Computer Applications in Engineering Education最新文献

{"title":"ChatGPT-3.5 and -4.0 and mechanical engineering: Examining performance on the FE mechanical engineering and undergraduate exams","authors":"Matthew E. Frenkel,&nbsp;Hebah Emara","doi":"10.1002/cae.22781","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cae.22781","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The launch of Generative Pretrained Transformer (ChatGPT) at the end of 2022 generated large interest in possible applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and among STEM professions. As a result many questions surrounding the capabilities of generative AI tools inside and outside of the classroom have been raised and are starting to be explored. This study examines the capabilities of ChatGPT within the discipline of mechanical engineering. It aims to examine the use cases and pitfalls of such a technology in the classroom and professional settings. ChatGPT was presented with a set of questions from junior- and senior-level mechanical engineering exams provided at a large private university, as well as a set of practice questions for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam in mechanical engineering. The responses of two ChatGPT models, one free to use and one paid subscription, were analyzed. The paper found that the subscription model (GPT-4, May 12, 2023) greatly outperformed the free version (GPT-3.5, May 12, 2023), achieving 76% correct versus 51% correct, but the limitation of text only input on both models makes neither likely to pass the FE exam. The results confirm findings in the literature with regard to types of errors and pitfalls made by ChatGPT. It was found that due to its inconsistency and a tendency to confidently produce incorrect answers, the tool is best suited for users with expert knowledge.</p>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"32 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141650410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the synergy of problem-based learning and computational fluid dynamics in university fluid mechanics instruction","authors":"Daniel Mora-Melia,&nbsp;Jimmy H. Gutiérrez-Bahamondes,&nbsp;Pedro L. Iglesias-Rey,&nbsp;Francisco Javier Martinez-Solano","doi":"10.1002/cae.22782","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cae.22782","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Recently, the growing demand for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) skills in industry has highlighted the importance of their incorporation into university academic programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. However, many academic programs treat CFD tools as a “black box” in which users simply enter data without fully understanding the inner workings of the software or its application in real-world situations. Therefore, in the context of a civil engineering program in Chile, a novel approach combining problem-based learning (PBL) with CFD was introduced into the curriculum of a fluid mechanics course to foster crucial competencies. This comprehensive methodology allows students to acquire fundamental theoretical knowledge that is directly related to specific problems in the classroom. Subsequently, students measure relevant variables in the laboratory, ultimately using these data to build computational models for comparing and contrasting reality with simulations. To gauge the effectiveness and impact of this PBL strategy, both quantitative analysis of student performance and qualitative analysis through surveys were conducted. The results reveal a significant improvement in student performance with the implementation of the PBL methodology, alongside a positive perception among students regarding its implementation. This underscores its benefits for learning, motivation, and academic performance. Additionally, the implementation of PBL was found to enhance both theoretical and practical understanding of concepts related to fluid dynamics and CFD simulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"32 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141611855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Graphical Arduino IDE system with wiring layout and flowchart functions for physical computing education","authors":"Il-Kyu Hwang,&nbsp;Tae-Woong Kong,&nbsp;Jin-Hyuk Park","doi":"10.1002/cae.22783","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cae.22783","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Arduino, a widely used tool for physical computing, is favored for its affordability and easy availability. However, a drawback for beginners is the requirement of prior knowledge of C programming language and circuit theory for effectively utilizing Arduino. In this research, we address this issue by developing a Graphical Arduino IDE system that allows users to control Arduino without the need for prior knowledge of C language and circuit theory. Users can create node graph-based scripts in the Wiring Tab of the Graphical Arduino IDE and develop flowchart-based scripts in the Algorithm Tab. The scripts created in the Wiring Tab serve as guidelines for wiring, thus preventing users from making wiring mistakes. Additionally, users without knowledge of C language can control Arduino by creating flowchart-based scripts in the Algorithm Tab. The finalized scripts are converted into Arduino code and uploaded to the Arduino board using the built-in Code Upload feature. Finally, a paired <i>t</i> test was conducted between the Graphical Arduino IDE and Scratch for Arduino, confirming that the Graphical Arduino IDE required fewer user inputs<i>.</i></p>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"32 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141584700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Teaching approach for deep reinforcement learning of robotic strategies","authors":"Janez Podobnik,&nbsp;Ana Udir,&nbsp;Marko Munih,&nbsp;Matjaž Mihelj","doi":"10.1002/cae.22780","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cae.22780","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This paper presents the development of a teaching approach for Reinforcement Learning (RL) for students at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana. The approach is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts, approaches, and algorithms of RL through examples and experiments in both simulation environments and on a real robot. The approach includes practical programs written in Python and presents various RL algorithms. The Q-learning algorithm is introduced and a deep Q network is implemented to introduce the use of neural networks in deep RL. The software is user-friendly and allows easy modification of learning parameters, reward functions, and algorithms. The approach was tested successfully on a Franka Emika Panda robot, where the robot manipulator learned to move to a randomly generated target position, shoot a real ball into the goal, and push various objects into target position. The goal of the presented teaching approach is to serve as a study aid for future generations of students of robotics to help them better understand the basic concepts of RL and apply them to a wide variety of problems.