38 research outputs found
Enhancing students’ motivation to learn software engineering programming techniques: a collaborative and social interaction approach
To motivate students to study advanced programming techniques, including the use of architectural styles such as the model–view–controller pattern, we have con-ducted action research upon a project based-learning approach. In addition to collabo-ration, the approach includes students’ searching and analysis of scientific documents and their involvement in communities of practice outside academia. In this paper, we report the findings of second action research cycle, which took place throughout the fourth semester of a six-semester program. As with the previous cycle during the pre-vious academic year, students did not satisfactorily achieve expected learning out-comes. More groups completed the assigned activities, but results continue to reflect poor engagement in the communities of practice and very low performance in other learning tasks. From the collected data we have identified new approaches and recom-mendations for subsequent research.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, for Ph.D. Grants SFRH/BD/91309/2012 and SFRH/BD/87815/201
A framework to move forward on the path to eco-innovation in the construction industry: implications to improve firms´ sustainable orientation
This paper examines key aspects in the innovative behavior of the
construction firms that determine their environmental orientation while innovating.
Structural equation modeling was used and data of 222 firms retrieved from the
Spanish Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) for 2010 to analyse the drivers of
environmental orientation of the construction firms during the innovation process.
The results show that the environmental orientation is positively affected by the
product and process orientation of construction firms during the innovation process.
Furthermore, the positive relation between the importance of market information
sources and environmental orientation, mediated by process and product orientation,
is discussed. Finally, a model that explains these relations is proposed and validated.
Results have important managerial implications for those companies worried about
their eco-innovative focus as the types of actions and relations within firms most
suitable for improving their eco-innovative orientation are highlighted.The authors would like to thank the Spanish Economy and Competitiveness Ministry for its support through the research project (EC02011-27369) and also the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (SP20140647).Segarra Oña, MDV.; Peiró Signes, A.; Cervelló Royo, RE. (2015). A framework to move forward on the path to eco-innovation in the construction industry: implications to improve firms´ sustainable orientation. Science and Engineering Ethics. 21(6):1469-1484. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-014-9620-2S14691484216Amara, N., & Landry, R. (2005). Sources of information as determinants of novelty of innovation in manufacturing firms: evidence from the 1999 statistics Canada innovation survey. Technovation, 25(3), 245–259.Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two- step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411–423.Ang, G. K. I. (2004). 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Whey Protein Edible Film Structures Determined by Atomic Force Microscope
Atomic force microscopy was used to study edible films produced from whey proteins. The films were imaged under ambient conditions with no special sample preparation. Low resolution imaging of areas from 10 μm to 150 μm on a side was performed in the contact mode. Higher resolution scans of 350 nm to 2,700 nm required use of the noncontact imaging mode. Features about the same size as the primary protein in whey, beta-lactoglobulin (7 nm), were identified in the film samples. Molecular aggregates in the range of 1 μm, reported in other studies using transmission electron microscopy of whey protein gels, were combined in results from atomic force microscopy
The Four-Domain Development Diagram: A Tool for Designing Development-Centered Teaching
Research in education has brought to light the complexity of the learning process, demonstrating that students\u27 development is influenced by a myriad of cultural and social factors, as well as the environment in which learning takes place. Engineering curricula, however, are primarily focused on teaching content knowledge, often resulting in a gap between what is taught and what is learned. We propose that shifting some of the focus onto the process of learning that occurs within the student and leveraging multiple known connections from educational psychology can result in more effective engineering education. Here we define “effective” engineering education as that which leads to greater retention of knowledge, accelerated skills development, and enhanced motivation for life-long learning. We have developed a curriculum design tool to facilitate this shift. It is a diagram that makes explicit the connections between properties of the learning environment or cognitive activity and the development occurring within the student. The Four-Domain Development Diagram, a synthesis of known empirical relationships in the learning literature, enables a faculty member to take a systems approach while designing learning activities. For example, it is known that several factors increase the construct of intrinsic motivation (a key ingredient in