Leadership and Pedagogical Skills in Computer Science Engineering by Combining a Degree in Engineering with a Degree in Education

In this full paper on innovative practice, we describe and discuss findings from dual degree study programmes that combine a master\u27s degree in engineering with a master\u27s degree in education. This innovative study programme design has emerged in Sweden due to an alarming demand for more Upper Secondary School teachers in STEM subjects. Studies on alumni from these programmes indicate that the graduates are highly appreciated not only as teachers in schools, but also in business and industry, e.g. in roles as IT consultants and computer science engineers. Data indicate that the breadth of the combined education, and especially leadership and pedagogical skills, are important factors for these graduates\u27 success as engineers

Efforts to improve attractiveness of lower level engineering education

There are nine study programmes awarding the degree bachelor in engineering (högskoleingenjör) at the University of Gävle. Some of these have only a few applicants, even though the graduates are appreciated by a relatively large regional primary and secondary sector industry. A major revision of the programmes is planned. One objective is to increase the attractiveness of the programmes. In the revised programmes, students are proposed to study most courses together during the first year of study, even if they belong to different engineering specializations. This is intended to improve the study environment. Students in programmes with low numbers of applicants will become part of a richer and livelier student collective. However, the attractiveness could further be problematized by asking to whom higher education is attractive. A special focus will be on increasing the admission of students from groups in society that have been underrepresented in higher education. More specifically this may be linked to individual factors such as the educational level of parents, family income, immigrational background and geography. There may also be societal explanations in traditions of gendered professions. Engineering programmes, and especially some of the specializations at the university, are dominated by male students. This study focuses on how universities can take action to further increase the attractiveness of the engineering programmes, with a special regard to groups that are known to be underrepresented among the students

Program Leadership from a Nordic Perspective - Managing Education Development

Nordic Five Tech (N5T) is a strategic alliance between five technical universities in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The overall aim is to “utilize shared and complementary strengths and create synergy within education, research and innovation”. In this paper we focus on university educational development issues by investigating the program leadership at five Nordic technical universities. Specifically, the paper compares definitions, views and experiences of education leadership in the Nordic Five Tech (N5T) universities. The paper does this by, first, reviewing the definitions of roles and responsibilities for program directors at each university, and second, by presenting results from a survey carried out in March 2012 among program directors at the N5T universities. Based on this data, we analyze how program directors experience their role, their possibilities to lead, and their opportunities of learning to lead. How is time for reflection and development as leaders handled at the different universities? The paper goes on to consider what impact the mandate of the leadership role has on the possibilities for developing educational programs. For instance, how can program directors ensure that learning objectives concerning generic skills and abilities are reached? How can program directors drive implementation of integrative and value-oriented topics such as sustainable development, innovation and entrepreneurship

Student perspectives on flipped classrooms in engineering education

We used focus group interviews and the student perspective in order to investigate student perceptions of flipped classroom in engineering education. The learning environment included web-based interactive video films, where students had to answer quizzes in order to continue seeing the films, and interactive in-class sessions with clickers. In general the students had experience of flipped classroom in many courses and subjects, and could compare different implementations in physics, mechanics and calculus. We studied perceived advantages, strengths, drawbacks, or difficulties, and students’ views on learning with flipped classroom. Overall, the students were positive, or in one case indifferent to flipped classroom. They saw many advantages, but they also pointed out difficulties and had many opinions about how a flipped learning environment was best implemented. In the interviews, they also expressed their views on learning and described how they studied. Many used rote learning and surface approaches to learning, but many also had a focus on understanding. Some declared an intention to focus on understanding but still used rote learning. Some students expressed a strategic approach to learning with focus on the examination. Heavy workload and a threatening examination system seem to favor surface approaches to learning also in a flipped classroom learning environment. One of our interviewees had dyslexia and described her experience and special conditions. We conclude by suggesting a list of five key elements for flipped classroom. We think that the interplay between these elements is important, and that they are considerably weaker without the support of the others

STUDENT PERSPECTIVES ON FLIPPED CLASSROOMS INENGINEERING EDUCATION

We used focus group interviews and the student perspective in order to investigate student perceptions of flipped classroom in engineering education. The learning environment included web-based interactive video films, where students had to answer quizzes in order to continue seeing the films, and interactive in-class sessions with clickers. In general the students had experience of flipped classroom in many courses and subjects, and could compare different implementations in physics, mechanics and calculus. We studied perceived advantages, strengths, drawbacks, or difficulties, and students’ views on learning with flipped classroom. Overall, the students were positive, or in one case indifferent to flipped classroom. They saw many advantages, but they also pointed out difficulties and had many opinions about how a flipped learning environment was best implemented. In the interviews, they also expressed their views on learning and described how they studied. Many used rote learning and surface approaches to learning, but many also had a focus on understanding. Some declared an intention to focus on understanding but still used rote learning. Some students expressed a strategic approach to learning with focus on the examination. Heavy workload and a threatening examination system seem to favor surface approaches to learning also in a flipped classroom learning environment. One of our interviewees had dyslexia and described her experience and special conditions. We conclude by suggesting a list of five key elements for flipped classroom. We think that the interplay between these elements is important, and that they are considerably weaker without the support of the others.QC 20170209</p

Cluster Compartmentalization May Provide Resistance to Parasites for Catalytic Networks

We have performed calculations on reaction-diffusion equations with an aim to study two-dimensional spatial patterns. The systems explicitly studied are three different catalytic networks: A 4-component network displaying chaotic dynamics, a 5-component hypercycle network and a simple 1-component system. We have obtained cluster states for all these networks, and in all cases the clusters have the ability to divide. This contradicts recent conclusions that only systems with chaotic dynamics may give cluster states: On the contrary, we think that any network architecture may display cluster formation and cluster division. Our conclusion is in agreement with experimental results reported for an inorganic system corresponding to the simple 1-component system studied in this paper. In a partial differential equations model, the clusters do not provide resistance to parasites, which are assumed to arise by mutations: Parasites may spread from one cluster to another, and eventually kill all ..

Avstånd med olika metriker

Författarna beskriver en lektion om avståndsberäkningar med olika metrikersom de tror att kan vara inspirerande både för elever och matematiklärare pågymnasiet. Lektionen utvecklades i ett samarbete mellan fem lärare underKleindagarna i januari 2020.

Avstånd med olika metriker

Författarna beskriver en lektion om avståndsberäkningar med olika metrikersom de tror att kan vara inspirerande både för elever och matematiklärare pågymnasiet. Lektionen utvecklades i ett samarbete mellan fem lärare underKleindagarna i januari 2020.

Civilingenjör och lärare – ett bidrag till hållbar ingenjörsutbildning

Vi har studerat hur kombinationsutbildningen Civilingenjör och lärare på KTH bidrar till att avhjälpa lärarbristen och därigenom bidrar till en hållbar ingenjörsutbildning. Studien bygger på data från enkäter och intervjuer med programmets alumner. Enkätmaterialet visar att cirka 30% av alumnerna arbetar i gymnasieskolan, 60% i näringslivet och 10% med övrigt, exempelvis i organisationer eller på universitet. Alumnerna anser sig vara gynnade på arbetsmarknaden. De har ett starkt självförtroende och en mycket positiv bild av den egna kompetensen.QC 20171206</p