</p>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"32 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cae.22780","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141572390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using evidence-based decision-making and cognitive apprenticeship approach to develop students' entrepreneurial mindset","authors":"Lisa Bosman,&nbsp;Alejandra Magana","doi":"10.1002/cae.22779","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cae.22779","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Developing one's entrepreneurial mindset is important for all students, regardless of discipline. Evidence-based decision-making (which has the potential to lower costs and improve quality of life) is one approach for applying entrepreneurially minded learning in the undergraduate classroom. This approach allows students to understand trends related to data, in general, and big data, specifically. Furthermore, it better prepares graduates to evaluate and identify effective data science-based solutions. The purpose of this study is to report on one pedagogical approach to developing the entrepreneurial mindset through integrating evidence-based decision-making into the engineering and technology classroom using Microsoft Power BI Desktop (a freely available tool released by Microsoft in September 2013, where “BI” implies Business Intelligence). A mixed methods assessment was conducted including a rubric to measure students' effectiveness in applying the entrepreneurial mindset and a metacognitive reflection to better understand student motivation, awareness of learning, and engagement. First, the rubric was applied, and students were categorized by performance group (e.g., high, mid, low). Second, each performance group was analyzed to identify themes within the reflections. Our findings suggest that students in the high-performing group communicated overall high levels of motivation, while students in the low-performing group shared overall moderate levels of motivation. The relationship between performance and motivation among students in the mid-performing group was inconclusive. Findings from our study suggest that there may be a relationship between students' performance and motivation. The key study implications relate to the use of new literacies, such as technological literacy, data literacy, and human literacy, as practices for promoting the development of an entrepreneurial mindset. Our findings suggest that our approach was effective in accomplishing this goal, but there is also room for improvement. Lessons learned and recommendations are provided.</p>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"32 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cae.22779","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141551592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Teaching exploration and practice of new engineering medical–engineering integration professional courses under the background of digital education","authors":"Yue Luo,&nbsp;Shuting Zhao,&nbsp;Chuanbiao Wen","doi":"10.1002/cae.22776","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cae.22776","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (referred to as the Ministry of Education) has issued a series of training plans for outstanding engineers in new engineering disciplines, emphasizing accelerating the digital transformation of education and promoting the cultivation of interdisciplinary talents. The teaching purpose of medical–engineering integration professional courses is to cultivate new engineering talents with interdisciplinary backgrounds in medicine and engineering technology. This article aims to cultivate the comprehensive engineering practical ability of new medical information engineering talents to explore a new model based on the deep integration of Massive, Open, Online, and Course, and Conceive, Design, Implement, and Operate engineering talent training. This model integrates a variety of teaching methods, such as flipped classroom and project teaching, which is more conducive to achieving the talent training goals of cultivating innovative thinking, interdisciplinary thinking, analysis and problem-solving abilities, and teamwork skills. This study uses the “Introduction to Digital Healthcare” course as an example to carry out the teaching practice of the new model, showing the practicability and effectiveness of this teaching model in cultivating the comprehensive practical literacy of new engineering talents. In summary, the new model proposed in this article can provide a reference for the teaching of medical information engineering professional courses and also provide a new model of thinking for the teaching of medical–engineering integration professional courses.</p>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"32 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141501303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research and application of digital electrical substation virtual engineering education system","authors":"Bai-Lin Li,&nbsp;Yun-Fan Ma,&nbsp;Chao Zhang,&nbsp;Fan-Wu Chu,&nbsp;Yu-Rui Chen,&nbsp;Peng Quan","doi":"10.1002/cae.22777","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cae.22777","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The education and training of electrical substations play an essential role for college students and engineers majoring in electrical engineering. However, to ensure the substation's safety production and equipment operation, it is difficult for personnel from external units to enter the site for learning. To overcome these limitations, this paper proposes a virtual interactive training technology method to author an interactive virtual maintenance education system (VMES) for electrical substations. The system aims to build a visual training and education platform for virtual substations to help learners master the station's equipment, operation, maintenance, evaluation, and other processes. Firstly, the system establishes a component-level virtual interaction element to encapsulate an electrical substation virtual maintenance model that dynamically responds to user operations. The equipment structure and system environment are visually modeled using engineering modeling software. Secondly, a virtual interactive training system is created with the functions of 3D disassembly training, fault tree reliability evaluation, and AHP-FCE maintenance assessment. Finally, through four operating systems, we evaluate the compatibility of the VMES, and we recruit learners to evaluate and discuss emerging and common educational models. The practical application results prove that the system can significantly improve students' learning efficiency and interest. Meanwhile, due to the increased number of interactive operations in VMES, participants can proficiently master the composition and working principles of equipment in substations, and cognitive load can be reduced.