Inclusion of an Introduction to Infrastructure Course in a Civil and Environmental Engineering Curriculum

Civil infrastructure refers to the built environment (sometimes referred to as public works) and consists of roads, bridges, buildings, dams, levees, drinking water treatment facilities, wastewater treatment facilities, power generation and transmission facilities, communications, solid waste facilities, hazardous waste facilities, and other sectors. Although there is a need to train engineers who have a holistic view of infrastructure, there is evidence that civil and environmental engineering (CEE) programs have not fully addressed this increasingly recognized need. One effective approach to address this educational gap is to incorporate a course related to infrastructure into the curriculum for first-year or second-year civil and environmental engineering students. Therefore, this study assesses the current status of teaching such courses in the United States and identifies the incentives for, and the barriers against, incorporating an introduction to infrastructure course into schools’ current CEE curricula. Two distinct activities enabled these objectives. First, a questionnaire was distributed to CEE programs across the United States, to which 33 responses were received. The results indicated that although the majority of participants believe that offering such a course will benefit students by increasing the breadth of the curriculum and by providing a holistic view of CEE, barriers such as the maximum allowable credits for graduation, the lack of motivation within a department—either because such a course did not have a champion or because the department had no plans to revise their curriculum—and a lack of expertise among faculty members inhibited inclusion of the course in curricula. Second, three case studies demonstrating successful inclusion of an introduction to infrastructure course into the CEE curriculum were evaluated. Cases were collected from Marquette University, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and West Point CEE programs, and it was found that the key to success in including such a course is a motivated team of faculty members who are committed to educating students about different aspects of infrastructure. The results of the study can be used as a road map to help universities successfully incorporate an introduction to infrastructure course in their CEE programs

Research and Education in Computational Science and Engineering

Over the past two decades the field of computational science and engineering (CSE) has penetrated both basic and applied research in academia, industry, and laboratories to advance discovery, optimize systems, support decision-makers, and educate the scientific and engineering workforce. Informed by centuries of theory and experiment, CSE performs computational experiments to answer questions that neither theory nor experiment alone is equipped to answer. CSE provides scientists and engineers of all persuasions with algorithmic inventions and software systems that transcend disciplines and scales. Carried on a wave of digital technology, CSE brings the power of parallelism to bear on troves of data. Mathematics-based advanced computing has become a prevalent means of discovery and innovation in essentially all areas of science, engineering, technology, and society; and the CSE community is at the core of this transformation. However, a combination of disruptive developments---including the architectural complexity of extreme-scale computing, the data revolution that engulfs the planet, and the specialization required to follow the applications to new frontiers---is redefining the scope and reach of the CSE endeavor. This report describes the rapid expansion of CSE and the challenges to sustaining its bold advances. The report also presents strategies and directions for CSE research and education for the next decade.Comment: Major revision, to appear in SIAM Revie

