Computer Applications in Engineering Education最新文献

{"title":"Semiconductor Upskilling Program Using Field-Programmable Gate Arrays as a Training Vehicle","authors":"Dheya Mustafa,&nbsp;Ruba Alkhasawneh,&nbsp;Fadi Obeidat,&nbsp;Samah Zriqat","doi":"10.1002/cae.70027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.70027","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The global semiconductor shortage since 2020 has affected over 169 industries, resulting in price increases, long lines, and the resale of integrated circuits in numerous consumer goods. Upskilling programs and boot camps play an important part in education, providing an immersive and intensive learning environment. This study aims to assess the influence of using field-programmable gate array (FPGAs) as a motivational training vehicle in the field of the semiconductor industry to build the required skill set, in particular, in the design and verification stages. The study employed a survey-based research methodology with participants from a chip design training camp hosted in Jordan for senior and fresh graduate engineering students in summer 2023. We proposed a novel research conceptual model to measure the influence of such training program on student performance and motivation. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS AMOS 28, applying structural equation modeling. The findings demonstrated that FPGA-based chip design training programs significantly motivated students and enhanced their skill set, particularly in FPGA design, hardware description languages, and problem-solving abilities. Hands-on projects, along with guidance from industry professionals and faculty members, played crucial roles in skill development. The study's promising results are limited by a single-country sample, self-reported survey data, and short-term nature, potentially introducing bias. The short-term nature of the study might limit insights into the long-term career impacts of such training programs. This study highlights the positive influence of industry-driven training programs on students' skills and future professional careers in the domain of hardware system design, particularly using FPGA implementation. The findings offer valuable insights for instructors, institutions, and curriculum developers aiming to integrate industry-relevant skills into academic programs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143809444","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":"Enhancing Attitudes and Engagement in First-Year Computer Engineering Students: Integrating TinkerCAD and Physical Experiments for Learning Angular Acceleration, Torque, and Moment of Inertia","authors":"Suriya Chinwong,&nbsp;Piyanooch Nedkun,&nbsp;Somkuan Photharin,&nbsp;Pemika Hirankittiwong,&nbsp;Pathomwong Thaoyabut,&nbsp;Nitipon Pongphaw,&nbsp;Pantong Sanonok,&nbsp;Prommin Buaphan,&nbsp;Keerati Maneesai","doi":"10.1002/cae.70020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.70020","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Physics is fundamental to engineering education, yet many first-year computer engineering students struggle with foundational concepts like angular acceleration, torque, and moment of inertia. These abstract concepts are often perceived as disconnected from practical applications, leading to low attitudes and engagement. This study investigates whether a blended learning approach, integrating TinkerCAD IoT simulations with physical experiments, can enhance students’ understanding and attitudes in physics by bridging the gap between theory and practical application. We conducted a 3-week pretest and posttest study with 140 first-year computer engineering students. Students participated in TinkerCAD simulations and complementary hands-on experiments designed to contextualize physics concepts within engineering applications. Quantitative data from academic assessments and attitudinal surveys, along with qualitative feedback, were analyzed to evaluate changes in understanding and engagement. Quantitative findings showed a 24% improvement in academic scores, with the mean score increasing from 5.86 (SD = 2.47) in the pretest to 7.29 (SD = 2.58) in the posttest. Attitudinal surveys revealed a shift from 55% to 85% of students expressing a positive attitude toward physics. Qualitative feedback further highlighted increased motivation and practical skill acquisition as benefits of the blended approach. The integration of TinkerCAD with physical experiments not only enhanced students’ attitudes and engagement with physics concepts but also fostered essential problem-solving and technical skills. These findings suggest that this blended learning model has broader applicability across STEM education, effectively linking theoretical knowledge with real-world relevance.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143801781","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 Effects of Robot Programming on Mathematical Achievement, Mathematics Anxiety, and Programming Self-Efficacy","authors":"Mehmet Emin Hangün,&nbsp;Yalın Kılıç Türel","doi":"10.1002/cae.70030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.70030","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Programming skills and mathematical thinking are among the important skills in the field of information technology. It is common knowledge that programming often involves topics such as loops, variables, functions and mathematical expressions. Students who are beginners in programming or who learn text-based programming are prone to assuming a negative attitude towards their programming education. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of using educational robots on students' mathematical achievement, mathematics anxiety and computer programming self-efficacy perception. 117 secondary school 6th grade students participated in the study, which was conducted in a quasi-experimental design. To compare the variables between the two groups in this study, an independent <i>t</i>-test was used. To analyze the corrected variance differences between the groups, a linear covariance (ANCOVA) analysis was done. At the end of the study, significant differences between the groups in terms of mathematics anxiety and programming self-efficacy perception were noted. In terms of mathematical achievement, however, although it increased both in the experimental group and the control group, no significant differences were found. When the mathematics anxiety pre-test score was controlled, ANCOVA analysis revealed that there was a significant difference in the mathematics anxiety Posttest. This study demonstrated that robots can be an effective tool for positive change in mathematics anxiety and self-efficacy perceptions in computer programming. However, although educational robots provided a positive change in math achievement, they did not provide a significant difference between the groups. At this point, long-term studies examining mathematics achievement with educational robots are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cae.70030","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143801581","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":"Determinants