Search results
1 – 10 of over 74000Edward C. Fletcher, Erik M. Hines, Donna Y. Ford, Tarek C. Grantham and James L. Moore III
This paper aims to examine the role of school stakeholders (e.g. advisory board members, school administrators, parents, teachers and school board members) at a 99% black academy…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the role of school stakeholders (e.g. advisory board members, school administrators, parents, teachers and school board members) at a 99% black academy in promoting the achievement and broadening participation of high school black students in engineering career pathways.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors followed a qualitative case study design to explore the experiences of school stakeholders (e.g. students, district and school personnel and community partners) associated with the implementation of the career academy (Stake, 2006; Yin, 1994).
Findings
The authors found that the school relied heavily on the support of the community in the form of an advisory board – including university faculty and industry leaders – to actively develop culturally responsive strategies (e.g. American College Test preparation, work-based learning opportunities) to ensure the success of black students interested in pursuing career pathways in engineering. Thus, school stakeholders in the academy of engineering served as authentic leaders who inspired academy students by serving as role models and setting examples through what they do as engineering professionals. It was quite evident that the joy and fulfillment that these authentic leaders gained from using their talents directly or indirectly inspired students in the academy to seek out and cultivate the talents they are good at and passionate about as well (Debebe, 2017). Moreover, the career academy provided environmental or sociocultural conditions that promoted the development of learners’ gifts and talents (Plucker and Barab, 2005). Within that context, the goals of career academy school stakeholders were to support students in the discovery of what they are good at doing and to structure their educational experiences to cultivate their gifts into talents.
Research limitations/implications
It is also important to acknowledge that this study is not generalizable to the one million career academy students across the nation. Yet, the authors believe researchers should continue to examine the career academy advisory board as a source of capital for engaging and preparing diverse learners for success post-high school. Further research is needed to investigate how advisory boards support students’ in school and postsecondary outcomes, particularly for diverse students.
Practical implications
The authors highlight promising practices for schools to implement in establishing a diverse talent pipeline.
Social implications
On a theoretical level, the authors found important insights into the possibility of black students benefiting from a culturally responsive advisory board that provided social and cultural capital (e.g. aspirational, navigational and social) resources for their success.
Originality/value
While prior researchers have studied the positive impact of teachers in career academies as a contributor to social capital for students (Lanford and Maruco, 2019) and what diverse students bring to the classroom as a form of capital Debebe(Yosso, 2005), research has not identified the role of the advisory board (in its efforts to connect the broader community) as a vehicle for equipping ethnically and racially diverse students who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds with social capital. Within that sense, the authors believe the advisory board at Stanton Academy relied on what the authors term local community capital to provide resources and supports for black students’ successful transition from high school into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related college and career pathways.
Details
Keywords
Reports on an inter‐active seminar regarding the enhancement of engineering education in the classroom and beyond. Summarises presentations by representatives from schools…
Abstract
Reports on an inter‐active seminar regarding the enhancement of engineering education in the classroom and beyond. Summarises presentations by representatives from schools, universities, industry and relevant organisations. Discusses how industry and education can work together to familiarise young people with engineering and promote career possibilities. Reviews problems experienced within schools’ technology departments and considers possible solutions to provide continuous engineering education from pre‐school to university. Includes suggestions to enhance careers advice and encourage work experience, and discusses responsibilities of professional engineers in creating a positive image.
Details
Keywords
A. Pérez‐Foguet, S. Oliete‐Josa and A. Saz‐Carranza
To show the key points of a development education program for engineering studies fitted within the framework of the human development paradigm.
Abstract
Purpose
To show the key points of a development education program for engineering studies fitted within the framework of the human development paradigm.
Design/methodology/approach
The bases of the concept of technology for human development are presented, and the relationship with development education analysed. Special attention is dedicated to the role of case studies in engineering courses. After that, the development education program pushed by the Civil Engineering School of Barcelona and Engineering without Borders is explained, focusing on two major contributions: two optional courses about international aid and development and nine classroom case studies about different technologies used in real co‐operation projects.