Tietokoneavusteisen luonnontieteiden opetuksen edistäminen LUMA-ekosysteemissä

Information and communication technology (ICT) has been successfully used to promote children’s, youths’ and teachers’ competence in mathematics, science and technology in Finland through the LUMA Centre Finland. The LUMA ecosystem (LU stands for science and MA for mathematics) is a social innovation based on collaboration between 11 universities (including researchers and teacher trainers), educational administrations, the business sector, teachers, teacher associations, science museums and centers, families and the media. It is a Finnish model of how to promote LUMA learning, teaching and teacher training. One particular focus of the LUMA collaboration is to support the incorporation of information communication technology (ICT) into classroom practice, especially by supporting pre‐ and in‐service teachers in building their technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK). This paper reviews some of the earlier research and development conducted by the LUMA Centre Finland on the incorporation of ICT into teacher training and non‐formal science education. As an example, this paper summarizes the research done on molecular modeling, the microcomputer‐based laboratory (MBL) in chemistry education and its’ implications for teacher education, and virtual learning environments in science education. This paper also discusses how design‐based research has been used as a successful research method to connect theory and practice and to develop pedagogical ICT innovations in science education. Some going-on research topics (e.g. MOOCs) are also presented.Information and communication technology (ICT) has been successfully used to promote children's, youths' and teachers' competence in mathematics, science and technology in Finland through the LUMA Centre Finland. The LUMA ecosystem (LU stands for science and MA for mathematics) is a social innovation based on collaboration between 11 universities (including researchers and teacher trainers), educational administrations, the business sector, teachers, teacher associations, science museums and centers, families and the media. It is a Finnish model of how to promote LUMA learning, teaching and teacher training. One particular focus of the LUMA collaboration is to support the incorporation of information communication technology (ICT) into classroom practice, especially by supporting pre- and in-service teachers in building their technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK). This paper reviews some of the earlier research and development conducted by the LUMA Centre Finland on the incorporation of ICT into teacher training and non-formal science education. As an example, this paper summarizes the research done on molecular modeling, the microcomputer-based laboratory (MBL) in chemistry education and its' implications for teacher education, and virtual learning environments in science education. This paper also discusses how design-based research has been used as a successful research method to connect theory and practice and to develop pedagogical ICT innovations in science education. Some going-on research topics (e.g. MOOCs) are also presented. © Peter Lang GmbH Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften Frankfurt am Main 2016. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

E-Learning: The Hype and the Reality

This paper considers the increasing impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the associated rise in e-learning as a recognised and respected research area. The paper provides a summary of some of the current research areas under investigation and provides a list of characteristics of the area. The paper goes on to consider the professional identities of researchers in the area and the tensions which have resulted in terms of aligning with this new emergent group of professionals within existing institutional structures

E-learning - the hype and the reality. (in Special Issue on Designing and Developing for the Disciplines)

This paper considers the increasing impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the associated rise in e-learning as a recognised and respected research area. The paper provides a summary of some of the current research areas under investigation and provides a list of characteristics of the area. The paper goes on to consider the professional identities of researchers in the area and the tensions which have resulted in terms of aligning with this new emergent group of professionals within existing institutional structures

Clouds + Games: A multifaceted approach

The computer game landscape is changing: people play games on multiple computing devices with heterogeneous form-factors, capability, and connectivity. Providing high playability on such devices concurrently is difficult. To enhance the gaming experience, designers could leverage abundant and elastic cloud resources, but current cloud platforms aren't optimized for highly interactive games. Existing studies focus on streaming-based cloud gaming, which is a special case for the more general cloud game architecture. The authors explain how to integrate techniques from the cloud and game research communities into a complete architecture for enhanced online gaming quality. They examine several open issues that appear only when clouds and games are put together. © 2014 IEEE

Student Satisfaction and Performance in an Online Teacher Certification Program

The article presents a study which demonstrates the effectiveness of an online post baccalaureate teacher certification program developed by a Wisconsin university. The case method approach employing multiple methods and multiple data sources were used to investigate the degree to which pre-service teachers were prepared to teach. It was concluded that the study supports online delivery as an effective means of teacher preparation, but it was limited in the number of students followed into their first year of teaching

Adaptive and Re-adaptive Pedagogies in Higher Education: A Comparative, Longitudinal Study of Their Impact on Professional Competence Development across Diverse Curricula

This study addresses concerns that traditional, lecture-based teaching methods may not sufficiently develop the integrated competencies demanded by modern professional practice. A disconnect exists between conventional pedagogy and desired learning outcomes, prompting increased interest in innovative, student-centered instructional models tailored to competence growth. Despite this, nuanced differences in competence development across diverse university curricula remain underexplored, with research predominantly relying on students’ self-assessments. To address these gaps, this study employs longitudinal mixed-methods approaches with regard to theory triangulation and investigator triangulation to better understand how professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions evolve across varied curricula and contexts. This research emphasizes adaptive and re-adaptive teaching approaches incorporating technology, individualization, and experiential learning, which may uniquely integrate skill development with contextual conceptual learning. Specific attention is paid to professional education paths like design, media, and communications degrees, where contemporary competence models stress capabilities beyond core conceptual knowledge. Results from this study aim to guide reform efforts to optimize professional competence development across diverse academic areas