scholarly journals So you need to choose a textbook: An investigation into first-year engineering calculus textbooks in Canada

Author(s):  
Sasha Gollish ◽  
Bryan Karneyc

The motivation for this paper was two-fold; first to examine the types of textbooks that are being used to teach calculus to undergraduate engineering students in the Canadian Universities; and, second, to assess whether these textbooks do a "good job" at teaching calculus to undergraduate engineering students.The calculus textbooks used by engineering faculties across Canada were found through an online search, either by downloading a course syllabus or through a course website. Research into these various textbooks was done through the various textbook company websites and other articles. A review of the various textbooks was provided. In addition, select calculus textbooks were selected for a more thorough review of teaching differentiation.More often universities are choosing calculus textbooks that are rooted in engineering.

Author(s):  
Eniko T. Enikov ◽  
Zoltán Szabó ◽  
Rein Anton ◽  
Jesse Skoch ◽  
Whitney Sheen

The objective of this National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded undergraduate engineering training project is to introduce nanoscale science and engineering through an innovative use of a technical elective sophomore-level mechatronics course, followed by an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)-mandated senior-level engineering capstone design project. A unique partnership between University of Arizona’s department of surgery, its neurosurgical division, and the College of Engineering presents a creative environment, where medical residents serve as mentors for undergraduate engineering students in developing product ideas enabled by nanotechnology. Examples include: a smart ventricular peritoneal (VP) shunt with flow-sensing; a bio-resorbable inflatable stent for drug delivery, and a hand-held non-invasive eye tonometer. Results from the first year of the student projects, as well as qualitative assessment of their experience, is presented. Several institutional challenges were also identified.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 590-603
Author(s):  
Ashfaque Hussain Soomro ◽  
Imran Khan ◽  
Muhammad Younus

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore EFL reading anxiety of first-year undergraduate engineering students and its effect on their reading performance in a public sector engineering university in Pakistan. It specifically aims to explore their top-down, bottom-up and classroom EFL reading anxiety. Design/methodology/approach Data for the present study were collected from 200 first-year engineering students to explore their reading anxiety. A 20-item questionnaire developed by Zoghi and Alivandivafa (2014) was used to measure students’ EFL reading anxiety, while an IELTS academic reading test was used to measure their reading performance. The data were analyzed through exploratory factorial analysis and multiple regression analysis to determine which type of reading anxiety has a significant effect on students’ reading performance. Findings It was found that the bottom-up reading anxiety and the classroom reading anxiety have a significant negative impact on the reading performance of the first-year undergraduate engineering students of a Pakistani university. However, top-down reading anxiety has an insignificant negative impact on the reading performance of university students. Research limitations/implications The data for the current study were drawn from one Pakistani public sector engineering university, and all the students were first-year undergraduates. The data were collected through a self-reported questionnaire and IELTS (academic) reading test. Some of the students may be unfamiliar with the IELTS test pattern, so their reading performance might have been affected. Practical implications Teachers should adopt such a methodology in their EFL classrooms which helps students reduce their reading anxiety. Reading texts must be selected considering the proficiency level of students, and reading strategies must be explicitly taught to reduce bottom-up and top-down reading anxieties. Teachers should create a positive learning environment in their classroom by encouraging students to make an effort to improve their reading skills in order to deal with classroom reading anxiety. Students must be explained that they should help one another rather than ridiculing each other’s reading mistakes. Differentiated instruction can also be adopted to facilitate weak readers. The teachers can provide additional/out of the class support to weak readers in order to help them deal with reading anxiety. Originality/value The EFL reading anxiety among university students in the Pakistani context has received little attention from the researchers. Furthermore, although the impact of EFL reading anxiety on EFL students’ reading performance has been explored previously, the impact of three types of EFL reading anxiety on EFL learners’ reading performance has not been adequately investigated.


2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (0) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Pramod Shahabadkar ◽  
Ajinkya Joshi ◽  
Vaishali Lele ◽  
Vilas Patil

Author(s):  
Sahil Saxena ◽  
Chirag Variawa

First-year undergraduate engineering students are exposed to numerous stressors, including high academic demands and adjusting to new social support networks. Positive adaptations through the use of personal resources e.g. resilience has been associated with improved well-being outcomes in literature. A sample of 8 first-year undergraduate engineering students was examined in terms of i) the prevalence of Eudaimonic Well-Being (EWB) and resilience and ii) the role of resilience on EWB. EWB was assessed using the Flourishing Scale and resilience was measured using the Brief Resilience Scale. Findings uncovered low prevalence of EWB and resilience in the study population. The means of both FS and BRS scores were found to be significantly lower in the study population, compared to findings from other empirical studies. No significant relationship was found between resilience and EWB. Areas for future research is discussed.


2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 298-306
Author(s):  
M. A. Carr ◽  
J. S. Brown

This paper describes a project suitable for first-year undergraduate engineering students, which integrates civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering concepts into an open-ended design and construction project. The project is a model crane, which simulates a shipping container handling system and is suitable for inter-team competition. The design criteria, materials, and competition rules are presented. As well, a series of short lecture topics, demonstrations, and facilitating homework assignments are outlined. This project and the associated supporting materials meet the goals of being relatively inexpensive while exposing the students to a broader perspective of the engineering profession and retaining their interest in engineering.


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