other countries. In order to develop a student's technological literacy, de Klerk Wolters (1989) suggested that it is important to take into account pupils' interests, opinions, and needs when developing technological curriculum. An understanding of students' knowledge of and attitudes toward technology is necessary and prerequisite to effective teaching about technology . These concerns led to the development of the Pupils' Attitude Towards Technology (PATT) project. The first Pupils' Attitude Towards Technology project was established by Jan Raat and Marc de Vries in 1984 at the University of Technology in Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The main purpose was to assess what attitudes students, aged 11 to15, had toward technology. It became evident through the PATT research that the students had incomplete and vague concepts of technology. There also appeared to be great differences between boys and girls in their attitudes toward technology. Since this beginning, the PATT research has been conducted in over 22 countries, ___________________________
Engineering design thinking is a topic of interest to STEM practitioners and researchers alike. E... more Engineering design thinking is a topic of interest to STEM practitioners and researchers alike. Engineering design thinking is "a complex cognitive process" including divergence-convergence, a systems perspective, ambiguity, and collaboration (Dym, Agogino, Eris, Frey, & Leifer, 2005, p. 104). Design is often complex, involving multiple levels of interacting components within a system that may be nested within or connected to other systems. Systems thinking is an essential facet of engineering design cognition (Accreditation
Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER), 2014
The purpose of this research was to investigate high school students' computer self-efficacy (CSE... more The purpose of this research was to investigate high school students' computer self-efficacy (CSE) and learning behavior in a selfregulated learning (SRL) framework while utilizing an interactive learning module. The researcher hypothesizes that CSE is reflected on cognitive actions and metacognitive strategies while the students are engaged with interactive learning modules. Two research questions guided this research: (1) how is students' CSE while engaged in interactive learning modules? and (2) how do high and low CSE groups plan and monitor their cognitive action, and regulate their monitoring strategies based on their CSE level? The research used a mixedmethods approach to answer the research questions. This study utilized a SRL framework that covered self-efficacy, cognitive actions, and metacognitive components. While self-efficacy was represented by CSE, metacognitive component was represented by planning, monitoring, and regulating strategies. Cognitive actions represent contextual activities while using interactive learning modules. One hundred students from two high schools, InTech Collegiate and Logan High Schools, completed activities in this study. Each student worked on three modules, namely Boolean Logic, Minimum Spanning Tree, and Modeling Using Graphs. Three different forms of data were gathered for analysis. These data included questionnaires, screen captured videos, and audio recordings of interviews. The findings of this study revealed that the students achieved the highest average score on beginning skills compared to advanced skills and file and software skills for their CSE. Furthermore, screen-captured video analysis showed that there were different profiles of cognitive actions and metacognitive strategies between high and low CSE groups in terms of the strategy changes and duration of their strategies. Issues gathered from interview analysis between these two groups were also elaborated.
The purpose of this study was to determine if high school students’ academic preparation was corr... more The purpose of this study was to determine if high school students’ academic preparation was correlated with change in motivation during an engineering design challenge. The research was conducted in a high school classroom in which elements of engineering design were taught in a technology education context to eleventh-grade student from diverse academic backgrounds (measured by grade point average [GPA]). Participant motivation was assessed by the California Measure of Mental Motivation (CM3). The CM3 measures student motivation to apply critical thinking skills and reasoning to solve problems in five subscales: mental focus, learning orientation, creative problem solving, cognitive integrity, and scholarly rigor.Findings of this study suggested that knowledge of students’ GPA served as a predictor of student motivation. With the exception of the mental focus subscale, growth over time was not related to GPA. Change across multiple time points in the other four subscales of learni...
2014 International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning (ICL), 2014
The purpose of this research was to investigate the differences of using problem decomposition an... more The purpose of this research was to investigate the differences of using problem decomposition and problem recomposition among dyads of engineering experts, dyads of engineering seniors, and dyads of engineering freshmen. Fifty participants took part in this study. Ten were engineering design experts, 20 were engineering seniors, and 20 were engineering freshmen. Participants worked in dyads to complete an engineering design challenge within an hour. The entire design process was video and audio recorded. After the design session, members participated in a group interview. This study used protocol analysis as the methodology. Video and audio data were transcribed, segmented, and coded. Two coding systems including the FBS ontology and "levels of the problem" were used in this study. A series of statistical techniques were iv used to analyze data. Interview data and participants' design sketches also worked as supplemental data to help answer the research questions. By analyzing the quantitative and qualitative data, it was found that students used less problem decomposition and problem recomposoition than engineer experts in engineering design. This result implies that engineering education should place more importance on teaching problem decomposition and problem recomposition. Students were found to spend less cognitive effort when considering the problem as a whole and interactions between subsystems than engineer experts. In addition, students were also found to spend more cognitive effort when considering details of subsystems. These results showed that students tended to use dept-first decomposition and experts tended to use breadth-first decomposition in engineering design. The use of Function (F), Behavior (B), and Structure (S) among engineering experts, engineering seniors, and engineering freshmen was compared on three levels. Level 1 represents designers consider the problem as an integral whole, Level 2 represents designers consider interactions between subsystems, and Level 3 represents designers consider details of subsystems. The results showed that students used more S on Level 1 and 3 but they used less F on Level 1 than engineering experts. The results imply that engineering curriculum should improve the
Proceedings. Frontiers in Education. 36th Annual Conference, 2006
The National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) is a recently funded Nationa... more The National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) is a recently funded National Science Foundation Center for Learning and Teaching. This paper provides a broad overview of NCETE activities that will span the five years of the program, consistent with the goals of ASEE's Emerging Trends in Engineering Education session. The long-term goal of NCETE is to understand how to infuse engineering design into technology education in grades 9-12. The paper describes the relationship between engineering and technology education and why NCETE focuses on 9-12 grade technology education as the provider of engineering design concepts. The nine institutions associated with NCETE, the school district partners, and the professional society partners are described. The paper also presents a broad overview of research themes with a description of how these themes will be more sharply focused over the next five years. The paper briefly outlines the doctoral program and the technology teacher program. It concludes by describing some first year goals.
Mohammad was born and raised in Jordan, his home country. Before joining USU, Mohammad was a stud... more Mohammad was born and raised in Jordan, his home country. Before joining USU, Mohammad was a student at Oklahoma State University where he received a Master of Science degree from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Mohammad also received another Master's degree in Computer Engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) in Jordan. Besides, Mohammad also has a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering from Al Yarmouk University in Jordan. Complemented with his educational degrees, Mohammad has more than four years of teaching experience at Najran University, Saudi Arabia. Mohammad was also working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) for 2.5 years at Oklahoma State University. Currently, Mohammad is working toward getting his Ph.D. degree from the Engineering Education Department under Professor Kurt Becker's supervision and is doing Engineering Education research that focuses on academia-industry collaborations for Electrical and Computer Engineering graduates.
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Papers by Kurt Becker