Findings
This work provides a conceptual basis for incorporating development education into engineering studies, a general overview of different activities promoted in Spanish technical universities and practical information about optional courses and classroom case studies.
Research limitations/implications
The proposal is based on the experience in Spanish engineering curricula (mostly in five‐year degrees). Some of the topics covered by the courses and the case studies can be better adapted at postgraduate level in three‐ or four‐year degrees.
Practical implications
It is shown that development education can be incorporated into engineering studies through different specific non‐expensive activities.
Originality/value
This work presents and puts in context the development education activities pushed coordinately between a non‐governmental organization and an engineering school. Thus, it can be of major interest for both teachers and workers of the international development field.
Details
Keywords
M. Esther Gómez-Martín, Ester Gimenez-Carbo, Ignacio Andrés-Doménech and Eugenio Pellicer
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the potential for implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the civil engineering bachelor degree in the School of Civil…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the potential for implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the civil engineering bachelor degree in the School of Civil Engineering at Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain).
Design/methodology/approach
All the 2019/2020 course syllabi were analyzed to diagnose at which extent each subject within the program curriculum contributes to achieving the different SDGs.
Findings
The results show a promising starting point as 75% of the courses address or have potential to address targets covering the 2030 Agenda. This paper also presents actions launched by the School of Civil Engineering to boost the SDGs into the civil engineering curriculum.
Originality/value
This paper presents a rigorous and systematic method that can be carried out in different bachelor degrees to find the subjects that have the potential to incorporate the SDGs into their program. This paper also presents actions launched by the Civil Engineering School to boost the SDGs into the civil engineering curriculum.
Details
Keywords
P.A.O. Adegbuyi and J.O. Uhomoibhi
The purpose of this paper is to report on the nature of technology and engineering education provision in developing economies, focusing on Nigeria.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report on the nature of technology and engineering education provision in developing economies, focusing on Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on recent developments in the shake up and implementation of new measures to call for quality technology and engineering education in the country, following changes brought about by new education and administrative structures and the new policies being promulgated by both the now democratically elected government working in tandem with universities throughout the country. Issues relating to methods, curriculum, contents, quality and related are examined and reported. The role of planning, input from engineering industries, improved competition and expanded export of engineering services are all investigated and presented.
Findings
The paper finds that the establishment of stability in governance of state and universities is signaling positive and upward trend in the implementation of informed policies for improved technology and engineering education in universities which could herald improved economy and conditions of life in the country.
Originality/value
In the wake of new developments in education in emerging economies such as Nigeria, the need to take stock and review systems for technology and engineering education is highlighted. Using available information, issues affecting present developments and education practice, some suggestions are provided for the future.
Details
Keywords
In the 1970s, there will have to be more education in engineering and more engineering in education. It will be increasingly important to see education as a continuing process…
Abstract
In the 1970s, there will have to be more education in engineering and more engineering in education. It will be increasingly important to see education as a continuing process through the secondary and tertiary stages (perhaps, the primary too) and to see engineering as having a place throughout the process instead of being tacked on the end, as if it were an educational afterthought.
Alejandro Gallego-Schmid, Ximena C. Schmidt Rivera and Laurence Stamford
The implementation of life cycle assessment (LCA) and carbon footprinting represents an important professional and research opportunity for chemical engineers, but this is not…
Abstract
Purpose
The implementation of life cycle assessment (LCA) and carbon footprinting represents an important professional and research opportunity for chemical engineers, but this is not broadly reflected in chemical engineering curricula worldwide. This paper aims to present the implementation of a coursework that is easy to apply, free of cost, valid worldwide and flexible enough to cover such holistic topics.
Design/methodology/approach
An analysis of chemical engineering curricula worldwide, a literature review and the implementation of a coursework case study are detailed. The latter combines practical exercises using free LCA software, oral presentations and debates.
