ICT Needs and Trends in Engineering Education

IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 2012

Numerous efforts seek to increase awareness, interest, and participation in scientific and technological fields at the precollege level. Studies have shown these students are at a critical age where exposure to engineering and other related fields such as science, mathematics, and technology greatly impact their career goals. A variety of advanced learning technologies have emerged to enhance learning, promote hands-on experiences, and increase interest in engineering. However, creating and sustaining technology-infused learning environments at the precollege level is a challenging task, as many schools have limited resources and expertise. Moreover, while numerous technology solutions are available to support ambitious engineering-learning goals, choosing the right technology to align to program goals and resources may be a daunting task. In this work, we fill the gap between the applicability of educational implements and suitable teaching methods for precollege engineering. We present an overview of available hardwareand software-based technologies, and characterize these technologies based on criteria such as median price, the type of learning activities fostered, and the required users' expertise levels. In addition, we outline how these technologies align with deductive and inductive teaching methods that emphasize direct-instruction, inquiry-, problem-, and project-based methods, as studies have shown these methods are effective for precollege engineering education.

Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association, 2013

The rapidly evolving technological knowledge required by engineers imposes important challenges on how to best prepare the engineering workforce of the future. Novice engineers are faced with formulating creative solutions to problems they have never seen before; they did not really learn to solve "real world messy problems". Problem-solving in engineering requires the use of disciplinary-based heuristics that are not immediately apparent to novices in the field. The aim of this study is to evaluate and expand engineering education using cognitive apprenticeship as an instructional framework. Cognitive apprenticeship outlines pedagogical strategies that makes visible experts` problem solving heuristics to support novices in becoming more proficient. This work will provide an overview of a computer-based learning environment in a classroom with third- and fourth-year undergraduate students. First, we discuss the implementation of cognitive apprenticeship in the classroom an...

2016

In the emerging digital era it is difficult to train highly-skilled, competent specialists without the use of information and communication technology (ICT). The use of ICT in education increases the motivation to learn, stimulates cognitive activity and independent work, facilitates information exchange, enables interactive communication between teachers and students, and improves learning outcomes. This paper reviews the literature regarding the use of ICTs in education, explores their advantages and challenges, and surveys first-year students at the Institute of Non-Destructive Testing, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University to determine their attitude toward ICT in foreign language learning.

Advances in engineering education, 2019

In this article, we explore how information, communications, and computational technology, or computer technology for short, influences the way that engineering is taught and learned. The goal of our analysis it to contribute towards a research, adoption, and policy agenda for propagating the effective use of computer technology in engineering education and for avoiding pitfalls associated with the connectivity that this technology enables. We seek to inform action and generate conversation amongst instructors, students, researchers, administrators, policy makers, and other key stakeholders in engineering education. We organize our discussion through six main issues as the focus for systemic change for the effective integration of technology in engineering education. These issues were identified through a Delphi study with a group of engineering education experts. Our analysis of the issues then draws on major policy reports of the use of technology in education and the extant resea...

IEEE EDUCON 2010 Conference, 2010

This paper analyzes new trends on the use of technology in engineering education having as main source the Horizon Report. We discuss and analyze the predictions of this source and also other different views of the current situation in the use of technology based in the previous forecasts and the experience in distance, on-line and on-class engineering education.

Engineering Leaders World Congress on Engineering Education 2013, 2014

Despite the attractive features of ICT in education, and the many advantages that successful use of these technological resources can offer to the education sector in general, their use in engineering educational content delivery is still lagging behind other educational disciplines. In this paper we look closely at the challenges that face full utilization of these technology resources in engineering educational content delivery, the great opportunities that ICT can offer, and actions that can be taken to overcome the challenges. The challenges are exemplified in: the quantitative nature of engineering discipline, lack of awareness of pedagogical use of ICT in education and the lack of clear policy of how and what type of engineering educational content delivery mode can benefit most from available ICT resources. Opportunities available for full utilization of ICT facilities are summarized in: the wide availability of computing resources, high speed internet access and general ICT ...

Addressing the Digital Divide

2010

Despite the rapid progress of information and communication technology, there is not enough user-friendly desktop applications in the practice which are designed for working with knowledge. In this paper the development of a desktop database application "Writing Pad" is mentioned. This was primarily used for engineering data processing in an industrial laboratory for surface treatment. The application was then developed into the pre-programmed personalised batch knowledge processing environment as a tool for the modelling of technology enhanced learning (TEL) for engineering education at the Slovak University of Technology -Faculty of Materials Science and Technology (FMST SUT). This was especially applied at the detached workplace of the FMST SUT for the tailor made support of bachelor students as an informatics support tool in engineering courses of study : Environmental protection -Semestral projects -Occupational health and safety -Engineering of the workplace environment (till now used by approximately 600 students). Just as, e.g. MS Word -editor enables working with texts, the preprogrammed personalised desktop environment works as a Batch Information and Knowledge Editor (BIKE) which enables working with knowledge in the role of a basic element within engineering education. For these purposes knowledge is defined as a set of structured and unstructured information with a specified content stored in one row of the database table with a default structure. This approach allows for individual users to benefit from the power of the conventional relation database management system (RDBMS) and to work with huge amounts of knowledge just as with the rows of the database table, e.g. in order to automate a teacher's activities. However, the paradigm of the batch processing is different from the conventional relational database and has not yet been described or published. In addition, the preprogrammed environment produces offline and online browsable html -outputs and cooperates with the Windows operating system or other common software (freeware, Open source), including the Academic information systems of the FMST SUT. It provides individuals with personalised technology support for all types of teachers' activities performed within formal, blended, distance, long-life or informal learning. The BIKE has many optional elements of an adaptive and intuitive learning system, and has been developing with a vision to create a sophisticated system rich on information. In the paper, the TEL approach for engineering education is described in the case of ICT support of Mayes' conceptualisation cycle at the FMST SUT and due to better understanding of ICT support, some examples of output screens from teaching processes are presented for each stage of the cycle.

2004

One can argue that we have been in the Information Age for more than twenty years. Therefore, playing off this year's ASEE-SE conference theme, the question is not "how are we going to educate students for the Information Age?", but rather "how are we educating students in the Information Age?". In this paper, we describe numerous examples of how the authors are exposing their engineering students to Information Technology (IT) in the classroom by using the technology to supplement their courses. Topics include exploring the impact of IT on engineering practice, using IT to improve course communication, exposing students to commercially available software, and using IT to supplement research and knowledge building.

This paper describes the experiences of the authors in the delivery of engineering education with the help of three different technologies. These include the use of videoconferencing and CD-ROM technology for distance education and the development of World-Wide Web materials for resident instruction. The hardware and software for each methodology is described. The advantages and disadvantages of each of the methods is discussed and the benefits for the student and instructor and summarized.