Imre Kocsis;Sándor Hajdu;Róbert Mikuska;Péter Korondi
{"title":"Introduction to the Mathematics of Control Education in Calculus for Engineering Students","authors":"Imre Kocsis;Sándor Hajdu;Róbert Mikuska;Péter Korondi","doi":"10.1109/TE.2024.3520590","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2024.3520590","url":null,"abstract":"We have introduced a novel approach to competency-based education in mechatronics from the undergraduate to the postgraduate level. What distinguishes this approach is the integration of modeling and control of sampled systems right from the beginning of the undergraduate education. It is achieved by changing the structure of the first-semester Calculus course to focus on discrete-time systems: emphasizing numerical differentiation and integration and difference equations. The curriculum is enriched by interdisciplinary homework project assignments that, given in subsequent courses throughout the education, are tied to the same quarter-vehicle model but vary in theoretical complexity. It demonstrates multiple dimensions of the same engineering problem, leading to a deeper understanding. Based on the discrete-time modeling studied in Calculus, students can solve the problem at a basic level and verify the results with measurements. Later, they can compare these solutions with those obtained using more advanced tools. This approach creates a synergy between different subjects ranging from the basics to the advanced control theory. This article focuses primarily on the mathematical toolkit that facilitates the achievement of our didactic goals.","PeriodicalId":55011,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Transactions on Education","volume":"68 1","pages":"163-172"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=10819636","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143360879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michal Balberg;Hen Friman;Heftsi Ragones;Ifaa Baner;Revital Shechter;Gila Kurtz
{"title":"Soft Skills Education is Valuable—Perception of Engineering Students","authors":"Michal Balberg;Hen Friman;Heftsi Ragones;Ifaa Baner;Revital Shechter;Gila Kurtz","doi":"10.1109/TE.2024.3510569","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2024.3510569","url":null,"abstract":"Contribution: This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a dedicated soft skills (SSs) course in an electrical engineering (EE) undergraduate program, showing improvements in students’ appreciation and satisfaction of expressing most of these skills.Background: SSs, encompassing interpersonal and social competencies, are important for career success in engineering. However, these skills are often overlooked or only indirectly addressed in EE curricula. This study addresses the need for intentional SSs development in EE education, with potential implications for engineering programs worldwide.Research Questions: How does a dedicated SSs course affect EE students’ perception of the importance of these skills?Does such a course improve students’ satisfaction with their ability to express these skills?Methodology: A dedicated SSs course was designed and implemented for undergraduate EE students. The course explicitly focused on developing teamwork, time management, written and oral communication, and implicitly addressed several other skills. Students’ perceptions of the importance of SSs and their satisfaction with expressing these skills were assessed at the beginning and end of the course using a questionnaire.Findings: While students recognized the importance of SSs before the course, their appreciation for these skills’ contribution to job-seeking and career success increased after completing the course. More significantly, students reported higher levels of satisfaction in expressing several of the targeted skills by the end of the course. These results, though limited to a single course at one institution, suggest the value of incorporating dedicated SSs development into EE curricula.","PeriodicalId":55011,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Transactions on Education","volume":"68 1","pages":"152-162"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143360878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"IEEE Transactions on Education Information for Authors","authors":"","doi":"10.1109/TE.2024.3508959","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2024.3508959","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55011,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Transactions on Education","volume":"67 6","pages":"C3-C3"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=10811672","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142859224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Impact of Campus Environment and Personality Traits on the Academic Performance and Psychological Well-Being of Engineering Undergraduates: The Mediating Role of Engineering Self-Efficacy","authors":"Moneeza Baig;Yasir Ahmad;Asjad Shahzad;Afshan Naseem","doi":"10.1109/TE.2024.3510552","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2024.3510552","url":null,"abstract":"Contribution: This study explores the direct relationships between campus environment, personality traits, engineering self-efficacy, academic performance, and psychological well-being of engineering undergraduates, and the indirect relationships between them with engineering self-efficacy as mediator which had not been studied previously in a developing country context. The findings of this research guide policy makers to improve engineering education while considering these factors. Background: Engineering education plays a significant role in enhancing the quality of engineers. Personality traits, campus environment, and engineering self-efficacy could potentially impact the academic performance and psychological well-being of engineering undergraduates. An indirect relationship exists between these dimensions with engineering self-efficacy acting as a mediator. Research Questions: 1) Do campus environment, personality traits, and engineering self-efficacy significantly impact the academic performance of engineering undergraduates? 