</p>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"32 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141501304","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Construction of a new lifelong education system based on vector analysis algorithms for information age services","authors":"Yongfang Zhang,&nbsp;Hui Ye,&nbsp;Haijun Chen","doi":"10.1002/cae.22774","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cae.22774","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In today's rapidly evolving society, the establishment of a learning society is paramount. The lifelong education system (LLES) plays a crucial role in enriching individuals' intellectual and emotional landscapes, fostering continuous growth, and instilling the habit of lifelong learning. However, traditional lifelong education systems often have limitations regarding accessibility, openness, and resource-sharing, limiting opportunities for lifelong learning and dampening enthusiasm for it. To address these limitations, it is hypothesized that integrating information technology, specifically vector analysis algorithms, into lifelong education systems can revolutionize the learning experience (LE). By leveraging the power of the internet and advanced algorithms, it is expected that a new LLES can offer a superior online learning environment, enriched resources, and intelligent data analysis capabilities, thereby facilitating more effective lifelong learning. The methodology involves the development and implementation of an information age service based on vector analysis algorithms within the lifelong education framework. This study aims to provide learners with enhanced access to high-quality online learning resources while offering intelligent data analysis to optimize learning pathways. With the continuous development of Internet technology, information technology has been applied to various fields. Information age services (IAS) based on vector analysis algorithms (VAAs) will be combined with LLES. Technology will be utilized to the maximum to provide lifelong learners with a high-quality online learning environment, online learning resources, and intelligent data analysis to help learners better conduct lifelong learning. Experimental results comparing the new LLES with traditional approaches demonstrated significant improvements. The new system enhanced the matching of teaching materials by 31.8%, offered a wider and more convenient learning path, and provided access to a greater variety of teaching resources. Moreover, learners using the new system exhibited an average learning increase of 7%. The integration of IAS based on VAAs into lifelong education represents a substantial advancement. This innovative approach offers superior teaching resources, educational methods, and learning opportunities, empowering individuals to embrace and sustain lifelong learning journeys more effectively in the digital age.</p>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"32 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141501305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of GitHub on students' learning and engagement in a software engineering course","authors":"Prutha Patani,&nbsp;Saurabh Tiwari,&nbsp;Santosh Singh Rathore","doi":"10.1002/cae.22775","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22775","url":null,"abstract":"<p>GitHub, a widely used software development platform, facilitates organization of projects and collaboration. Its popularity extends to students who use it to host code and create open repositories for class projects. However, despite its potential benefits, the use of GitHub in education has often been unplanned and lacked structure. Consequently, the effectiveness of GitHub in improving student learning and project development skills remains unclear. This study explores the impact of using GitHub as a tool in a software engineering course on students' skill sets and perspectives. We present the results of an experiment conducted with 319 undergraduate students to assess whether using GitHub improves their engagement in teamwork and subsequently enhances learning. The study conducted pre- and postsurveys to capture students' perspectives and experiences. Additionally, we analyzed the number of commits, pull requests (PRs), and issues from group repositories to assess learning outcomes. Our findings revealed that most students had limited knowledge of collaborative development and teamwork before using GitHub in the course. However, after using GitHub, they demonstrated effective use of teamwork skills and collaborative development, resulting in significant improvements in their overall learning.</p>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"32 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142160297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergizing computer-aided design, commercial software, and cutting-edge technologies in an innovative nozzle test apparatus for an engineering laboratory course","authors":"Mingtai Chen","doi":"10.1002/cae.22773","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22773","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study explores compressible flow, a field reliant on mathematical models for effective teaching. Using laboratory experiments as pedagogical tools, we introduce a compact nozzle test apparatus that integrates cutting-edge technologies—additive manufacturing (AM), pressure-sensitive paint, the Schlieren system, image processing, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD)—in a compressible flow laboratory course. Commercial software, including MATLAB, SOLIDWORKS, ANSYS Fluent, and LabVIEW, facilitates the incorporation of these technologies. The research outlines the course structure, objectives, and details of student projects. Through a comparative analysis of experimental results, analytical calculations, and CFD simulations, we showcase the successful integration of AM in pedagogical practices for compressible flow, addressing critical concerns like nozzle strength and surface roughness. Statistical data from student projects offer practical insights, ensuring accuracy in experimental applications. The laboratory's design and detailed lists of components and costs provide a meaningful comparison with a supersonic wind tunnel, considering manufacturing expenses, operational costs, spatial requirements, and noise levels. The assessment of lab report grades underscores the approach's efficacy in conveying compressible flow concepts successfully, facilitated by modern computers. In summary, our study presents a comprehensive, efficient, and technologically advanced approach to teaching compressible flow within a concise framework.</p>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"32 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cae.22773","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142160296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}