of Adopting 3D Technology Integrated With Artificial Intelligence in STEM Higher Education: A UTAUT2 Model Approach","authors":"Vi Loi Truong,&nbsp;Lenh Phan Cong Pham","doi":"10.1002/cae.70019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.70019","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Incorporating 3D technology and artificial intelligence, often known as AI, into STEM education in the current day is creating new opportunities to improve student engagement and performance. With an emphasis on STEM areas specifically, this study attempts to bring the elements that affect the uptake of AI-enabled 3D instructional technology. A survey was carried out with 300 participants, including teachers and students from universities. To gauge participant impressions, the study used UTAUT2—the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 framework. IMB SPSS 25 and AMOS 24 has been used to calculate, evaluate, analyze data to determine the main variables influencing the adoption of these technologies. The results show that while AI and 3D technologies have a great deal of potential to enhance users' interaction, understanding, and engagement with difficult scientific concepts, there are still obstacles to overcome, including those related to infrastructure, cost, and the requirement for faculty training. Furthermore, it was discovered that moderating factors including experience, gender, age, and education level had very little effect on the final outcomes. This study provides insightful information on how to successfully incorporate 3D and AI technology into STEM curricula at the university level.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143786842","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":"AABC: A Tool for Assessing Arduino Basic Coding Skills","authors":"Sokratis Tselegkaridis,&nbsp;Theodosios Sapounidis,&nbsp;Christos Tokatlidis,&nbsp;Sophia Rapti,&nbsp;Dimitrios Papakostas","doi":"10.1002/cae.70029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.70029","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In recent years, coding has become a useful component of education at all levels, leading to the emergence of various programmable devices and platforms, such as Arduino. These tools offer students opportunities to enhance their coding skills through hands-on experiences or graphical simulations. However, the literature lacks a comprehensive instrument for evaluating code skills via such technologies. To address this gap, this study introduces the “Assessing Arduino Basics in Coding” (AABC) tool. This tool was validated and refined with 151 university students, who completed three experimental exercises followed by coding-related questions. Students were divided into two groups. The first group implemented the experiments with physical–tangible boards, while the second used graphical interfaces in a virtual environment. The analysis of questionnaire scores underwent four steps. Initially, Item Response Theory was employed to discard questions resulting in unscaled scores. Subsequently, Exploratory Factor Analysis identified three factors corresponding to the three exercises. Additionally, Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed the questionnaire's structure, indicating high reliability (χ²[74] = 74.5, <i>p</i> = 0.463, CFI = 0.995, TLI = 0.994, RMSEA = 0.00612, SRMR = 0.0625). Lastly, measurement invariance testing demonstrated that AABC is unaffected by the user interface, suggesting its usability for evaluating Arduino coding skills regardless of the interface used. Overall, the AABC tool provides a reliable method for evaluating coding skills in basic Arduino circuits, contributing to advancements in coding education.</p>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cae.70029","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143786843","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":"Integrating Computational Design Optimization Into Architectural Design Pedagogy—An Experimental Course for Performance-Based Building Design Optimization and Exploration","authors":"Likai Wang,&nbsp;Rudi Stouffs,&nbsp;Patrick Janssen","doi":"10.1002/cae.70028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.70028","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This paper presents an experimental course focusing on computational design optimization for performance-based building design exploration in a newly developed course for second-year architectural students. The course uses a hybrid design system combining a parametric design tool with a cloud-based design evaluation server. The system allows students with no prior parametric modelling skills to conduct a series of performance-based design optimizations and subsequently extract knowledge regarding the interrelation between design performance and building form. The use of this system allows concepts, such as performance-based design optimization and design space exploration, to be integrated into the teaching of this 6-week course for more than 200-year two students. Throughout the course, students were able to conduct systematic design exploration assisted by computational design optimization and synthesize the knowledge obtained from the optimization into their design process. The paper showcases examples from students' coursework along with their reflections after utilizing the system in their design task. The analysis of these outcomes demonstrates how this course can enhance early-year students' understanding of the value and utility of performance-based design optimization in architectural practice. With the demonstrated coursework outcomes and students' reflections, the implication of this course to computational design teaching is discussed. Additionally, two key limitations are identified: the difficulties some students encounter in applying knowledge gained from optimization to the design process and the lack of transparency concerning the mechanisms of evolutionary optimization due to inadequate technical details provided.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143778451","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":"Serious Games in Engineering Education: Assessing Novelty Effects and the Influence of Prior Gaming Experience","authors":"Laura Romero Rodríguez,&nbsp;Alberto Sánchez-Alzola,&nbsp;Alejandro Salazar","doi":"10.1002/cae.70021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.70021","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study explores the implementation of two serious Role-Playing Game video games in engineering education, focusing on their novelty effects, impact on academic performance, and the role of prior gaming experience. Factors such as student perception of usefulness, game fun level, or motivation are considered. The games were integrated into an engineering course at the University of Cádiz (Spain) during the 2022/2023 academic year, with feedback collected from 288 students who played the first game and 252 who played the second. Results showed no significant novelty effects between new and repeating students. However, a comparison with feedback from students who had played earlier versions of the games indicated a decrease in perceived fun and overall ratings, suggesting a potential novelty effect due to prior exposure to these specific games. Despite this, motivation levels remained high, with most students reporting increased motivation and a reduction in the perceived complexity of the subject after playing. The games also positively impacted academic performance, as students who played them achieved higher scores. Additionally, general prior gaming experience did not significantly affect the games' impact, indicating their suitability for both experienced gamers and nongamers alike.