2) Do campus environment, personality traits, and engineering self-efficacy significantly impact the psychological well-being of engineering undergraduates? and 3) Does engineering self-efficacy mediate the indirect relationships between campus environment, personality traits, academic performance, and psychological well-being of engineering undergraduates? Methodology: The research participants were 1005 engineering undergraduates from 16 universities of Pakistan. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the hypothesized relationships between personality traits, campus environment, engineering self-efficacy, academic performance, and psychological well-being. Findings: Personality traits and engineering self-efficacy significantly impact academic performance. Campus environment does not impact academic performance. Campus environment, personality traits, and engineering self-efficacy significantly impact psychological well-being. Campus environment and personality traits significantly impact engineering self-efficacy. Engineering self-efficacy mediates the relationship between the variables being studied.","PeriodicalId":55011,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Transactions on Education","volume":"68 1","pages":"140-151"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143360875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 Universal Micro-Credential Framework: The Role of Badges, Micro-Credentials, Skills Profiling, and Design Patterns in Developing Interdisciplinary Learning and Assessment Paths for Computing Education","authors":"Rupert Ward;Sheryl Grant;Megan Workmon Larsen;Kate Giovacchini","doi":"10.1109/TE.2024.3486016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2024.3486016","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of this article is to share worked examples of skills profiling within the universal micro-credential framework, a novel approach designed to further the enablement of 21st century skills which are defined here as a generalized series of competencies gained by a learner that enable them to self-reflect, self-regulate and self-optimize their capabilities within highly emergent contexts. This approach improves interdisciplinary learning and assessment paths for computing education by providing personalized learning and assessment options and by enabling curricula to better accommodate both internal and external interdisciplinary content. Through these worked examples, this article addresses potential solutions to fundamental and persistent structural issues in today’s learning-earning ecosystem. Most significant of these issues is what the authors refer to as a “capability-competency chasm,” a term used to describe an enduring gap that creates problematic deficits for learners as they transition between education and employment. At the core of the universal micro-credential framework is skills profiling, which can leverage micro-credential pathways and badge catalogues, both within the context of computing education in particular and across higher education in general. Accounting for the complexity of implementing system-wide redesign in highly variable higher-education contexts, this article also briefly references the role of design patterns to enable such implementation. Collectively, these flexible credentialing innovations offer a globally innovative solution to systemic challenges, explaining both the importance of addressing such challenges and the opportunities arising from them.","PeriodicalId":55011,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Transactions on Education","volume":"67 6","pages":"897-906"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142859237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
K. G. Srinivasa;Aman Singh;Kshitij Kumar Singh Chauhan
{"title":"A Gamified Learning Framework to Cultivate Critical Thinking Skills in Students","authors":"K. G. Srinivasa;Aman Singh;Kshitij Kumar Singh Chauhan","doi":"10.1109/TE.2024.3431872","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2024.3431872","url":null,"abstract":"Contribution: This article investigates the impact of gamified learning on high school students (grades 9–12) in computer science, emphasizing learner engagement, knowledge improvement, and overall satisfaction. It contributes insights into the effectiveness of gamification in enhancing educational outcomes. Background: Gamification in education is explored, focusing on its potential to address challenges in learner engagement. The study draws on gamification principles and user-centered design frameworks to create meaningful gamified learning experiences. Intended Outcomes: The study aims to measure knowledge improvement, overall satisfaction, and engagement in gamified learning. It seeks to assess the effectiveness of the designed educational games in enhancing algorithmic, computational, and analytical thinking skills. Application Design: Utilizing an agile development process, Unity game engine, and Swift Core-AR, this article details the creation of user-centered gamified environments. It outlines the deployment methodology for augmented reality-based games, emphasizing iterative design based on user feedback. Findings: Statistical analyses show positive correlations between overall satisfaction, engagement, and motivation with knowledge improvement. The paired t-test reveals a significant increase in knowledge levels post-gamification. One-way alternative to the one-way analysis of variance underscores the influence of satisfaction on knowledge improvement, highlighting its critical role.","PeriodicalId":55011,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Transactions on Education","volume":"67 6","pages":"931-943"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142859196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alex Cameron;Abu Alam;Madhu Khurana;Jordan Allison;Nasreen Anjum