Findings
The coursework goes beyond the calculation of results, giving the students key transferable skills to increase their employability, such as the capacity to negotiate/discuss in groups, software learning and development of critical thinking. The course is affordable and flexible, enabling adaptation to different sectors and engineering schools. One limitation is the challenge of ensuring robustness and consistency in marking, but this has been already improved with a more explicit rubric. The feedback of the students confirms these findings, including the learning of transferable skills as the major advantage.
Originality/value
This paper addresses, for the first time, the current state of “life cycle thinking” teaching in the curricula of the top 25 chemical engineering schools worldwide, a literature review of previous experience and a description of a novel coursework taking a theoretical and practical approach to LCA, carbon footprinting and socio-economic sustainability via a free software and a comprehensive range of didactic activities.
Details
Keywords
This paper aims to explore the objectives and methods of teaching engineering and technology education (ETE) through the lens of three educational taxonomies in cognitive…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the objectives and methods of teaching engineering and technology education (ETE) through the lens of three educational taxonomies in cognitive, knowledge and problem-solving perspectives. This analysis is useful in light of today's increasing interest in teaching engineering and technology in K-12 education, instead of crafts or manual skills.
Design/methodology/approach
This is an exploratory study. Technology and engineering education is a relatively new area in K-12 education, and little has been written about the use of general educational taxonomies for analysing and designing the teaching and learning of this subject.
Findings
The literature analysis teaches us that fostering students' higher-order capabilities such as design and problem solving in engineering and technology cannot take place in isolation from specific knowledge. Instruction should be designed to: develop a certain degree of factual, procedural, conceptual and meta-cognitive knowledge in relevant areas of technology, science and mathematics; and engage learners in assignments of increasing cognitive levels, from simple to complex ones.
Originality/value
This work is original and valuable in that it explores ETE through tools often used in the educational literature and research, rather than regarding technology education as an exceptional school subject. This could encourage making engineering and technology a core component in the overall curriculum.
Details
Keywords
Anh Tuan Nguyen and Nguyen Vang-Phuc Nguyen
The purpose of this paper is to identify the best practices of industrial engineering (IE) programs that could be learnt and used at other educational institutions.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the best practices of industrial engineering (IE) programs that could be learnt and used at other educational institutions.
Design/methodology/approach
Nine IE programs in the USA are benchmarked using a conceptual framework that considers an educational program as a system consisting of a purpose, a curriculum, resources, and quality processes. The information used in benchmarking is collected from the program self-study reports, course catalogs, and websites which are available on the internet.
Findings
It is found that in spite of their diversity in history, missions, sizes, and reputations, the studied programs are rather unified in terms of purpose definition, curriculum formation, resource selection, and quality process usage. From the analysis, a template of IE curriculum is proposed.
Research limitations/implications
As the selection of the studied programs is based on the availability of the information, the findings may not be representative for IE programs in the USA. Future work can aim at comparing IE programs from various countries.
Practical implications
The findings could be used as benchmarks by IE schools interested in the improvement of operations.
Originality/value
A conceptual framework for benchmarking is proposed and proves useful for comparing educational programs. The findings represent the current best practices at IE schools in the USA.
Details
Keywords
IT is with some misgiving that I come here this evening to lecture to this society on the training of an aeronautical engineer. The subject is not one which 1 chose myself;…
Abstract
IT is with some misgiving that I come here this evening to lecture to this society on the training of an aeronautical engineer. The subject is not one which 1 chose myself; indeed, I think it is probably the very last which I should have selected to talk about; but the Council of the society, for some reason which I have not yet been able to understand, invited me to deal with it. I rashly promised to do it, but now that the time has come to redeem that promise I feel that I ought to have refused and chosen a subject on which perhaps I could speak with a little more authority. I suspect, however, that the Council was anxious to obtain discussion on a topic which to any society is a very important matter and that I have been put up as a target for your criticism in the hope that something useful may emerge from your comments rather than from my paper.