scholarly journals Supporting the Development of Problem Solving Skills in an Integrated Electromagnetics and Vector Calculus Course

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol P. Jaeger ◽  
Philip D. Loewen ◽  
Negar M. Harandi
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Electrical Engineering ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Student Feedback ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
Vector Calculus

Electromagnetics and vector calculus are taught as an integrated course in the Electrical Engineering program at UBC. In this paper, the course structure is described, and unique features are highlighted.A key goal of the course is to help students develop problem solving skills. To assist students in building these skills, a blended classroom approach has been adopted to allow an increase in discussion and problem solving activities in the classroom. Results of student assessment and a summary of student feedback on the teaching technologies and activities incorporated into the course are reported.

scholarly journals Analysis of Rural-Based Pre-Service Teachers Spatial-Visualisation Skills in Problem Solving in Vector Calculus Using MATLAB

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
Godfred Amevor ◽  
Anass Bayaga ◽  
Michael J. Bosse
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
South African ◽  
Mathematical Problem ◽  
Interdisciplinary Studies ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Vector Calculus ◽  
Rural Settings ◽  
Second Year ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Method Approach

In science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for instance, interdisciplinary studies have noted positive correlation between spatial-visualization (SV skills) and mathematical problem solving. The majority of these studies sharing a link between SV skills and problem solving were contextualized in urban settings and only a few in rural settings. This investigation analyses how rural-based pre-service teachers apply their SV skills in problem-solving in a South African university, in the context of vector calculus. One hundred rural-based pre-service teachers in a second year vector calculus class at University of Zululand (UNIZULU) were randomly selected into control and experimental groups. MATLAB was used as a dynamic visual tool to analyse how research participants applied their SV skills. A mixed method approach was employed in data collection (quantitative and qualitative). Our findings revealed that the rural-based pre-service teachers’ SV skills correlate with their problem-solving skills in vector calculus.

scholarly journals Translator Trainees’ Reading Literacy, Problem Solving, and Translation Skills A Comparative Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-157
Author(s):  
Gabriella Kovács ◽  
Katalin Harangus
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
International Student ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Reading Literacy ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Level Scale

AbstractLinguistic and cultural mediators, such as translators, interpreters, and language teachers, need complex and well-developed language skills in all the languages they work with. In this study, we examine the connections and correlations among the following skills: reading literacy in native language, reading literacy in foreign language, problem solving and translation. Three of these skills (reading in native and foreign language and problem solving) are evaluated on a three-level scale based on the three cognitive processes used in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessments (location of information, understanding, evaluation and reflection) (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development – OECD 2018). The methodology of measuring reading comprehension in native language and problem-solving skills has already been developed and applied by our research group (Pletl 2019, Harangus 2018); therefore, after assessing the foreign language reading literacy and translation skills, we will be able to analyse the translator trainees’ results based on the aforementioned three-level scale and examine possible connections and correlations between the different but interrelated skills. With an interdisciplinary approach, this study concentrates on revealing the overlaps and meeting points, the spaces in between the use of these skills.

scholarly journals CANADA'S NEWEST ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING CURRICULUM: DRIVING FACTORS AND CRITICAL REQUIREMENTS

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Grami ◽  
M. A. Rosen
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Electrical Engineering ◽  
Driving Factors ◽  
Development Effort ◽  
Engineering Curriculum ◽  
Engineering Community ◽  
Engineering Program

UOIT’s Electrical Engineering program was launched in September 2005. The driving factors and critical requirements for this program were unique, and led to the development of a curriculum which is innovative in many respects, yet maintains the best features of traditional EE programs. The development effort focused on the quality of the curriculum, in terms of content, pedagogy and delivery, as quality is important to students, prospective employers, graduate schools, accreditation bodies and the engineering community. Since the notion of quality is always multi-dimensional, we provide here the rationale for the EE program from many perspectives: generalized vs. specialized,, problem solving vs. engineering design, technical vs. complementary studies, circuits vs. signals, analog vs. digital, lab experimentation vs. computer simulation, and knowledge-sake vs. market-oriented.

scholarly journals A Diagnostic Classification Analysis of Problem-Solving Competence using Process Data

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peida Zhan ◽  
Xin Qiao
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Outcome Data ◽  
Diagnostic Classification ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Action Sequence ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
International Student Assessment ◽  
Latent Ability ◽  
Problem Solving Strategies

Process data refers to data recorded by computer-based assessments (CBA) that reflect respondents’ problem-solving processes and provide greater insight into how students solve problems, instead of merely how well they solve them. Using the rich information contained in process data, this study proposed an item-specific psychometric method for analyzing process data in order to comprehensively understand respondents’ problem-solving competence. By incorporating diagnostic classification into process data analysis, the proposed method cannot only estimate respondents’ problem-solving ability along a continuum, but can also classify respondents according to their problem-solving strategies. To illustrate the application and advantages of the proposed method, a Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) problem-solving task was used. The results indicated that (a) the estimated latent classes provided more detailed diagnoses of respondents’ problem-solving strategies than the observed score classes; (b) although only one item was used, estimated higher-order latent ability reflected the respondents’ problem-solving ability more accurately than the estimated unidimensional latent ability taken from the outcome data; and (c) the interactions between problem-solving skills may follow the conjunctive condensation rule, which assumes that only when a respondent has mastered all the required problem-solving skills can the specific action sequence appear. Overall, the main conclusion drawn from this study was that using diagnostic classification is a feasible and promising method for analyzing process data.