{"title":"The Importance of Malware Awareness for Aspiring Cyber Professionals: Applicability of Gamification Static Analysis Tools","authors":"Alex Cameron;Abu Alam;Madhu Khurana;Jordan Allison;Nasreen Anjum","doi":"10.1109/TE.2024.3471336","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2024.3471336","url":null,"abstract":"Modern day organizations face a continuous challenge in ensuring that their employees are cognizant with malware and cyber attacks, since it has the potential to cause financial, legal, and reputational damage to them. Current awareness training exists in a multitude of forms to equip employees and organizations to protect themselves against malware and cyber attacks. This article proposes a more realistic and interactive approach to malware training through a simulated ransomware infection presented as a game, both for employees and students in cyber security domain. The proposed mechanism was tested by individuals within cyber industries and students and demonstrated at events within the South West of England to an audience of prospective employees and industry experts, who found the training beneficial and insightful into how malware can be avoided and identified. Overall, results from the development of the tool indicate that the ability to identify malicious files increased in the range of 12%–55%, with respondents generally agreeing the tool was useful for increasing learning capacity. External results from unstructured interviews appear to illustrate that individuals displayed a heightened awareness post-training. External surveys with undergraduate students studying cyber and computer science indicate 100% of students believe the training would be useful for some form of training, with 86% evaluating the training would be suitable for both unsupervised and supervised malware training. Language analysis revealed highly positive vocabulary in free-text questions from multiple year groups, most highly in second and third year cyber security cohorts.","PeriodicalId":55011,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Transactions on Education","volume":"68 1","pages":"132-139"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143360876","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
María José Canet;María Asunción Pérez-Pascual;Lorena Atarés;Macarena Trujillo
{"title":"Helping First-Year University Students to Overcome the Threshold Concept of Ohm’s Law","authors":"María José Canet;María Asunción Pérez-Pascual;Lorena Atarés;Macarena Trujillo","doi":"10.1109/TE.2024.3468002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2024.3468002","url":null,"abstract":"Contribution: This article presents significant contributions in the field of understanding and addressing misconceptions (MCs) related to Ohm’s law. First, it provides a comprehensive list and detailed description of 16 MCs commonly observed among students, and identifies and emphasizes 11 good practices that educators can adopt to effectively address these MCs to promote conceptual understanding. Second, this article offers two conceptual maps, serving as a valuable guide for practitioners. Lastly, this work presents an in-depth analysis of a flipped classroom intervention aimed at both overthrowing students’ MCs and promoting students’ metacognition. Background: A deep understanding of Ohm’s law holds immense importance for first-year engineering students because it serves as a fundamental principle in electrical engineering and forms the basis for analyzing and designing electrical circuits. Research Questions: Which MCs prevent students from understanding Ohm’s law? Which are their prevalence and persistence? Does the classroom dynamics proposed in this research improve the understanding of Ohm’s law? Does it transform the students’ previous conception? and Do students retain the new conception? Methodology: Two student groups from different degrees were selected as participants in the study. Both student groups were assessed using the conceptual Test DIRECT 1.0 as a pretest and DIRECT 1.2 as a post-test and delayed post-test. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were carried out to determine significant differences in learning outcomes before and after instruction. This study also provides rich insights into the underlying MCs and the effectiveness of the instructional approach in addressing them. Findings: The research findings contribute to the existing knowledge by identifying a new MC, introducing new good practices, developing a new conceptual map for power, showcasing the effectiveness of a classroom intervention, and deepening the understanding of the relationship between test DIRECT 1.0 and 1.2 and MCs. These findings have implications for educational practices, curriculum development, and instructional approaches, ultimately aiming at improving students’ understanding of Ohm’s law and related electrical concepts.","PeriodicalId":55011,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Transactions on Education","volume":"68 1","pages":"117-131"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=10711864","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143360874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}