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143778408","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":"Metaverse Impact and Trends in Sustainable Integration of Immersive Technologies in Education","authors":"Dipima Buragohain,&nbsp;Yahui Meng,&nbsp;Sushank Chaudhary","doi":"10.1002/cae.70024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.70024","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The COVID-19 pandemic situation has brought a significant transition to education mechanisms across academic institutions, particularly leading to the integration of immersive technologies like metaverse in teaching and learning practices. The current study aims to examine the impact of immersive technologies while exploring how such technologies can influence the academic experience for educators and learners. It seeks to provide insights into the potential trends of metaverse and other immersive technologies in academic innovations and interdisciplinary research in the present and future educational systems. It employs a systematic research approach to investigate the impact of advanced digital learning and immersive technologies on the current education systems. The study collects relevant literature through Google Scholar, IEEE, and Scopus databases using the PRISMA guidelines and further evaluates them using the MMAT tool. Findings highlight the transformative effects of advanced digital learning and immersive technologies in the education sector for both educators and learners.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143749329","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":"Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in Higher Engineering Education: A Systematic Literature Review","authors":"Shuai Yuan,&nbsp;Huan Huang,&nbsp;Linjing Wu","doi":"10.1002/cae.70022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.70022","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Over the last few decades, many studies have explored the uses of virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) in different disciplines and examined their effects on learning. However, the effectiveness of the uses of VR and AR on students' learning is still inconclusive, and the uses and effects of VR or AR within the specific domain of higher engineering education have not been explored in extensive detail. The aim of this article is to systematically examine the overall effect of the uses of VR and AR in higher engineering education on different learning outcomes by meta-analyzing the results of 35 comparative studies from 24 high-quality journal papers published between 2013 and 2023. The results indicated that the uses of VR and AR in higher engineering education have a medium positive overall effect on cognitive outcomes (<i>g</i> = 0.60, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01), have a large positive overall effect on psychomotor outcomes (<i>g</i> = 1.67, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01), and have a small positive effect on affective outcomes (<i>g</i> = 0.30, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). Furthermore, both the type of VR/AR technology and the engineering subdiscipline don't influence the effectiveness of VR/AR applications that were used. Such results provided empirical evidence for teachers and policymakers to adopt VR and AR in higher engineering education.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143749379","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":"Virtual Reality for Collaborative Design Review and Learning in Hydrogen Vehicle Architecture","authors":"Curzio Pagliari,&nbsp;Edoardo Pignatelli,&nbsp;Leonardo Frizziero","doi":"10.1002/cae.70015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.70015","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Virtual reality (VR) technologies have shown significant potential in enhancing the automotive design process by providing immersive, interactive, and collaborative environments for reviewing complex vehicle architectures. Traditional CAD models and physical prototypes often struggle to offer the flexibility needed for rapid iteration and spatial understanding, especially for systems such as hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles. This study aims to develop a VR platform to improve the collaborative review of the internal architecture of a hydrogen-powered commercial vehicle, specifically focusing on the spatial arrangement and interaction of critical components such as hydrogen tanks, fuel cells, and batteries. The goal is to enhance design processes, reduce iteration costs, and improve spatial understanding and decision-making within automotive teams. The VR environment was built using Unity 3D and optimized for mobile VR platforms, incorporating features such as interactive component manipulation, dual locomotion modes (teleportation and free movement), and real-time collaboration. The platform was tested with a range of users, including automotive professionals and students, to evaluate its usability, performance, and impact on spatial understanding and user engagement. User feedback demonstrated high levels of satisfaction, with 85% of participants reporting improved spatial understanding, 80% preferring VR over traditional CAD tools, and 90% noting increased engagement. The VR platform enabled faster completion of assembly tasks (40% faster than traditional methods) and improved collaborative decision-making. However, challenges such as system performance issues, motion sickness, and a steep learning curve were reported by some users, particularly nontechnical users. The VR platform developed in this study significantly advanced the collaborative and immersive review of automotive designs, offering tangible benefits in terms of engagement, spatial comprehension, and design iteration efficiency. While there were limitations related to hardware requirements and user accessibility, the results highlight the transformative potential of VR in automotive design and education. Future work will focus on performance optimization, AR integration, and improving usability for nontechnical users.</p>","PeriodicalId":50643,"journal":{"name":"Computer Applications in Engineering Education","volume":"33 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cae.70015","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143741448","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}