scholarly journals INTEGRATING ELEMENTS OF TEAM-BASED LEARNING AND INCREASING INDEPENDENCE IN A 4TH-YEAR LAB COURSE TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRITICAL THINKING, PROBLEM-SOLVING AND TROUBLESHOOTING SKILLS

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Potvin
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Student Feedback ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
Analytical Skills ◽  
Team Based Learning ◽  
Design Skills

Although conventional labs provide good opportunities to develop technical communication and analytical skills, they offer few avenues to develop creative problem-solving or experimental design skills. Even when an open-ended Problem-Based Lab (PBL) format is followed, many students remain reliant on TAs or instructors and when problems arise are reluctant to attempt a solution themselves. This paper describes a new design for a 4th-year chemical engineering PBL-based lab course that incorporates elements of Team-Based Learning (TBL), flexibility, and greatly reduces formal supervision to promote independence, problem-solving, troubleshooting, and critical thinking skills. The course structure and deliverables are described. Student feedback, collected from surveys, indicates that they preferred this approach compared to regular labs and felt it was quite successful in developing the aforementioned skills and in increasing their confidence in their engineering judgement. It will therefore be expanded in the future.

scholarly journals Impact of Community Service Activities on the Soft Skills Development of Polytechnic Engineering Students Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Masfizaizan Binti Manaf ◽  
Emilawati Binti Othman ◽  
Noorashikin Binti Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Electrical Engineering ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Service Activities ◽  
The Impact

Community service activities are one of the activities most recently announced by all communities, government and private institutions as well as higher education centers. This activity has a positive impact on all societies, individuals and students involved in their success. Among the significant impacts of the students involved in this activity is to enhance the generic skills development of the team in terms of teamwork and problem solving skills in any field. In this study, the data were collected using a questionnaire distributed to 217 Electrical Engineering students from two to four semester at Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Polytechnic (PSMZA) to obtain information about the impact of teamwork and problem solving skills. The raw data obtained was processed using the SPSS version 23 software and used the Likert scale 4 for each question chosen. Data analysis showed that the mean value of the impact of community service activities on teamwork skills was 3.26 and problem solving skills (3.68) where it was stand in high level for two to four semester electrical engineering students. The results of the t-test experiments found that there was no significant difference between male and female students on the impact of community activities on the components of teamwork skills where p> 0.05 and there is little difference between male and female students for problem solving skills where p <0.05. It is thus envisaged that this community service activity is crucial to be applied to all polytechnic students as a condition of awarding diploma and in line with the requirement of the National Education Philosophy to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced.

scholarly journals Use of a reflection journal in a third year engineering project course

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Steele
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Electrical Engineering ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Engineering Project ◽  
Engineering Program ◽  
Project Environment ◽  
Capstone Project ◽  
Problem Solving Process ◽  
The One ◽  
Design Experience

As part of a new third year project course for the Electrical Engineering program, a reflection journal was introduced as part of the work to be undertaken by students. The aim of the one term course is to provide a project experience that will provide design experience in teams, will draw together material from the previous years of academic study as well as further prepare students for their capstone project. The reflection journal has been introduced to provide a regular opportunity for the student to consciously reflect on their progress, challenges encountered, as well as a way to develop their writing skills. This is an attempt to encourage students to look at the process of learning in a project environment and to develop some degree of metacognition1. By undertaking this type of reflection Cowan [1] suggests that this assists students from looking at solving a particular challenge to generalizing the problem solving process, fitting with the objectives of aproject course. The entries for the journal are weekly and are assessed each week by an instructor and contributed to 15% of the final mark. Because this form of assessment would be new to most of the students instructions were provided including a rubric. These instructions as well asthe instructor’s experiences and opinion of the success of the journal will be presented.

scholarly journals Outcome-based student assessment enhances academic performance in basic medical laboratory course

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-275
Author(s):  
Kai-Feng Li ◽  
Bo-Zhi Liu ◽  
Fei-Fei Wu ◽  
Xia-Cheng Sun ◽  
Fei Tian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Medical Laboratory ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Basic Medical

Basic medical laboratory courses (BMLCs) play an important role in medical educational courses helping the student acquire three important skills of surgical operating, collaborative learning, and problem solving. The outcome-based student assessment (OBSA) is a learning evaluation method that establishes specific evaluation points based on performance of students in three aspects: surgical operating, collaborative learning, and problem solving in the BMLC curriculum practices. The purpose of the present randomized controlled trial study is to explore the efficiency of OBSA program in BMLCs. The 233 students attending BMLCs were randomly divided into 2 groups, 118 in the OBSA group and 115 in the control group. We conducted multiple-choice examination questions (MCQs) test and two questionnaires with the method of two-sample t test for statistics. The results of MCQs in total eight BMLC blocks showed that the academic performance of the OBSA group was significantly better than that of the control group ( P < 0.05). In addition, the average scores of direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS) and mini-experimental evaluation exercise in OBSA group were significantly higher than those in control group ( P < 0.05). The majority of the medical students preferred the OBSA and considered OBSA could effectively improve their surgical operating skills (83.9%), collaborative learning skills (92.1%), and problem-solving skills (91.1%). From the above, OBSA is an effective evaluation method for the implementation of the BMLC curriculum.

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