self-directed learning) such as students\u27 valuation of the material being learned, autonomy in the learning process, a sense of relatedness in the learning environment and experiencing mastery. Unlike other models of learning which focus on the independent influence of one or two constructs, such as student interest or choice, our diagram enables one to design the learning experience to utilize the multiple natural known-relationships within the learner’s development to promote a greater internal drive for learning. Over the course of a three-year period, three cohorts (totaling ~120 students) have participated in learning experiences which have been designed according to the relationships in the Four-Domain Development Diagram. Engineering students in learning experiences designed according to the diagram report significantly higher levels of interaction with peers as learning collaborators, greater use of integrative cognitive strategies during self-directed learning and a higher degree of moral reasoning than comparison groups (these results are being published elsewhere). While it is not possible to establish a definitive cause-effect relationship, the results provide encouraging signs that the diagram can be useful as a design guide for simultaneously leveraging natural causal relationships leading to students\u27 development along cognitive, affective, psychomotor and social domains. In this paper, we present the model and its key theoretical and empirical underpinnings. We also provide examples of how it can been used
Converting Traditional Materials Labs to Project-based Learning Experiences: Aiding Students\u27 Development of Higher-order Cognitive Skills
Against a backdrop of compelling societal needs, graduates in science and engineering now must master their disciplines and demonstrate a sophisticated level of cognitive, affective and social development. This has lead a number of national and international commissions on science and engineering to urge educators to re-think the way in which STEM disciplines are taught. We have chosen to repackage a traditional undergraduate materials engineering curriculum in a form designed to promote the development of higher-order cognitive skills like self-directed learning and design. Classic metallurgy experiments have been converted to project-based learning experiences where students are put in the role of designers of problem solutions and faculty play the role of coaches. These include: designing, prototyping and marketing of a cast metal object; systems designing, building and testing of a fiber optic spectrometer; product improvement of a prosthetic device; evaluation of oxidation process for production; design and evaluation of a heat treatment process for roller bearings; and materials characterization of an everyday product. Projects were designed to leverage known relationships within the educational psychology literature that enable deeper learning. Evaluation of 36 juniors in a project-based learning course (i.e., the test cohort) against a quasi-control group in traditional engineering courses showed that the test cohort scored significantly higher on two motivation scales shown to be critical components in self-directed learning (p\u3c0.001). The test cohort also reported a significantly higher use of peers as learning resources than the quasi-control group. Their motivation scores also correlate highly with self-reported comfort with several aspects of design, implying that their motivation contributes significantly to students\u27 ability to effectively engage in the design process. In this paper, we present examples of the materials engineering projects that were designed and implemented, and the design features that enable them to promote the development of sophisticated cognitive functioning
On H Passivation of Si Donors in GaAs Annealed with Plasma‐ Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposited Silicon Nitride Caps
Microelectronics Process Engineering: A Non-Traditional Approach to MS&E (Ingeniería de Procesos Microelectrónicos: Un Acercamiento no Tradicional a la Ciencia de Materiales e Ingeniería)
Materials Science and Engineering straddles the fence between engineering and science. In order to produce more work-ready undergraduates, we offer a new interdisciplinary program to educate materials engineers with a particular emphasis on microelectronics-related manufacturing. The bachelor\u27s level curriculum in Microelectronics Process Engineering (J1ProE) is interdisciplinary, drawing from materials, chemical, electrical and industrial engineering programs and tied together with courses, internships and projects which integrate thin film processing with manufacturing control methods. Our graduates are prepared for entry level engineering jobs that require knowledge and experience in microelectronics-type fabrication and statistics applications in manufacturing engineering. They also go on to graduate programs in materials science and engineering. The program objectives were defined using extensive input from industry and alumni. We market our program as part of workforce development for Silicon Valley and have won significant support from local industry as well as federal sources. We plan to offer a vertical slice of workforce development, from lower division engineering and community college activities to industry short courses. We also encourage all engineering majors to take electives in our program. All our course and program development efforts rely on clearly defined learning objectives